New to the PM Family: Yamaha RIVAGE PM5, PM3
Yamaha recently announced the future release of its two newest products in the Rivage PM series: the PM5 and PM3 digital mixing consoles. The Yamaha RIVAGE PM5/PM3 mixers are compact and updated versions of the PM10. Yamaha will release PM5/3 later this year along with the Firmware 4.0 and DSP-RX/DSP-RX-EX engines.
Yamaha RIVAGE PM Series:
Yamaha’s RIVAGE PM series is a family of audio control systems tailored for live events and broadcasting. The PM10 and PM7 have already “made waves” in the live sound scene. Their versatility and sleek functionality have made them well-loved and well-used by many professionals.
The PM10/7 systems are analog/digital hybrids, each with two, 15″ LED touch screens as well as three sets of 12 analog faders. Each system also comes with two monitoring ports and a talk-back system. These features allow for seamless workflow and communication with the crew and performers.
The Yamaha RIVAGE PM series offers a crystal-clear and untainted sound. This gives the engineers and producers ultimate control over the sound. To further allow for maximum flexibility and control, each console has 48 programmable buttons and 16 programmable knobs, eight inserts on each of the 36 channels, and 50 professionally-acclaimed plug-ins.
Each easy-to-use plug-in is expertly selected to allow engineers to tailor their sounds exactly how they like them. Whether that’s the new, digital sound, or a vintage, analog sound you are after, RIVAGE PM’s capabilities are sure to deliver. An especially exciting addition to the plug-in library is the SP2016 reverb plugin from Eventide. To read more about each of the incredible plug-ins RIVAGE PM systems have to offer, click here.
Each system in the Yamaha RIVAGE PM family runs on a DSP engine. The DSP engine is the real brains of the RM operation. The DSP engines are compatible with both Dante by Audinate and TWINLANe by Yamaha. Dante and TWINLANe both allow users to connect all equipment in use via Fiberoptic cables. These cables preserve and carry the audio information with little to no latency. In addition, each DSP has redundant failsafe protocols for power and connection that can be utilized when “the show must go on.”
System Compatibility
Each component of the Yamaha RIVAGE PM Series is seamlessly compatible with one another. Users can utilize Console File Converters to ensure that the information they have saved on one console is transferrable to and used on different PM consoles. Because the PM consoles work so well with each other, it’s easy to use more than one console during one show. Each console is also configurable to be used for multiple purposes simultaneously.
The RIVAGE series compatibility makes learning a new PM system easy. Though each PM system is slightly different, their basic structure is the same. The PM systems are also easy to learn if you are coming from using one of Yamaha’s other lines of Digital Mixing Systems (CL and QL). Yamaha’s RIVAGE PM Systems are created to be intuitive and easy to use.
What’s new?
The Yamaha RIVAGE PM5 / PM3 – The CS-R5 and CS-R3 Control Surfaces
The CS-R5 and CS-R3 are smaller and lighter than the PM10/7’s control surfaces. The CS-R10 and Cs-R7D and their variants range in weight from 147.7 lbs to 207 lbs. The CS-R5 weighs in at 92.6 lbs with the CS-R3 coming in even lighter at 83.8 lbs. That may still be considered heavy, but it’s light enough that it would only take two people to comfortably move the system.
The smaller design of the CS-R5 and CS-R3 control surfaces also increases the field of view. This allows sound engineers to have a better view of the stage and performers. The decreased footprint helps prevent “seat kill” in smaller venues, maximizing space in small-to-medium venues that still require great sound. In addition, this smaller size allows for the user’s elbow to rest on the edge of the console while using the touch screens, decreasing fatigue during gigs.
The smaller size and ergonomic design was a big focus of the CS-R5 and CS-R3 control surfaces. But that’s not all that’s new: The CS-R5 features clearer visual feedback through sensitive and easy-to-read meters attached to each fader, expanded control and options via the send operations, a third digital screen (PM5), and improved aesthetics.
You can read about and compare the specs of each system in more detail here.
Firmware 4.0
Firmware 4.0 will launch at the same time as the Yamaha RIVAGE PM5 / PM3 release. This firmware will include over 50 state-of-the-art plug-ins, including Portico 5033 by Rupert Neve Designs and the Eventide SP2016. Yamaha has been especially excited to begin their partnership with Eventide:
The lush, distinct reverbs of the original Eventide SP2016 have been used in countless hit records for nearly 40 years. The original reverb can be heard on albums by Adele, Mariah Carey, Eminem and more.
Eventide is honoured to partner with Yamaha to bring the signature reverbs from the SP2016 (Room, Stereo Room and Hi-Density Plate) to the RIVAGE PM series with V4.0 software. Users will have a faithful recreation of the original rack processor using state of the art analogue component modelling to capture the unique sound of this widely acclaimed reverb.
Ray Maxwell, Eventide vice president of sales and marketing.
Firmware version 4.0 also utilizes L-Acoustics’ L-ISA systems. L-ISA’s technology allows for multidimensional mixing and ultimate control over the sound environment.
DSP-RX and DSP-RX-EX
As I said before, the DSP is really the brains of the RIVAGE PM’s. Each Yamaha RIVAGE PM5 and PM3 digital mixing system will come with the new DSP-RX engine. The DSP-RX allows for 120 input channels, 48 mix buses, and 24 matrices. It has power redundancy failsafes and two Mini-YGDAI slots to support various audio formats.
Producers can also choose to upgrade to the DSP-RX-EX. The DSP-RX-EX engine upgrade’s the DSP processing capacity to 288 input channels, 72 mix buses, and 36 matrices. Both the DS-RX and DSP-RX-EX are compatible with any Yamaha RIVAGE PM series system.
Availability | Yamaha RIVAGE PM5 PM3 Digital Mixing Systems
The Yamaha RIVAGE PM5 and PM3 will launch this summer and this fall, respectively. To learn more about these and other great Yamaha products, visit usa.yamaha.com.
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