PHOTO : SEB HAMEL
AVID VENUE S6L AT FOH POSITION IN SALLE LOUIS FRÉCHETTE
Forgues explain , there were others to consider . “ One of the big concerns for us was an easy workflow and learning curve , because we have a lot of guest engineers and don ’ t have much time to teach everyone about the workflow , patch , and everything ,” shares Forgues .
Desbiens explains that they first narrowed the field to a shortlist of options that checked the initial list of boxes . Next , they had the opportunity to test each one in an actual show within Salle Louis Fréchette , and that ’ s when the choice of the S6L for all three positions became clear for the stakeholders .
Ultimately , the venue purchased three Venue S6L mixing systems through Solotech . Two S6L-24D-192 units with extra HDx DSP resources are fixed at the FOH positions of the performance halls while the third S6L-24D-144 can float between the two in a fully shared I / O set-up for events or preproduction work . This is made possible by the venue ’ s fibre ring with several nodes open for patching in both halls .
Each room also has a permanent Stage 64 rack comprised of analog , digital , AES3 , and Dante I / O , with an additional pair of mobile Stage 64s available to increase the total I / O to 168 inputs ( 192 capable ) and 96 outputs . Alternatively , there ’ s a smaller Stage 16 remote I / O rack that can be deployed in the fibre ring to easily add an extra 16 x 8 shared I / O .
“ We decided early that the console we chose would be the same in each room , and one for the monitoring ,” Desbiens says . “ It ’ s easier for us to manage everything – the learning curve , the maintenance – if everything is consistent . We also have the [ Meyer Sound ] Galileo Galaxy [ network processor ] in both halls and we tried to replicate the installation on each side to really simplify everything .”
The diversity of the Grand Théâtre ’ s programming weighed heavily into the decision , particularly when it came to some of its resident organizations , including l ’ Orchestre symphonique de Québec , the Théâtre du Trident , and the Opéra de Québec .
“ We found the S6L very flexible to do these different kinds of shows ,” Forgues says . “ We do some recording with the orchestra , and we already have Pro Tools at work , so the integration of Pro Tools with the S6L is so easy and was a big point .”
Using AVB audio with a Mac computer and a single Cat-6 cable , 128 channels of playback and and recording capabilities at 96 K can be used for virtual soundcheck or playback systems like QLAB and Live .
“ We do have some shows with small input counts ,” he continues , “ but for pop shows with the orchestra , for example , we have 90-plus inputs , and it ’ s so much easier with the S6L and stage racks than the analog console and sidecar .”
Much of the value behind the desk ’ s multitrack recording capabilities is that now , when the symphony is rehearsing , Forgues can capture the tracks and use them for virtual soundcheck in the concert hall . “ That ’ s a big step forward for us ,” he adds , with the reminder that they ’ d previously been working with the analog XL4 .
In the smaller hall , automation has been a blessing for Caux and company . After all , that space hosts more theatre productions and is also where the S6L sometimes pulls double duty for monitoring , so being able to recall settings for recurring shows offers significant time savings .
Both Forgues and Desbiens commend
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