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… AND THE OSCAR® GOES TO THE YAMAHA PM1D —Large Format Digital Console Plays Winning Role at 73rd Annual Academy Awards®— BUENA PARK, CA (March 29, 2001)—Each year since 1928, the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (A.M.P.A.S.) has recognized excellence in film-making achievement at what is undoubtedly one of the most important gatherings of the movers and shakers in the entertainment industry, the Academy Awards. At this year’s event, held March 25 at the historic Los Angeles Shrine Auditorium, viewers saw Ridley Scott’s epic Gladiator take top honors, winning five awards including Best Picture and Best Actor. Onstage, technical personnel saw the new Yamaha PM1D digital mixing console take command of the monitor mix position, handling mixing duties for production, orchestra, presenters and a variety of musical guests that included Sting, Björk, Randy Newman and Asian pop star Coco Lee.
A crew of eight from Burbank (CA)-based sound company Audiotek—no strangers to televised award shows—handled sound reinforcement for the event, which was broadcast to over 70 million viewers worldwide. "We used two PM1Ds on this year’s GRAMMY broadcast, and based on their performance, felt that they were the perfect choice for this application," noted Audiotek’s Dave Velte, monitor engineer for the Oscars. "Live TV requires equipment that gives you versatility, as a lot of things get thrown at you during rehearsals, and even during a broadcast. "Two consoles were set up, one as main and a backup," he explains, "loaded with 96 analog inputs and 32 analog outputs." After each rehearsal, Velte wrote all settings to the main PM1D via the PCM-CIA memory card, duplicating settings to the backup, should consoles have to be switched quickly. "I never needed the backup, but it was there if I needed it," he adds. "Just like the GRAMMYS, I got to use all the capabilities of the PM1D: the inputs and mix busses, and the on-board effects. The top layer of inputs (first 48) were earmarked for performance elements, audio tape and RF, and the bottom layer for the orchestra and the onstage performers—about 90 inputs and 32 sends in total. And, I could switch back and forth between those."
Velte’s monitor setup consisted of Audiotek proprietary M2 wedges (single 12-in. with a 1-in. horn), driven by Crown MA1200 and MA3600VZ amplifiers. "The entire orchestra was on headphones, and most of the artists were on their own in-ear systems," he adds, "so the wedges were used primarily for fill." Configurable in both 48- and 96-channel versions with 48 mix busses, 24 matrices and 12 DCAs, the Yamaha PM1D system utilizes top-quality 28-bit A/D and 27-bit D/A conversion. Dual inputs on each channel provide 96 inputs for the 48-channel system (192 inputs on the 96-channel version). If additional channels are required, adding a second digital engine (DSP1DEX) can expand the PM1D system to 384 inputs on 192 channels with 96 mix busses, 48 matrices and 24 DCAs. With a control surface at slightly over half the weight of comparable analog consoles, the compact configuration provides easy transport and positioning. Features include: total recall, undo, off-line programmability, central control, graphic parameter readout and an advanced user interface. Up to 990 scene memories can be stored. In the event of a control surface disconnect or power failure, the system will continue to pass audio. Console-to-stage audio and control signals are carried via one 68-pin cable and two Ethernet cables. Head amp gain trim settings are recallable and may be controlled via remote control. In situations where multiple control surfaces are used which share I/O (e.g., monitors, FOH and remote truck), the main DSP1D mix and processing engine may be configured with a simple switch to select which surface will control head amp gain. Additional channel features include a powerful virtual channel, four-band fully parametric EQ, compressor and a gate on every channel, user-definable number of aux sends, effects processors and graphic EQs. Front-of-house engineer Patrick Baltzell manned a Yamaha PM4000 as his main production board, with a PM3500 as a sidecar. "The 4K drove the PA system through the matrix," Velte explains, "and splits were sent out to engineer Ed Greene in the Denali Gold production truck and Dave Hewitt’s Remote Recording Services truck." The house PA consisted of three VDOSC speaker clusters across the front of the auditorium, with 8 cabinets per cluster. Three clusters of eight-high JBL Vertec cabinets provided delay for the balcony area, with all cabinets driven by QSC Powerlight Series 4.0 (mids and highs) and 9.0 (lows) amplifiers. "Line array systems were almost made for television," Velte adds. "Aesthetically, they look better than standard clusters, and of course, they improve sightlines. Art directors and show producers like that." "The PM1D lived up to its expectations," he adds. "Truthfully, in the past I was reluctant to use digital mixers. I was even afraid to use digital EQs when they came out— I’m ‘Mr. Analog.’ However, once you get through that initial ‘learning curve,’ you realize how that technology can simplify things. Engineering high profile shows like the Oscars proves that digital consoles do work, and work well." For more information on the PM1D, write Yamaha Corporation of America, Pro Audio & Combo Division, Commercial Audio, P.O. Box 6600, Buena Park, CA 90622; telephone (714) 522-9011; e-mail info@yamaha.com; or visit www.yamaha.com/proaudio.
© 2001 Yamaha
Corporation of America |
