Yamaha DM7 | Quick First Look & Impressions (More to Come!) 

I recently (2023/09/09) did a complete gig with the DM7 Compact (running firmware 1.0.3). So I can maybe give some more feedback on the things said in the video and in the comments below. - Screen responsiveness: most of the time the touch and the screen updates go fast and without any real wait. Only when switching to completely different screens there is a small wait. But the channel view and the different parts of it don't have this wait. I haven't used a Avantis, so I cannot really compare screens. But the DM7 screen is really crisp and clear, definitely a big step up compared to the CL/QL series. - Switching banks/layers: Michael showed one way to switch between banks and Input/Output/DCA/... A second way is using the "FADER BANK" buttons on the right side of the screen (see around the 3:30-3:40 mark in the video. When you pressed one of these buttons, you get a onscreen popup that allows you to select the bank you want. A third way is using the user defined keys. It includes (by default IIRC) a bank that shows all selectable fader banks (like the physical buttons on a CL). - Linking channels: the default way is the pressing the "heart" button no the bottom left of the channel view (like on the PM Rivage) and you get a popup if you want to link with the channel to the left or right. As far as I know there isn't a way to collapse the linked channels into a true stereo channel (being stereo with just one fader). You can also gang channels like on the CL/QL/PM series. - There are a bunch of premium effects included. The rack view didn't get shown in Michael's video IIRC, but it contains all the plugins/modules that you know from the CL/QL/PM series. You can check the docs or play with the DM7 Editor if you want an idea of what is all included. This is next to the different EQ and dynamics models that you can select in the channel view, which Michael did show. Some of the included plugins/models that I can remember are: Bus compressor, dynamic EQ, 4 channel multiband compressor. Neve comp, EQ and PSE. - There is indeed no dedicated channel strip knobs/buttons/encoders on the DM7. The dedicated channel encoders (gain, HPF, ...) on the CL/QL series are here on the DM7 reused as universal (context depended) encoders as Michael has shown. They can still be used as channel encoders and the LED's at the encoders is what tells you in which mode they are. To be fair, there is an option to use the 4 encoders above the 4-channel bank on the right as a sort of simple channel strip. You can configure these four encoders to control some parameters of the selected channel (like gain, HPF freq, DYN1/2 threshold, ...). This is for me personally the biggest downside/issue that I have with the DM7. The lack of a dedicated channel strip and its replacement by context depended encoders. So you always have to think and verify in what mode the encoders are before using them.

Is it just me or the page changes in the screen feels slow? We can almost count a full second before we see a change after a screen press… I noticed this even on the yamaha release video

My church swapped all of our consoles at the main campus for DM7-EX, FOH, Monitors, and Broadcast. We have waves going at both FOH and Broadcast. I'l say this, it's a significant step up from the CL5's we were running before hand. We were out of channels, and this has opened us up for a lot of things. I like that on a stereo channel you get dual meters on the channel but missing having a true single fader stereo channel like on most other brand consoles. The screen and graphics are great! So much better than the CL5, and even a step up from the GUI on the Rivage. I also feel like it sounds better, more open than the CL5. However, understanding it's brand new, there are still some weird things and things I don't love yet, but talking to Yamaha, most of them are coming. Things like on encoder mode, you don't have access to the same things on all 5 layers, the first two have everything then the next layers down get more limited. I was expecting more insertable premium effects, it's missing things as simple as pre-amp emulation or saturators. When you have a stereo set of channels, the pan defaults to balance instead of pan which is annoying more than anything lol. Also on the app, you don't have access to pan or trim which is hard. I played guitar for easter but was also mixing monitors from the app for the rehearsals making it difficult not having access to those items. The other thing is there is no Waves card for it. So for now we had to do a MADI card with an interface for Waves which isn't my favorite. I'm sure much of this will be improved upon in coming months and updates, either way, still a massive update from the CLs. We got our first one last fall at monitors but have had all 3 in place for about 3 months now and I've got about a half dozen services/rehearsals down on it, so if you have any questions feel free to reach out!

Very cool Michael, been wanting to see a quick take of this console. Thanks for sharing!

I've been looking forward to the release of this mixer. Can't wait for some deep dives.

Hey Michael, Thanks for this video! Appreciate it.

The thing that bugs me is we are moving more and more away from buttons and knobs, and more towards everything being on the touchscreen. Back in the day, I could survey everything on an analog desk, and know exactly what was happening at all times. Now, if something goes crazy in the middle of the show, it takes multiple button presses and screen presses to isolate the problem and deal with it. I'm talking about a sudden short circuit of a mic cable or something like that causing random static or noise. Rare but it happens. So the more complex things get, the harder and harder it becomes to deal with emergencies quickly, other than just killing the entire system, which is an awful way to deal with emergencies. And let's hope that the touchscreen doesn't fail during a show, either by glitching out so you can't see what's going on, or the digitizer fails so your finger presses don't do anything. Luckily, I haven't had to deal with that, but as these boards age, I could totally see something like that eventually happening.

You mentioned that you love the Rivage Faders. I do too, the tour in just got home from was on PM10, but my engineer had me replace 3 faders while we were out. If you’re doing outdoor shows, especially near saltwater or sand, the faders can get gummed up and all the silicone lube and cleaning could not get them 100%. Now that we have 3 new faders the rest don’t feel as nice, so he’s having me replace the rest on our production day before our Vegas residency, along with a 3.0 upgrade (hopefully 3.01 by the time we get there). Makes the faders on the 338 feel like toys.

I love the Yamaya DM7 Board After your presentation Michael Curtis

How do you feel about the touchscreen responsiveness? I had a go at PLASA, for such a screen reliant desk I found it lagging and it looks that way in other videos too

Hi Curtis. i would like to hear your opinion on the new dynamics.. and how you would use them. thank You!

I would be curious to see a comparison of the DM7 and DLive Series. I guess an s5000 would be closest. They have similar channel capabilities and similar price points.

Great video! I’m noticing some screen lag and missed touch events… your thoughts on this? and are you able to do parallel bus processing (i.e. for drums) without a bunch of awful comb filtering that happens on CL? also, how does the offline/online editor software look? there are a number of settings that are so much easier to change in CL Editor than on the CL desk… is this also true with DM?

Cool ❤ video

This might be simple but I couldn’t get it to work: There is a user defined button to play a song from the USB, from a playlist. Parameter 2 doesn’t show any choices to link to. I hope that makes sense. Thanks!

Interested to see any workflow around scenes and users. CL QL scene management is not great IMO.

I have always wondered why Yamaha can't make a touchscreen like a iPad touchscreen? I absolutely hate how hard you have to touch on the CL consoles. Sadly looks like the same for the DM! I have a Dm7 coming and am excited to play with it however.

I’m not a fan of the newer consoles removing dedicated channel strip controls. Everything feels like an iPad now. I’ve been working on an Avantis recently and you do get used to it over time, but I still would prefer at least dedicated gain, Q and frequency knobs. Looking forward to getting hands on this console in the near future, maybe I’ll enjoy the touchscreen control after trying it!

Do you know if you can route your cue bus to a matrix similar to Cue b to matrix 7/8 on the QL/CL? It would be so I can hear talkback mics while also cueing a channel

Very nice digital mixer. If I had the money I would buy it.

What are the specific points to look at when defending the dm7 compact for example comparing it to the avantis solo? I’m still trying to decide. Thanks

Like other comments not so excited about the lack of dedicated physical buttons/knobs for certain functions, otherwise pretty excited to use this though. A feature I used a lot on QL/CL was Outport Setup and being able to send one mix bus for example to multiple outputs and be able to gain and delay each one individually. Is that possible on DM? I think on the offline editor I've seen you can affect gain but not delay?

Hi Michael, CL and QL always have phasing issues when we do parallel compression esp on drum buss. Do you encounter similar issues with DM7? Thanks

Hey Michael, do you know if the DM7 series work with the TIO 1608-D2? or you need the RIO? and do you know when the TIO 1608-D2 is going to be abailble for purchase?

I would like to hear about its Sonic performance. Is it considered as a high-end or mid-level?

You've used the Midas M32 consoles a lot in your vids; I have one, myself. I love the sound quality of that board; smooth, rich, full, detailed. It's amazing how good a board that inexpensive sounds. But I'm outgrowing that board. The Yamaha guys at NAMM in 2020 told me that, with CL, I'd have to work a bit harder to get the Midas level of sound quality. I think at that time the Rio D2 weren't out yet with the updated preamps, and as I understand it, the DM7 has the same preamps as the Rio D2 boxes. So, can the Yamaha DM7 hang with the Midas consoles when it comes to preamp quality? I know I could spend the extra cash on the RPio w/ hybrid preamps (Yamaha guys said those can hang with Midas), but being real, I'm not gonna spend that kind of cash. My main hesitation on leaving the Midas ecosystem is losing that great sound that makes it so easy to mix.

More like an updated DM2000, with a merging of the CL/Rivage series!

Hi Michael. do you know how to setup the Sends on faders Mix select on the touchscreen for the Mix master fader to showup in the fader channel A. ? I just got the new DM7 with V1.5. thank you very much Michael

Yamaha mixer away have a good user interface 😊

I like the DM7 and the Avantis but in terms of channel processing I like the Behringer WING better. It has more bands of EQ filters, some additional filters (like API style filters), has more choices when it comes to types of EQs (clones of Maag EQ4, SSL) and dynamics processors (it even includes a distressor clone which sounds bad btw, single band dynamic EQ, clones of fairchild, 1176, LA-2A, SSL gate and comp, SSL Bus comp...). Not to mention the "plugins" included which include tape emulation, subharmonic synths, octavers, multiband compressors, autotune, phase rotators, a full mastering chain (4 plugins acting as one insert!). I could go on and on. I wonder why these new mid-tier mixers doesn't have those. I get it that we can use SoundGrid but my little board can do without it. Don't get me wrong, I love these mixers and the ease of use you get from them is second to none so far (they're the easiest boards to use considering their features). Everything works fast and has those big touch screens are just a joy to use.

CL, now DM. One can almost predict the next version from Yamaha will be named EN 😅

Can channels be stereo the way something like a digico channel can be mono or stereo so I don’t have to link two channels?

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You have to reach up and touch the screen to change banks? I’m out

I"d like to see how the AI features work.

For €32.000,- the screens suck. Would love a comparison with the avantis, if they compare.

Screen look so slow, no knobs for EQ, no buttons for layers, this is a huge miss ...

Meh. I think I would rather have an avantis over this.

Holy shit it is slow to respond. I get frustated just looking at you operating the screen.