Yamaha Goes With The Grain At Maassilo
The issue of what to do with industrial buildings once they are no longer needed for their original purpose is a familiar one to urban planners. But in Rotterdam, Holland, a 106 year old grain silo has found a new lease of life as a music and corporate event venue. Historic the building may be, but its brand new Yamaha audio specification is anything but.
Originally Maassilo was the largest grain silo in Europe. It fell out of use a decade ago and it’s sheer size could have meant that demolition was the only realistic course of action. However, the city of Rotterdam authorities have used its size to their advantage, transforming it into an entertainment and exhibition venue. De Nieuwe Oogst, a centre for urban culture, has recently opened at Maassilo and includes two concert stages, a recording-studio, lounge bar, dance and exhibition facilities.
Veteran Dutch sound engineer Edwin Haine of Rotterdam-based Seeing and Hearing was tasked with specifying and supplying the audio equipment for De Nieuwe Oogst. He chose Yamaha equipment for three main reasons - partly because of its flexibility, partly because it is so well known by so many technicians and partly, as he says, “I cannot recall one moment of failure with Yamaha gear in the 25 years I have been working in sound reinforcement.
“Above all, the daily use of these reliable solutions saves so much time,” he continues. “To connect or disconnect a board like the PM5D, with all the inputs and outputs, in seconds is still amazing for a veteran like me! Just one power supply, two network cables and that’s it.”
The installation features a PM5D console with three MY-series Ethersound cards at the front of house mix position, an M7CL-48ES for monitors and three SB168-ES stage boxes. Amplification for the PA system is by six Yamaha TX4N and four TX5N power amps, with eight further TX4N powering the stage monitors.
Also installed, for use at smaller events, is an LS9-16 mixing console and a further SB168-ES stage box.
“I chose the PM5D because it is the standard console for international touring,” says Edwin. “I decided to install a redundant Ethersound system throughout the building because it has many advantages, including allowing the Yamaha consoles, stage boxes and amplifiers to be used anywhere within the building.
“The TX4n and TX5n amplifiers are also solid, reliable, compact and have excellent sound quality. Their built-in programmable processors and MY card slots make them extremely flexible.”
Staff from Yamaha Music Europe have provided hands-on training for engineers on the Yamaha equipment and using the Ethersound network.
“I am really pleased with the installation,” says Edwin. “I know that the Yamaha equipment will be extremely reliable and the system’s versatility has made De Nieuwe Oogst a venue that is already very popular for a wide range of entertainment and corporate events.”
