Zapaudio, Victoria Hall
DME24N
“In the case of Victoria Hall, we wanted to create a set-up that was completely reliable, entirely digital and as discreet as possible, without any unnecessary conversions which could impair the sound. Thanks to the switchable digital matrix in the DME24N, we quickly arrived at our goal. Using an Autrivan expansion card, the DME24N has EtherSound capability. This is extremely practical, because the building has EtherNet cabling and even Nexo's controllers are fitted with EtherSound expansion cards. Any user of the hall, e.g. a concert organiser, can select either an analogue or digital connection via EtherSound between the mixing desk and the hall's internal PA system."
Magnum Sound, The Palace
M7CL
“There are many things that are great about the M7CL. For a start, the physical footprint was exactly the right size and it also looks good. The Palace is a rock venue, so the console needed to have that impressive ‘rock’ look. The amount of channel metering is excellent because it both looks ‘rock’ and engineers can operate the desk with an ‘analogue mindset’. You can use it without looking at the screen.”
“It saved us a fortune because we didn’t have to buy any outboard. The onboard effects sound great - in fact no visiting engineers have brought any outboard at all yet. They haven’t needed to!”
“Another huge advantage is how easy it is to teach someone to use it. It takes literally 15 minutes to whiz someone through it and then you can leave them to get on with it. It really is that straightforward to use.”
Sound engineer, Ronnie Scotts
M7CL
“I feel that the M7CL is a very versatile desk that meets the need of Ronnie Scotts. Its compact size and easy to use operating system are just two of its great features. I also like the layout of the desk as it means you are able to work in a similar way as you would on an analogue console.”
“The desk is really straightforward to teach, which makes it incredibly easy for travelling engineers. Its ability to put monitors / auxes on faders is a real help and I also prefers the preamps in the console for the bands that play ‘funky’ material. Plus it sounds great.”
“Everyone seems to be pleased. People have said that the sound has improved since the refurbishment and the desk has definitely contributed to that.”
University of Derby
M7CL
“For us, the Yamaha M7CL finally provided a well designed, well engineered and user friendly product that comes in at an affordable price point. Students have already used it on several productions, and were quick to praise its comprehensive features and easy learning curve.”
FOH engineer, Morrissey
PM5D
“When the tour started in March, we had a variety of outboard effects. But we cut it back to a bare minimum fairly quickly. Apart from a Focusrite Producer Pack and an Avalon preamp on Morrissey’s vocal, plus Drawmer gates on the toms, we were just using the desk’s internal effects and gates which were great. It’s the most compact FOH setup I’ve ever had and was very quick to set up and break down.”
“Another great thing about the PM5D is that what you get is the same everywhere in the world. Unlike with other digital consoles, you don’t have to go into great details about how the racks are configured. It’s very easy to go to a country, pick up a locally hired PM5D, load the PCMCIA card into and just go for it.”
FOH engineer, Snow Patrol
PM5D
“A great advantage was that it provided worldwide consistency. Wherever I was in the world, support was very easily accessible. And in some countries - Korea is an example - the main Yamaha representatives in that country came down and checked that everything was OK and that I was happy. They were incredibly helpful.”
“The desk is very easy to hire locally. You can just load everything up and go. It’s so much easier than what I had to do with analogue consoles - I used to take photos of the desks so I could recreate the settings and all sorts. Now I load the show and there’s only a bit of EQ and the system to worry about.”
“You can always forget things on an analogue board, so being able to save scenes and instantly recall them with different configurations and effects is beginning to really change the face of live sound. Front of House sound is now, in particular, starting to see the boundaries blurred between live and studio production. You can get a produced sound instead of a standard ‘just make it louder’ mix.”
TGM Solutions, Riverbank Plaza Hotel
DME64N
“It took a little while to learn the programming of the DME, but once learned it was very straightforward. We are very impressed with its ability and flexibility, plus the fact that it can work non-stop without any human interference. The hotel is very happy with it. To be honest, the DME64N was the only product on the market that could cope with what was needed.”
Senior Technical Manager, Barbican Centre
DME64N
“Our old routing system was about 15 years old and slowly dying and I was looking for a digital replacement. The DME64 potentially has a huge variety of uses with its on board facilities. We’re currently using it as a 40 x 32 switch-able matrix for both analogue and AES-EBU I/0. The great thing about the Yamaha gear is that the optional I/O cards are interchangeable, so I’m slowly building up a collection that we can use on the DMEs or the new mixers when we need to”.
