Dante HD: 128×128 I/O channels for Avid Venue S6L consoles

Avid launches the optional Dante HD card for Venue S6L systems, a solution that will provide 128×128 channels of Dante I/O at 96 kHz for ‘the next generation of live productions’.

The optional Dante HD card integrates with Avid’s E6LX engines, offering expanded I/O capacity, support for up to eight optional cards, and full backward compatibility. Specifically, the tool provides 128 x 128 channels of Dante I/O at 96 kHz per card, with support for up to two cards per system (for a total of 256 x 256 channels); BNC-based synchronisation within Dante domains; full integration with all VENUE S6L systems without external interfaces or alternative configuration solutions; and a unified workflow between AVB, Milan, MADI, and Dante, all within the same VENUE software and show file.

Richard Nevens, senior director of product management at Avid Audio, explains that the decision to bring more Dante options to its S6L family is due to its nature as the “global standard for networked audio,” bringing “high-channel-count distributed audio to large, complex systems.” “With 128 channels and deep VENUE integration, this option card ensures S6L users can adapt quickly to an array of mission-critical production requirements – from multi-console concert tour set-ups and immersive installations to theater environments and music festival infrastructures,’ he explains.

Having powered major concert tours for artists such as Madonna and The Lumineers, immersive performance experiences such as Kenny Chesney at The Sphere in Las Vegas, and spatial audio environments in venues such as the Upperroom Worship Space, the Venue S6L is now ‘fully equipped’ to adapt to the ‘changing demands of modern live sound,’ explains Avid.