Avid Debuts S6 Control Surface for Recording, Mixing, Editing & Post

There may not be a new version of Pro Tools in the immediate offing, but Avid has a big revelation of a different nature for the 2013 Fall season: the S6 control surface.

A melding of the ICON and System 5, S6 was designed with modularity, ergonomics and speed as the watchwords for serious audio applications. Recording, mixing, editing, and post professionals are all squarely in AVID’s headlights with the S6, which will be available in Q4.

A tilting 12.1-inch multipoint touchscreen is a central component to its design, providing what should prove to be highly intuitive and immersive Pro Tools control for editing, mixing, plugin manipulation, surround panning and more.

Avid’s new S6 is designed to drastically accelerate Pro Tools efficiency.

A number of preconfigured systems will be available in either M10 or M40 nomenclatures. Each features a master modules that serves as the central hubs of the S6 surface, and include a main engine which provides touchscreen access and control for transport, automation, and more – the different engines dictate the number of total modules that can be included in the S6, therefore impacting its overall size and customizability.

The high-performance M40 is meant for large-scale productions that require maximum faders and channels, high-resolution metering, and customizability. Meanwhile, the more affordable M10 is for productions that need to fit into smaller rooms and budgets.

Both feature the aforementioned tilting 12.1-inch multipoint touchscreen, eight adjacent rotary encoders, and dedicated knobs and keys for monitoring and global control, enabling users to view, access, and edit different aspects of their mixes — including tracks, processing, and metering—without mousing through menus.

The system’s modular nature means that the S6 will be available at a range of prices, with M10 configurations starting at $21,995 and M40 configurations starting at $43,480.

Here are more details, direct from Avid:  

Avid S6 is designed for audio professionals in the most demanding production environments, delivering the performance needed to complete projects faster while producing the best sounding mixes. In addition, S6 provides mixing professionals with a state-of-the-art solution that easily scales to meet their current and future challenges.

Built on the same proven technology that is core to the industry-leading ICON and System 5 product families, the Avid S6 enables mixers to quickly turn around complex projects while swiftly handling last-minute changes. With its unparalleled ability to simultaneously control multiple Pro Tools and other EUCON-enabled DAWs over simple Ethernet, S6 also speeds workflows and enables network collaboration on a single integrated platform.

Avid S6 redefines professional mixing with key features that include:

•    Revolutionary modular design — Adapting to every stage of a user’s business, the S6 control surface can be customized with the addition of the modules needed to match current workflow. It can be horizontally and vertically scaled as the client base grows. Pre-configured S6 M10 or S6 M40 surfaces may be purchased with the required faders, knobs, etc. already provided or, with S6 M40, further personalized with different channel control combinations.

•    Superior ergonomics — A traditional, familiar console layout allows easy transition from previous systems. The multipoint touchscreen quickly and easily accesses plug-ins, large track counts, surround panning and more, while top-lit status knobs and high resolution OLEDs add operational efficiency. Additional 12.1” displays on S6 M40 systems further enhance instant project overview by providing deep visual feedback on key items such as channel names, audio meters, routing, clip names, and scrolling waveforms. Ultimate recall enables quick location for last-minute mix changes.

•    Intelligent studio control — Compatible with Pro Tools and other popular EUCON-enabled DAWs, S6 enables detailed work on up to eight audio workstations simultaneously, as well as the ability to switch sessions in seconds from a single control surface across the facility. High-speed Ethernet connectivity makes it easy to reconfigure operations as business requirements dictate.

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