Yamaha EMX5000 powered mixer • Phonic Roadgear compact PA • Audix OM2 &OM7 dynamic stage mics • Meet the engineer mixing FOH at the Carling Academy• Dbx Driverack system controller • Feedback workshop causes and cures • FohhnXperience III high-powered compact PA • XXL Bagmix miniature powered mixer• Understanding PA mixers • Db Opera powered speakers • And more…

Sound On Sound’s FREE live sound supplement

Sound On Sound Live supplement

Issue number 2: November 2004

Tips and techniques forbetter on-stage sound

Live sound productsroad-tested and reviewed

November 2004

Yamaha have built mixers andpower amplifiers for as long asI¥can remember, and they’re alsoa¥major player in the field of digital effects— so it’s only reasonable to have highexpectations in all areas of performancewhen they produce a¥powered live mixerwith effects. Two models in the EMX seriesare available, a¥12‡channel version anda¥20‡channel version. Aside from thenumber of input channels, the two are

similar and we’vechosen to review the12‡channel version.

The EMX5000‡12Outwardly, the EMX5000‡12 isa¥fairly straightforward mixer, notmuch deeper than a¥normal stand‡alonemixing desk, but under the hood isa¥500W‡per‡channel stereo power amplifierthat uses Yamaha’s new ‘EEEngine’

On test

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Yamaha EMX5000‡12Powered stage mixer

A couple ofinnovativedesign featuresand top‡qualitybuilt‡in effects help thisversatile stage desk tostand out from the crowd.

Reviewed by Paul WhitePhotos by Mark Ewing

Testinfo

YamahaEMX5000‡12Powered mixer

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high‡efficiency amplifier technology to keepheating to a¥minimum. Few details aresupplied, but I¥suspect that this technologyuses automatic power‡rail switching tomatch instantaneous power needs.A¥variable‡speed fan system monitors theheatsink temperature and adjusts its speedaccordingly. This design is claimed to use 50percent of the energy of Yamaha’sconventional amplifiers and to generatearound 35 percent of the heat during normal

use, though it’s no featherweight — theEMX5000‡12 weighs a¥hefty 15kg, so it’s justas well that its arm-rest doubles asa¥carrying handle.

Unusually, Yamaha have includeda¥power‡switching feature that allows theuser to select between three maximumoutput levels (500, 300 or 100W perchannel), to suit the size of room beingplayed. This could also be useful if youconnect speakers with a¥lower power ratingthan the maximum, to avoid overdrivingthem. As you’d expect, the amplifiers arefully protected against short‡circuitedoutputs, DC offset or overheating, whilelimiters in the signal path prevent clippingunder high signal conditions. The amplifiercan be used in mono bridge mode (1000W)or may be used to drive a¥main speaker inmono plus a¥separate monitor, the latter fedfrom Aux 1. A¥further permutation allowsboth channels to be used to drive monitors(sourced from Aux 1 and 2) for situations inwhich the EMX5000 is being used purely asa¥monitor mixer.

Another unusual feature is theincorporation of two effects processors,each fed from its own post‡fade send pot.Each can produce 16 ‘SPX’‡style effects. Thefirst nine effects produced by each ‘engine’are identical and comprise reverbs anddelays, while the remaining seven differbetween the two engines and includevarious specialised vocal treatments, specialeffects such as ‘Radio Voice’, pitch shifting,modulation effects, and Yamaha’s classic‘multi‡chorus’ Symphonic treatment. A¥singleParameter control per effect processorallows the most important elements of eachpreset to be adjusted. The delay includesa¥very welcome tap‡tempo functionenabling the delay time (of the tap‡delayprogram only) to be set very quickly duringa¥performance.

Constructionally, the mixer is pretty muchwhat you’d expect from Yamaha — steelchassis, sleek lines and a¥clear layout, thoughI’d swear the knobs are more Mackie‡likethan on previous models. The onlyconnections not accessible from the toppanel are the power inlet and the speakeroutputs, the latter on both Speakons andquarter‡inch jacks. In normal use, theminimum speaker load is 4Ω per channel,while in bridge mode the minimum load is8Ω. It’s unusual to have the choice of jackspeaker outputs on an amplifier thispowerful but it is, nevertheless, welcome, asanyone who has ever turned up at a¥gigwith faulty or missing Speakon cables willtestify.

The majority of the audio connections areon jacks, other than the Speakons, the XLRmic inputs and the phono connections forconsumer recording and playback devices.Aside from the balanced mic and line inputs,

November 2004 SOUND ON SOUND LIVE

Yamaha EMX5000‡12Pros• Lots of power considering the size and weight

of the mixer.• Two really good effects processors.• Clear, logical control surface.• Built‡in sub filter.• Good value for money.

Cons• EQ mid‡band sweep range could go lower.• Graphic EQ can’t be split into two mono units for

main and monitor use.• Not all the line outputs are balanced.

SummaryThere are no significant weaknesses in thispowered mixer, which combines Yamaha’spower‡amp technology with two very flexible yetsimple effects processors, a¥comprehensive mixerand a¥nine‡band graphic equaliser. Itsshortcomings are very minor compared to itsstrengths.

Information‹ Yamaha EMX5000‡12 £659: EMX5000‡20 £849.

Prices include VAT.Ê Yamaha‡Kemble +44 (0)1908 369269.„ www.yamaha‡music.co.uk

At a¥glance

November 2004

most of the connections are unbalanced,which may seem unusual, but then themajority of connections used by giggingmusicians, as opposed to professional PAoperators, do tend to be unbalanced.

Technically, the mixer has a¥robust butnon‡esoteric specification, includinga¥20Hz‡20kHz frequency response(+1dB/‡3dB) and a¥mic-amp EIN (EquivalentInput Noise) figure of ‡128dB. Distortion isless than 0.5 percent from input to speakersand the quoted levels of hum and crosstalkare more than adequately low for a¥productof this type.

The inevitable tourThis particular mixer has eight mic/linechannels and a¥further two stereo line‡onlychannels. Its mono channels are fairlyconventional, with an input‡gain trimcontrol, a¥26dB pad switch and a¥choice ofXLR mic or balanced‡jack line inputs.A¥further TRS jack provides a¥channel insertpoint and there’s also a¥switchable 80Hzlow‡cut filter. There’s no mic/line switch —you simply plug into the appropriate socket.

Most mixers of this size have three‡bandequalisers and this one is no exception,though the mid frequency is sweepablebetween 250Hz and 5kHz. Personally, I’dhave liked it to go a¥little lower, as there areoften boxy artifacts in the 150‡250Hz range

that need a¥little cut, but you have toaccept compromises when the EQ has onlythree bands. The high and low controls areconventional shelving filters operating at10kHz and 100Hz respectively, and all threebands have a¥+/‡15dB gain range. Followingthe EQ are two Aux sends, each switchablefrom pre‡fade to post‡fade by means ofbuttons in the channel strip, after whichthere are two further effects sendsdedicated to feeding the two internaleffects engines. These two effects bussesalso feed physical output jacks so thatexternal effects can be used instead of the

internal ones, if required. Thatleaves a¥conventional pancontrol, a¥channel On button,a¥PFL (Pre Fade Listen) buttonand a¥75mm channel fader.

The On button has a¥bright statusLED, while two further LEDs indicatethe presence of signal in the channel(green) and levels 3dB below clipping,measured post‡EQ (red). Phantompower (48V) is global and is activatedusing a¥slide switch above the micinputs. A¥red status LED above thechannel trim controls shows when thisis turned on.

The stereo channels have the samegeneral layout as the mono channelsbut are line‡only, with no pad or filterswitches. In addition, the EQ has noswept mid, instead having a¥fixed midfrequency of 2.5kHz. As these arestereo channels, a¥balance controltakes the place of the pan control, butthe aux and effect send arrangementis identical to that of the monochannels. The inputs are available onboth jacks and phonos, allowing theeasy connection of CD players and soon.

Two further simple stereo lineinputs are available as Sub inputs(they can also be used in mono byinserting a¥jack into only the left inputsocket) and their controls reside in themaster section. These have basic levelcontrols plus sends for Aux 1 and 2,enabling them to be fed to stagemonitors. They also have PFL buttonsfor monitoring purposes via theheadphone output, and they can beused as effect returns whenconnecting external effects devices.Tape inputs and outputs are alsoavailable on phonos for recording gigsand playing back the evidence!A¥tape‡return level control is situatedin the master section, along witha¥PFL button.

Master sectionTo the left of the master section arethe two effects sections, eachcontrolled by means of a¥16‡wayrotary effect‡selector switch and theParameter control I¥mentioned earlier,which varies the most importantparameter of the selected effect. Each

of the two effect processors also hasan Aux 1 and an Aux 2 control,allowing a¥specified amount of effectto be sent to the stage monitoroutputs. At the bottom of eacheffect strip is an On button witha¥bright yellow indicator LED. Thesecond effect processor can bebypassed using an optionalfootswitch, and a¥second footswitchjack is available for setting the delaytap tempo, which is useful if you’reboth performing and mixing yourselffrom the stage. To the right of thefootswitch jacks is an XLR thatprovides 12V power to an optionallamp — again, extremely useful,especially in dark venues.

All the major functions in themaster section have their own fader— namely Effects Return 1 and 2 forthe on‡board effects, Aux 1 and 2sends, Mono Out and the main StereoOut. Above the last are the PFL (PreFade Listen) and AFL (After FadeListen) switches (see ‘Jargonexplained’ box). The Mono outputmay be used to feed a¥subwooferand has a¥recessed switch that bringsin a¥low‡pass filter. This operatesbetween 80Hz and 120Hz and can bemanually adjusted via a¥recessed potaccessible with a¥screwdriver. Whenthe amp mode is set to ‘PA plusmonitor’, as explained earlier, theMono Out fader also adjusts the levelof the ‘speaker B’ outputs and, ifmono bridge mode is selected, setsthe level of the ‘speaker A’ outputs.The main outputs are unaffected bythe low‡pass filter settings, so if youneed to restrict the low‡end feedgoing to the main speakers whenusing a¥sub‡woofer you’ll have toarrange this some other way — forexample, by using an active crossoverprocessor (see ‘Jargon explained’ box).

The switch that changes theamplifier outputs between theirvarious modes (stereo, bridged mono,‘mono plus monitor’ or two monitors,as listed earlier) is located to the rightof the effects section near the top ofthe panel. Here you’ll also find thethree‡way switch that sets themaximum power available, a¥‘YamahaSpeaker Processing’ switch, anda¥standby button that mutes themono channels but leaves the stereochannels active for carrying interludemusic or whatever else you need.Yamaha Speaker Processing isessentially an alternate low‡endvoicing that can be used tocompensate for the tonality of somespeakers. Really, you just have to try

On test

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Yamaha EMX5000‡12Powered stage mixer

A mono channel strip from the EMX5000‡12.

“There are few (if any)features that aren’tneeded, and it’s builtlike a¥tank.”

On the rear panel you’ll find the speakeroutputs, available (usefully) on bothSpeakon and quarter‡inch jackconnectors.

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it with your speakers and see if they soundbetter with it or without it.

Below these switches is a¥nine‡bandgraphic equaliser with bands set at 125Hz,250Hz, 500Hz, 1kHz, 2kHz, 4kHz, 8kHz and16kHz, all with a¥+/‡12dB range. Theequaliser affects the main stereo outputand the stereo line output, and because thecontrols are stereo there’s no way to usedifferent EQ settings on the main andmonitor outputs when the mixer is used in‘mono plus monitor’ mode. The graphic EQcan be bypassed when not needed, andthough nine bands is far too few to use foraccurate feedback suppression, it is usefulfor compensating for room or speakercharacteristics in a¥fairly general way.

A stereo bargraph meter in the mastersection monitors the two master channels,and directly below this is the headphonelevel control and the stereo Sub Out levelcontrol, which also has both PFL and AFLswitches. This output essentially duplicatesthe main stereo output but hasindependent level control, so if you were todrive an additional power amp and speakersfrom it, you could control the levelindependently of the other speakers drivendirectly from the EMX5000’s amplifier.

Test drivingWith a¥mixer like this, I¥look for clarity ofinterface, quiet mic amps andgood‡sounding EQ, as well as bomb‡proofconstruction. On all counts the EMX5000

comes out well, and the mid‡band EQ isparticularly adept at tuning out honkymid‡range artifacts, though I’d still haveliked more low range on the sweep control.A¥small gripe is that the headphones alwaysmonitor the PFL/AFL buss, rather than beingswitchable to various useful sources, thoughin live‡sound situations the former is usuallyenough to manage with.

I’ve tested several other mixers withbuilt‡in effects, and it comes as a¥pleasantsurprise to find one with suchgood‡sounding effects — including reverbswhose decay time can be tamed to a¥usefuldegree, using the Parameter knob. Also,having two sets of effects makes it easy tocombine different effects, to allocatedifferent effects to different mixerchannels, or to set up two different vocaltreatments and then switch between themvery easily. Another very nice feature whichthe manual rather underplays is that anychange you make to the parameter knob foran effect is remembered when you changepatches. I¥also checked what happenedwhen the mixer was powered down — andit came back up with my modified effectssettings still intact! In other words, you geta¥degree of programmability without havingto go through any save or load routines. I’dhave felt happier with a¥clip LED at the inputto the effects processors but, despite pilingon a¥lot of send level, I¥never actuallymanaged to coax any audible distortionfrom the effects.

The graphic equaliserworks as well as anynine‡band equaliser canbe expected to and iscertainly better thannothing when strugglingwith feedback problems,though it is really ofmore use for generalroom‡sound tailoring.However, I¥think Yamahahave missed a¥trick bynot providing two setsof mono controls, sothat one equaliser could

be used in the monitor path and one in themain when operating in ‘main plus monitor’mode. Some users may also bemoan thefact that not all the line outputs arebalanced, but that’s rarely a¥problem in thekind of rigs this type of mixer is typicallyused in.

Aside from these fairly minorobservations, I¥have to say that I¥reallyenjoyed trying out this mixer. It has oodlesof clean power, made all the more useful bythe built-in limiters, it has an integral filterfor feeding a¥sub, which makes life veryeasy if you have a¥spare sub‡woofer andpower amp but no electronic crossover, andthe effects are excellent. It also feelsreassuring, in that everything is set outclearly, there are few (if any) features thataren’t needed, and it’s built like a¥tank. I¥alsothink the faders feel good, and thoughthey’re not a¥full 100mm, 75mm somehowfeels a¥lot longer than the basic 60mmfaders usually offered as an alternative.Operating the EMX mixers is simplicity itselffor anyone who’s ever used a¥mixer before,and I¥think the inclusion of switchablepower limits is a¥really great idea for anyonewho may not take all of their speakers to allof their gigs. If you have passive speakersand need up to a¥kilowatt of power to drivethem, as well as a¥requirement for a¥livemixer with great effects, the EMX rangecould be just what you need.ß

November 2004 SOUND ON SOUND LIVE

Active crossover: A¥crossover is an electroniccircuit designed to separate high‡ andlow‡frequency signals from each other so thateach can be fed to speakers optimised for therole — ie. large and robust for bass, small andlight (and therefore fast) for high frequencies. Ifa¥crossover is placed between the power ampsand the speakers (usually built into thespeakers), it is said to be ‘passive’. An ‘active’crossover is used to divide signals before thepower amps, so separate amps are then used foreach band, further adding to efficiency.Crossovers can be two‡way, simply splittinghighs and lows; three‡way, adding a¥mid band;and ocasionally four‡way.PFL/AFL: Pre‡Fade Listen/After‡Fade Listen. Ona¥live sound desk, pressing the PFL switch ona¥channel will allow its signal to be heard in theengineer’s headphone mix in isolation. Thechannel fader position has no effect on this, asthe signal is picked up from before the fader inthe circuit, allowing a¥source to be identifiedand checked for quality before introducing itinto the mix. AFL does the same thing, butderives its signal after the fader.Bridging: A¥method of achieving more outputfrom a¥power amp. If the same signal is appliedto two channels of an amplifier, one of themwith opposite polarity, a¥speaker ouput can bederived between the positive output of onechannel and the negative of the other, allowingthe amp to apply twice the voltage across theload.

Jargon explained

Part of the master section,showing the clearly laid‡outdual effects processors (farleft). One parameter of eachselected effect is available fortweaking via the Parameterknobs. At the top right you cansee the power amp controls,with limiters. Below them is thenine‡band graphic equalisersection.

Reprinted from issue 2 ofSound On Sound’sFREE Live Sound

quarterly supplement(November 2004)

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