THE MESSAGE GETS HEARD DIGITALLY

—Engineer Troy Staton Takes to the Road With Hip-Hop Superstar Eminem—

BUENA PARK, CA (August 15, 2003)—Engineer Troy Staton has worked with Hip-Hop phenomenon Eminem for just over three years now, using a live rig that includes an L-Acoustics V-DOSC and d&b combination PA system supplied by Eighth Day Sound of Cleveland (OH), and mixing on a Yamaha PM1D, a desk he loves. He's even more passionate about the music, mixing is a position he values, and he obviously loves his work with Eminem. "It's a personal thing for me," he explains. "I've got to represent the music."

Eminem's Message Gets Heard, Digitally

Having an equally prolific studio career, Staton has worked with 2 Pac, Dr. Dre, Wu-Tang Clan, Jurassic 5 and Cypress Hill to name a few. "I've actually been into the Hip-Hop business for 26 years," he adds, which places him firmly in the roots of the musical movement.

His studio experience led him to Yamaha's flagship live mixing console. "The Eminem live mix looks simple on the surface," he explains, "a DJ, Instant Replay for playback, and during a busy number, up to 8 voices to deal with. But nothing's ever simple, especially live! The voices are the main instruments of the performance, and in Rap, the lyrics have got to be heard. For me, if I can't understand what's being said, then I've lost half the battle. All eight performers swap lead vocals every few bars, so I need to follow that, putting the lead channel around 5dB over the others."

For this constant exchange, Staton relies heavily on the PM1D's recall ability. "I've programmed the whole show, verse by verse," he notes. "My show cues can run into hundreds. I'm also using the onboard compression on the voices, and lots of notch filters, but I keep the EQ pretty flat. Fortunately, all the voices are pretty much in the same range, and they do limit themselves. These guys work in the studio in the digital domain, and that's what I'm used to hearing. This desk reproduces that sound faithfully."

Eminem recently completed his world tour, playing sold-out stadium shows everywhere. In addition, this is the first ever stadium tour by a Hip-Hop artist, and if those lyrics keep being heard—something we know Staton will always try to ensure—then this won't be the last.

For more information on the PM1D, write Yamaha Corporation of America, Commercial Audio System Division, P.O. Box 6600, Buena Park, CA 90622; telephone (714) 522-9011; e-mail infostation@yamaha.com or visit www.yamaha.com/proaudio.