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• HARDWARE REVIEW (Studio) •

Check out the full specs and documentation... Check it out at ZZounds.com (US Shipping Only)

Manufacturer: Yamaha Released:

The O1V is the latest in a line of digital mixers from Yamaha. Featuring built-in effects and dynamics, motorized faders and the ability to save full setups, the O1V is quite the jack-of-all-trades.

We've spent quite a lot of time mixing a wide variety of music through the 01V and it never ceases to astound. The ability to save whole set-ups (scenes) is amazing: you can come back to a mix later if it's starting to give you a headache without the worries of trying to recreate a mix or having to write down every pot and fader setting. And the internal effects, ranging from delays and reverbs to chorus, flange, phase, etc. sound pretty good. Note that this is not a recording mixer: there are no line-outs or inserts on the input channels so in our setup we used a separate mixer for preamping and sending the mic signals to tape, then used the 01V to mix from tape. If you are recording up to 8 channels at a time to analog or to a machine which supports the ADAT, TASCAM or AES/EBU formats then expansion units are available which will get around this problem for you.

But back to the mixer itself... featuring 20-bit A-D conversion and lots of internal processing power, the 01V sounds good. Tracks 1-12 each have their own full module but 13-14 and 15-16 are paired. This means that channels 13 and 14 must have the same EQ and effects settings, although they can be panned independently. No big deal if you don't mind pairing your rack and floor tom mics, two drum overheads or two rhythm guitar tracks which sound roughly the same. If this pairing doesn't work for you, then the 01V is more like a 14 channel mixer, but with some creative routing you should be able to use all 16 channels effectively.

Once you've got your signals coming into the desired channels, the real power of the 01V becomes apparent. Want to gate that snare channel? Go ahead. Compress some uneven vocals? Done. Add some reverb to the drums. Some delay to the vocals. Or flange the guitar. EQ to your heart's content with four-band EQ on each channel, all four bands with adjustable middle frequency, gain and bandwidth settings. And if all these options get overwhelming and you forget where to find something (which happens to us occasionally) the well-written and indexed manual makes it easy to find what you're looking for and get on with your mix.

Overall, if you're looking for an entry-level (under $2000) digital mixer with built-in effects and dynamics, take a serious look at this baby.

THE COMPANY LINE (from Yamaha.com)

If you're ready for your first digital mixer, or if you could use a rack-mountable, full-featured programmable digital mixer with 24 inputs to tidy up an elaborate music system that's not as flexible as you'd like, then you're ready for the Yamaha 01V Digital Mixing console..

Powerful

The awesome offspring of the ProMix01, 02R and 03D line - the world's most popular family of digital mixers - the 01V is an enormously powerful digital mixer in its own right, featuring a wealth of professional-level signal routing, processing and mixing options, as well as crystal clean sound with 105dB dynamic range - and even the capability to easily link another 01V for 48 input channels - all at an enticing entry-level price.

Ideal Digital Mixer

The 01V is the ideal digital mixer for project studios, broadcast, private studios, live sound applications, and more. Simply the most flexible digital mixer available for the money, the 01V will let you take your music wherever you want to go - and deliver it in style.

24 input channels, including 16 built-in analog inputs (with +48V phantom powering on 12 channels), plus 8 optional digital inputs (ADAT, TSCAM, AES/EBU formats available).

4 freely assignable analog outputs, plus expansion options for 4 additional analog outputs, or 8 assignable digital outputs.

Digital I/O expansion slot for optional multitrack recorder interface card (ADAT, TSCAM, AES/EBU format options), plus other card options.

Coaxial-type digital stereo input and output, and balanced XLR-type stereo outputs.

Centrally located, dedicated panel controls for the four bands of EQ - just like the 02R - and a dedicated pan control.

Two internal stereo multi-effects processors with the same DSP as the Yamaha ProR3 and REV500, and an effects library with 42 preset programs and 57 user programs.

Input Delays of up to 250ms and output delays of up to 300ms

22 dynamics processors permitting individual dynamics processing, and a dynamics library with 40 preset programs and 40 user programs.

99 scene memories for instant recall of mixer settings at the touch of a button, or recall via MIDI program change messages

Channel data copy and swapping, flexible effect routing, dedicated controls for EQ and pan, and dedicated effect return signal control section.

Comprehensive MIDI implementation which permits automated mixing via program change, control change and system exclusive messages received from an external sequencer, plus MMC capability and user definable remote control options.

Fast and reliable internal digital audio processing, as well as LCD refreshing and fader control, is guaranteed by Yamaha's custom 32-bit DSP chips. Uncompromising sonic quality and performance are guaranteed by 20-bit, 128-times oversampling ADs on each input. The 20-bit, 8-times oversampling DAs on the stereo outputs, as well as 18-bit, 8-times oversampling DAs on the Omni outputs and monitor outputs and 44-bit EQ processing provides crystal clean sound.

The 01V's mini YGDAI (Yamaha General Digital Audio Interface) slot located on the rear panel provides a convenient means for expanding your mixing power. Cards are available separately which provide an additional 8 digital inputs and 8 assignable digital outputs for direct digital connection to major modular digital multitrack recorders i.e. the Alesis ADAT, Tascam DA88/DA38, and AES/EBU format systems. The digital utputs can be configured as bus outs, aux sends, direct outs, or stereo outs.

If you've never operated a Yamaha digital mixer before, you'll be pleasantly surprised to discover how convenient and natural the overall "feel" of the 01V is, as well as how quickly you'll be able to master the operation of it. The 01V's panel layout makes access to all features and adjustment of parameter values as quick and easy as the press of one of the many dedicated buttons and spin of the dedicated data dial.

The large 320 x 80 dot LCD provides plenty of visual feedback of mixer status, and an LED on each panel button lights to indicate which parameter is currently selected. Pressing the HOME button once or more lets you call up one of a number of screens which provide instant views of overall mixer status, while VIEW screens give you at-a-glance confirmation of the various channel settings.