Canada's Cogeco Amphitheatre Installs a Pair of Solid State Logic Live L550 Plus Mixing Consoles as Part of Future Proofing Strategy

SSL Live - Fully networked

The two L550 Plus consoles are integrated into the venue and its network via a pair of X-Light Bridges, SSL’s high channel count Dante interface designed for lightning-fast I/O deployment. X-Light provides 256 x 256 console Dante audio capacity for Dante routing managed directly in the console software. Signals are routed and stored within the showfile, providing integration of three SSL SuperAnalogue^TM SB 32.24 Dante stageboxes and several other third-party Dante-enabled units within the facility. The Cogeco Amphitheatre operates in two configurations, depending on the season. During the winter, the 600-capacity Le Cabaret venue is created on the main stage, where a single L550 Plus handles both FOH and monitor duties. In the summertime, the amphitheatre can accommodate 8,500 people outdoors, and the two consoles are typically used for front-of-house and monitors, respectively, subject to each production’s requirements.

“Of course, SSL’s reputation for sound quality and legendary precise audio reproduction were a given,” adds Nicolas Ouimet, Sound Manager. “The L550 Plus has a small footprint, with enough faders to comfortably handle any show. The terrific amount of processing capabilities included with the ‘Plus’ license was a huge upgrade that enables us to handle any kind of production, including live orchestral events.”

The L550 Powerhouse: Unparalleled processing and routing flexibility
The features and functionality of the L550 Plus are already proving beneficial, according to Patrice Gagnon, Sound Manager. “The Query function is a nice and simple way to quickly access members feeding an audio bus, assign to a VCA, and doing it all without using the touchscreen. For us, stems are a game changer in terms of flexibility and a true contemporary innovation, enabling us to meet more complex mixing needs compared to traditional bus path logic. The surface and its knobs are highly customizable to meet the needs of both monitor and front-of-house engineers, and the fader layers are highly effective. The full processing path signal chain is very flexible and the feed points to the bus give you a lot of control over how and where sources are filtered and processed. Plus, there are always four ways to accomplish any task.”

As for the sonic performance, Gagnon says, ““Everything seems to be more transparent and dynamic, and timbres are way more alive. The reproduction of the bass lines and every high-end harmonic contributes to a more detailed and precise mix. It’s not about what’s in the brochure; when you feel it, you know that the audience will feel it too.”

Out with the old, in with the new

The two L550 Plus desks, procured to replace an older mixing system, offered benefits beyond the onboard capabilities of the consoles, Savoie says. “We quickly realized that all our Dante devices could benefit from this addition allowing us to multiply the mixing and routing capacity of the entire Dante audio network and amplify the audio possibilities of the Amphithéâtre Cogeco. The combined value of the networked devices arguably exceeds the sum of their individual contributions.”

Flexibility and easy integration with the venue’s Dante network and switches were crucial, Savoie says, to transport inputs from the Shure wireless mic receivers, send monitor feeds to the amps or send the main mix to the Lake LM44 processors feeding the P.A. amps. “The L550 Plus combined with the X-Light Bridge Dante interface provides the console with 256 I/O channels at 96 kHz. With the integrated Live Dante Expander card built into the console, an additional 32 I/O channels are provided with a sample rate converter from 48 kHz to 96 kHz. This allows us to continue to benefit from our devices that run at 48 kHz. And now we are 96 kHz from preamps to final D/A conversion at the P.A. amps.”