Yamaha & Steinberg partner on turn-key audio system
November 14, 2013

Yamaha & Steinberg partner on turn-key audio system

NEW YORK — Yamaha (www.yamahaca.com) and Steinberg have teamed up to offer Nuage, a flexible audio system that allows studios to match components and applications to meet their specific workflow requirements. Nuage consists of hardware work-surface components, a sleek interface, visual feedback elements, networkable audio interface units, and a software-based digital audio workstation. 

The Yamaha control surface features a combination of fader and main control units. At the core is Steinberg’s Nuendo DAW software. Dante audio networking provides unrestricted system design and expandability both in the studio and in situations where audio is to be shared with live mixing systems. 

And while the system is new, Yamaha has already added two new features to Nuage. The ADR Mode for the Nuage Master allows the operator to quickly and easily enable the Nuendo 6 ADR Taker functionality on the Ncs500-CT to provide transport control for the Rehearse, Review and Record modes via the Master Transport section. Insert Marker and Insert Cycle Marker buttons are assigned in the touchscreen as well as marker information like start/end points for cycle markers, take number, character name, and dialog. Cue Bus Control is editable from the touch sensitive encoders and the user can easily toggle the ADR functions to the user defined buttons and back to the previous assigned functions. The Marker button in the numeric keypad section now toggles between Marker ID and Take Number for easy content location. User Assign Groups of 1-12 and 13-24 from the four banks can now be toggled to the User Define keys.

The second new feature is a Yamaha AD8HR mic preamp, which can now be controlled from the multi-function knobs when the Pre button is pressed in the control section. HA Gain, HA Trim, HPF and 48V phantom power can be edited along with LC (Low Cut), HC (High Cut), and Digital Gain. The AD8HR connects to a PC or Mac via a serial connection and is configured in the Nuage Workgroup Manager.

Two types of control surface units can be used individually or in combination, according to system needs. Three types of audio interfaces are available, used individually or in combination for up to 128 channels. Nuage offers 32-bit/192kHz support (Nuendo 6 supports sampling rates up to 384kHz). Advanced audio interface DSP hardware allows for ultra-low-latency monitoring. And DSP surround processing capabilities provide all the essentials for surround sound mixing.

Computers and monitors are not included in the system components, but any 24-inch monitor can be used with the system. Nuage incorporates LCD displays for “Extensive Console View” channel strip extension, customizable Nuendo shortcuts, touch slider functionality for instant channel navigation, touch sensitive faders and encoders, and channel name display. A jog wheel supports accurate editing on the master section. 

A base Nuage system has an MSRP of $18,000.