Meter bridge for Midas XL3 Live Performance analogue audio mixing console

Meter bridge for Midas XL3 Live Performance analogue audio mixing console. This is the original, optional meter bridge for Midas XL3 serial no. 003.

The Midas XL3 was a turning point in the development of analogue mixing consoles for live music, and established Midas as the leading live console manufacturer for the next two decades, earning them the Professional Light and Sound Association Award for Product Excellence in 1996. Innovative incorporation of VCAs (voltage-controlled amplifiers), allows several channels to be controlled from a single fader, enabling live mix engineers to be faster and more flexible in their manipulation of sound. This specific XL3 was bought new from the manufacturer in 1990, by John Tinline of Encore PA, London and used by many well-known artists and engineers, including the Happy Mondays at Elland Road Stadium, Leeds, 1991 and James Brown at Wembley Stadium, also in 1991. In 1996 it was installed in the Forum, Kentish Town, London, where it was used by most artists who played there, including The Who, Kings of Leon, Bjork, Madness, Motorhead, Robbie Williams, until it was sold to Jon Burton/ Laundry Rooms Studio, Sheffield, in 2010, since when it has been used for touring shows around the world for artists including James Morrison, Bombay Bicycle Club and The Prodigy.