Beat That! Yamaha And Nexo Star At BPM | PRO
Late October saw Yamaha and sister companies Line 6, Nexo and Steinberg embracing all things DJ-related at the BPM | PRO exhibition in Birmingham. The audio stars of the show in the Chauvet DJ Arena were a Yamaha RIVAGE PM10 digital mixing console and Nexo GEO M10 line array.
A showcase of the very best DJ talent and technology, the DJ Arena featured competitions, live tutorials and Q&A sessions with iconic artists and producers. The Front of House and monitor sound were both mixed on the RIVAGE PM10 by engineer Jake Roberts from On Event Production Co. The FoH mix was through Nexo’s new mid-sized GEO M10 line array, which was making its first UK public outing.
The console was supplied by London-based Subfrantic Production Services, with the Nexo system supplied and set up by Sound Of Music Ltd, Derby.
“We ran a three-way rotation, to allow for the back-to-back nature of the show,” says Jake. “The DJs were occupying the first 12 channels, followed by a further eight inputs for any surprises we got in the way of live instruments. There were also eight channels of radio microphones for the Q&A panel sessions, DJs and comperes - of course the Dan Dugan automixing was implemented on all these channels!”
He continues, “In addition, we had playback for the regular Chauvet Light Show - showcasing the arena sponsor’s products - and then my own playback for background music, which came from Dante Virtual Soundcard.”
By his own admission Jake is “a Yamaha guy through and through”, but this was his first opportunity to mix on RIVAGE PM10. However, thanks to Yamaha’s continuity of design, it didn’t present any challenges.
“My favourite thing about the Yamaha range is that I can walk up to pretty much any console and find my way around with ease, getting the results and - more importantly - the sound I need quickly and easily,” he says.
“My day-to-day work is on the QL series, which is a true workhorse. I really like how Yamaha consoles allow me to focus on my mix, as opposed to distracting me with computer screens, the need to use a mouse and so on. All Yamaha digital consoles are tactile, responsive and just feel… right!”
Mixing DJs and chat sessions is a little unusual for a RIVAGE PM10, but Jake found it perfectly suited to the task.
“The sound is insanely accurate and clean. From the graphic EQs to the compressors, everything is so detailed and responsive. The head amps are especially good - I would even go as far as to say they're the best I've heard in a digital board to date,” he says.
“I really enjoyed hearing the results of the SILK processing - the effect on vocals is great - while the amount of Dan Dugan automixing channels is staggering. I also really liked the Eventide H3000 Live and the other plugins.”
Besides the sound, Jake was also very impressed with how RIVAGE PM10 assisted his workflow.
“A mixing console is essentially my office, so the feel and flow of it has to allow me to focus on getting the very best out of what's onstage,” he says. “The ergonomics of RIVAGE PM10 are so well thought out. The angle of the two screens is great, allowing me to keep my head up and focus on the performers.
“The faders are so smooth, with a heightened ability to make fine adjustments. I found the meters made it very easy to differentiate between channels, while the temporary channel link feature is a great addition, making for quick adjustments to a large group easy. The user defined keys are also ace…”
“Ultimately it delivered everything I hoped for and more,” he concludes. “The configuration is incredibly flexible and the options appear almost limitless. Literally, if you can imagine it, RIVAGE PM10 does it with ease.”
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