Sound Sense Issue 9

SOUNDSENSE MAGAZINE #009

The Peak of outdoor innovation

RIVAGE PM adds Bricasti reverb

Training for tomorrow

IT’S THE SOUND T H AT M A K E S A S P A C E

COMMERCIAL INSTALLATION SOLUTIONS

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CONTENTS

EDITORIAL

4. Snow Peak, London

A

Using sound to inspire a reconnection with nature

Just what the doctor ordered

7. Huisartsen Praktijk, Maasoever 8. INHA University, Tashkent Major installation drives innovative AV solution for campus and remote students

10. Sound for marketing magic Flexible training facility with showbiz-style

11. Our Lady of Atocha Solving acoustic issues in a challenging basilica

12. New products Premium Bricasti reverb for RIVAGE PM and updating a favourite monitor with a new twist

13. SAE Oxford Nuage and Nuendo give tomorrow's sound professionals the best possible start

14. Studio 22 Blending perfect sound with rich notes in the Rheingau wine region

fter a slightly extended absence, we are very pleased to bring you a new issue of Sound Sense magazine, with a refreshed look and coverage of more of the many diverse projects worldwide that feature Yamaha professional audio solutions.

After a difficult 18 months or so for everybody in our industry, Sound Sense returns as we look to the future with renewed hope and optimism.

Before that, however, back in February came the sad news of the passing of Rupert Neve. With a philosophy on sound that inspired generations of music lovers, he set the standard for audio quality broadcast, recording, live sound and other areas of the music industry.

Yamaha is honoured to have worked closely with him, using Virtual Circuitry Modelling (VCM) technology to analyse and reproduce the acoustic character of his legendary analogue processors, allowing the latest digital audio systems to feature the classic 'Neve sound'.

Yamaha will always remember and respect Rupert Neve's astonishing legacy and is sincerely grateful to be able to continue its collaboration with Rupert Neve Designs.

SOUNDSENSE Writer and editor: Robin Johnson | robin@9016.uk Commissioning Co-ordinator:

Sound Sense is published by Yamaha Music Europe GmbH.

Karl Christmas | karl.christmas@music.yamaha.com

Any views expressed within are those of the individual authors and contributors and do not necessarily represent those of the publishers.

Copyright of all images remains with the credited photographers.

Contributors: Gunnar Björling, Karl Christmas, Muzaffar Djalalov, Mike Holloway, Ilshat Kallimulin, Nils-Peter Keller, Kota Kobayashi, René Kuenen, Jacinto Lopez, José Antonio López Martínez, Thang Nguyen, Jan Prins, Motome Tanaka, Stephan Weber, Brian Zolner.

All contents © 2021 Yamaha Music Europe GmbH or published under licence. All rights reserved. No part of this magazine may be used, stored, transmitted or reproduced in any way without the prior written permission of the publisher.

All information contained in this publication is for information only and is, as far as we are aware, correct at the time of going to press. The publishers cannot accept any responsibility for errors or inaccuracies in such information.

Executive Publisher: Ron Bakker | ron.bakker@music.yamaha.com

SOUNDSENSE

Scaling the peak of outdoor innovation Founded by Japanese mountaineer Yukio Yamai in 1958, Snow Peak has become one of the world’s premier outdoor lifestyle brands. In October 2019 it opened a new store in London, where a high end sound installation is helping the company’s mission to inspire people to reconnect with nature.

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ukio was inspired to start Snow Peak by his experiences of climbing Mount Tanigawa, a 2000m peak in central Japan, which has claimed the lives of over 800 climbers in the past 70 years. Seeking to develop pioneering new equipment for a safer mountaineering experience, he engaged skilled metalworkers in his home town of Tsubame Sanjo to create lightweight-but-durable crampons and other equipment. His pioneering work was noticed by friends, who soon wanted to buy the equipment, and a business was born.

It was in the 1980s

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that Snow Peak evolved into its current form, as a boom in car-based camping expeditions swept Japan. Yukio’s son Tohru joined the firm and the company shifted its focus, as Tohru says, “from the mountaineering equipment of our past to the camping equipment of our future.”

Tohru’s daughter - Yukio’s granddaughter - Lisa Yamai joined the company in 2012 and is now the president of Snow Peak.

Since then Snow Peak has gone from strength ALL PHOTOS KARL CHRISTMAS to strength, developing inventive, fashionable camping equipment that focuses on very high quality. Using top grade, ultra-lightweight

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materials like titanium and the latest performance fabrics, Snow Peak equipment and clothing is designed to encourage people who wouldn’t otherwise go camping to enjoy the great outdoors with a degree of luxury.

The London store, Snow Peak St James’s, is the first Snow Peak store in Europe to feature the company’s full range of products. Designed by architect Takamasa Kikuchi, the outlet highlights the company’s ultra-high quality approach to its products and the inclusive motto ‘we are also users’.

“We’re not just a reseller, we consider ourselves part of a community. We hold camping events around the world to inspire people to enjoy the outdoors and anyone is welcome to drop in here for a chat with the staff or a snack in our cafe without feeling obliged to buy anything,” says general manager Gunnar Björling.

“We take pride in innovation and it’s these interactions which drive our determination to constantly look for better materials, to look at every detail and devise new products for a new type of camping.”

The atmosphere at Snow Peak St James’s is enhanced by a high end audio installation by sound artist Manabu Shimada. This perfectly complements the high quality look and feel of the company’s products with an equally refined aural sensation - a gentle, relaxing and constantly evolving natural soundscape which fills the staircase linking the store’s three floors.

Elsewhere, Yamaha speakers play a soothing musical soundtrack.

Snow Peak’s ‘we are also users’ motto and its company policy of building to a performance level, not a price, could be equally applicable to Yamaha. So it is unsurprising that the company chose a Yamaha audio system for the store, with Manabu Shimada carefully selecting the speakers to deliver his painstakingly-designed soundtrack.

The four zone system uses Yamaha’s discreet VXS1ML and VXS3S speakers to deliver the music on each floor, with five vertically-arrayed VXS5s delivering the sound

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Through the architecture, the soundtrack, our products and our team of outdoor enthusiasts, we want to inspire a new type of outdoor adventure

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L-R: Takamasa Kikuchi, Gunnar Björling, Manibu Shimada. it’s unrepairable, we will take it apart and recycle it into

installation in the full-height stairwell. The system is powered by a pair of XMV8280 multi-channel amplifiers and managed by an MTX3 matrix processor. System control is by wall-mounted DCP panels and Yamaha’s Wireless DCP app on iPhone.

Another example of Snow Peak’s innovation is that every product is designed to be used for a lifetime. “We want the life cycle of our products to be as long as possible,” says Gunnar. “If it breaks we will repair it and, if

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something new.

“Nowadays technology has meant that we sacrifice so much precious human-to-human interaction. Through the architecture, the soundtrack, our products and our team of outdoor enthusiasts at Snow Peak St James’s, we want to inspire a new type of outdoor adventure and help people to reconnect with the natural world and the rest of mankind. Because to us there’s no greater luxury than spending time in nature.”

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Doctor's audio prescription for patient privacy Background music is often used to create a soothing atmosphere in the waiting rooms of healthcare facilities. But in the Netherlands, a practise in NieuwBergen is also using it as an innovative prescription for patient confidentiality.

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uisartsenpraktijk Maasoever is a doctor’s practise with premises in the Dutch town of Nieuw-Bergen and the nearby village of Well. In 2019 the Nieuw-Bergen practise was renovated, but the practise found that the way the building was constructed meant people in the waiting room would be able to hear conversations in the consulting rooms.

Patient privacy is obviously a priority, so René Kuenen of systems integrator In2Sound, based in Venray, was asked to design and install a new audio system to create a pleasant atmosphere and also make sure that the conversations between doctors and patients were not heard by anyone else.

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system on and off at the practise is done automatically by the MTX3’s scheduler, with a manual override if necessary.

“Most of the physical construction work had already been completed, so they needed a system which could be installed with the minimum disruption and as little wiring as possible,” says Rene. “It was clear that a system based on the Yamaha MTX3 was the best option. The simplicity of the user interface has also made it a great solution for the staff at Huisartsenpraktijk Maasoever.”

Rene chose a system based on the Yamaha MTX3 matrix processor, with music streamed to ceiling speakers in the consulting rooms, waiting room and reception area, each set up as a separate, independent zone. A choice of music sources was provided by two WXC-50 wireless streaming amplifiers, with the speakers powered by an XMV8140 multi-channel amplifier.

The practise also has a room with a screen and a wireless presenter. The presenter’s audio source is routed via the MTX3 and controlled by a DCP1V4S control panel for maximum flexibility. The overall system is controlled from a PC, using a bespoke interface created on Yamaha’s ProVisionaire Control software. Switching the whole

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Award-winning AV project at INHA University Founded in 2014, INHA University in Tashkent (IUT) is a result of co-operation between the INHA University of Korea and the government of Uzbekistan.

A major Yamaha audio installation is a vital part of an award-winning AV solution, which is helping learning for students, both on campus and remotely.

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UT has been designed to be the most innovative and technically-developed educational institution in the Central Asia region. Polymedia-Uzbekistan, the local representative of Russian systems integrator Polymedia, was chosen to deliver a high specification, fully networked AV solution at the university, including modern multimedia tools and the ability to facilitate distance learning. Yamaha sound reinforcement systems are a vital part of the project, installed in 12 lecture rooms and laboratories, as well as the university’s large, multi-purpose lecture theatre.

Supplied and installed by Uzbek installer ShowPro, the audio system is based on a Dante network, which seamlessly integrates with the Extron GVE platform for campus-wide AV system management and monitoring, via touchscreens in the presentation lecterns. The multi-zone system is designed to ensure the clearest sound for every student in each room, as well as having the ability to combine into a single, bi-directional environment. This could be, for example, to allow

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the classrooms to be used as overspill for a major event in the lecture theatre when more seating is needed, but still facilitate Q&A sessions.

Yamaha VXC8 ceiling speakers and VXS8 surfacemount speakers are used throughout the installation, with multi-channel XMV series Dante model power amplifiers. These can operate simultaneously in both high- and low-impedance, allowing connectivity of both speaker types, without affecting the number of ALL PHOTOS ILSHAT KALIMULLIN available output channels or the audio quality. In each space a Yamaha MRX7-D matrix processor is used to manage the audio system, using its onboard parametric EQ, dynamic feedback suppression, Dan Dugan automixing, matrix mixer, speaker processing and delay to deliver optimum sound.

The most visible of the facilities is the Room 303 lecture theatre and the control room which overlooks it.

This multi-purpose space can host a wide range of events

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and features a Yamaha QL5 digital mixing console (with MY4-AEC Acoustic Echo Canceller and MY8LAKE Lake Processing cards) and a Rio1608-D I/O rack in the control room with the MRX7-D. Another Rio1608-D is provided on the stage for local I/O. Six pairs of VXC8W ceiling speakers are installed above the auditorium, powered by an XMV8280-D multi-channel amplifier.

The system delivers maximum flexibility, allowing lectures and smaller events to be managed by the MRX7-D’s Dan Dugan automixing and relayed via the VXC8Ws, while bigger events are mixed on the QL5 console to installed line arrays, which can be reinforced by the Yamaha ceiling speakers.

The 12 smaller lecture rooms and laboratories vary in size and layout, but the versatility of the Yamaha solution is highlighted by almost identical systems being installed in each one. Each system features an MRX7-D processor, an XMV8280-D power amplifier, a DCP4V4S controller, DCH8 digital controller hub, a pair of VXS8W surface-mount speakers and from two to 12 VXC8W ceiling speakers.

Audio inputs to the system in each room come from a lectern microphone, two wireless microphones, an Aux input for extra local sources and the Extron system, for remotely-streamed content from INHA University of Korea.

The system designs were assisted by Yamaha’s Commercial Installation Solutions Speaker Calculator (CISSCA) software which, for this project, helped ShowPro to create optimal Yamaha speaker systems, delivering a very successful outcome in Tashkent.

“The brief was to provide the learning spaces with audio systems that would take into account the different designs and acoustic characteristics of each room, deliver a uniform sound field and ensure that every student experiences equally high quality audio,” says Mr Ilshat Kallimulin, ShowPro’s main project engineer, who designed and implemented the system.

“We are very pleased that Yamaha audio systems are helping IUT to enhance education and the improvement of society in Uzbekistan.”

Mr. Muzaffar Djalalov, Acting Rector of INHA University in Tashkent, adds, “The system is very easy to use via the DCP wall panels and Extron touchscreens. The sound for any type of presentation is excellent, with the Dan Dugan automixing makes a big difference in only needing to have a sound engineer on duty for bigger events in the main lecture hall.”

Yamaha equipment installed at IUT 136 x VXC8W ceiling speaker 24 x VXS8W surface-mount speaker 24 x DCP4V4S control panel 13 x MRX7-D matrix processor 13 x XMV8280-D multi-channel power amplifier 12 x DCH8 digital controller hub

2 x Rio1608-D I/O rack 2 x SWP1-16MMF network switches 1 x QL5 digital mixing console 1 x MY8-LAKE interface card 1 x MY4-AEC interface card

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Showbiz-style sound at flexible training facility Mercury Training Group's facility in Mendrisio, Switzerland, hosts 'American style' conventions where marketing meets show business. Yamaha provided a versatile and reliable audio solution for a space designed to be used as one large room or divided into two or three.

MICHELE DE SIMONE

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ercury Training Group is led by Frank Merenda, founder of Metodo Merenda (the Merenda Method), sales training seminars. Along with live speech from presenters, video and audio playback are integral parts of the show.

Michele and Riccardo De Simone of Sperlonga-based Remix Multimedia SRL were asked by Tiziano Stampete, the head of Mercury’s technical staff, to design an audio system which would maximise the use of the training facility in Mendrisio.

“Reliability, safety and quality were the key words for this installation,” says Michele. “For us one of the key advantages of a Yamaha system was that it allowed full redundancy by installing both Dante and analogue networks, guaranteeing reliability. The customer wanted to be certain that, if there was any problem with one, the other would seamlessly take over, making sure there would be no interruption to their presentations.”

The system installed by Remix Multimedia comprises eight truss-mounted DZR10-D powered loudspeakers and a QL1 digital mixing console with MY4-DA expansion card in the main room. A DCP4V4S digital control panel

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provides straightforward control of the different main room configurations. An adjacent breakout room features five VXS5 surface mount speakers, powered by MA2120 and PA2120 power amplifiers.

The system is controlled by an MRX7-D matrix processor, with an SWP1-16MMF L2 switch for Dante routing. Eight wireless microphones are provided for convention speakers, while a MusicCast WXC-50 wireless streaming amplifier delivers versatile background music and playback options.

“Another vital part of the Yamaha system is the Dan Dugan auto mixing plug in. It makes it possible to easily manage the presence of several people on stage, an essential element for the presentations,” adds Michele.

While the DCP4V4S provides the control needed by the customer, the Remix Sound team found Yamaha’s ProVisionaire Touch iPad control was a very useful tool for commissioning the system. “We created a basic GUI in ProVisionaire Touch to easily set up the audio parameters during installation,” says Michele. “Being able to programme the system for a flexible space wirelessly was a real advantage.”

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Taming the acoustics of Madrid's royal basilica Real Basilica Nuestra Señora De Atocha is one of the most historic houses of worship in Madrid. Popular as both a centre of worship and with tourists, a new Yamaha audio system has improved the sound for visitors in a very acoustically-challenging space.

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he current basilica was constructed in the 1890s on the site of the convent of the Order of Preachers of Our Lady of Atocha, an early sanctuary that worshipped the Virgin of Atocha. The Virgin is traditionally considered the patroness of Spanish royalty, so the site has been closely linked to the monarchy throughout history, visited and venerated by many of the kings of Spain, as well as many other historical figures.

Although the current basilica had a sound reinforcement system with specific worship settings, it could not cope with the complex acoustics caused by the building’s large marble floor and central dome.

Worshippers complained to the priests who celebrate Mass that they could not hear services clearly, so the basilica staff contacted specialist AV company Auvycom Proyectos S.L. The basilica has been on Spain’s National Heritage register since 1963 and so the new system had to be visually sympathetic. Auvycom has previously worked with Yamaha on similar installations, where improving the sound could not be at the expense of the building’s architecture, and recommended a system using Yamaha’s slimline VXL line array speakers and an MTX3 matrix processor.

Auvycom CEO José Antonio López Martínez says, “From the very first moment we saw Real Basilica Nuestra Señora De Atocha, we knew that we would need to solve some acoustic challenges.

Although it didn’t have a very high level of reverberation, having the JACINTO LOPEZ microphones

SHUTTERSTOCK

housed in the dome meant that we would have to sort out some issues with feedback.”

The chosen solution was 15 white VXL1-24 speakers, mainly mounted as horizontally-coupled pairs throughout the main worship area, powered by two PX3 and one PX5 power amplifiers, with the MTX3 distributing the sound.

A Yamaha CD-NT670D CD player was also installed, which allows the worship leaders to not only play music from CDs, but also has a USB input and can stream music playback, thanks to the inclusion of Yamaha's MusicCast technology. The system is controlled by Yamaha’s Wireless DCP smartphone app, which gives basilica staff the choice of several presets for different worship services and other situations, where different kinds of music playback are needed.

“Thanks to the versatility of the MTX3 and the high quality, highly directional coverage of the VXL speakers, we knew that we could achieve optimal results, even with the complex acoustics caused by the basilica’s floor and dome,” says José. “A short time ago we installed another system with the new VXL line array speakers and we were pleasantly surprised by the result, especially when they are horizontally coupled, which provides higher SPL with a much narrower horizontal dispersion."

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Premium Bricasti reverb for RIVAGE PM digital mixing systems Updated firmware for RIVAGE PM digital mixing systems recently added the premium Y7 reverb, developed in close collaboration with Bricasti Design.

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ricasti Design is known for being the world’s premier manufacturer of hand crafted, hardware digital reverbs. Used by many professional studios and live sound engineers, the rackmount M7 is considered to be the company’s masterpiece, thanks to its delicate expressiveness, exceptional sound quality and ease of use.

Yamaha and Bricasti have collaborated to design a revolutionary new reverb for RIVAGE PM digital mixing systems. The superb Y7 is available at no cost, further expanding the high quality options available to RIVAGE PM users.

“By working closely with the Yamaha development team, the Y7 was specifically designed for use in Yamaha RIVAGE PM digital mixing systems,” says Brian Zolner, CEO of Bricasti Design, “It brings to the live market a Bricasti reverb that is integrated in the console for simple, fast, and familiar operation, as well as bringing the renowned ‘Bricasti sound’ to users of Yamaha products. We feel the Y7 will

offer new art to the sound engineers and fulfil their requests for a premium reverb product from us for their consoles.”

Motome Tanaka, Yamaha Group Manager, PA Marketing & Sales Group, adds, “We are very pleased to announce the release of the Y7, which we have co-developed with Bricasti Design.

“All Yamaha mixers are built on the philosophy of allowing engineers to capture the on-stage sound accurately, without colouration. Plug-ins play a vital role in allowing engineers to take this transparent sound and apply their artistry to the mix. High quality reverb is one of the most important tools to achieve this and we are confident that the Y7 will become a key part of the creative expression for many sound engineers."

MSP3A: Industry favourite monitor reinvented with a new twist

New features including Twisted Flare Port™ technology deliver even better quality sound

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he Yamaha MSP3 has long been a fixture of many different applications, thanks to its great audio quality, compact size and convenient, front-mounted controls. The new MSP3A builds on this legacy by adding key new features like Twisted Flare Port technology, which delivers an even clearer and tighter low-end.

The built-in 22W power amplifier is optimized for the speaker unit, which comprises a 10cm (4” ) woofer and a 2.2cm (0.8”) tweeter, for a clear and natural reference sound. The compact 23.6 x 16.7 x 14.4cm (9.3 x 6.6 x 5.7”) cabinet weighs a mere 3.6kg (7.9lb), making it easy to reposition and move to different locations.

Like its predecessor, the MSP3A has multiple (RCA, XLR and 6.3mm) input connectors, level and low/high tone controls. It is compatible with a

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variety of optional brackets, making it suitable for a wide range of uses.

These include audio monitoring in settings from studios, broadcast, post-production suites and other commercial applications, to monitoring audio from digital musical instruments and computers.

A reinforced metal grille ensures that the woofer enjoys maximum protection, which is especially useful for mobile and touring applications.

Twisted Flare Port technology is a form of aerodynamic sound control, borne of Yamaha’s extensive subwoofer development experience.

Noise-generating turbulence at both ends of the port is suppressed by changing how the port widens from input to output, twisting the airflow. This lowers the amount of noise generated at the port ends, delivering clear, tight low frequencies as well as improved pitch and rhythm.

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Nuage and Nuendo are training for tomorrow SAE Institute offers courses in a wide range of creative media industries.

Its Oxford campus is the headquarters for 54 locations worldwide. Here a Yamaha Nuage and Steinberg Nuendo system play a key role in educating the audio professionals of the future.

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raining tomorrow's professional sound designers and engineers on the latest and most efficient systems is essential to prepare them for their prospective careers, so they can go into the workplace with all the technical skills they need. With Nuage and Nuendo at their fingertips, students at SAE Oxford are being given the best possible start.

“We run three main programmes here - audio production, film production and game art / VFX,” says audio production lecturer Mike Holloway. “Having them all in the one building means there is the opportunity for collaboration between students. For example, if game art students want audio, or film students want sound editing or cleaning up, the audio production course students have the latest equipment to help them. It’s a really creative and collaborative environment for them.”

The campus has five fully-equipped studios, providing students with all the hands-on facilities they need.

Steinberg Nuendo 11 is an integral part of Studio 5, which is used for recording, mixing, mastering and designing Ambisonics immersive audio environments, played back on a Dolby 7.1.2 system. It’s controlled with a recently-installed Yamaha Nuage system, which lets the user operate Nuendo seamlessly and intuitively. Virtual Reality headsets and DearVR Spatial Connect control also allow the students to experiment with full 3D sound for game design.

Nuendo’s focus on both music and post-production makes it an ideal DAW for all the programmes taught in the facility and especially within modules focussed on multimedia sound.

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“I really like features like the ADR panel, which lets you load in a spreadsheet with all your cues and literally just run the session. It’s a huge time-saver, a really efficient way to work and makes the whole process more pleasurable,” says Mike.

“On top of that, you’ve got native multi-channel output for a wide range of formats. Using the Control Room to effectively listen how you want to listen, at any given time, is hugely powerful. It’s a special feature of Nuendo that really works. You can set up the outputs and let the software take care of the routing. The ability in Nuendo 11 to now render directly to Dolby Atmos feels like a great step forward and the students will get the full benefit of that with our speaker installation.”

Thanks to the Nuage system, Mike notes that controlling Nuendo feels almost like reaching into the software itself.

“I’ve always been a bit ‘take it or leave it’ with control surfaces, because the level of integration has always felt somewhat lacking. But I had a chance to use Nuage a few times and really coveted one. I pushed hard to have one here in the studio and was very pleased when we got it,” he says.

“Nuage and Nuendo are so closely integrated that it feels seamless. It has really changed things - you can effectively touch the software, have your hands on the workings of it, which is a huge difference to using a mouse and keyboard.

With the Nuage control surface, you can work so much more quickly in Nuendo than without it.”

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Tastefully blended sound with rich notes at Studio 22 The German town of Oestrich-Winkel is perhaps best known for being at the heart of the Rheingau wine-growing region. But in a quiet residential street, Studio 22 is at the cutting edge of live and recorded sound.

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tudio 22 owner Stephan Weber started as a professional IT networking specialist but, like so many who graduate to the audio industry, he was a musician in his spare time. A home studio and mixing local bands led to more audio work, including mixing musical theatre and events at the Kurhaus resort, casino and conference complex in Baden-Baden.

It was a request by cruise company HapagLloyd for his IT skills which led to Stephan being asked to help with his entertainment technology knowledge. This led to the creation of Studio 22 and, since then, his core business has been planning, service and installation of entertainment technology systems on luxury cruise liners. He has also developed the Digital Remote Entertainment And Media Solution (d.r.e.a.m.s) streaming server system for background music, with customers throughout the world.

Married to singer and vocal coach Dunja Koppenhöfer, Stephan established a multi-function recording room at their Oestrich-Winkel home. Adding two more dedicated audio rooms in 2019, he has continued to expand both the live and studio mixing aspects of his business.

“We needed space for Dunia to teach acting and rehearsing, so recording ‘in house’ made sense. We also train my customers here,” he says. “Importantly, I need to be hands on with audio for the good of my soul!”

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Stephan started using Yamaha digital mixers at the beginning, with the ProMix 01 back in 1995. “I purchased two - one for live work and the other for automating MIDI sound modules and other outboard gear in the studio,” he says.

Since then he has used a range of Yamaha digital mixers, noting, “From the launch of the CL series, I have really liked the availability of different sizes of Yamaha console surface, depending on what you need to do.

“Another thing I like is how the workflow has basically stayed the same. Technology should not take your concentration away from the performance and, for me, it’s very useful that it doesn’t matter which Yamaha mixer you are in front of, you can work without thinking. Along with the stability, reliability and excellent support, this is why Yamaha offers the perfect tools for me.”

Stephan’s live and studio work ranges from mixing and recording orchestras, bands, speeches and conferences to music production, surround sound mixes, film synchronisation and corporate training videos. To stay up to date, he needs to keep investing in both live and studio technology.

In the summer he purchased one of the first RIVAGE PM5 digital mixing systems in Germany.

“I have three CL series consoles, but sometimes reached the limit of the CL5’s channels, auxes and matrix busses, especially with musicals and crossover projects, which always have a lot of

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I have really liked the availability of different sizes of Yamaha control surface, depending on what you need to do

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different requirements and backstage gear,” he says.

“Investing in the RIVAGE ecosystem with the new CS5 surface was the perfect upgrade to increase capacity and benefit from the new RIVAGE plug-ins. RIVAGE PM5 allows me to be more flexible for all kinds of live events and, with the CL series consoles, I have the choice of using the best system to fit the customer’s needs.

Meanwhile, in the studio, he has been using Steinberg’s Nuendo DAW since it was first launched in 2000. But he found that third-party controllers always involved a lot of configuration to get something usable and too much compromise in his workflow.

“After trying other brands, I didn’t believe that I would ever use a controller with Nuendo. That was until I had my hands on a Yamaha Nuage console. It was immediately clear this was the first Nuendo controller worth thinking about,” he says.

“Having everything in a ‘one brand box’ including a straightforward interface which perfectly matches the software, motorised faders, monitor switches and more for control during recording, automation during mixdown, and all the necessary things like speaker management and control, talkback, surround panner and everything - is awesome.

“I like the touch strip for scrolling, the easy access of filters, EQs, aux channels and the channel automation curves for effects. It’s so simple that I can ignore the technical part of my job and work truly ‘musically’. Nuage saves a lot of time, allowing me to respond to customers more quickly.”

He concludes “Both the RIVAGE and Nuage systems are very impressive. And I truly believe that anybody giving their blood, sweat and tears on stage or in the studio deserves their production or recording to use the best tools.”

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