AVID Venue S3L System

The power of Avid VENUE—everywhere

Go from stage to studio and beyond. With Avid VENUE | S3L, you get the incredible sound clarity, power, and efficiency of VENUE in an ultra compact system. But that’s not all. Archive shows directly to Pro Tools. Streamline FOH, monitor, and broadcast workflows by sharing the same I/O across multiple networked systems. You can even set up a mobile recording/mixing studio using just the control surface and Pro Tools on your laptop, making S3L the most versatile system in live sound. And with the latest VENUE software, you gain new touchscreen workflows for faster navigation, plus support for the new VENUE | On-Stage iOS app for remote monitor mix control.

From major festivals to small clubs, S3L gives you the power and flexibility to handle anything. Scale the modular, Ethernet AVB-networked system to accommodate any size performance—from 16–64 mic preamps. Easily fit the control surface into the tightest FOH spaces. And get great versatility, reliability, and value for the stage, studio, and beyond.

Artists and engineers alike use VENUE because of its amazing sound quality and clarity. S3L is no different. From its premium mic preamps and digital converters, to supporting the same audio plugins used in countless recording studios, S3L makes it easy to re-create the sound of the studio—live.

S3L is more than just a powerful yet easy-to-use live mixing system. The S3 control surface also does double duty as a full-featured recording studio. Just pair it with Pro Tools running on your laptop. Then connect mics, instruments, and more to the built-in audio interface for direct recording, editing, and mixing. It’s the ideal cost-effective mixing/recording setup to take to any gig—in any size space—as it easily loads into a car, bus, or plane.

Avid S3L System 32-channel Digital Mixing System at a Glance:

• S3L Control Surface - sleek, rugged, and highly configurable
• Stage 16 Remote I/O - 16 inputs and eight outputs via one single Ethernet cable
• E3 Engine - the brains and brawn behind this amazing system
• Your complete, fully-networked digital mixing solution

The heart of the S3L System, the S3 control surface, is sleek, rugged, and optimized for intuitive control in live sound environments. The S3 control surface gives you the highly efficient workflow found in Avid's VENUE consoles, which makes it easy for you to get set up and mixing fast. You get 16 channel strips with motorized faders, with six fader banks that give you hands-on access to up to 64 mix channels. And a unique ribbon controller gives you an entirely new way of interacting with the show.

The S3 control surface's intuitive layout makes it easy for you to adjust plug-in settings and re-assign encoders while efficiently manage high channel counts, aux sends, and fader groups. As with Avid's VENUE systems, the S3L System seamlessly integrates powerful live sound mixing capabilities with rock-solid Pro Tools recording. That means that you can record your show as a multitrack Pro Tools session, ready for mixing and mastering in your studio. You can even use pre-recorded tracks in Pro Tools to do a Virtual Soundcheck, without requiring the performers to be on stage. With the S3L System, it's easier than ever to achieve amazing live sound quality with every performance.

To handle your audio I/O, the Stage 16 Remote I/O gives you 16 pristine mic preamps, eight analog line outputs, and four AES digital inputs, and can be placed right on the stage or in a rack. To expand your system, all you need to do is simply add more Stage 16 Remote I/O units. In fact, you can daisy-chain up to four Stage 16s via Ethernet for up to 64 inputs and 32 outputs! The system is fully networked via Ethernet AVB, which means that adding more I/O and reconfiguring your system is a simple drag-and-drop operation in the VENUE software. And because the Stage 16 connects to the S3 control surface via a single Ethernet cable, the S3L System is incredibly easy to set up and install.

The engine that runs this incredibly powerful system is the Avid E3 engine which provides HDX-powered DSP to run the VENUE software, manage signal routing, and much more. The E3 engine supports up to four Stage 16 Remote I/O units for up to 64 input channels to the system. You'll be able to mix with 27 busses, eight mono matrixes, and eight VCAs. The E3 engine also provides DSP for a 4-band EQ and compressor/limiter on every output channel, as well as 20 simultaneous AAX plug-in rack slots.

The E3 engine also makes it easier to work with external audio files, with an onboard USB connection for two-track recording and playback. Just connect a supported USB media drive, and use the VENUE software to select it as a source for playback or recording. If you need to record a performance and either don't have the time or do not want to set up a Pro Tools recording session, just connect a thumb drive or USB hard drive to the E3 engine and you're ready to record. If you have a drive with multiple audio files you need to play back during a show, the VENUE software's playlist feature makes it easy to manage those.

The most innovative aspect of the S3L System is how the individual components work together to create a powerful environment for sound reinforcement and recording, while also being amazingly easy to install, set up, and mix with - in a wide variety of settings. The S3 control surface, E3 engine, and Stage 16 Remote I/O all connect together via standard Ethernet cable, making it perfect for permanent installation in schools, houses of worship, and corporate environments. The stunning audio quality and the power of AAX DSP plug-in processing makes this an ideal system for small- and medium-format concert sound. And with seamless integration with Pro Tools software for recording, the Avid S3L System is an incredibly smart solution for a wide range of live production tasks.

• Fully-networked digital mixing system for live sound
• S3 Control Surface gives you the acclaimed VENUE workflow
• Stage 16 Remote I/O gives you 16 analog inputs, 8 analog outputs, and four AES digital inputs
• E3 Engine uses HDX-powered DSP to run VENUE software, manage signal routing and recording, and more
• All components connect via simple Ethernet cable
• Easy playback of external audio files via USB media
• Virtual Sound Check allows you to set up your mix without requiring musicians onstage
• There's so much more to know - contact your Sweetwater Sales Engineer!