Recently our friends at HHB held a post-IBC event for people who were unable to make IBC in Amsterdam. Amongst the products on show at the HHB event was the first ever showing of the Android Avid Audio Control app on a Huawei tablet working with a pre-production model of an Avid S1.

The Event

The event was attended by post-production experts from across the UK and included an excellent panel and open discussion on The Future Of Audio Mixing And Delivery led by HHB’s Mark Pascoe and John Johnson.

Nick Fry, Head of Audio at The Farm Group related his experiences mixing Dolby Home Atmos content and Doug Cooper, re-recording mixer at De Lane Lea told the audience how they coped mixing Netflix's Black Mirror "Bandersnatch" interactive episode, with over 300 minutes of content for one episode, having to ensure seamless continuity, whichever storyline the viewer chooses.

Scott Kramer Manager of Sound Technology at Netflix detailed some of the groundbreaking research and development that they are undertaking, in conjunction with the industry, aimed to ensure a consistent listening experience across all platforms, from mobile devices to immersive home cinema. Scott also mentioned an upcoming collaboration between Netflix and Sennheiser with their Ambeo Soundbar.

World Exclusive

After the presentations, Pro Tools Expert contributor Alan Sallabank from 8dB Sound presented a world exclusive with the first UK showing of the new Avid S1 and the first worldwide showing of the new Android Avid Audio Control app on a Huawei tablet, running a 5.1 mix session on a fully mobile, self contained, Windows Pro Tools Ultimate rig.

The pictured rig shows an RME Babyface interface, Genelec 8020 monitors, Alan’s Windows laptop running Pro Tools beta versions of the latest beta of 2019.x and EuCon 19.x Huawei Android 10" tablet running a beta version of the Android Avid Audio Control 19.x, an iPad Air 2 running a beta version of Avid Audio Control 19.x on iOS 12 and a pre-production model of the Avid S1 and an Avid Dock. To help give you a better view of the Android version of the upcoming Avid Control app here are some exclusive screenshots of the new, as yet unreleased version of the Android version of the Avid Control app in S1 mode.

It was great to see the evidence of the Avid development and beta teams and the new Avid Control app working on an Android tablet. The opportunity to use lower-cost Android tablets will help to keep the overall price down of an Avid S1 setup. Being able to have four Avid S1’s especially with Android tablets and an Avid Dock will provide a very cost-effective control surface solution that will give the S1’s bigger brothers a run for their money, or should that be for our money. To finish, here is a shot of Alan’s studio showing the setup ‘at work’.

In this image, we have Alan’s Windows-based Pro Tools system, an Avid Artist Mix, Avid Dock and a pre-production Avid S1 with an 8" Huawei tablet running the Android version of the upcoming Avid Control app.