Today Yamaha announced a hardware update to their M7CL Consoles, the M7CL-ES.

This is the Third hardware iteration of the M7CL and brings about a HUGE change… More Digital In Your Digital with Yamaha EtherSound Inputs ONLY.

Lets take a look at whats changed with the M7CL.

It seems there aren’t any major changes to the control surface, mix engine, or firmware outside of the following…

Ether Sound

The ES in M7CL-48ES is for Ether Sound… Yamaha’s Digital Snake Option.  With the ether sound system (currently means using the SB168-ES stage boxes) you can link up to 3 SB168-ES units (16 analog in, 8 analog out each) to get your full 48 inputs to the M7CL-48ES.

Bye Bye Analog Inputs… We’re down to just a new system (see below) of Omni I/O on the console, leaving all the actual I/O to the Ether Sound I/O.

So we have 48 channels of audio over Ethernet from the stage to console, making setup/tear down a million times easier than using a 48 Pair copper snake… But what other implications are there?

1 set of pre-amps for all consoles on the snake!? Yea, thats right.  The downfall of digital snakes… If you’re running 2 consoles (foh/monitors) you only have one set of pre-amps on the digital snake between the two consoles.  Need to gain something up at FOH?  Oh, it’ll happen at monitors too… And lets hope someone is paying attention.

Now, while nothing is noted i’m sure there’s a solution to this… Switching from “pre-amp” mode to using an “attenuator” instead which only affects the given console, and not the snake pre-amp.

Control via Ether Sound

While the M7CL’s normal ethernet port for external control is still present, you can now also control the console AND snake via Ether Sound.  Each console has 3 Ether Sound ports, An In, Out, and “3rd”.

This “3rd” port is for control to send out to your laptop… Which can presumably be used just like the normal networking port on Yamaha consoles, and broadcast over WiFi for wireless Use.

Continued on the Next Page… OMNI I/O (Your Analog I/O), Compatibility and Cards.