In their well planned route to digital domination, Yamaha have this little teaser ahead of unveiling the beast at PLASA....

Ooooh, more pretty things with flashing lights to look at at PLASA.

Hmmm, I wonder if they have a product there, or is it just marketing "puff"? I will certainly be looking at that one!

A comment from a Yamaha dealer last year indicated that there are several products waiting for release over an extended period. Apparently, they like to plan ahead....

Well, it says "New Live Sound Digital Mixing Console" so hopefully there will be something! The profile in the first shot has a bit of the M7CL shape, but there's too many flashing lights for that...could be an interesting half-way house.

Bob

Does it bother anyone else that the sound on the ad and the led meters weren't in sync at all?

Or that there were lots of red LEDs on?

I had to stop it half way through, I just coudln't go on....

Such a simple thing,

I noticed both, and it bothered me.

Which to me implies that it is an animation, rather than a real working board (or was at the deadline for advertising). It may just be a bit too new for my liking!

If Yamaha were going to bring a new board out, what market do people think it would be aimed at?

There have been rumours running around of a new live board in the $5-10K range, though it remains to be seen if that's what the teaser is for.

Bob

I've heard rumours of a new board which may replace the PM5D and incorporate a touchscreen and RH on all models across the range. This would explain the apparent drop in price of the PM5D (although this is only what I have heard). The new desk shown doesn't look to be that one, but as Simon said earlier the the topic there are probably a number of new desks coming out soon.
Again, this is only what I've heard and may well be wrong...we'll just have to wait and see!

This makes more sense than to draw sales away from the PM1D / PM5D / M7CL product lines. There's also the issue that most firms will release the top version first, then trickle out stripped down versions once the top model has gained recognition (c.f. MH4/MH3/MH2 or ML5k/4k/3k).

I'd suggest the sub M7 market is waiting for a viable digital live desk. Whilst some users are happily using 01Vs and DM1000s, they do not always intrinsically lend themselves towards live work. The TT24 offers some good points, but as discussed elsewhere has some issues too. The 'lower cost' to 'cheap and cheerful' units have in several cases ceased production.

Simon

Also, the PM5D is a relatively new addition to the Yamaha range and still quite young in its production cycle.

What wouldn't surprise me (though I've not heard any rumours) would be a replacement for the PM1D right at the top of the range. The PM1D has been around for quite a while now (I'm trying to remember HOW long, but I know I first saw it at NAB back in the 1990s) and has new competition from Cadac, Midas and Soundcraft as well as Digico now.

Isn't speculation fun!?

Bob

I have it from a fairly reliable source that the desk in question here is in fact (as some have mentioned) a digital live desk to cater for the market just below the level of the m7cl. in two days we shall all see....

It would appear to be called the LS9, and comes in just below the M7CL market with both 32 and 16 channel models. Will be interesting to see the price of them.
Yamahas product website:http://www.yamahacommercialaudio.com/comme..._LS9/index.html
It looks a nice little desk!

Seen it. It's nice. pretty small too. I think I overheard one of the yammie guys answer "Around the 6k ish mark" to someone's question of price.

It's aparently a smaller version of the M7CL, of course with less features.

well if I manage to get round to going which is unlikely I'll have a look. its something on my list although I'd probably be better of saving for the M7.....


rob

I've written up my thoughts at http://www.ians-net.co.uk/articles/yamaha_ls9.php

Thanks Ian, an interesting read.

Rob

Yes, thanks Ian.

The lack of DCAs is less of an issue, at least for my ways of working.

Thinking about the max 48kHz sampling, this kind of makes sense to me. If you think about the 01V96, if you go above 48 kHz you lose effects engines. Since I use MY-16AT cards for extra inputs on my DM1000, I never go above that anyway.

I don't think I'll be replacing my DM1000 right away...but when I do, this'll be a contender.

Bob

See my thoughts on the Yamaha and more here:

http://blogs.warwick.ac.uk/cjehinds/entry/plasa_2006_part/


Regards

Chris

Thanks to Ian and Chris for their insight....

One issue that was pointed out to me by someone considering an LS9 or M7 purchase, is that the LS9's stereo inputs are not in addition to the mic/line inputs (whereas on the M7 they are in addition).

If correct, this means that an LS9-32 using 4 stereo line inputs will only accept 24 mics. Obviously, one could use digital 2 track in, or use the expansion cards, but it's not a 32+4 out of the box. As digital desks get cheaper, the cost of expansion cards and external A/Ds becomes increasingly significant.

This does take the shine off a little for me....

It may need to use the base mic pres for line inputs, but not for FX returns, or for playback from the internal mp3 player. If the fact that it has 4 additional control channels for those returns, that do not use up your 32 mic ins takes the shine off, move up to an M7.

Mac

Mac,

I wanted to check the LS9, as I intended confirming an order for an M7CL - 48 at Plasa. I didn't want to order the bigger desk to find I could get the same functionality for less cash (unlikely - but who knows?!). While the LS9 is an excellent desk within its price sector, it hasn't tempted me away from the M7 purchase ;-)


Simon

Hi all

Remember on an M7 the internal stereo FX returns need to come back in somewhere. Normally people use the 4 stereo channels to do this. Once these are taken up with FX..... How are you going to bring the M7's additional external stereo inputs in without pinching from the 32 or 48 mono channels?

Answer... you can't.

You could argue that they have taken redundant inputs away from you on the LS9. It's no big loss.

Shall we do a Blue Room training day at SFL when they come in? Might be helffull seeing none of us have actually heard it yet!

Cheers

M