Led by renowned live sound engineer Greg Price, the front of house engineer for Metallica, NMK Electronics recently hosted an exclusive Avid Live S6L masterclass in Dubai. The full-day session brought together more than 50 professional audio engineers from across the region, offering a rare opportunity to learn directly from a world-class touring engineer using the same platform he deploys on. At the centre of the workshop was the Avid S6L live sound console, which Price uses on global stadium productions for Metallica.
The masterclass formed part of the distributor’s wider commitment to education and professional development in the Middle East, focusing on practical knowledge transfer and real-world workflows. The session explored Price’s approach to gain structure, mix clarity, system control at scale and touring-level sound building, with particular emphasis on managing large input counts while maintaining consistency and staying within SPL limits.
Speaking during the session, Price explained that the goal was to demystify his workflow and decision-making process. “I wanted to break down exactly how I approach mixing Metallica, from the fundamentals of drum and bass sound to how I build and control a mix on an Avid console,” he said. “Being able to share that process directly with engineers here and talk through why I make certain decisions is something I really enjoy.”
Ziad Lakis, brand manager for Avid at NMK Electronics, highlighted the relevance of bringing touring expertise into a regional training environment. He noted that when Metallica’s touring system was designed, the S6L platform was selected for its flexibility and input capacity, explaining that a four-member band can require up to 192 inputs to deliver its signature sound on stage.
The workshop combined technical discussion with hands-on console interaction, allowing attendees to apply the concepts discussed throughout the day. Feedback from participants described the session as both technically valuable and personally inspiring, with several engineers highlighting the benefit of learning directly from a practitioner operating at the highest level of live sound.
The event also reflected NMK Electronics’ broader training strategy across the technologies it represents. The distributor confirmed that its structured training programme spans audio, video, lighting and control systems, with close to 150 training sessions planned across the UAE, Saudi Arabia and Qatar during 2026.
From Avid’s perspective, the event reinforced the strength of its partnership with NMK. Avid territory account manager Stefan Elbert shared how grateful he was for NMK’s continued support in nurturing young talent across the region, emphasising that initiatives like this play a critical role in helping engineers truly understand the S6L platform and build confidence by learning from the best.
