NUAGE Jazzes Up Renowned New York Club Since opening its doors in 1981, the Blue Note has become one of the premier jazz clubs in the world and a cultural institution in Greenwich Village in New York City. Over the last 30+ years, the Blue Note has played host to some of the greatest musicians of all time such as Ray Charles, Sarah Vaughan, Oscar Peterson, Dizzy Gillespie, Lionel Hampton, Nina Simone, BB King, Tito Puente, Celia Cruz, Tony Bennett, Chris Botti, McCoy Tyner, Chick Corea, and Etta James, as well as modern hip-hop and R&B artists. No stranger to Yamaha products, the Blue Note already houses a Yamaha M7CL Digital Audio Console in the club at front of house. The venue just installed a Yamaha NUAGE Advanced Production System, a joint collaboration with Yamaha sister company, Steinberg. Peltrix, located in Westchester County, NY, has had a long-standing relationship with the Blue Note and recommended the NUAGE system. Peltrix owner, Amit Peleg, was house engineer at the Blue Note for over 20 years prior to starting the installation firm. The NUAGE system at the Blue Note is being used for three distinct applications. The first is recording and mixing audio projects for virtual reality videos, a joint venture between the Blue Note and video house Rivet. A performance by The Soul Rebels at the jazz club is a recent project by Rivet in VR format with audio mixed on NUAGE (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rvjB3vinayg). The Blue Note is using the NUAGE system to record individual tracks from live shows that will be sold on iTunes via a new dedicated Blue Note channel, and to record full CDs for release by the Blue Note's own record label, Half Note Records. "The decision to install the NUAGE rig was made to benefit both the Blue Note and Peltrix," says Peleg. "We are a Yamaha NUAGE premiere dealer so it is a perfect opportunity for us to be able to conduct hands-on demos at the high caliber, musical landmark in the heart of Manhattan. We can also provide hands-on training using live music with world-renowned musicians for future NUAGE end user customers." Many live recordings were released by the Blue Note over the years with some of the biggest names in jazz, such as GRAMMY winning recordings by Oscar Peterson, Dizzy Gillespie, Lalo Schifrin, Paquito D'Rivera, and Michel Camilo, just to name a few. In all cases, recordings were mixed on a mobile rig or in a remote truck. "With the increased demand for live recordings, it was natural for the Blue Note to need an in-house recording system that can accommodate not only occasional recordings but now recordings as frequent as two to three times per week. The arrangement is a win-win for both Peltrix and the Blue Note," says Peleg, who is very familiar with Steinberg products having used Cubase and Nuendo in the past. "I always liked the natural workflow of the software and its sonic advantage over other DAWs, and having a post-production control surface that sits on top of that software is icing on the cake." Peleg says the customization feature of the NUAGE system lets the user make it his or her own mix. "The system can be made to run the way you like, the way that feels most natural to you. When configured properly, NUAGE can become an extension of the engineer and act as a conduit directly to the functionality that's most important for the project at hand. The end result is a more intuitive workflow and faster execution of tasks. When you need to churn out mixes for three full-length shows per week, it's almost a necessity." 
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