ResonantLive Sound Archive

Equipment file · Digital mixing console

Live L500

Solid State Logic · 2013

Evidence status · documented

Identity and core specifications are documented; some historical fields remain unavailable.

SSL launched Live, its first live-sound console, in 2013 with the L500 as flagship. Built on its Tempest engine at 96 kHz, it offers 256 mix paths and up to 976 inputs and outputs via Blacklight II and MADI.

Introduced
2013
Category
Digital mixing console
Intended use
Touring and installed live sound
Production
Solid State Logic

Why it mattered

  1. 01

    It marked SSL's move from studio and broadcast into live sound.

  2. 02

    Its very high I/O count targeted festivals and arenas.

Engineering record

Engine
Tempest at 96 kHz, 256 paths (144 full)[2]
I/O
Up to 976 in and 976 out via two Blacklight II and 12 MADI ports[2]

Original pricing

No reliable period price located

2026 equivalent

Not calculated without a reliable original price.

Public price evidence was not sufficient to publish a defensible original figure.

Use in the field

No named deployment could be tied to this exact item by a checked source yet. Know of one? Suggest it on the contribute page.

Professional reactions

Release-period reaction · 19 October 2014

An A/B comparison before his first SSL Live performance convinced Sargeant to use the L500. He particularly admired its warm, substantial low-mids, and found the dynamic EQ useful for live mastering of Avicii’s changing tracks.

Wayne “Rabbit” Sargeant, Avicii front-of-house engineerCreamfields 2014; SSL-supplied first-use account. · Manufacturer-published case study · Paraphrased account[3]Front of House (FOH) · Avicii Performs at Creamfields 2014 with SSL Live Support

Release-period reaction · 11 March 2014

Time exploring the new L500 made Morgan consider leaving his familiar VENUE platform. He saw meaningful design and performance advances, but warned that learning a new interface and abandoning years of saved console data were serious obstacles.

David Morgan, James Taylor front-of-house engineer; FOH columnistFirst-person column while evaluating console alternatives before the James Taylor tour. · Independent firsthand source · Paraphrased account[4]Front of House (FOH) · Considering a Console Change

Manuals & original documents

No authoritative manual or original document has been located for this profile.

Sources

  1. 1Solid State Logic exhibits its first sound reinforcement console, the Live L500Inter BEE · archive · 2013-11-14
  2. 2SSL Live L500Digital-mixing.com · reference
  3. 3Avicii Performs at Creamfields 2014 with SSL Live SupportFront of House (FOH) · interview · 19 October 2014
  4. 4Considering a Console ChangeFront of House (FOH) · interview · 11 March 2014

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Know more about Live L500?

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