Yamaha 01v - User Manual

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he latest addition to the Yamaha digital mixer range
is the O1V. Like all of their recent mixers, from the
O2R downwards, much is familiar about the style,

layout and operational concept. In fact Yamaha have so
much confidence in my ability to operate this digital
mixer that they didn’t include the manual with the review
unit – and to tell the truth I didn’t need it. Anyone who
has operated an O2R or O3D can use this desk straight
away.

The O1V is priced and featured to be positioned

below the O3D in the Yamaha hierarchy. It can also be
seen as a replacement for the ProMix01 – essentially a
souped-up version borrowing from the later digital
mixers. With a price tag of $3995, Yamaha have again

challenged our belief
that cheap is nasty.

Operation and

layout

The O1V is a familiar
wedge shape, and
conforms to a
standard rack-mount
width (460 mm). It is
slightly deeper than
the O3D (520mm)
and combined with a
reduction in the size
of the LC display,
space has been made
for the input
connectors on the
top rear of the mixer,
rather than the more
typical back panel
configuration. In a
studio with a patch
bay this layout would

not be as neat, but in a simple home studio environment
the positioning may allow the operator to quickly plug in
a variety of devices without the need for a patch bay.
The first 12 channels have a choice of balanced XLR or
6.5mm jack inputs. Inputs 13/14 and 15/16 are 6.5mm
jacks and obviously designed for effects returns, as they
have stereo faders for control. Gain/attenuation pots are

on all 16 inputs, as well as a 26dB gain switch. Input
levels from mic through to line are catered for. Yamaha
have used the same 20-bit A/D convertors as the O2R
and they sound very good. The desk provides 48V
phantom powering, but the catch is that you have to
switch it on for inputs one to six and/or seven to 12. If
you are using different types of microphones or a
mixture of mic and line inputs, this limitation will be
frustrating.

Digital expansion

Unlike the ProMix01, the O1V has a slot for a single
digital I/O card. All the major formats are supported,
with AES/EBU, T-DIF and ADAT cards readily available,
as are three different analogue I/O expander options.
While the slot and cards are different to the O2R/O3D
cards, they at least have the same connectors and wiring
configuration. We had no trouble patching in our existing
cables for the O2R into the AES/EBU card supplied. Via
the card, eight inputs and outputs are possible. The
menu allows the operator to select from bus outs, direct
outs, aux sends or stereo out, for routing to the card
outputs. With the AES/EBU card, this solves a minor
problem, as the O1V doesn’t have a dedicated AES/EBU
output. The S/PDIF input and output are the only other
digital connectors on the desk. Also absent is a word
clock BNC, although the desk will clock to an external
digital source. (Surprisingly, the internal clock for the
desk only gives the option of locking at 44.1k.)

The O1V uses Yamaha’s familiar menu system with the

repeated pressing of a menu button toggling the sub
menus. The usual displays and adjustments are available:
channel delay, digital attenuation, phase, panning, routing,
equalising, dynamics, setup and utilities menus are all
present. The familiar data wheel with attendant yes (+)
and no (-) buttons helps to drive the menu selections.
Again this is much the same as the O3D, although there
were no dynamics available for the digital inputs.

The most notable absence, however, is the lack of

full on-board automation. This is comparable to the
ProMix01 limitations, and external Midi control is the
way to overcome this. There is also the Yamaha ‘To
Host’ port which can be used to drive the desk.
Systems like the dSP hard disk editor automate the
O2R and O3D through this port, but they have not been

The 01V is Yamaha’s youngest progeny to emerge from their digital mixing nurser y.
Michael Gissing considers adoption.

Yamaha

01V

digital

mixing

console

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