YAMAHA PM1D MIXING SYSTEM STARS IN DISNEY MAGIC® CRUISE SHIP THEATER

BUENA PARK, CA (May 24, 2002)—Imagine the classic elegance and grandeur of the world's greatest cruise ships, combined with imagination and creativity from the most famous themed entertainment company on earth. The 85,000-ton Disney Magic, built by world-renowned Italian builders Fincantieri Shipyards and launched in 1998, is a true blend of traditional ocean liner design and modern amenities, complemented with the latest in entertainment innovation. The vessel's 11 decks include a floating sports bar, movie theater, clubs for children, a teen coffee house, and adults-only restaurant and bars. Highlighting the entertainment venues is the Broadway-style Walt Disney Theatre, the main showroom for all high-end events. The 2,000-seat theater spans three decks of the ship and offers state-of-the-art staging, lighting, sound system and special effects for a variety of original Disney productions.

Yamaha PM1D in The Walt Disney Theater

The new flagship of the top-flight theater sound system is a Yamaha PM1D Digital Audio Mixing System. The theater's sound system was recently updated to include the PM1D—the first used on any cruise ship—to accommodate the needs of a high-profile Disney show. Orlando (FL)-based sound and systems contractor Pro Sound handled the upgrade as well as ongoing system maintenance, with the original audio system specification done by W.D. Creative Group.

According to Bob Owens, Pro Sound managing director and partner, Disney contacted him about upgrading the existing console, a Yamaha PM4000-52, since a new show was coming in. Pro Sound was brought in to act as a consultant, as the performance was high-exposure for a new top management and creative team.

"Disney wanted to make sure they had Broadway-quality repeatability for all six of the shows running in The Walt Disney Theater," explained Owens, who was a former Disney audio director. "With 16 tracks of playback, many open mics, tight turnarounds, and different actors doing the show, it was going to be a much harder, more challenging production to implement. They wanted a larger automated console, especially since different operators were going to be working on two- to six-month contracts. Repeatability was essential and that's where the PM1D became a key element."

The theater (and console) is kept extremely busy with six different shows that run repeatedly throughout the week-long cruises, with up to three complete productions in one day. Included are musical reviews, a game show, "Welcome Aboard" and "Farewell" shows. The room and the console must constantly be reset for each show.

"Disney wanted the equivalent of the PM-4000 in quality, or better," noted Owens. "Since all of the effects are now cue-specific and no longer patched into the console, we were able to get rid of external reverbs and EQs, and that further added to the cost-effectiveness." For convenience and easy transition, the PM1D's control surface could be put into the audience area for system setup with just the coaxial and SCSI line. "With the rolling case, two guys could easily carry it in and out of the theater for safekeeping." A 96-input version of PM1D was installed.

"We were assuming that there was going to be a large learning curve and quite a bit of interface issues," said Owens, "and that it would take three to four days to learn how to operate it, but it ended up being much simpler. The system used a MASS multipin snake system so we just rented another MASS fan-out and re-plugged the connectors. The PM1D's control surface operates much like the PM4000. We got the console on a Saturday and had most shows programmed on Monday, plus we were already running rehearsals on the new show.

"The PM1D was needed in a very tight timeframe—within a week—and Yamaha was able to deliver it to the boat in time," he continued. "All inputs from the PM4000 and the digital outputs from the Akai tape deck were pulled and plugged into the analog inputs on the breakout boxes. The operators brought the control surface into the house for programming, and then moved it to the booth for normal operation. The DSP1D engine lives underneath the old FOH console location, also in the booth."

A complete lighting system control is also located in the booth, which goes through an ACS show control system. "There is some operator interface on everything," said Owens, "but for consistency's sake, show control is a very important element." Prior to adding the PM1D, all audio was handled manually through an L-C-R system, with all music pre-recorded and mixed, and then played back on an Akai DR-16 hard disk unit.

The theater's main P.A. contains EAW KF850 speaker cabinets (three per each side cluster), plus subs and JF80s for rims. EAW KF695s provide infill (one per side) and also as delay, with horizontally-mounted units covering the back half of the audience. All speakers are driven by Crest amplifiers with a Yamaha D2040 as the main system processor. Adjustments can be made from inside the house, but the processors are kept near the amps. Anchor AN1000X self-powered 8-inch-square monitors were installed on the front lip, chosen for their non-obtrusiveness. Existing EAW monitor cabinets are flown in the wings, and mixed from front of house. Full patching capability and a splitter are available onstage, but are only used on a special event basis.

One problem often encountered on ships which can affect the sound system is inconsistent power. "We have five huge generators onboard to deliver regulated Delta power. Some handle engines only, while others handle power distribution throughout the ship, and they're constantly switched so that none gets 100 percent duty cycle. We felt we should provide a UPS for the console because it's a piece of computer equipment.

"This use of the PM1D is the first ever on a cruise ship," Owens noted. "It's really a unique utilization of an automated console. The possibilities are endless—it does everything but make coffee."

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