The New Jersey Performing Arts Center (NJPAC) in Newark, New Jersey has added a Yamaha PM5D-EX system to their existing stable of Yamaha consoles.
The new system, which was purchased through Masque Sound (East Rutherford, NJ), joins two Yamaha M7CL, two DM1000’s, and O1V. One M7CL console is permanently installed in the Victoria Theater that seats over 500 at the NJPAC complex.
The other consoles float and can be used as a monitor console or for any of the venue’s corporate events and meetings.
The four-tiered, horseshoe-shaped Prudential Theatre, now housing the PM5D-EX, seats 2,750 and is used for a wide range of performing arts, from musical acts such as Sonny Rollins, Chris Botti, Joan Baez, Jennifer Hudson Lang Lang, Yo-Yo Ma, and The New Jersey Symphony to touring Broadway shows.
“Familiarity was a major issue when deciding to purchase the PM5D-EX System,” said Paul Allshouse, Head of Audio at NJPAC.
“A lot of guest engineers come through our venue, and being able to get engineers up to speed quickly is a must. We also like the onboard effects; we’ve always used Yamaha effects as outboard units, so it is nice to have them onboard.”
Adding a Yamaha DSP5D Expander to the mix provided NJPAC with many options for various setups. “We seem to reinvent the space with every show,” said Allshouse.
“Whether for receptions, special Town Square events or music on stage, the Yamaha system provides us with 96 channels if we need them.”
“We probably need more than 48 channels only a couple of times a year, but the ability to move the stage box around and only use Cat5 to get to it was a big plus.”
Allshouse commented that most of the NJPAC production staff attended Yamaha digital console training, while some were self-taught.
“The nice thing about the PM5D is every control is on the surface and you don’t need the screen to mix a show, making self-training of those engineers unfamiliar, fast and easy.”
