NUAGE

Yamaha has been at the forefront of the professional audio industry ever since the PM1000 audio mixer was released in 1975. Products such as the NS10-M STUDIO monitor speakers, the 02R digital mixing console, and the SPX90 effects processor found their way into leading studios around the world, eventually earning reputations that made them "classics" in the field. DAWs (Digital Audio Workstations) became established as the primary working environment for audio production from the mid 90’s through the turn of the century, and in January of 2005 Steinberg Media Technologies ("Steinberg" hereafter), a company that had contributed numerous advanced technologies and solutions to this growing field, became a wholly owned subsidiary of Yamaha. This pivotal fusion led to increasingly concerted development of integrated products and systems. Steinberg was originally established in 1984, rapidly becoming a source of important audio processing standards such as ASIO (Audio Stream In and Out), VST (Virtual Studio Technology), and others. These advanced technologies were incorporated into a number of revolutionary products, including the Cubase and Nuendo DAW applications that are currently favored by more than 1.5 million users worldwide. Joint development between Yamaha and Steinberg has resulted in a number of audio interfaces and controllers that take full advantage of the performance potential of Steinberg DAW software. That synergy between two leaders in audio technology will continue to deliver increasingly advanced solutions for a wide range of applications into the future.

Nuage is much more than a DAW and controller combination. It is a fully integrated production system in every detail. A seamless fusion of Steinberg software with Yamaha hardware offers unprecedented operability and editing speed. The comprehensive visual feedback and intuitive control afforded by the system's Extensive Console View bring new levels of efficiency and productivity to a wide range of applications.

The Nuage interface is comprised of Nuage Fader units, each with 16 fader and knob channels, and Nuage Master units that include all controls necessary for transport operation, editing, monitoring, and more. The units can be used individually or combined in systems configured to match the scale and workflow of different studios, with up to three Nuage Fader units per system. A UNIT LINK button allows units to be easily unlinked for two-man operation, and then linked again as necessary.

Up to three DAWS can be directly switched and controlled from a Nuage fader unit (Nuendo, Cubase, and Pro Tools, for example) so that dialog, sound effects, BGM, and other elements of a large project can be easily and efficiently brought together for final mixing. It is also possible to assign separate DAWs to mix and master recorder duty, or a variety of other configurations according to project requirements.

Nuage signal processing is handled by a standard general-purpose computer. No dedicated DSP cards that limit system choices are required. The computer system can be configured to match workload requirements with maximum efficiency. This approach also allows the user to freely update the system as necessary. Stringent benchmark testing has been carried out with recommended computers to ensure stability. Close cooperation with leading manufacturers of peripheral equipment has led to outstanding performance and cost benefits in that area as well.

Nuage audio infrastructure is based on Dante networking, providing superior system flexibility as well as plenty of capacity for future expansion. Audio can be shared with CL series digital mixing consoles via Dante-equipped R series interface units such as the Rio3224-D and others, or the RMio64-D Dante/MADI Converter can be used to share audio with external MADI-format devices. All of this and more can be achieved in simple, streamlined systems.