Are Yamaha & Peavey Bad?

[FMEng]

A well made analog console will always be more reliable than a digital one, and far easier to repair when they do break. An analog console is more likely to develop a problem where most of the functionality remains and the problem can be worked around. If you lose one input channel, or the right channel of the stereo main bus, the show can still go on. The digital console is more likely to lose a large chunk or all of its functionality all at once. It's just inherent in the architecture.

The service department at your local sound shop can fix any analog console. Unless the problem is with the power supply section, or a broken jack or control, that digital wonder box will likely have to go to the manufacturer.

Long term parts availability for any digital audio product is questionable. The problem is that the semiconductor companies don't keep the current DSP chips in production for very long. All the equipment makers can do is warehouse the quantity they think they will need for supporting the product for a reasonable number of years. If they guess wrong and that part fails more frequently than they expect, they run out of parts and can no longer support the product. In the analog world, op-amp chips are fairly interchangeable, and older varieties are still in production.

And then there is sensitivity to bad power. That analog console may bark a little with really nasty AC power, but it'll run. The digital console.... well, "we apologize to our audience for having to pause the show while we reboot our audo board."

I'm not anti-digital consoles. They have their places, but they also have their limitations and you have to understand what they are. Choose the right tool for the right job.

 

[Pip]

Yamaha: No, absolutely not. they obviously have a wide range of desks, from amateur designed to professional designed. I am currently mixing on a Yamah M7CL and it is hand down the best digital board I have seen. They nailed the UI (in general, of course. There are a few complaints, but that's a given) because they went to ETC for help on it. It's the closest feel to mixing on an analog that I have ever felt on a digital, which is huge coming from me, I used to be pretty anti digital basically because of UI. We actually have 2 M7CLs, one for FOH and one for monitor mix, and I love them. I log into my user account and my user-definable softkeys are what i've set them to for the shortcuts I commonly make use of, my shows are all there... it's a great board. In short - Yamaha makes great equipment, definitely usable in the professional sound world.

Peavey: Not BAD, but you're a lot less likely to see Peavey equipment in professional installations. Their equipment is great for amateur mixing, smaller churches, etc. But they're generally thought of as non-full professional use. This is similar to Mackie - they're fantastic boards, they're what I grew up on, but I've seen many tours say that you can't host them if you have a Mackie desk. They're great boards, but they lack some features that are very commonly used in the professional world. As an example: Matrices. youd on't see matrices on Mackie boards, and they're commonly used for recording live gigs - hence the touring groups rejecting them.

Anyway, I think you probably get my point... Sorry that got so long-winded. Hope I helped!

 

[Chris15]

A well regarded Television audio director down here uses either Studer or a pair of Yamaha DM2000s. Yamaha consoles, particularly towards the higher end of the range are well regarded. The PM series of analog boards weren't quite Midas, but were still a well regarded board and still are for those who don't favour digital.

As to dodgy power, well having shares in a UPS manufacturer is probably not a bad move...

Analog audio gets hums and buzzes or gets quieter. Digital clicks or just doesn't work at all...

 

[Pip]

Analog audio gets hums and buzzes or gets quieter. Digital clicks or just doesn't work at all...

Good point. Same issue between analog clipping and digital clipping... Digital can be bad news lol

 

[jdandreas09]

asking about brands is like asking about politics. my advice is to mix on what you know how to fix, so when it does sompthing wierd you dont have to look like a idiot infront of the othor staff. reputation is all you have and is what gets you jobs.

 

[Pip]

asking about brands is like asking about politics. my advice is to mix on what you know how to fix, so when it does sompthing wierd you dont have to look like a idiot infront of the othor staff. reputation is all you have and is what gets you jobs.

AHaha good point.