Compare ICON vs Avid S6
Got ICON? See what more you can do with S6
We hope your trusty old ICON D-Control or D-Command surface has served and continues to serve you well. In case you weren't aware, as of August 31, 2018, Avid no longer offers ICON support or repairs. While future versions of Pro Tools will still work with ICON for the foreseeable future, we do not plan on adding new features or functionality to the family, and any new issues that arise may not be addressed. If you want to stay at the forefront of professional music and audio mixing, you can greatly expand your capabilities and opportunities with Avid S6.
Why adopt S6?
- Get better visual feedback with extensive metering, scrolling waveforms, and more
- Experience the most efficient hands-on Dolby Atmos mixing workflows in the industry
- Customize and scale the modular surface for your mixing preferences and needs
- Mix faster and more intuitively with full touchscreen control, custom layouts, and programmable soft keys
- Take control of Pro Tools, Nuendo, Pyramix, Sequoia, Logic Pro, and other DAWs simultaneously
- Remote control your mix from anywhere in the studio using a mobile device
NYC's award-winning post house Gigantic Studios moved from ICON to S6—see why S6 proved to be, literally, a stand up solution to serve independent filmmakers.
See how Grammy-nominated producer/mixer Yaron Fuchs (Herbie Hancock, John Meyer, Talib Kweli) uses Pro Tools and S6 to bring musicians together.
Compare ICON vs. S6
| ICON D-Command | ICON D-Control | Avid S6 | |
| Metering |
Meter Bridge:
Dual 30-segment LED meters |
Meter Bridge: Dual 30-segment LED meters |
Display Module: High-resolution TFT displays with scrolling waveforms, EQ, pan plots, and automation breakpoints Master Display module: Up to 4 rows of assignable meters in separate layouts; PEC/DIR dual input/output metering Fader Module: Dual 30-segment LED meters on faders with gain reduction Master Module: Scrolling meter bridge and track scroller |
| Color Coding |
None
|
None | Track colors and color-coded functions on knob tops, including dynamics, EQ, and pan Color coding for track state, including Record, Input, Solo, and Mute |
| Plugins, EQ, and Dynamics |
Customizable strip knobs and faders for plugins (non-configurable EQ and dynamics controls only)—locked to compact center section
|
Customizable strip knobs and faders for plugins (non-configurable EQ and dynamics controls only)—locked to center section | Fully customizable, color-coded knob and fader layouts for Plugins, EQ, and Dynamics—can be different for each area of the surface |
| Channel Scalability | Fixed channel strip configuration with a minimum 8 faders + master, expandable with two 16-channel fader modules | Fixed channel strip configuration with a minimum 8 faders + master, expandable with multiple 16-channel fader modules | Flexible, modular channel strip configuration with a minimum 8 faders + master, expandable with multiple 8-channel fader modules for up to 48 faders + master; can be joined to create dual- and 3-operator configurations with up to 144 faders Choice of 1, 5, or 9 assignable encoders per channel |
| Workstation Control | Switched control of up to two Pro Tools workstations | Switched control of up to four Pro Tools workstations | Intelligent control of up to 8 workstations, including Pro Tools, Logic, Nuendo, and Pyramix with KVM integration Aggregate tracks from any connected EUCON workstations on a single surface |
| Folder Track support |
None | None |
Full support for Folders Tracks, including spilling, opening, and closing from the surface |
| Surround Mixing, including Dolby Atmos | No integrated joystick option—external third-party surround panner option only No pan plot display |
Optional surround panner with dual touch-sensitive joysticks Limited pan display on Joystick Module only |
Full support for Dolby Atmos immersive audio, with 2D and 3D panning views Dedicated traditional PEC/DIR Post Module for film and audio post-production workflows |
| Soft Keys | Limited surface functions only No customization or macro support |
Limited surface functions only No customization or macro support |
Comprehensive, color-coded, and organized by workflow Fully user-customizable, including macros composed of EUCON and keyboard functions across multiple workstations |
| Monitoring | XMON analog monitoring with up to 7.1 support + communications system | XMON analog monitoring with up to 7.1 support + communications system | Customizable Pro Tools | MTRX/MTRX Studio analog/digital audio I/O (mix and match mic, line, MADI, Dante, AES3, SDI, and more) with versatile 5.1, 7.1, 9.1, and up to 64 channels of immersive audio monitoring + routing control and communications system |
Tutorials
Tips & tricks
S6: VCA Masters & Spill Zones
Create fader zones to access members of a VCA Master group
S6: Exploring Track Layouts
Create custom Track Layouts to control your most important tracks
S6: Exploring Expand Zones
Take dedicated control of EQ and Dynamics with a consistent interface
In-depth workflows
S6 Workflows: Master Module
Speed up navigation and accessing tracks with the Master Module
S6 Workflows: Spill Zones
Quickly place and access all types of tracks with Spill Zones
S6 Workflows: Soft Keys
Enhance editing, mixing and monitoring with Soft Keys
S6 Workflows: Attention Zones
Control plugins, dynamics, EQs, inserts and sends with Attention Zones
S6 Workflows: Managing Zones and VCAs
Get the most out of zones and nested VCAs
S6 Workflows: Layouts
Assign any mix of tracks to the faders with custom Layouts
S6 Workflows: Expand Faders
Take custom control of plugins with Expand Faders