Marc Lopez of Yamaha Commercial Audio Q&A

Re: Marc Lopez of Yamaha Commercial Audio Q&A

The QL looks VERY nice feature wise, but its more expensive than the LS9. A short search came back with QL1 at 8,499, and QL5 at 16,999, almost double LS9 prices. The LS9 is already overpriced for what it is in today's market (in my opinion). The QL looks wonderful, but it's priced at unobtanium levels for club guys. Not many of us club sound guys can afford 20+ grand for a mixer/w/card/& digi snake (I sure can't!)

I would assume that with improvements in tech and much lower priced competition, that Yamaha would be developing a mixer that costs LESS that the LS9, but has: improved sonics, multiple iPad support, a iPhone ap w/lockout, and a reasonable priced digi snake option. Maybe what I'm asking for is a user friendly 01v96 or something between it and the LS9, that has at least 24 faders/on board preamps

When I bought my LS9-16 5 years or so back, it was the only game in town for a digi board, and at about 5k, it was priced reasonable for what it did compared to the competition (there wasn't any!) I loved that board, but the market has caught and passed it, and the price has not come down. (Currently mixing on a Soundcraft Performer 2 (and it cost less than my LS9-16 did)

Enough of my opinions. One last question: Does the QL series work with multiple iPads and is there an iphone ap w/lockout?
 
Re: Marc Lopez of Yamaha Commercial Audio Q&A

Steve Hurt said:
The QL looks VERY nice feature wise, but its more expensive than the LS9. A short search came back with QL1 at 8,499, and QL5 at 16,999, almost double LS9 prices. The LS9 is already overpriced for what it is in today's market (in my opinion). The QL looks wonderful, but it's priced at unobtanium levels for club guys. Not many of us club sound guys can afford 20+ grand for a mixer/w/card/& digi snake (I sure can't!)

I would assume that with improvements in tech and much lower priced competition, that Yamaha would be developing a mixer that costs LESS that the LS9, but has: improved sonics, multiple iPad support, a iPhone ap w/lockout, and a reasonable priced digi snake option. Maybe what I'm asking for is a user friendly 01v96 or something between it and the LS9, that has at least 24 faders/on board preamps

When I bought my LS9-16 5 years or so back, it was the only game in town for a digi board, and at about 5k, it was priced reasonable for what it did compared to the competition (there wasn't any!) I loved that board, but the market has caught and passed it, and the price has not come down. (Currently mixing on a Soundcraft Performer 2 (and it cost less than my LS9-16 did)

Enough of my opinions. One last question: Does the QL series work with multiple iPads and is there an iphone ap w/lockout?
Click to expand...

I don't think the QL series was designed primarily for club use, Marc will have to confirm/deny.
 
Re: Marc Lopez of Yamaha Commercial Audio Q&A

I'm sure you are right Tim. Heck, I doubt the LS9 was designed for club sound either!
I speak from my viewpoint (portable sound in clubs) and often forget the audience is much wider

Marc sort of served it up as a possible replacement for the LS9 by saying:

............ although we just released QL which is in a very similar price range with functionality well beyond an LS9
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No question the QL looks to be much more advanced (and more than I need)
The only thing I disagree with is that it's not in the same price range.

Finally, I hope my comments aren't seen as disrespectful to Marc.
I've had very good experience with my LS9. It was always rock solid reliable. It had a feature set that no one else had anywhere near the cost when I bought it. And Yamaha responded to my e-mails when I asked for help. I appreciate his input here and if I did sound snarky, I apologize.
 
Re: Marc Lopez of Yamaha Commercial Audio Q&A

Oh, and to answer Marc's question:

If I had to carry a PC to get multiple iPads to work, yes I would do that.
 
Re: Marc Lopez of Yamaha Commercial Audio Q&A

Are you planning a replacement series for the Nexo Alpha/E? A series with integrated Dante would be very nice.
 
Re: Marc Lopez of Yamaha Commercial Audio Q&A

The only problem with the PM1D is that you can't kill it! In over 10 years of daily use, the only part that has been replaced is the internal compact flash card. The thing is rock-solid and I haven't found anything more suited to our venue. My workflow depends on the capabilities and layout of the 1D, so I can't wait to see what's next from Yamaha for this market segment.
 
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Re: Marc Lopez of Yamaha Commercial Audio Q&A

Marc, are there any plans to release a more theatre centric version of the CL software, which will enable you to manage swapping out subs and alternates (as in actors) within the scene change system? Without having to write a whole separate show files for each possible combination?
 
Re: Marc Lopez of Yamaha Commercial Audio Q&A

Steve Hurt said:
The QL looks VERY nice feature wise, but its more expensive than the LS9. A short search came back with QL1 at 8,499, and QL5 at 16,999, almost double LS9 prices. The LS9 is already overpriced for what it is in today's market (in my opinion). The QL looks wonderful, but it's priced at unobtanium levels for club guys. Not many of us club sound guys can afford 20+ grand for a mixer/w/card/& digi snake (I sure can't!)

I would assume that with improvements in tech and much lower priced competition, that Yamaha would be developing a mixer that costs LESS that the LS9, but has: improved sonics, multiple iPad support, a iPhone ap w/lockout, and a reasonable priced digi snake option. Maybe what I'm asking for is a user friendly 01v96 or something between it and the LS9, that has at least 24 faders/on board preamps

When I bought my LS9-16 5 years or so back, it was the only game in town for a digi board, and at about 5k, it was priced reasonable for what it did compared to the competition (there wasn't any!) I loved that board, but the market has caught and passed it, and the price has not come down. (Currently mixing on a Soundcraft Performer 2 (and it cost less than my LS9-16 did)

Enough of my opinions. One last question: Does the QL series work with multiple iPads and is there an iphone ap w/lockout?
Click to expand...

Hi Steve,

Sorry for the delay in response. I'm at the NAB convention.

To clarify my comment about "similar" price range, comparing MSRP in the US:
LS9-16 : QL1 = $6,999 : $8,499
LS9-32 : QL5 = $12,699 : $16,499
QL has touchscreen, integrated Dante, Dugan Automixer, Premium Rack, CL Mic Pre's, channel displays...

QL can support 2 devices connected simultaneously - iPad and a Mac/PC running Editor. So multiple iPads are not supported.

And the target is not really clubs, although there are a number of clubs that have a high end PA, just not the majority of course. Corporate A/V, Houses of Worship, Regional Touring, etc. are where they are landing.
 
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Re: Marc Lopez of Yamaha Commercial Audio Q&A

Russel Murton said:
Are you planning a replacement series for the Nexo Alpha/E? A series with integrated Dante would be very nice.
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Hi Russel,

We often get this request. I do beileve that a modernized Alpha E would be amazing, but determining the right timing for acceptance of a non-line array product is a key point. And yes, powered with integrated Dante would also make it much more interesting. Line arrays are not the solution for every situation but will continue to be a priority for little while longer since this is what is the users/designers request the most.
 
Re: Marc Lopez of Yamaha Commercial Audio Q&A

Craig Montgomery said:
The only problem with the PM1D is that you can't kill it! In over 10 years of daily use, the only part that has been replaced is the internal compact flash card. The thing is rock-solid and I haven't found anything more suited to our venue. My workflow depends on the capabilities and layout of the 1D, so I can't wait to see what's next from Yamaha for this market segment.
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Hi Craig,

We're really pleased with the longevity of PM1D considering that it is a complex modular system that began it's development in the late 90's. It is a testament to how well it was engineered and manufactured.

Our engineers have been working hard on many exciting things. You won't be disappointed.
 
Re: Marc Lopez of Yamaha Commercial Audio Q&A

Justice C. Bigler said:
Marc, are there any plans to release a more theatre centric version of the CL software, which will enable you to manage swapping out subs and alternates (as in actors) within the scene change system? Without having to write a whole separate show files for each possible combination?
Click to expand...

Hi Justice,

A theatre software is not out of the question, but a potential solution for your application right now is something I have seen many users employ: Recall Safe the channels where there are subs. Create Channel Libraries for each main actor and sub, and recall the appropriate library on those channels where necessary at top of the performance.

We do understand the requirement for the ability to build your Scene with "elements" rather than a global Scene snapshot for theatrical applications.
 
Re: Marc Lopez of Yamaha Commercial Audio Q&A

Hi Marc, I understand the workarounds. However, at this point it is actually easier to manually repatch the XLR lines going into the console/I/O racks than to deal with recall safe and globally pasting library settings, etc... And that's to say nothing if you had make one of those changes mid show to cover an illness or injury etc... It would be cool if Yamaha could come up with some kind of macro utility that would only require selecting a channel, and then applying the macro to the channel to update the EQ, compression, mix send and DCA groups assignments etc...

Hey, also, though not directly related to live sound, can you tell us if Yamaha is planning to release a smaller format control surface for recording studio work? Sort of a Nuage-for the rest of us? (Note, must be compatible with Protools).
 
Re: Marc Lopez of Yamaha Commercial Audio Q&A

Justice C. Bigler said:
Hi Marc, I understand the workarounds. However, at this point it is actually easier to manually repatch the XLR lines going into the console/I/O racks than to deal with recall safe and globally pasting library settings, etc... And that's to say nothing if you had make one of those changes mid show to cover an illness or injury etc... It would be cool if Yamaha could come up with some kind of macro utility that would only require selecting a channel, and then applying the macro to the channel to update the EQ, compression, mix send and DCA groups assignments etc...

Hey, also, though not directly related to live sound, can you tell us if Yamaha is planning to release a smaller format control surface for recording studio work? Sort of a Nuage-for the rest of us? (Note, must be compatible with Protools).
Click to expand...

Hi Justice,

I would like to know further details of your specific workflow, and then I could make a better recommendation to help you. If you're willing to discuss potential solutions, send me a PM.

We are considering adding additional Nuage components at different levels. The current Nuage NCS500 series is scalable and Protools compatible, although I'd be interested in knowing what price point you are imagining.
 
Re: Marc Lopez of Yamaha Commercial Audio Q&A

Hello Mark - Is the basic architecture of the CL and QL consoles malleable such that things like stereo matrices and increasing matrix counts say at the expense of mix counts could be implemented in firmware updates? If so could this be on the agenda with sufficient customer interest? Would it also be possible to implement 'macros' type instructions if not on the console surface then from the computer editor? That sort of power user function as a computer feature would be an excellent addition.

On the iPad app, one element that competitors iPad apps have implemented and that is really vital to use in monitor mixing is the ability to access all of the mix sends from a given channel on one or at most two screens. Sends on Faders really addresses only one of the two common workflows in monitor mixing and a variation on the SOF screen that represented the mix sends from a given channel would be quite valuable.
 
Re: Marc Lopez of Yamaha Commercial Audio Q&A

Riley Casey said:
Hello Mark - Is the basic architecture of the CL and QL consoles malleable such that things like stereo matrices and increasing matrix counts
Click to expand...

I don't know about anyone else, but I could use another two or three matricies, so call it four then? I would love to see another four matricies added to the CL console, without losing the mix output count.
 
Re: Marc Lopez of Yamaha Commercial Audio Q&A

Riley Casey said:
Hello Mark - Is the basic architecture of the CL and QL consoles malleable such that things like stereo matrices and increasing matrix counts say at the expense of mix counts could be implemented in firmware updates? If so could this be on the agenda with sufficient customer interest? Would it also be possible to implement 'macros' type instructions if not on the console surface then from the computer editor? That sort of power user function as a computer feature would be an excellent addition.

On the iPad app, one element that competitors iPad apps have implemented and that is really vital to use in monitor mixing is the ability to access all of the mix sends from a given channel on one or at most two screens. Sends on Faders really addresses only one of the two common workflows in monitor mixing and a variation on the SOF screen that represented the mix sends from a given channel would be quite valuable.
Click to expand...

Hi Riley,

Sorry for delay in response. I was hoping to have a clear answer for you regarding the mix/matrix question. Our DSP is typically designed to give a fixed low-latency path for all the paths no matter what processing is used. In designing it that way, there's not a lot of flexibility in reconfiguration of "hard" audio paths. Our cursory investigation indicates that trading Mixes for Matrices is not possible via a firmware update for CL/QL. Our DSP is always improving (we design it ourselves), so it is something we address in the next generation.

On the other hand, macros are possible and we have added it to the "list". Also, understood on your StageMix request. This has been added to the request list as well.
 
Re: Marc Lopez of Yamaha Commercial Audio Q&A

Justice C. Bigler said:
I don't know about anyone else, but I could use another two or three matricies, so call it four then? I would love to see another four matricies added to the CL console, without losing the mix output count.
Click to expand...

Hi Justice,

There is no additional DSP resource available to add more Matricies to CL. Sorry we can't address this one :(~:-(~:sad:.
 
Re: Marc Lopez of Yamaha Commercial Audio Q&A

Thanks for your responses Marc, glad to see the power of this sort of fora being leveraged for the benefit of users and manufacturers. One request that I forgot is with regard to the editor app and this has been so long standing I'm chagrined at having forgotten it. The pm5d editor had the option for exporting the input and output patch lists, something that has been missing from all the subsequent editor software. This is increasingly valuable as the channel counts and cross patch capabilities of the CL and now QL consoles come on line. When can we see that option return? Spitting out tab text from computer program would seem to be low hanging fruit.
 
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