Avid VENUE | S6L Helps Deliver the Thunder on Black Sabbath’s “The End” Tour

Avid® (Nasdaq: AVID) announced that two of the world’s leading live sound engineers, Greg Price and Myles Hale, are using the new cutting-edge Avid VENUE | S6L system on Black Sabbath’s farewell ‘The End’ world tour at front of house and monitors, respectively. With unprecedented processing capabilities, modern touchscreen operation, and familiar VENUE workflows, the dual VENUE | S6L systems give Price and Hale the power and flexibility they need to deliver exceptional mixes for the legendary rock band.

Price, who has mixed for iconic rock bands including Van Halen, KISS, and Rage Against The Machine, has been mixing FOH for Black Sabbath since 1997. “I’ve been famous for Ozzy’s ‘vocal pyramid’—his vocal chain of plug-ins—but then I got my hands on the new console,” Price stated. “Now I’m not using any plug-ins on Ozzy’s channel, only a very modest channel EQ and an on-board brick wall limiter for when he screams into his mic. The sound is absolutely stunning—I’ve never heard Ozzy’s vocal quality like this!”

The band also noticed the difference in sound quality immediately. Monitor engineer Myles Hale relates, “As soon as the drummer [Tommy Clufetos] came in he said, ‘Oh my god, what changed? These are the same speakers I’ve always had!’ I explained to him that I wish I could say that I got better, but really it’s this new console.” Hale continues, “It sounds like a badass analog console except with all the great user features that come with digital.”

Featuring the industry’s most advanced live sound engine, VENUE | S6L offers unprecedented power to handle huge channel counts while ensuring maximum stability and the lowest-possible latency. VENUE | S6L is powered by the same easy-to-use VENUE software as other Avid live sound systems, enabling Price and Hale to quickly transition from the VENUE | Profiles they’ve used on previous tours to the new system

“With a push of a button it’s reacting similar to my Profile experience, but it’s so much more than that,” said Price. “Everything is right in front of me, from my groups to my VCA’s to my special inputs—and I can create a separate layout snapshot for every song in my setlist. The new Layout Mode is absolutely essential for me—it resonates with my style of mixing.”

With a massive mix bus capacity, VENUE | S6L allows Hale to easily handle a multitude of mixes with immediate one-touch access to any mix on the faders. “Now I’ve got more auxes than I know what to do with. I’ve got spare tech mixes spun up in case the band want it differently. It’s nice, my hands are no longer tied,” said Hale. “Avid have made my job easier, which really is the key with awesome audio gear!”

VENUE | S6L offers the most powerful and integrated live recording capabilities in the industry. Providing seamless Pro Tools® recording and playback, VENUE | S6L functions as the perfect front-end to the Avid MediaCentral™ Platform, the most fluid end-to-end media management and distribution platform in the industry.

Using Pro Tools and VENUE’s Virtual Soundcheck feature, Price and Hale are able to fine-tune mixes FOH and monitor mixes during rehearsal. Prices explains, “In pre-production, I set up the S6L and Pro Tools and record everything the band does. After they play a song, they come straight into my room and we listen and we talk about everything. I cannot work without Pro Tools and the synergy that it offers my artists.”

“As part of the most trusted live mixing systems in the world, VENUE | S6L reinforces Avid’s position at the forefront of live sound innovation,” said Dana Ruzicka, Vice President and Chief Product Officer at Avid. “With demand for VENUE | S6L growing worldwide since its launch, Avid is poised to help live sound professionals take on the most challenging performances and tours around the world.”