(25/12/2013) For iconic Scottish alt rockers Primal Scream's latest tour, space for the crew to carry equipment was at a premium. Front of House engineer Michael Brennan was faced with having to fit his kit into a small trailer that would be towed behind the tour bus as it worked its way across Europe and on to Japan for a flying visit before returning to the UK for the tour's final dates. Ordinarily the lack of space would have meant going on tour without a mixing console.
Brennan, who has exclusively worked on Avid systems for the past eight years, approached Avid about using an alternative solution specifically its new versatile and compact S3L live sound system. I wanted to use the S3L on this Primal Scream tour for several reasons, says Brennan. I knew that its sound quality is second to none and because of the compact size of the board and the stage-boxes, I would be able to fit it into the trailer. Additionally, the show file I had already created on my VENUE was compatible with it, so I was confident the transition would be simple.
Compact size and high performance Come Together
The new console also made its Japanese debut on the tour, having been supplied locally by Clair Global Japan. It's perfect for a small club tour and because of the S3L's modularity and networked Ethernet AVB architecture, the setup time is so quick, plus it's really easy to scale up if you need to, explains Brennan. I can set up a 64-channel desk, 48 lines of stage-box and a 128 channel, 75m Cat5e multi in around ten minutes. If you add in its space saving size, it's just awesome! I couldn't have taken a board on tour if it wasn't so small and modular. I've had to carry this one in a Transit van, splitter, truck, car and plane, and it's been really easy to move around.
It's not just the sound engineers on whom the S3L has made an instant impression. It's also proving really popular in the venues because it has such a small footprint that promoters can sell more seats, which they obviously love, adds Brennan.
Can't Go Back to rival manufacturers
Michael's a long-time Avid user, having first worked with a D-Show on a Super Furry Animals tour in 2005, and has not looked back. When he then got his hands on an Avid Mix Rack System he was so impressed he bought one of his own, which has accompanied him on every tour he's been involved with since. He has also mixed, produced and recorded many albums over the past 15 years, always using Pro Tools, for artists including Snow Patrol, Primal Scream, Mogwai and Super Furry Animals.
Avid is the industry standard for live sound. They're available globally and I've never had one fail, despite having mixed over 700 shows on the system, reports Brennan. The advantages that you get with using Avid live systems over rival digital consoles are superior sound quality, functionality and reliability, and all within a compact footprint. There's a great choice of awesome plug-ins, plus comprehensive support and back up. These benefits are fundamental for audio consistency on any tour and make for a great mixing experience.
Discussing the cost benefits that come with using an Avid system, Brennan says, I can bring an extensive system that takes up little room on the truck, where space is at a premium, and on the smaller tours, thanks to the S3L, I'm now able to take my own board and have it in a van. It's also reassuring that I can call on Avid's worldwide support network and spec a board locally, so we can save money on shipping costs, which can really add up over the duration of a tour. I can't think of a territory where I haven't been able to source a Mix Rack, Profile, SC48 or S3L and I'm comfortable using any of these systems as my show file is compatible with all of them.
Brennan added, I've built up an extensive catalogue of sound system and room EQ's which allows me to go to any live venue with any PA and instantly recall my stored settings, giving me a great starting point. With the plug-ins and output patch function on the board, I've been able to use it as a system controller and crossover on several occasions. This has saved the show both times that the system controller broke, which was awesome.
Workflow Accelerator
Because Brennan regularly uses Avid's Virtual Soundcheck feature, he always dials in the show before he goes on tour. When the band comes in for rehearsals, I record the set onto Pro Tools directly from the board, and then I'm able to sit down with the artist at FOH, locate any point in the set and allow the artist to hear my mix. The scene function has been a major breakthrough and is very powerful, as it gives the artist a sense of involvement and confidence as they're able to really know how they sound. It's a very creative tool that allows me and the band to realise and achieve the sound we both want.
On Primal Scream's 2010 Screamadelica tour, Brennan recorded every show on Pro Tools, and was then able to mix a live DVD in stereo and 5.1 formats using Avid's industry-standard DAW. He says, The compatibility of Pro Tools with the Avid Profile surface made this a simple process, and I was even able to mix it on the Profile surface as I already had the song mix dialed in.
With such a wide range of tools, functions and plug-ins at his fingertips, Michael can focus on creativity and greater collaboration with artists, without having to worry about space constraints, technical hitches and setup time.
About Avid
Through Avid Everywhere, Avid delivers the industrys most open, innovative and comprehensive media platform connecting content creation with collaboration, asset protection, distribution and consumption for the most listened to, most watched and most loved media in the world from the
Most recent headlines
06/10/2025
France T l visions, France's leading broadcaster, has received the 2025 EBU ...
04/09/2025
Monumental Sports & Entertainment (MSE), in collaboration with Dalet, has been a...
30/08/2025
WASHINGTON The Federal Communications Commission has adopted its FY 2025 Regulatory Fees Order that establishes the regulatory fee rates for the broadcast stati...
29/08/2025
Australian Red Cross and SBS launch training to help workplaces in the fight aga...
29/08/2025
The National Film and Video Foundation (NFVF), an agency of the Department of Sp...
29/08/2025
L3Harris Technologies has concentrated decades of expertise across the entire enterprise to develop affordable and reliable best-of-breed solutions to rapidly c...
29/08/2025
BURBANK, Calif. The CW Network and the Pac-12 Conference have announced a new media rights deal that will extend their broadcast partnership beginning with the ...
29/08/2025
NEW YORK Gracenote has released a new analysis of its global video dataset showing that the number of FAST channels grew nearly 14% from Q1 2025 and 76% since 2...
29/08/2025
SAN JOSE, Calif. Harmonic has announced a series of improvements to its live sports streaming solution that the company said will improve fan engagement, protec...
29/08/2025
NEW YORK and LOS ANGELES Fox Corp. and YouTube TV last night announced a renewal of the full portfolio of Fox networks, including Fox News Channel, Fox Business...
29/08/2025
Budapest, Hungary, August 2025 - The integration of Microsoft Teams Rooms (MTR) with Lightware's Taurus universal matrix switchers delivers a new level of f...
29/08/2025
Frequency, the engine behind many of the world's best-known streaming television channels, today announced it will launch Studio Live, a next-generation uni...
29/08/2025
In an era when AI and cyber resilience are essential, Scality will mark the 10th anniversary of Scality Day on October 16, 2025 in Paris. This flagship global e...
29/08/2025
Disguise's In-House Creative and Technical Teams Pre-Visualised, Programmed and Delivered Content for the Experience, All Powered by EX 3+
Technology solu...
29/08/2025
Disguise will be demonstrating the latest workflows for TV, film and live events on a number of partner booths at the show
Disguise, the industry-leading tech...
29/08/2025
STOCKHOLM, Sweden Accedo will showcase Accedo Compose, its AI agent-powered modular orchestration layer that assists streaming providers in transitioning client...
29/08/2025
LOS ANGELES Cineverse has announced that it is working with Xperi to bring four of its streaming channels to automobiles for the first time as part of the DTS A...
29/08/2025
DALLAS & ATLANTA Gray Media has announced an agreement with the sports streaming service Victory+ to simulcast 17 Dallas Stars NHL games in 15 television market...
29/08/2025
NEW YORK AND CULVER CITY Comcast NBCUniversal and Amazon have announced new and extended distribution agreements that will expand the content available on their...
29/08/2025
FOOTHILL RANCH, Calif. RED Digital Cinema will feature its Cine-Broadcast Module supporting live broadcast workflows during IBC2025, Sept. 12-15, at the RAI Ams...
29/08/2025
29 Aug 2025
Kyivstar Rings Opening Bell at Nasdaq Marking Landmark Listing and ...
29/08/2025
More than half of all NFL games live on Sky for the first timeFriday 29 August 2025
Sky Sports has announced a new three-year deal with the NFL, extending its ...
29/08/2025
Back to All News
RIV4LRIES: The Trailer of the New Series With Samuele Carrino ...
29/08/2025
Get ready for an inspiring and emotional insight into the world of competitive Irish dancing with My Story: Tomi Champion of the World airing on RT 2 this monda...
29/08/2025
RT has today announced that David McCullagh is to be the new presenter of RT Radio 1's flagship Today programme, which airs every weekday at 10am, replaci...
28/08/2025
By Kristin Feeley, Director, Documentary Film & Artist Programs
If you want to tell untold stories, if you want to give voice to the voiceless, you've got ...
28/08/2025
Directed by Steven Bognar and Julia Reichert, Sundance Institute-supported Amer...
28/08/2025
Corridos have been a cornerstone of M sica Mexicana for generations, telling stories rooted in everyday life. Now, a new chapter is taking shape: motivational c...
28/08/2025
Los corridos han sido un pilar de la M sica Mexicana durante generaciones, contando historias enraizadas en la vida cotidiana. Ahora, un nuevo cap tulo est tom...
28/08/2025
Earlier this month, we promised our Verano Forever party would bring the heat, a...
28/08/2025
L3Harris will provide the Polish F-16V fleet with the Viper Shield electronic warfare system as part of an upgrade program....
28/08/2025
Bilbao, August 26, 2025 - AgileTV, an international television and video technol...
28/08/2025
Ken Wilkinson is an Emmy Awards nominated New York audio engineer who specialises in production sound mixing for film, commercial, episodic and documentary work...
28/08/2025
NEW YORK FuboTV today announced that it will launch Fubo Sports, a skinny bundle that focuses on sports with a subscription price of $56 monthly....
28/08/2025
NEVADA City, Calif. At IBC2025, Sept. 12-15 at the RAI Amsterdam, Telestream will debut its new Global Ingest strategy, introducing a next-generation ingest arc...
28/08/2025
Dr. Rhoda Bernard Releases Groundbreaking Debut Book on Accessible Arts Educatio...
28/08/2025
TAG Video Systems, the leader in software-based IP end-to-end workflow monitoring, deep probing, and real-time visualization, has named Oliver Gappa as Sales Di...
28/08/2025
AI-based voice enhancement will be among a series of innovations making their IBC 2025 debut on the DHD stand B46 in Hall 8 at the RAI Amsterdam Convention Cent...
28/08/2025
Telef nica Servicios Audiovisuales (TSA), the leading system integrator and service provider in the media sector in Spain, with the support of Appear, the globa...
28/08/2025
To fully immerse sailing fans in the world's biggest offshore yacht race, production company, Optical Media turned to LiveU's On-site Production solutio...
28/08/2025
Working with Calrec on its most recent overhaul, radio and television broadcaster, WNED has migrated to a fully IP infrastructure with multiple Type R consoles,...
28/08/2025
Cleeng, the Subscriber Retention Management (SRM ) inventor, has unveiled Cleeng Pro, the first-ever direct-to-consumer (D2C) subscription management platform t...
28/08/2025
Zixi, the industry leader in live broadcast-quality video over IP, today announced that French media distribution platform OKAST has selected Zixi to enable rel...
28/08/2025
Solution offers a streamlined, speaker-free architecture to optimize integration with premium external loudspeakers and advanced loudness metering
Nixer Pro Au...
28/08/2025
Cinegy, the premier provider of software-defined television technology, has announced a strategic partnership with Vision One Touch Film Production Services L.L...
28/08/2025
Telestream, a global leader in media workflow technologies, will debut its new Global Ingest strategy at IBC2025, introducing a next-generation ingest architect...
28/08/2025
Tier 1 operator selects Broadpeak to power high-performance, unified CDN solution across Norway, Sweden and Finland
Broadpeak, a leader in streaming and moneti...
28/08/2025
Leading video software provider, Synamedia, today announced that 24 Frames Digital, one of India's leading live event streaming service providers, has chose...
28/08/2025
Meet VisualOn at IBC2025: See What's Next in AI-Powered Video Streaming Join VisualOn at IBC2025 and discover how our AI-driven Optimizer and advanced media...
(25/12/2013) For iconic Scottish alt rockers Primal Scream's latest tour, space for the crew to carry equipment was at a premium. Front of House engineer Michael Brennan was faced with having to fit his kit into a small trailer that would be towed behind the tour bus as it worked its way across Europe and on to Japan for a flying visit before returning to the UK for the tour's final dates. Ordinarily the lack of space would have meant going on tour without a mixing console.
