Yamaha's digital mixers have one of longest and deepest pedigrees in the audio world, making their PM series of digital mixers the first choice for many live sound companies and venues. The latest Rivage PM10 mixer seeks to be the “flagship” (Yamaha's word) at the head of this line by bundling together many improvements and refinements for high-end sound reinforcement. List price has yet to be announced.
The PM10, which is expected to begin shipping next year, is a compact mixer control surface designed to sit at the heart of a digital audio network, interfacing with one or two Yamaha DSP engines, up to eight I/O racks and RY/HY cards. The control surface itself has three banks of 12 faders over which sit three large, colorful touchscreens. The right-most screen displays Yamaha's popular “Selected Channel” interface (as found on the PM1D) that allows one-touch access to virtually every setting of any channel. The left two screens offer “Centralogic” control over the faders beneath. The PM10's user interface appears to benefit from several evolutionary improvements over its predecessors, but the feel should still be 100% Yamaha. Users of other Yamaha digital mixer models should acclimate quickly to the PM10.
Yamaha mixers have earned acclaim for their transparency and neutral character over the years, giving the engineer the sonic equivalent of a piece of white paper to draw out their vision. Folks who prefer their masterpiece start with some color or texture may be put off with Yamaha's commitment to clinical accuracy. With the PM10, both camps should be happy. A new Hybrid Microphone Preamplifier design takes Yamaha's Natural Sound analog section to the next level, then mates that accuracy with the colorful palette of Rupert Neve Designs.
Using Virtual Circuitry Modeling (VCM) technology, Yamaha modeled Neve's input transformer and Silk processing circuits to add character to the PM10's analog inputs. The Silk processing settings include “Red for sparkling energy” and “Blue for solidity and power”. With adjectives that sound better suited to an energy drink or fuel additive, it will be interesting to hear the difference the Silk models make in the PM10's input stage. Control over the virtual transformer comes by way of a “Texture” knob that alters the channel's harmonic structure in a musical fashion.
With the bar set high by its hybrid input stage, the PM10's additional processing and effects needed an upgrade as well. That they received, in the form of plug-in-style effects developed in collaboration with leading manufacturers like TC Electronic, Eventide and Rupert Neve Designs. A pair of TC Electronic reverbs were ported over to the PM10, including the "VSS4HD" room simulation reverb and the "NonLin 2" envelope-filtered gate reverb. VCM technology gets the call again to clone four additional Neve processors, including 70s-era “Rupert EQ 773" and "Rupert Comp 754" and circa-80s "Rupert EQ 810" and "Rupert Comp 830". As of press time, Eventide and Yamaha were working on an H3000-LIVE harmonizer plug-in for the PM10.
Having caressed countless millions of inputs over the decades, Yamaha decided their bread-and-butter channel EQ and dynamics algorithms were due for some special attention in the PM10 as well. The PM10's revamped EQ section has four algorithm types including "Precise”, "Aggressive", "Smooth" and "Legacy"; each landing at a different place on the accuracy-to-character continuum. The “Precise” algorithm even has a Q control on the high and low shelving filters to adjust resonance or overshoot.
In addition to a familiar “Legacy” mode, the PM10's dynamics processor now offers a VCM-modeled “Comp260” that mimics the sound of a popular VCA RMS analog compressor from the 70s. This algorithm offers full control over all settings (which the original didn't offer) as well as the original preset settings.
These new additions take the PM10's plug-in tally to an impressive 45 effects. All these spiffy effects are of little use, however, if the mixer lacks the flexibility and processing power to place as many effects as you desire wherever you want them. While every mixer has its limits in these areas, PM10 users shouldn't be bumping into them any time soon. Every channel has two insert points, and the PM10 DSP unit has enough horsepower to run up to 192 instances of even complex plug-ins.
The PM10 offers many other new features including “Overlay” and “Isolate” filters for better scene memory control, upgraded live recording features and two monitor outputs with delay, eight-band parametric EQ and analog insert point. You can record your stereo mix to a USB flash drive, or output up to 128 channels through the optional Dante digital audio interface. The latter also offers a virtual sound check feature for easy track playback through the input channels.
The PM10 makes obvious Yamaha's goal to have engineers leave everything but the mixer on the truck for a gig. Outboard reverb units, high-end mic preamps, compressors, EQs—all are at risk of ending up unemployed. Folks looking to purchase a powerful, refined digital mixing system—and retire some outboard gear in the process—should definitely give the Yamaha Rivage PM10 a closer look.
