WHY UPGRADE FROM CL/QL TO RIVAGE PM SERIES AND DM7 SERIES
Key upgrade considerations for sound engineers and audio managers in live sound, HoW, Corporate, Events, Education and Theater
Summary For over a decade, Yamaha’s CL/QL consoles defined stability and sound. Today’s productions demand more – channels, DSP, immersive tools, and streaming – without losing familiar workflow. Yamaha DM7 and Rivage PM deliver next – gen power, rider – friendly specs, and legendary sound, plus seamless CL/QL file migration. From touring to worship, education, corporate, and theater, these consoles set a new standard for speed, flexibility, and sonic excellence.
Rivage PM: Scottie Baldwin, FOH Lady Gaga, Prince, JJ Lin transitions from Yamaha CL to Rivage
Scottie Baldwin built his reputation on Yamaha’s CL and QL consoles, calling them “the scaffolding for my sonic identity.” He even mixed a stadium tour on a CL – “which everyone didn’t think was possible.” That familiarity made moving to Rivage PM feel natural: “You can feel comfortable moving over to Rivage the day of show – but it’s not the same. It’s just better in every way.” For Baldwin, the upgrade wasn’t just about scale – though Rivage’s 288 inputs and 72 mix buses opened new creative horizons. It was about musicality. “When you want to move up that notch and really get into clarity, depth, focus – everything is wider, deeper – Rivage delivers.” Features like Rupert Neve Silk and Dynamic EQ 6 let him mix stadium shows entirely in the box: “It’s musical, not just technical.” His verdict? “There’s no console before or since that has locked it in like Rivage – I feel completely at home. “It’s a whole different system, but it feels familiar – it’s part of the Yamaha family.”
On upgrading from CL/QL or a mid-sized console to a more powerful mixing desk
For more than a decade, Yamaha’s CL and QL consoles have been the dependable backbone of live sound – trusted for their stability, natural musicality, and effortless Dante integration. But today’s productions demand far more: more channels, more outputs, more broadcast and streaming capability, and more creative flexibility. Engineers need all of that without losing the workflow and sonic signature they already know.
That’s exactly why Yamaha designed the Rivage PM Series and DM7 Series Digital Mixers. Both platforms deliver award-winning and battle-tested next – generation DSP, advanced processing, immersive audio tools, and equipment rider – friendly specs, while preserving Yamaha’s unmistakable natural sound. And with a workflow engineers already know and trust – plus Console File Converter for easy CL/QL show file migration – upgrading is a leap forward in innovation, flexibility, reliability, and sound quality. Rivage PM Series and DM7 Series deliver next-generation power and flexibility without leaving your experience or your team behind.
J. Summers, FOH Jellyroll, Harnesses Yamaha RIVAGE PM 10 for Jelly Roll’s packed arena shows
For Jelly Roll’s arena-sized, guest-heavy shows, Monitor Engineer J. Summers depends on Yamaha’s RIVAGE PM10 to deliver next-generation power without sacrificing the workflow he knows and trusts. “Nothing feels better than to hear my artists smiling,” Summers says, describing his commitment to flawless IEM mixes. RIVAGE PM10 combines Yamaha’s natural sound with advanced DSP, immersive audio tools, and rider-friendly specs. Its intuitive matrix system lets Summers adapt instantly—whether adding extra RF mics, patching new instruments mid-show, or managing multiple rigs across high-profile events. “On this show, there’s no deer-in-the-headlights moment. It is calm and cool—go, go, go,” he explains. For Summers, RIVAGE isn’t just a console—it’s the backbone of a system that transforms organized chaos into surgical precision, ensuring Jelly Roll, the band, and every guest sound perfect night after night.
Live Sound: Speed, Power, and Sonic Excellence
Rivage PM was engineered for the pressure of touring, offering 288 inputs, 96 kHz audio, and Rupert Neve SILK coloration. Engineers describe the move as instantly transformational. Brad Divens, FOH for Enrique Iglesias, Linkin Park recalls realizing right away that “this is it… this is beautiful.” Kane Brown’s FOH engineer David Loy had been searching for something “powerful but stable,” and found the PM3 delivered that balance with its compact size, deep DSP, and consistent connection to the performance. Stephen “Pato” Pattison (FOH for Hozier) praises its completeness, freeing him up from cumbersome outboard gear – the console has “everything I need,” and because of that, “there’s nothing to go wrong.”
For tighter footprints, DM7 brings impressive muscle: dual touchscreens, split – mode operation, and a 64 – channel Dugan Automixer that lets one console handle FOH, monitors, and streaming at once. Touring engineer Gene Kim notes that the DM7 “really helps because the footprint is small, but it’s packed with output capabilities and local I/O.” That combination proved essential during Tyler, The Creator’s pop – up barge show, where Landon Storey and Paul Wichmann relied on DM7’s near – identical workflow to Rivage PM to deliver seamless, high – quality audio in a notoriously unforgiving environment.
21 Pilots FOH and MON: From Arenas to Clubs – Small can be beautiful When Twenty One Pilots set out on a secret club tour, their engineers faced a challenge: deliver arena – quality sound in spaces a fraction of the size. FOH engineer Kenny Sellars and monitor engineer Cliff Skinner, accustomed to Yamaha’s flagship Rivage PM systems, needed a solution that was compact yet uncompromising. Enter DM7-EX – a console that mirrors Rivage PM’s workflow while packing serious muscle into a smaller footprint. “The console has allowed us to maintain the highest possible standard in the smallest possible footprint,” Cliff explains. With 120 channels, dual touchscreens, split – mode operation, and a 64 – channel Dugan Automixer, DM7 handled FOH, monitors, and streaming seamlessly across five cities. The transition was effortless thanks to Yamaha’s ecosystem. “My layout’s almost exactly the same as Rivage PM,” Kenny says. “It feels just like home.” That familiarity, combined with Dante networking and local I/O, meant no compromise in quality or creativity – even under tight constraints. “The band didn’t want us to scale down and not be as good. We had to say trust us,” Kenny adds. And trust paid off: every show delivered the clarity and consistency fans expect, proving that small can be beautiful when it’s engineered right.
House of Worship: Broadcast – Quality, Volunteer – Friendly
Modern churches operate like hybrid performance – and broadcast studios, and Rivage PM and DM7 are designed to support that complexity while remaining volunteer – friendly. At First Baptist Church Woodstock, Jamie Karnes describes the new head amps and plug – ins as “huge game changers,” and says the SILK feature in particular lifts every source. Saddleback Church’s team echoes that sentiment, explaining that they needed a system capable of handling worship, broadcast, and translation feeds “without compromise” – and Rivage PM delivered exactly that.
The Ark Church Chooses Yamaha RIVAGE PM7 for Reliable, Warm Audio
The Ark Church in Conroe, Texas recently upgraded to a Yamaha RIVAGE PM7 to serve its 10,000 – member congregation. “Our 7+ year old console was having issues,” says Technical Director Chris Allgood. “We looked at every brand and settled on the PM7. Workflow is amazing and simple… the sonic quality is incredible – so much warmer and easy to listen to.” With RPio racks and SILK processing, Allgood adds, “When you turn on the transformer and dial in SILK, it adds depth and quality that’s awesome.” Future – ready networking sealed the deal: “Yamaha will be our platform of choice across our campus.”
Education & Corporate AV: Reliability Meets Flexibility
Universities and corporate venues must support everything from lectures to concerts with minimal staff and no room for error. DM7’s routing power and flexible interface make it ideal for these constantly shifting environments. The University of Birmingham’s Richard Mitton says the DM7 “ticked all the boxes,” giving the venue confidence that “there’s nothing likely to come… that the DM7 can’t do.” William Paterson University found the same, noting that DM7C expanded their routing and processing while helping a small team maintain high production standards.
University of Birmingham Powers World – Class Events with familiar workflow and Yamaha DM7 Series
The University of Birmingham’s Bramall Music Building needed an upgrade to match its world – class ambitions. “The previous audio mixer was at the end of its life and massively limiting,” says Live Events Technical Manager Richard Mitton. The solution? Yamaha DM7 with Dante networking. “The capacity of the DM7 made it perfect for us… features like 64 channels of Dan Dugan Automixer and split mode are incredibly useful.” Familiar workflow was key: “You can walk up to the latest model and within 10 minutes you’re up to speed.” The DM7 now powers concerts, conferences, and even BBC Radio 3 broadcasts. “Choosing the DM7 was a no – brainer… there’s nothing that’s likely to come to this venue that it can’t do.”
Theater: Precision for Complex Live Productions
Theater demands fast navigation, accuracy, and absolute reliability. Rivage PM’s Theatre Mode, overlay filters, and immersive tools give engineers control at a level that keeps pace with rapid scene changes and dense sound design. Stephen “Pato” Pattison (FOH for Hozier) puts it simply: the console has “everything I need,” and with that completeness, “there’s nothing to go wrong.” For engineers who cannot afford hesitation, Rivage PM is the trusted choice.
RIVAGE PM5 Brings Magic to Harry Potter on stage
Harry Potter and the Cursed Child live performances demanded a console that could handle 150+ inputs, 500 cues, and full digital audio flow. The solution was Yamaha RIVAGE PM5, chosen for its advanced theatre software and flexibility. “Dual monitor mode made for a much simpler signal flow,” says sound designer Gareth Fry. Performer library proved essential: “You can instantly switch settings for different actors. Without that, this production wouldn’t have been possible.” Local associate Satoshi Tateishi adds: “Having only one mixing surface saved space and made it easier to manage.” With A/B switching and Bricasti reverbs onboard, Gareth notes: “The PM5 combines everything we liked about previous consoles – and more.”
Why Upgrade Now?
CL/QL consoles remain supported – but they are discontinued, and live sound is moving quickly toward platforms with deeper DSP, immersive tools, modern workflows, and rider – friendly specs. DM7 and Rivage PM deliver all of this while honoring the Yamaha sound engineers love. And because of familiar workflow, intuitive operation, reliability and protection of your investment, upgrading isn’t a disruption – it’s a future – proofing decision that captures your audience, preserves workflow and elevates your potential and capability to create amazing and memorable experiences across all applications.
DM7 and Rivage PM aren’t just successors – they are the new benchmark. Created for productions that refuse to compromise, these mixing desks redefine a new standard for legendary sound quality, intuitive workflow, and absolute reliability, all backed by Yamaha’s legacy of support. Rivage PM Series and DM7 Series digital consoles don’t just exceed today’s demands – they inspire what tomorrow will sound like.
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