Yamaha launches the new CL Series digital consoles on the market

Yamaha's new CL series of digital mixing consoles offer an advanced and accessible mixing experience, along with sonic purity and sound modeling features that give sound technicians unprecedented creative freedom.

25 years after first setting the standards for digital mixing, Yamaha has taken digital consoles to a new level of development with the launch of the three CL series models. While maintaining the essential features and functionality that have become standard over the last quarter century, CL series of digital mixing consoles offer a new experience in affordable mixing. The new range provides the most imaginative artists and engineers with unprecedented creative freedom combined with purity of sound and advanced sound shaping capabilities..

The CL series combines a tactile and ergonomic user interface with a stylish and modern design, and includes three models: CL1, CL3 y CL5. With a mixing capacity that ranges from 48 a 72 mono inputs more 8 stereo, all models have 16 DCA, 24 mix buses and matrix eight, plus stereo and mono output buses.

User interface

At the heart of the CL series is the renowned Centralogic user interface., ensuring that the consoles will be immediately familiar to many thousands of live sound engineers. It has evolved considerably in the new consoles, and incorporates a new generation touch screen, in color and very flexible, as well as a variety of user-definable encoders and rotary knobs. Newly designed faders offer a smooth feel, optimal visibility and accuracy and can be freely configured to control any combination of inputs, outputs or the 16 DCA faders. The control surface also provides backlit displays with editable channel name above each fader, with assignable color bars. The CL1 and CL3 also have the option of an external VU meter bridge.

Audio quality

The quality and type of sound were the top priorities in the development of the new consoles. In addition to having newly designed preamps and delays on each input channel and output port, These products present a prestigious line of processing with studio quality. Effects rack provides the equivalent of eight SPX2000 effects processors, combined with a range of VCM dynamics and equalizers, while two other virtual racks provide access to up to 32 graphic equalizer channels.

Nevertheless, probably the most interesting sound innovation is the introduction of the Premium Rack concept. Developed by Dr K (Toshi Kunimoto) from Yamaha and its team, Premium Rack provides a variety of top-quality dynamic and EQ processors. Yamaha is especially proud and pleased to be working closely with Rupert Neve to introduce the highly regarded Portico compressor. 5033 EQ and 5043 as key elements of this new concept. These processors are included as standard in the CL series, thus eliminating the need for any plug-in management.

“For the first time we have the ability to take Rupert Neve's sound to the realm of direct sound, which is entirely due to Yamaha's VCM technology. I think it is impossible to differentiate it from the original analog sound,” stated Neve.

Scalable solution

A key factor in making the CL series so flexible is the pair of I/O racks that come with it., the Rio3224-R and the Rio1608-D, and the fact that the consoles are the first to have integrated Dante networking as a standard feature. A scalable system that is easily built with the simultaneous placement of up to eight I/O racks via Dante, thus providing up to 256 input sources. Pairs of CL Series consoles can also be cascaded for high-volume mixing needs..

Basic system connection is easy, using the console's automatic configuration functionality. Two or more consoles can share the inputs of a set of I/O racks without fear of requiring too many changes, due to the inclusion of automatic gain compensation in the I/O racks themselves. With the operating mode of 32 Dante bits, gain compensation can be provided without impacting the dynamic range sound.

Lee Ellison, CEO of Audinate, has commented: “We are very excited to collaborate with Yamaha on the outstanding CL series and I/O racks. Dante provides a flexible networking solution, low latency, Highly scalable and plug-and-play to connect Yamaha networked systems, Dante virtual sound cards and any other network-connected Dante devices. We believe that the combination of technologies integrated into this new platform will provide an unprecedented digital experience.”

The Rio3224 also includes four stereo AES-EBU outputs and keeps signals in the digital realm all the way to the amplifier.. The new consoles have three MY card slots on the rear panel, thus maintaining compatibility with any existing sound format, plus newer cards like the MY8-Lake speaker processing card and the MY16-Dugan automatic mixing card. Three card slots also provide additional I/O in combination with the eight mic inputs and eight line outputs built into the console..

Software control

CL Editor is the new standalone online/offline editor that runs on Mac and Windows PC. By having all the functionality of the Yamaha Editor software that users are familiar with, does not require Yamaha Studio Manager as a host. Besides, new software apps include new version of StageMix for iPad, that offers extensive wireless remote control and has been expanded to include new features such as channel naming, DCA fader control and tempo marking (lose pace). Of enormous importance is that the CL Editor and StageMix can work at the same time, which means great flexibility for engineers, sound designers and system technicians.

In addition, Yamaha's new File Converter software has been updated to enable immediate exchange of console files between the CL series, PM5D, M7CL y LS9.

Recording

Every CL console customer will receive a copy of the new Steinberg Nuendo Live recording software, which has been specially designed for live recording applications. Available from July, includes unique features not found in any other live recording software and will be seamlessly integrated into CL consoles for optimal ease of use.

When used in combination with the Audinate Dante virtual sound card (Also included with all CL consoles) engineers will be able to easily use the Dante network to record up to 64 sound tracks on Mac or Windows PC.

Andreas Theorem, CEO of Steinberg, commented that “Nuendo Live is not only ultra-stable and easy to use, It also integrates easily into the latest generation of Yamaha direct sound consoles.. “This is another great example of the strong relationship between Yamaha and Steinberg.”

Besides, Basic stereo recordings can be made using a convenient two-track USB record and playback function.

Setting standards

Having worked closely with engineers and equipment rental companies for a quarter of a century, Yamaha knows that the key requirements for consoles are flexibility, sound quality, ease of use and, of course, the company's recognized reliability standards.

With the arrival of the CL series, The company is confident that these products strike a full balance between innovative functionality and sound investment potential..

Kazunori Kobayashi, General Manager of Yamaha Pro Audio Division, has stated: “The CL series is the perfect response to current needs using the most modern technology. The collaboration between Yamaha, Rupert Neve Designs, Audinate and Steinberg have made it possible to offer a magnificent balance between sound, performance and features that result in perfect mixing capacity and quality. After a quarter of a century of evolution, “The CL series constitutes a memorable new chapter in the history of digital mixing.”