Thornton, CO-based Brown Note Productions (BNP) recently added a Solid State Logic Live L650 mixing console to its inventory for engineer Nahuel Gutierrez and Swedish folk duo First Aid Kit, who specified an SSL Live console to handle monitor duties on their U.S. tour.
“We have always had our eye on the SSL Live,” says Ryan Knutson, who founded BNP with his wife in 2004. “Since we had a tour that spec’d an SSL Live, we felt like now was the perfect chance to get one in stock in Colorado and a great opportunity to get into the platform. It’s an exciting system for us.”
First Aid Kit — sisters Johanna and Klara Söderberg and their band — have been clients for nearly a decade, Knutson reports, and although they requested an SSL Live L200 console, he was inclined to purchase the largest model instead, to make sure any clients request could be satisfied going forward. “I want to have the flagship L650 console as it will cater for all levels of production,” he says.
The L650 shares the physical layout of the L200 in providing access to 36 faders across the width of the console. “I like the frame and the fader layout. That’s why I felt like the L650 made a little more sense, which is why we chose this latest model,” he says. “With the L650, BNP can handle everything from full-production touring clients to corporate and special events to control packages for international clients.”
Guttierez, who had not previously used the L650 model, adds, “It gave me a feeling of analog mixing that I had not had in a long time,” he says. “It was really nice to have some of the screens for recording on the side of the console, as well as the IEM [in-ear monitor] software and being able to pay more attention to the band as everything was in front of me.
“I specified an SSL on this tour because I always try to spec an SSL. I have been using the SSL Live platform on other tours and the main reason is the audio quality. Of all the consoles available, this is the one I enjoy the most mixing on — and I always get great results.”
