Game, Set and Match to Crosspoint Solutions and the Yamaha M7CL

Flexibility, sound quality and portability are just some of the requirements which equipment used by Crosspoint Solutions needs to deliver to its clients in the international broadcast market. The company has just purchased a Yamaha M7CL-32 digital mixing console, which recently served audio aces at the Australian Open tennis championship.

The Hampshire-based company specialises in the provision of temporary production and broadcast facilities for the television industry. A key service is the supply of master control rooms, where multiple signals need to be distributed.

“Our success in this field, and having relationships with many location broadcasters, led to enquires for more specific services,” says Crosspoint head Geoff Mann. “In response to this demand, we developed a small ‘flyaway’ style presentation studio that we take to different events around the world.”

The studio normally uses four cameras and a compact, high quality mixing console was needed for the associated audio requirements, including mixed returns from foreign home bases and local clean feeds.

“We had seen an M7CL in operation at other events and spoke to a close colleague, Trevor Beck, who is very well respected in the industry and whose credits include the opening ceremonies for the last few Olympics and other such high profile events. His advice to go with the M7CL has proved absolutely correct,” says Geoff.

Supplied by HHB Communications via Shepperton-based Altered Images, the console is already travelling the world with Geoff and his team. As well as the Australian Open, the M7CL will be hard at work at the other three Grand Slam tennis tournaments (Wimbledon, the French Open and US Open) in 2012, the World Swimming Championships in Istanbul, the UN Climate Change Conference in Qatar, celebrations of the Queen’s Diamond Jubilee and other globally-televised events.

“The M7CL is a very powerful console and provides the flexibility which allows us to work on events of all different sizes. It is a pleasure to use and gives us the ability to grow the facility, which is very useful,” Geoff continues.

“Yamaha's technical backup has also been excellent. In an industry where the options for equipment are widespread, one of the biggest elements of decision-making is support and reliability - Yamaha has both of these in abundance. We were given training on the M7CL and the session was directed at the right level for our engineering staff. Knowing that support is simply a phone call away is also very comforting.”