L-Acoustics Keynote 2026 saw a trio of new technology launched with the unveiling of Source Intelligence alongside the L1 large-format line array system and CS1 subwoofer.
Running as an exclusive licensed application on the L-ISA Processor II and fully integrated in the L-Acoustics system workflow, Source Intelligence gives front-of-house engineers mixing on an L-Acoustics PA an innovative tool to clean up vocals from noisy stages and allow performers to move freely across any stage configuration, including in front of the PA, without risking feedback or sacrificing vocal clarity.
Source Intelligence uses machine learning to do something not previously possible in live sound: Continuously identify the voice in a microphone signal and remove everything else. PA bleed, crowd noise, stage instruments, room reverb, all of it is stripped away in real time, leaving a cleaner, more natural-sounding vocal without the restrictions that have long been a fact of life on touring productions. The result is a vocal that preserves the natural tone, character, and intelligibility of the source, a quality difference that has consistently been audible to engineers and listeners in blind tests.
The technology is designed for any application where a voice is being amplified: touring, house of worship, corporate events, and theatrical productions. It works with handheld, headset, lapel, and distant-pickup microphones, and processes up to four channels simultaneously. Each instance can handle one vocal at a time and can even be placed in the path of a group of channels so that a single instance may, for example, serve all handheld microphones in a corporate workflow.
Also unveiled were the L1, the flagship of the L Series, and its companion cardioid subwoofer, CS1. Built on L-Acoustics patented Progressive Ultra-Dense Line Source (PULS) technology, L1 achieves a categorically higher concentration of transducers in an efficient form factor. Each enclosure integrates two 18-inch low-cardioid (LC) transducers side-mounted for frontal energy and rear rejection, four front-facing 15-inch low-frequency drivers, eight 8-inch mid-frequency drivers, and six coaxial 4+2.5-inch HF compression drivers. This HF coaxial configuration, new to the L Series, increases SPL and long-throw capabilities.
The result is a maximum SPL of 160 dB per enclosure, across a full bandwidth of 35 Hz to 20 kHz, yielding best-in-class SPL per size, per kilogram, and per square meter. The companion wide vertical coverage L1D element matches this transducer architecture with a progressive 60-degree vertical coverage pattern for nearfield zones, achieving 155 dB SPL.
For large productions in urban environments, multi-stage festivals, and noise-sensitive venues, low-frequency spill is one of the most persistent engineering challenges. The L1 system addresses it at the design level.
The side-mounted 18-inch LC transducers enable L-Acoustics patented cardioid low-frequency architecture, delivering up to 18 dB of rear rejection between 20 and 250 Hz, and more than 26 dB of rejection below 80 Hz. Low-frequency energy is concentrated on the audience; spill behind the array is minimized at source. Sound designers choose between cardioid mode for maximum rear rejection, or supercardioid for extended rejection to the sides.
CS1 extends the same principle to the sub-bass range. With four 21-inch transducers in a cardioid topology, CS1 delivers peak SPL up to 150 dB and extends bandwidth down to 25 Hz. At Coachella and Ultra Music Festival, where neighboring stage interference is a constant pressure on production engineers, CS1 delivered the sub-bass power and impact those shows demand while preserving acoustic integrity across the site.
