Grand Ole Opry Upgraded with Yamaha RIVAGE Digital Consoles

Kevin McGinty, front of house engineer (FOH) for the Grand Ole Opry Country Classic shows, points out the new Yamaha digital consoles provide some important features that make the show easier to produce.

“As far as the Opry is concerned, the Yamaha RIVAGE most important feature is its thorough file management capabilities,” says McGinty.

“Ultimately, we will have hundreds of artist scenes, and on a nightly basis, we need to arrange these scenes into an eight to 12 artist event list. While we may see certain performers frequently, we may not see them for several years, and we also have a rotating stable of Opry band musicians. It’s critical to be able to manage these scenes globally to prevent any unpleasant surprises as we make input and patch changes to our show. Scene Focus, Recall Safe, and Global Paste are all tools that enable us to keep everything in hand, even as the Opry show evolves.”

Yamaha RIVAGE Digital Consoles Provide Long-Term Continuity

Prior to adding the latest-generation Yamaha digital consoles, McGinty says the PM5D console they were using was 12-years-old and over that time the old console allowed the engineering staff to make a number of changes to the show.

Through the addition of the PM7 digital console McGinty says they will continue to experience the same level of flexibility they have become accustomed to, and it is also provides a number of other features to further help with show production.

“This is pretty remarkable considering how many changes we went through over that period,” recalls McGinty. “With the Yamaha PM7 I can continue to employ this flexibility. I have also become a fan of the Dynamic EQ on Yamaha products over the years [they] are useful tools in keeping the mix comfortable for audiences.”

Moving onto the PM7 McGinty adds that Yamaha users will find a familiarity with the new products to make the jump into new equipment pain free.

“The console is also very familiar to users of Yamaha mixing products, McGinty emphasizes.

“As powerful as it is, it still employs Yamaha conventions that are familiar to most engineers. I was able to build a file on the RIVAGE PM Editor and touch up some things using Virtual Soundcheck with a recent Opry multitrack. And then finally, jump right into the performance without incident. The PM7 also saves space by integrating the DSP unit into the control surface. Storage space is scarce at the Ryman, and the monitor position needs to be removed and stored frequently; there just ins’t any room for an additional DSP rack.”