SSL launches compact System T TCA Tour audio system

Solid State Logic is introducing the System T TCA Tour audio production system, expanding its live sound range for touring, broadcast and installed audio users.

The new system combines System T components in a compact, portable desktop format for crews that need to move quickly between sites. It comes pre-wired and packaged for immediate use, with a 16-fader control frame, integrated onboard I/O, and space for a touchscreen and a PC running the Tempest Control App.

Specifications include eight mic/line inputs, four line outputs, headphone monitoring and a built-in network switch. SSL is offering two fader tile versions, DFT and DFT+, with the latter adding per-fader OLED displays and individual fader metering.

Physical connectivity is central to the design. The system uses ruggedised etherCON and opticalCON connections to link with external racks containing Tempest Engines and I/O, supporting road use and temporary installations.

Compact format

TCA Tour gives SSL a smaller-format option within the System T line, which has seen wider use in broadcast and larger live audio environments. By packaging the control surface, local I/O and network elements into a portable frame, SSL is targeting engineers and rental operations that want a transportable system rather than a fixed control room setup.

The product also reflects broader demand in live production for equipment that can fill several roles. Touring productions, outside broadcasts and installed sound projects increasingly require consoles and control systems that can be deployed in different venues without lengthy configuration.

Workflow changes

Alongside the new hardware, SSL is highlighting updates to its SSL Live production workflows. These include SolidPitch, its onboard vocal tuning and processing tool, and console integration with KLANG immersive processors for monitor mixing.

SolidPitch is designed to handle pitch correction and vocal effects within the console environment rather than through separate external processing chains. It also supports doubling and harmonisation functions for live performance work.

KLANG integration is aimed at monitor engineers who want to build and adjust immersive in-ear or stage monitor mixes directly from the SSL Live console. It works within the console's routing and control structure, allowing users to manage mixes from the desk rather than moving between separate systems.

SSL is also introducing a broader set of changes across workflow, monitoring, automation and control. It presents those updates as a response to more complex productions, where engineers need to manage large channel counts, track monitor changes across a show and maintain consistency between venues.

Trade-in push

Alongside the product and workflow announcements, SSL is promoting an SSL Live Trade-In Program for owners of professional live consoles. The scheme is open to users of any professional live console platform and is intended to provide a route into SSL Live systems through trade-in valuations.

Trade-in programmes have become a common sales tool in pro audio as manufacturers try to win share in a market where buyers often keep consoles for years. The approach can lower the upfront cost of switching brands while giving vendors access to customers who might otherwise delay replacement cycles.

The programme also includes one-to-one demonstrations and discussions around training options for production teams. That focus reflects a practical issue in live sound, where adopting a new console platform often depends as much on engineer familiarity and operator confidence as on technical specification.

SSL's latest announcements focus on three strands of the live audio market: compact transportable systems, integrated vocal and immersive monitoring tools, and incentives for users to replace existing desks. Together, they show how suppliers are trying to appeal to both touring engineers and permanent installation customers with systems that can handle a wider range of production demands.

For SSL, the combination of a smaller System T package with software and workflow additions suggests an effort to broaden the reach of product families once more closely associated with larger, more specialised deployments. The company describes TCA Tour as designed for "effortless and rapid deployment across broadcast, touring and live production environments."