Yamaha Professional Audio Announces Three New Products, Including RIVAGE PM7 Digital Mixer

Yamaha Professional Audio has made three new product announcements: the RIVAGE PM7 Digital Mixing System, two new Dante-equipped I/O Rack units, and the upcoming release of firmware version 4.5 for the CL and QL Series Digital Mixing Consoles. 

New Yamaha RIVAGE PM7 System Offers PM10 User Experience
The core of the RIVAGE PM7 system includes the CSD-R7 Digital Mixing Console, TWINLANe-based RPio622 and RPio222 I/O Racks, and Dante-based Rio3224-D2 and Rio1608-D2 I/O Racks.

The CSD-R7 Digital Mixing Console is the central component of the RIVAGE PM7 system, positioned directly below the current RIVAGE PM10 Digital Mixing System. With an emphasis of preserving workflow, the CSD-R7 is the same size as the RIVAGE PM10 system CS-R10 control surface but with the DSP engine built into the console offering enhanced portability and system flexibility while maintaining high operability. The panel layout of the RIVAGE PM7 is the same as the flagship RIVAGE PM10, delivering the same user experience.

With 120 input channels, 60 mix buses, 24 matrices, and a comprehensive selection of 48 top-quality plug-ins, the PM7 provides mixing capacity that is comparable to the RIVAGE PM10 (the latter has 144 input channels, 72 mix buses, 36 matrices, and 50 plug-ins). A Dual Console function also allows the CSD-R7 to be connected to one of the RIVAGE PM10 system control surfaces (CS-R10 or CS-R10-S). A CS-R10-S, for example, can be used at front of house, for monitors, or as a sidecar expansion console for the CSD-R7, depending on space and system scale requirements.

The CSD-R7 Digital Mixing Console offers connectivity with two types of audio networks, allowing either or both to be used for connection and control of I/O Rack units. The dedicated TWINLANe network uses optical cable to handle up 400 channels of audio. Combinations of the RPio622 and/or RPio222 I/O racks and HY256-TL or HY256-TL-SMF audio interface cards allow input via Hybrid Microphone Preamplifiers, as well as digital sections with VCM technology models of Rupert Neve Designs transformer and SILK processing circuitry.

The system can be equipped with the Dante audio network from Audinate, similar to CL and QL Series digital consoles as well as a range of other Yamaha pro audio products. Rio3224-D2 and Rio1608-D2 I/O Racks, will be released simultaneously as RIVAGE PM7 system components, and the HY144-D Dante audio interface card can be combined to provide natural sound input at full RIVAGE PM series quality allowing the on-stage sound to be cleanly captured and shaped as required by the engineer.

“RIVAGE PM10 already has made a deep impression on professional sound engineers who praise it for its incredible sound quality and quick workflow,” says Marc Lopez, director of marketing, Yamaha Commercial Audio products, Yamaha Professional Audio division.

“Our goal with RIVAGE PM7 is to offer the same user experience provided by our flagship RIVAGE PM10 system to a wider range of customers.”

In addition to the new components, Version 2.0 of the RIVAGE PM series firmware will include a number of new features such as 5.1 surround and mix minus capability for broadcast applications, Rupert Neve Designs Portico 5045 Primary Source Enhancer, the Dual Console function, DSP mirroring (RIVAGE PM10 only), and more.

5.1 surround panning and monitoring are provided for broadcast applications, and two surround buses are available for efficient international feed production. A broadcast Mix Minus function is provided too, allowing an identified source to be removed from a specified remote feed with just a few simple steps. The Rupert Neve Designs Portico 5045 effectively suppresses background noise at microphone inputs for enhanced clarity while significantly increasing the feedback margin, making it a valuable tool for live sound in houses of worship, stadiums, halls, and other environments where feedback and unwanted background sounds can be problem.

DSP Mirroring is a RIVAGE PM10-only function that allows two DSP-R10 DSP engines to be used for failsafe redundancy. If a problem occurs in the main DSP-R10 unit, the second DSP-R10 can take over without disrupting the program.

“Rupert Neve and I and the rest of the team at Rupert Neve Designs are incredibly proud and pleased with the results that Yamaha has achieved with both the Silk and 5045 emulations,” states Josh Thomas, general manager at Rupert Neve Designs.

“It’s uncanny how close they are, and add an amazing power and flexibility to the already formidable Yamaha Mixer lineup.”

New Rio3224-D2 and Rio1608-D2 Dante Network I/O Racks with Enhanced Sound, Reliability, and Visibility
Yamaha Professional Audio’s two new Dante equipped I/O Rack units are the Rio3224-D2 and the Rio1608-D2. Together with the new CSD-R7 control surface to be released simultaneously, the I/O Racks are components of the RIVAGE PM Series, including the new RIVAGE PM7 Digital Mixing System. They can also be used with current CL and QL Series Digital Mixing Consoles.

The Dante network audio protocol was first introduced to the R series I/O Racks in the Rio3224-D and Rio1608-D released simultaneously with the CL Series in 2012. The lineup was then expanded with the input-only Ri8-D, the output-only Ro8-D, the RMio64-D with Dante/MADI conversion capability and the RSio64-D for connectivity between Dante and the company’s Mini-YGDAI card lineup.

The Rio3224-D2 and Rio1608-D2 are successors to the Rio3224-D and Rio1608-D, offering advances in sound, reliability, and visual status confirmation, allowing on-stage sound to be cleanly captured and then shaped as required by the engineer.

“The new Rio-D2 successors can be used with the RIVAGE PM as well as  CL and QL Series,” says Lopez.

“All of the possible combinations provide enhanced flexibility and economy when configuring systems for applications of any scale.”

Both the Rio3224-D2 and Rio1608-D2 include dual power supply units to minimize the possibility of power loss during a show. If a problem occurs with one power source, operation will continue unaffected as long as the second power source is active. Internal airflow has been redesigned as well, reducing fan noise.

Another Rio3224-D2 and Rio1608-D2 refinement is the inclusion of character/icon displays rather than the basic LED indicators of the first-generation models, allowing quick, easy confirmation of Dante settings as well as metering, gain, high-pass filters, phantom power, and more. It is also possible to edit gain, high-pass filters, and phantom power settings directly from the I/O Rack interface, and even lock them, if required. Operation from the R Remote software application is also possible.

CL/QL Firmware Version 4.5 Available Soon
Yamaha Professional Audio division’s firmware Version 4.5 for the industry-standard CL and QL Series Digital Mixing Consoles will be released soon.

CL/QL V4.5 will provide support for the new Rio3224-D2 and Rio1608-D2 I/O Racks and the Audinate Dante Domain Manager.

The new Rio3224-D2 and Rio1608-D2 I/O Racks are successors to the Rio3224-D and Rio1608-D, offering  advances in sound, reliability, and visual status confirmation. Both models include dual power supply units, so that if there is a problem with one power source, there is no disruption of operation as long as the second power source is active.

Another refinement of the Rio input/output boxes is the inclusion of character/icon displays for quick, easy confirmation of Dante settings as well as metering, gain, high-pass filters, phantom power, and more. It is also possible to edit gain, high-pass filters and phantom power settings directly from the I/O Rack interface, and even lockout the onboard controls from the console, if required.

Dante Domain Manager software from Audinate provides efficient Dante network management with user authentication and role-based security, allowing seamless Dante system expansion on just about any network infrastructure.

“The Dante Domain Manager offers significantly enhanced security and scalability for systems built on the Dante infrastructure with our CL or QL Series Digital Consoles at the core,” says Lopez.

“We will be rolling out updates for more Dante-ready products in the near future that will be announced on the Yamaha Professional Audio website in order to provide system-wide support for the Dante Domain Manager as well as our ten-year alliance with Audinate.”

“Yamaha has always been at the forefront of innovation and responsiveness, and their announcement to upgrade products in support Dante Domain Manager is no exception. We are pleased to see that Yamaha customers can now benefit from the enhancements in flexibility, scalability, and security for their AV systems that Dante Domain Manager provides,” Audinate CEO Lee Ellison says.