Interview: Avid VENUE | S6L at Sing meinen Song – Das Schweizer Tauschkonzert
Interview with Andy Widmer and Michael Nöth about the production of SmS Live.
In the popular TV show, Sing meinen Song – Das Schweizer Tauschkonzert, well-known Swiss singers come together and present each other with surprising new interpretations of their songs. And they do so in their own style and in their own way. Over 250 cover songs have already been created through the show. In 2025, artists from all previous seasons came together again to perform their songs live in front of an audience. Behind the scenes, a highly professional team ensures that everything runs smoothly and sounds outstanding. The Widmer Sound team is responsible for the sound at the SmS Live show and requires an audio setup that meets the highest standards. At the heart of the production is Avid's VENUE | S6L system, including the new, extremely powerful VENUE | E6LX-256 engine. We spoke to Andy Widmer (CEO, FOH) and Michael Nöth (monitor engineer) about the requirements, the workflow, and their experiences with the system.
Please tell us who you are and what role you play in the company or in the project.
Andy Widmer: I am the CEO of our company and usually work at the FOH desk during productions.
Michael Nöth: I work as an audio engineer with a focus on monitor mixing.
Describe your company and your main areas of production. What special requirements does this entail?
We are a pure audio company specializing entirely in live music. We focus on two areas: on the one hand, we support established bands on tour, and on the other, we provide complete equipment for music shows, including FOH, monitor, and broadcast. This results in high demands on flexibility, sound quality, and workflow efficiency.
Is VENUE | S6L an essential part of your productions? In which areas do you use the system?
Yes, definitely. We rely exclusively on the VENUE | S6L for all productions with more than 16 channels—for FOH, monitor, and broadcast. We have a total of six S6L consoles in our inventory.
How was VENUE | S6L used specifically in the production? Please describe the setup in detail.
For the SmS Live production, we used an S6L-32D with an E6LX-256 engine at the monitor position, equipped with three MADI cards to connect a KLANG system for immersive IEM mixes. At FOH, we worked with another S6L-32D, but with an E6L-144 engine.
Both systems were connected via an AVB ring in gain sharing with two Stage 64s and one Stage 32. The two Stage 64s served as stage boxes for all signals from the stage, while the Stage 32 was reserved for playback and communication at the FOH. In total, we processed almost 90 inputs and provided 32 IEM mixes.
What were the most important requirements when deciding on the VENUE | E6LX-256 engine?
Especially for productions with many musicians and guests like SmS Live, we need a system that not only offers many inputs, but above all sufficient bus resources. The E6LX-256 is the ideal solution here.
What was the deciding factor in investing in another VENUE | S6L system with E6LX-256?
We were increasingly reaching the I/O limits at the monitor position. At the same time, three more bands were added to our roster this year. To avoid bottlenecks, the decision to add another system with the E6LX-256 engine was an obvious one.
What advantages does the VENUE | S6L feature set offer within your workflow?
A major advantage of the VENUE | S6L system is its enormous flexibility. The combination of hardware and software does not dictate a fixed way of working—we can tailor our workflow very individually to each production. This not only makes us flexible, but also extremely fast in our handling. Our customers really appreciate this because we can reliably implement complex requests even under time pressure.
We benefit from the sophisticated snapshot system, especially when designing the sound for a show. It allows us to automate all relevant parameters in a targeted manner, regardless of whether it's a scene, a song, or special effects.
We also make extensive use of the event functionality, whether for controlling communication, for cueing processes at the monitor position with KLANG integration, or for automatically switching effects such as AutoTune via timecode for one of our bands.
We would particularly like to highlight the AutoMix feature. Since VENUE 8, we no longer need an external Dugan rack. It is becoming increasingly common for us to have to cover spoken word events in addition to musical performances. VENUE 8 offers a real advantage here.
At the FOH, we use bus-to-bus routing in combination with ADC to build complex signal chains—without phase problems.
Gain sharing within the AVB ring is another example of intelligent system architecture: just plug it in and get started, without any complicated configuration.
We are also impressed by the system's expandability. Waves is used in almost every show and integrates perfectly into the Snapshot system. We use MADI to connect L-ISA processors and the KLANG:Konductor for immersive IEM mixes. In the future, we plan to use the new MILAN card for both L-ISA and for communication between two consoles.
Last but not least, the Pro Tools integration is a strong selling point: the connection is simple and reliable—ideal for recording or VSC solutions. In TV productions, for example, we recorded songs directly into prepared playlists and were able to trigger timecodes, clicks, and stems at the same time.
Does the feature set also support special requirements in the field of sound design, such as immersive audio?
Yes, especially in combination with KLANG:Konductor or L-ISA, it allows us to work very flexibly and efficiently. With L-ISA, we mainly use MIDI events to remotely control the controller. When integrating KLANG, the events help us to implement cueing. It's also helpful that you can basically combine all incoming signals with different pick-offs in the matrix. Thanks to the E6LX-256 engine, we're no longer limited to "just" 16 signals per matrix.
How has VENUE | S6L modernized or optimized your workflows?
The sum of all features, especially in combination with the new engine, makes us very flexible. I/O limits are no longer an issue. The fast workflow allows us to implement complex requirements within a short time.
How have audiences and colleagues reacted to the new setup?
The feedback has been overwhelmingly positive. The production schedule was very tight—only 30 minutes were available for soundcheck and rehearsal per artist. Every move had to be perfect. We received a lot of praise from the production team.
Are there any other points you would like to mention?
Yes, we programmed our own integration for KLANG. This allows it to be controlled remotely in send-on-fader mode.
This case study was conducted by our official Live Sound systems distributor in Germany, S.E.A. https://www.sea-distribution.com/en/live