Solid State Logic has installed EM Acoustics Reference Series loudspeakers in its demo facility for engineers wishing to to experience the Live Series of mixing desks.
The demonstration area at SSL is a purpose-built facility at SSL’s Oxford HQ where engineers can get hands-on with the manufacturer’s desks in a familiar setting. Whether it is a traditional mains and close-field setup for recording or immersive audio for broadcast, the rooms all feature the type of sound system that feels right for the application. This stretches to the Live console room, where studio monitors have been replaced by a powerful yet portable EM Acoustics system.
‘We use this room for visiting engineers to come in and do training on the desk or prepare their show files,’ explains SSL Director of Product Management, Tom Knowles. ‘You want a live engineer to come in and have a live experience. That means not using the studio monitors in this room because they’re not going to be mixing through studio monitors when they’re on a show.’
The room had been equipped with a different portable solution for the past 12 years. However, as this system approached the end of its natural life a replacement was sought, with EM Acoustics at topping the list. The new set-up comprises a pair of R8 compact precision point source speakers with a narrow 80 x 50 rotatable waveguide, supported by an S-15 sub.
‘They offer more than enough level for us in this space and beyond, and they still maintain portability,’ says Ed Arnold, UK Support Team Leader for Large Format Consoles at SSL. ‘They’re representative of what you might expect to find in a near-field situation, such as working in a festival tower.’
Following listening tests and band rehearsals through the system, Arnold reports that the speakers fit his listening preferences very well. ‘The top end is smooth, the 1K to 2K isn’t full of an aggressive harshness that some systems can have. I also like a 15-inch sub, they’re normally punchier than 18s and that seems to be true here, so that fits well in this space.’
Power and processing is from a DQ10 lightweight four-channel class-D switchmode amplifier, managed using System Engineer software. ‘I was able to dive into the System Engineer application and follow my nose relatively intuitively, I didn’t need to grab a user manual or reach out to the team for that, even though it was offered,’ Arnold says. ‘We found what we needed to for crossovers and delays fairly quickly, and then built a graphical representation of the four amp channels.’
‘We’re delighted that SSL chose our loudspeakers and electronics as the system for their live demo space,’ offers EM Acoustics Business Development Manager, Roger Harpum. ‘SSL desks have always been known for their exceptional audio quality, so to have them rely on our Reference Series loudspeakers to highlight that quality brings us great pride.’