Sales of the Avid S3 ceased on 31st of December 2021. Avid will support the S3 until Dec 31st 2026. Details of final sale dates and end of support dates for the S3 and other Avid products can be found here.

The Avid S3 was announced in 2013 as part of the S3L live sound system. When this was released it was an interesting departure from the hugely successful Venue series which owed so much to the ICON range of studio controllers. The system was decentralised by design, with a remote stage box, a rackmounted ‘brain’ and the control surface, which was strikingly compact compared to the devices which preceded it.

At the time many people commented on how suitable the controller would be as a studio controller. The S3 became available as a standalone controller for Pro Tools in 2014 and its combination of 16 faders, 32 encoders and the power can configurability of Eucon made it an attractive alternative for users for whom the S6, released in 2013, wasn’t a realistic option but who needed something more substantial than the Artist Mix.

Being designed as a live sound product it was, if anything, over-engineered. Designed for the rigours, both physical and environmental, of life on the road, but it has been keeping working professionals busy ever since. One such user is Experts team member Nathanial Reichman:

“I’ve owned Peavey faders, HUIs, Command 8s, a Control|24, and spent time on ICONs and S6’s. But the S3/Dock combo has undoubtedly the best price/performance ratio of any control surface I’ve used. So I was disappointed to see that Avid put S3 on the EOL list at the end of last year. It makes sense, since it’s not an obviously better product than two S1’s. But I prefer it to the S1’s. It’s more rugged, has deeper control, and without screens it can sit right under a computer monitor. But as with any well-built device, EOL doesn’t mean it suddenly stops working (just ask the thousands of audio professionals still rocking Mac Pro 5,1s and Euphonix System 5s!), Avid will support this through the end of 2026. And, unlike Diginet, which powered the last generation of Avid control surfaces, Eucon seems much more future-proof and is under constant development. So sure, some cool feature in Pro Tools 2027 might not run on the S3, but it’s an essential component in my studio and will be for years to come.

And speaking of essential, I literally purchased an Avid S3 support contract from my local dealer, Dale Pro Audio, today. So my S3 will be in tip-top condition on New Year’s Eve 2026.”

Team member Reid Caulfield has also been a devotee of the S3. Back in 2017 he shared his thoughts saying "I've been specifying S3s for post facilities in Hollywood for years". Read his take on the S3 here.

Why Avid Have Had To Discontinue The S3

Eddie Jones, Avid’s control surface guru said this in the comments on this article…

“This was mostly down to not being able to get parts. It was already difficult to source some components before COVID, and now there are even more unavailable it would require a complete redesign. Most people preferred the S1 too (like 95%)”

What Will Replace The S3?

We have no inside information from Avid but to speculate on the future, we’d expect the extremely capable combination of multiple S1s and the Avid Dock to remain the choice for a mid-sized controller, with the S4 bridging the gap between multiple S1s and an Avid Dock and a fully-fledged S6 system.

Personally speaking, I’ve always thought the S6L live sound console looks like an amazing piece of hardware and one on which a really impressive studio controller could be based. I bet it would be expensive though! I’m not holding my breath for that to happen any time soon but it’s interesting that, considering the S3 started life as a live solution I’m eyeing the live solution again for a studio controller.