Plenty of digital mixing on Diamond tour

Monitor/Recording Engineer Bernie Becker (left) and FOH Engineer Stan Miller.

Yamaha PM1D Digital Mixing Systems are used for front-of-house and monitor mix duties on the current Neil Diamond tour. The move toward an entirely digital audio system is a natural progression of technology, according to sound designer and front of house engineer Stan Miller. Here's his take: "In the 35 years I've been doing this, I've always thought about the 'next thing'. After all, we're not playing vinyl records anymore.

"I had been using computers and other digital gear for 10 years, so this was not a difficult adaptation. We're dealing with acoustically imperfect environments, and cannot alter the laws of physics with a digital system. However, it will provide two key elements - 100 percent recallable controllability and overall reduction of the noise floor.

"This system has been a work in progress. On the last tour, we used 02Rs for the band and for Neil's vocal, and before that, 14 Pro Mixes summed into a short frame PM3500-all with stereo inputs-so it was a 'final mix.' We now have a system that is digital all the way into the power amplifiers, including patching, and that was never possible before.

"We have a 96-in, 48-out PM1D for the front of house and monitor areas. The PM1D is not really a 'console.' It's a work surface, like a giant computer mouse. We carry a spare engine, so there are ways for the house to run monitors and monitors to run house in an emergency. I save mixes to SmartMedia cards as a backup, and we can even drop in an analog console in an emergency, so we could run a show no matter what happens. We're using all the of the PM1D's onboard effects, no outboard at all!"

In addition, Yamaha 01V Digital Mixers, connected directly to the system engine, are supplied to band members.

Ten of Diamond's 17 band members control their monitor mixes using 01Vs connected digitally directly to the system engine.

"This system has really evolved," Miller explains. "The band has been controlling its own stage mixes for some time, using various analog and analog/digital hybrid systems. Unfortunately, those systems had too many buzzes, and signal that wasn't clean. The keyboard players had used 01Vs and were very happy with them.

"Shortly thereafter, the guitarists switched from analog rackmount mixers to 01Vs. Now, with the Yamaha 01V/PM1D combination and patching in the digital domain, the noise floor is way down with little signal loss or degradation."

Miller contends that while digital technology is changing the face of live sound, there are still limitations. "It has taken awhile to understand that digital products have to operate within a certain window, and there is a learning curve. However, this tour is a great example of what is available, and what can be accomplished. When I started with Neil, I had two loudspeakers, a 4-channel tube mixer, tube power amps-and that was state-of-the-art! Now, my ideal system would be a virtual channel and a computer."

Band members currently use hardwired Firehouse/Shure in-ear monitors, with Diamond using wireless earpieces. "Neil is on earpieces for the first time," he explains. "Initially, he had some reservations about being able to hear the audience. He's made the adjustment nicely, singing better and not straining." Musical equipment from Yamaha is also featured onstage in the forms of a grand piano shell retrofitted with a P80 Keyboard, and string section retrofitted with Soundlab SMS in-body microphones.