Allen & Heath Avantis Solo Review:

As a dance music producer who often moonlights as a live sound engineer, I’m always on the hunt for gear that can handle both studio production and live mixing with ease. The Allen & Heath Avantis Solo, a compact digital mixing console released in late 2023, caught my attention with its promise of delivering the power of the larger Avantis in a smaller, more portable package. After spending a few weeks with it in my setup as of May 2025, I’m ready to share my thoughts on its design, performance, and practical applications for dance music production and live events. Let’s dive in and see if this console lives up to the hype—complete with a final rating out of 10.

Overview of the Allen & Heath Avantis Solo

The Avantis Solo is the latest addition to Allen & Heath’s Avantis family, a mid-tier range that sits between the flagship dLive series and the more budget-friendly SQ mixers. Priced around $10,000 (depending on the retailer), it’s aimed at owner-operators, smaller venues, and portable applications—think festivals, corporate AV gigs, or bedroom producers who also DJ. It features the same 96kHz XCVI FPGA engine as the larger Avantis and dLive, offering 64 input channels, 42 configurable buses, and an ultra-low latency of 0.7ms. The Solo condenses the dual-screen Avantis into a single 15.6-inch Full HD touchscreen, with 12 faders (instead of 24) and reduced local I/O, but retains the same mixing power and flexibility.

The console includes an SLink port for connecting to Allen & Heath’s remote expanders, two I/O ports for optional cards (Dante, MADI, Waves, gigaACE), and compatibility with the dPack upgrade, which adds dLive processing like Dyn8 dynamics, DEEP compressors, and a Dual-Stage Valve preamp. Its lightweight metal chassis is built for durability, making it a practical choice for both studio and on-the-road use.

Design and Build Quality

The Avantis Solo is a sleek, portable unit that measures roughly 24 inches wide and weighs just under 30 lbs, making it easy to transport in a small car—a big win for touring producers. The full metal chassis feels sturdy, with rubber feet to keep it stable on a desk or table. The 15.6-inch capacitive touchscreen is a standout—sharp, responsive, and larger than my laptop screen, it’s a joy to use for navigating the Continuity UI, which seamlessly blends physical and digital controls. The 12 faders are smooth and touch-sensitive, highlighting active channels, and the six fader layers give you access to 72 fader strips for comprehensive control.

On the rear, you get six XLR inputs and outputs, one stereo AES input, and two AES outputs, alongside network I/O, SLink, and word clock I/O for syncing gear. The two I/O ports (each handling 128x128 at 96kHz) are a highlight, letting you integrate with digital audio networks like Dante for multitrack recording—a must for dance music producers capturing live sets. However, the reduced local I/O compared to the larger Avantis might require additional expanders for bigger setups, which could add to the cost. The lack of a redundant power supply, a concern echoed by some users on Reddit, is also a drawback for mission-critical live events where power stability is non-negotiable.

Sound Quality and Performance

I tested the Avantis Solo in two contexts: mixing a live DJ set with vocalists and recording a studio session for a house track, both at 24-bit/48kHz in Ableton Live.

Live Mixing: DJ Set with Vocalists

For the live set, I used the Avantis Solo as a front-of-house mixer, connecting two mics for vocalists, a DJ controller, and a synth via the SLink port with a GX4816 expander. The XCVI engine’s 0.7ms latency was imperceptible, ensuring real-time control without delays—a crucial factor for live dance music events where timing is everything. The preamps, borrowed from the dLive S Class, delivered pristine audio with a clean, transparent sound that captured the vocalists’ dynamics beautifully. The 64-channel capacity allowed me to handle multiple inputs effortlessly, and the 42 configurable buses gave me flexibility to set up aux sends for monitors and effects.

The Continuity UI and FastGrab tab on the touchscreen were game-changers—I could instantly tweak EQ, compression, or aux sends on the fly, which was perfect for adjusting vocal levels during a high-energy set. The 12 RackExtra FX slots (with dedicated stereo returns) let me add lush reverbs and delays to the vocals, enhancing the club atmosphere. However, I missed the dual-screen setup of the larger Avantis; with only one screen, I found myself navigating menus more often, which slowed me down during fast-paced moments.

Studio Recording: House Track Production

In the studio, I recorded a live drum loop and vocal sample for a house track, using the Avantis Solo as both a mixer and an audio interface via a Dante card. The 96kHz sample rate ensured high-fidelity recordings, and the console’s variable bit depth and 96-bit accumulator provided ample headroom, preventing clipping even with dynamic sources like drums. The optional dPack upgrade (which I added for testing) was a highlight—Dyn8 dynamics processing (up to 16 instances) allowed me to sculpt the kick drum with precision, while the DEEP compressors added warmth to the vocals without latency.

The touchscreen made EQ adjustments intuitive, with drag-and-drop controls for shaping frequencies. I also appreciated the 61-band RTA (with 5m, 15m, and 60m history views) for analyzing frequency content in real time—a useful tool for ensuring my kick and bass didn’t clash, a common challenge in dance music production. However, I noticed the lack of Shure SLXD microphone integration (a feature available on higher-end models), which would have been handy for monitoring wireless mics during recording.

Practical Applications for Dance Music Producers

The Avantis Solo is a versatile tool for dance music producers who straddle the line between studio and live performance. Its 64-channel capacity and low latency make it ideal for mixing live DJ sets or festival performances, where you might need to handle multiple inputs (synths, drum machines, vocals) with effects in real time. The SLink port and I/O expansion options are perfect for integrating with stageboxes or recording multitrack audio for post-production—a common workflow for producers capturing live sets to remix later.

In the studio, the console doubles as a high-quality audio interface (with the right I/O card), and the dPack upgrade adds professional-grade processing that rivals dedicated plugins. The ability to save and transfer show files between Avantis models is also a plus for producers working across different venues or collaborating with others using Allen & Heath gear. However, its compact design comes with trade-offs—the single screen and limited local I/O might frustrate users handling larger setups, and the lack of a redundant power supply could be a dealbreaker for critical live applications.

Drawbacks and Considerations

While the Avantis Solo is impressive, it’s not without flaws. The single touchscreen, while large, can feel limiting compared to the dual-screen Avantis—navigating between channels, effects, and routing requires more menu-diving than I’d like during a fast-paced mix. The reduced local I/O (six XLR inputs/outputs) means you’ll likely need expanders for bigger gigs, which adds to the cost and setup complexity. The lack of a redundant power supply, as noted by some Reddit users, is a significant oversight for a console in this price range—other compact consoles like the Yamaha DM7 include this as standard.

The app ecosystem (MixPad, OneMix, Avantis Director) is a nice touch for wireless control, but I found the setup process a bit finicky, especially on Android devices, where connectivity was inconsistent. Finally, while the 96kHz sample rate is great for audio quality, some producers might argue it’s overkill for live dance music applications where 48kHz would suffice, especially since not all venues’ I/O infrastructure supports 96kHz natively.

Final Verdict and Rating

The Allen & Heath Avantis Solo is a compact yet powerful digital mixing console that delivers professional-grade performance for both live and studio settings. For dance music producers, its low latency, pristine preamps, and flexible routing make it a fantastic choice for mixing live sets or recording high-quality audio. The Continuity UI and touchscreen workflow are intuitive, and the dPack upgrade adds a layer of processing that rivals dedicated plugins, making it a versatile tool for crafting polished tracks.

However, the single-screen design, limited local I/O, and lack of a redundant power supply hold it back from perfection. It’s best suited for smaller setups or producers who can invest in expanders, but those needing a larger, more robust console might prefer the full Avantis or a competitor like the Yamaha DM7. For my needs—balancing studio production with occasional live gigs—it’s been a reliable and inspiring addition to my setup, though I’d love to see some of these limitations addressed in future iterations.

Rating: 8/10

The Avantis Solo earns an 8 out of 10 for its impressive sound quality, portability, and flexibility, but it loses points for its single-screen workflow, limited I/O, and lack of redundant power. If you’re a dance music producer or live sound engineer looking for a compact, high-performance mixer, the Avantis Solo is well worth considering—just be prepared to work around its quirks.

Have you used the Avantis Solo, or are you considering it for your setup? Share your thoughts in the comments—I’d love to hear about your experiences!