RIVAGE PM10 Enhances Rio de Janeiro Carnival Sound

The Yamaha RIVAGE PM10 console played a vital role in ensuring superior sound for the samba schools in Marquês de Sapucaí (the Rio de Janeiro carnival venue)

The Rio de Janeiro carnival is not only the most famous carnival in the world, but is also a symbol of Brazilian culture and a major attraction for music and dance lovers from all five continents.

This year the revelry and rhythm were delivered to the crowd with the help of Yamaha’s most refined and advanced digital mixing console: the RIVAGE PM10. The console’s most important role was to ensure that the sound of the samba schools was coherent and intelligible, with every tambourine and cuica clearly distinguishable at every point in the venue.

As Yamaha specialist Matheus Madeira explains, the basic function of a sound system, that of picking up and amplifying the sounds being produced, is somewhat complicated by propagation delay in large venues. That is, differences in the time of arrival at different listening points from widely spaced loudspeakers, as well as the direct sound of the instruments themselves, can result in a mushy, cluttered, unpleasant listening experience.

That’s where Yamaha technology and experienced operators make a real difference. In addition to all of the other functions required to handle a complicated mix like the carnival, the RIVAGE PM10 allows precise management of delays before the signals are sent to the speaker systems, ensuring maximum coherence and intelligibility throughout the venue. To complicate matters even further, unlike performers on a fixed stage, the samba schools move along the avenue necessitating constant delay adjustments. External triggers and the console’s delay management capabilities made it possible to keep the audio together at all times. As Matheus commented: “only a large scale console with the capabilities of the RIVAGE PM10 could handle such a task.”