Replies to This Discussion

Permalink Reply by Miriam Morgan on October 4, 2010 at 8:38am

We purchased a Yamaha M7CL 2 years ago and really like it. Our theatre is a community performing arts center - so we host ballets, plays, musicals, symphony concerts and community events. Many of the groups who perform their seasons in our space use their own 'technical' staff - all at varying experience levels. We've found our new board to be user friendly and easy to understand, even for the novice (and some of my 'lighting only' techs). Some of our more experienced (analog) operators took a little time warming up to it, but also appreciate the functionality it contains. It also has some fantastic features for the more experienced audio operator that can save tech time (recall safe, EQ save options, virtual rack, etc). Good luck on your purchase! :)

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Permalink Reply by Kevin M Mitchell on October 4, 2010 at 8:56am

This is really helpful -- thanks!

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Permalink Reply by Paul Denckla on October 4, 2010 at 10:51am

We recently upgrade our sound console to a Avid (Digidesign) Venue SC48. This is digital console and offers the ability to record snapshots of the control surface for recall as a "cue". On top of that, it sounds fantastic! We are a community theatre and also do several other type of performances over the course of the year. Dance, concerts, tours, etc.

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Permalink Reply by Randall B. Hoekstra on October 4, 2010 at 11:26am

Take a good look at the Soundcraft Vi series. We have had a Vi6 for 3 years in our 750 seat community theater and love it. I have mixed on both the Vi6 and the Yamaha M7CL -- no comaparison in ease of use and definatelyy no comparison in sound -- the Vi6 wins hands down. Soundcraft also has the Si series with the same pre-amps so the sound will have that nice warm British touch. I have not mixed on an Si, only listened.

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Permalink Reply by C. Todd Birdsong on October 6, 2010 at 1:48pm

Are they on a small budget? I have had a good experience with the Mackie TT24 digital console. While it may not have the best sounding effects, ect., it was a more affordable purchase for its intended use (intimate acoustic music series performed onstage with the audience) and has plenty of flexibility.
A better purchase would be the Yamaha LS9, again, if the budget is a concern. Similar programming to the M7, just a little more "work" to get to all of the functions (no touch screen capability) and some features are buried a little deeper.
My 2 cents... Good Luck!

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Permalink Reply by C. Todd Birdsong on October 6, 2010 at 1:55pm

Also check out Gear Source for some really good deals on audio and other production equipment.

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Permalink Reply by A. Thomas Cavano on May 16, 2011 at 11:16am

We are in the same shape - our old board's functions are failing, and we are looking for new options. We are a concert hall with a lot of different kinds of shows with inevitable last-minute adaptations. The times being as they are, the M7CL -which we have in another venue - may be way too expensive for us. It is also probably too big for the space available in our production booth. I am looking for a board with 24-32 channels and a minimal footprint, as well as an affordable price. I appreciate the above suggestions!

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Permalink Reply by David McCall on May 17, 2011 at 1:27pm

All right, nobody laugh. We have been using a Presonus 16-4-2 for the last couple of productions and I've fallen in love. You can buy a 24 track version, or a 2 16 track versions and link them together to get 32 channels.

By itself it doesn't seem that special, but when you tie a computer to it, it becomes a whole different machine. There are gates/compression/limiter/EQ on every channel, every buss, every aux send, pretty much everything has access to the fat channel. If you add a computer you have graphic access to everything. You can store presets of everything with a base unit, but it is nicer by far when a computer is hooked up to it. it will also record every channel plus the stereo output to the hard drive on the computer.

Still not impressed? If you have an ipad, there is a special app for the Presonus that takes it to the next level by allowing you to wander around the room and have full control of nearly everything. You can go up on the stage and do 6 custom aux mixes for monitors or whatever. The price for the 16 channel version is only $2000. plus a computer (I bought last year's Mac Mini server for $700) an my wife lets me use her ipad.

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Permalink Reply by A. Thomas Cavano on May 18, 2011 at 6:39am

David -Not laughing! interesting contribution, great option. I will look into this. When you say "a computer" - Mac only? Is the software on board or do you download it? Do you know if PC software is available too?

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Permalink Reply by David McCall on May 19, 2011 at 12:14pm

The software is downloaded from the Presonus site and is free. The app for the iPad is available at the apple app store and is also free. It include a demo mode that you can fiddle with without owning a Presonus Studio Live. It does run on a PC, but it is a little picky about the firewire implementation and chipset. There are lots of videos on utube and directly from the Presonus site.

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Permalink Reply by Steve Carl on June 6, 2011 at 1:36pm

I personally own a 16.4.2 and can tell you that this is by far one of the best purchases I have made. The only drawback, in my opinion, is the lack of motorized faders. However, you can store fader positions in a scene and recall them via a 'Locate' mode which uses each channel's individual level meters to manually recall the saved fader position. But the sound, the features, the learning curve - all excellent!

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Permalink Reply by David McCall on June 6, 2011 at 7:25pm

Do you use it with a computer?

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