a-ha Takes on International Tour with Award-Winning Avid VENUE | S6L

Avid announces that the Avid VENUE | S6L console, a modular live sound system designed to take on the world's most demanding tours and events with ease, is out on the road with a-ha, one of the world's highest-grossing bands. Powered by Avid Everywhere, VENUE | S6L enables live sound professionals to achieve better sounding mixes with greater speed and efficiency.

Celebrating 30 years since their debut single, "Take On Me," reached number one around the world, Cast in Steel is a-ha's 10th chart-topping studio album, supported by an international tour of the same name. Taking in multiple stops across Russia, South America, the UK, and Europe, and wrapping up in the band's home country of Norway in May, the tour is benefitting from the unprecedented processing power of the Avid VENUE | S6L which the company says is the industry's most advanced live sound engine.

Responsible for bringing a-ha's distinctive sound to their fans is front-of-house engineer and long-time Avid VENUE user Gerard Albo, who has toured with artists including Amy Winehouse, Patti Smith, Anastasia, and Tom Jones. Albo purchased a VENUE | S6L console before heading out for a-ha's 30th anniversary tour, based on his long history with VENUE consoles. Albo said, "I've always worked with the Profile, it was my favorite desk, so I decided to buy this one for the future. I'm extremely happy with the console quality, it's very robust and built like a tank."

Fortunately, S6L shares a common VENUE software platform with Profile, making his move to the new console as easy as possible. Albo explained, "The S6L is so powerful, yet so simple to use. The transition from Profile was simple, and at rehearsals, I felt confident to take it out on the road after just a few hours. The touchscreen workflow is much faster and the sound of the preamps is first class, as are the onboard EQ and dynamics. Overall, it's a delight to mix on -- I love it!"

Offering unprecedented processing capabilities -- with over 300 processing channels -- S6L delivers unrelenting performance and reliability through its advanced engine design, backed up by modern touchscreen workflows and the scalability to meet any challenge.

Like all VENUE systems, S6L provides seamless Pro Tools integration and on-board industry-standard plug-ins, with higher track counts and more processing power than ever before. Plus, with a comprehensive array of network and I/O offerings, users can easily configure the system to meet the demands of any type of show.

"With the industry's most powerful processing engine and unparalleled live recording capabilities, VENUE | S6L is proving to be a big hit with leading live sound professionals touring with world-famous bands like a-ha, Black Sabbath, Duran Duran, and Massive Attack," said Jeff Rosica, senior vice president and chief sales and marketing officer at Avid. "The huge success of S6L has validated Avid's strategy to lead the market forward with innovative technologies that enable customers to take on the world's biggest tours and events."