Live Mixing with L-ISA
Forget about the struggle to make a complex mix fit into a stereo sound system.
Discover how L‑ISA provides the freedom to pan, and the space for audio objects to shine.
Audio Setup
In a live audio chain, the L ISA Processor is inserted between the mixing console and L‑Acoustics amplified controllers.
The L‑ISA Processor receives a post-fader, post-processing output for each channel and creates signal feeds for each speaker or speaker group.
The L‑ISA Controller software connects to both the L‑ISA Processor and compatible mixing consoles to provide a seamless mixing experience.
For the most demanding audio applications, full audio redundancy can be achieved with parallel audio processing and transport.
From Channel-based to Object-based
Once mono or stereo input channels are defined as “objects”, the transition from traditional Left/Right mixing to multidimensional mixing is straightforward: the usual “panpot” is replaced by object parameters representing their location. The rest of the channel processing (EQ, dynamics, …) is done in the mixing console.
Given that sound objects are mixed to locations, not to loudspeakers or busses, the properties of each sound object are independent from the specific loudspeaker layout. This enables portability from show to show as the existing source spatialization can be rendered to the new sound system configuration.
L‑ISA offers an extraordinarily intuitive 3D mixing environment that makes the process of multidimensional mixing straightforward, providing the mixing engineer with five parameters for each sound object:
Pan
controls horizontal location
Width
controls perceived size, from point source to panoramic
Distance
controls perceived proximity with reverberation
Elevation
controls vertical location
AUX Send
provides a classic post-distance auxiliary bus send
Pre-production
For each sound object, a control strategy can be defined. The pre-production stage is the best time to define and optimise control scenarios.
A classical music production might simply require the use of a few snapshots of objects positions within the L‑ISA Controller.
A full-blown pop touring production might involve timecode-driven snapshots used in combination with automation-driven playback tracks and a tracking system—the L‑ISA Controller handles it all.
The show pre-mixing and programming can start as early as band rehearsals on a scaled-down version of the loudspeaker system.
Scaling-up
L‑ISA tools were developed with the challenge of “scaling-up” in mind, from Processing algorithms to the User Interface.
Stepping up from a studio to the live rig is made easy via a simple loudspeakers import. Locations of sound objects are kept intact in the mix.
L‑ISA’s patent-pending room engine automatically adapts to a new loudspeaker system to ensure direct sound precedence over distributed energy.