Yamaha M7CL Console at South by Southwest

	Patrick Mundy at his Yamaha console

For over 25 years, the South by Southwest (SXSW) Conferences and Festivals, held in Austin, Texas, offer a unique convergence of original music, independent films, emerging technology showcases, and a lot of networking. This year, DBS Sound engineer Patrick Mundy, who typically mixes festivals and red carpet events, chose to use a Yamaha M7CL-48 digital audio console as his main source of audio.

"I use Yamaha products for situations that really count," says Mundy. For the Blood Company Showcase on Day 1, with bands that included Dawn of Ashes, Let Live, American Scarecrows, and others, Mundy said his audio set up included an Yamaha M7CL-48, a full mic package including Sennheiser and Shure, DBX 4800, Antelope OCX Master clock, Earthworks QTC 40, M- Audio Interface and "more cabling than they should have let me bring on an airplane." On day two, Mundy used the same set up for Let Live, followed by a second Blood Company Showcase on the third day featuring Skrillex, The Juggernaut, Kill the Noize, Black Cloud Collective, and more (a Yamaha PM3500 was used at this location). Miller Sound of Austin provided extra bass bins for the third (Friday) showcase ,which Mundy said he was very grateful for.

"I have to say the Yamaha M7 really got me through the first showcase, as we had only 53 minutes between the earlier showcase and the start of the Blood Company showcase," he says. "Doing monitors and front of house from front of house, I found the M7's fader flip mode to be indispensible." Mundy adds that he set up the console's user-defined keys as: 1- SR monitor mix sends on fader; 2- Center monitor mix sends on fader; 3- SL monitor mix sends on fader, 4 -Drum mix sends on fader, 5- L R EQ, 6- Sub on aux EQ with additional functions up through Channel 12. "I also like to use user-definable hot keys 1 - 4 for my EFX sends on fader when I am not doing monitors from front of house," he notes.

"I like to put my vocals on the Yamaha M7 on 33 - 40 's fader bank, as I am right handed and they are easy to reach," Mundy says. "I mix with two hands, as everyone should, and I am able to ride my VCAs with my left (and other left side channels) while I mix vocals with my right hand. When mixing a festival with artists whose music I may not be 100% familiar with, having all 52 faders (62 if you count the master, mono, and center section) right at your finger tips without flipping through pages is a boon or advantage."

Mundy says he also makes use of the Yamaha M7CL's ability to use an external master clock as its clock source and finds it is like 'turbo charging the desk.' "Also, having 16 omni outputs built in is really handy and being able to choose what parameters you link when you are linking channels is super awesome as well. Another well-known console can't do that."

"I also like to use the side chain filters and external key inputs that the M7 offers for the gates etc., like on the floor tom, for instance. I use a band pass filter to set my gate so that low mud or high snare or drum fill bleed does not release the gate-super handy. On the kick drum and snare, I put a high pass on the gate as well. l love how compression gating de-essing and expansion are available at the quick push of a button on every channel and that copy and paste for all parameter is so easy and quick, unlike some other consoles." Mundy says he also makes use of many of the console's EFX.

Overall, Mundy adds, "I love the ease and speed of operation of the Yamaha M7CL."