NASHVILLE,TN – More than 475 audio professionals braved the high heat and humidity in Nashville to attend the first Audioversity event held by Yamaha Commercial Audio Systems, Inc. (YCAS).
End user customers, A/V integrators and consultants, students, house of worship audio staff, Yamaha dealers and NEXO reps, attended the two-day event, which featured southern "back lot" barbeque and concert featuring Nashville artist Erika Jo after the first day's sessions.
"This was a once in a lifetime event, more focused than a trade show," said David DeVincentis, systems integrator/installer, Technical Services Corporation. "You knew ahead of time from the marketing materials what you were getting into so that you could make a clear decision on what panels, sessions, and demos you wanted to attend.
"The schedule was so packed that I wish Audioversity was a three-day event," DeVincentis added. "I'm a knowledge junky, and the NEXO demos and networking sessions were invaluable for me to be able to better advise my clients as to what is available."
Sessions included M7CL and LS9 Digital mixer overviews; Mixing Techniques, Tips and Tricks; the Art and Science of Mixing Contemporary Worship; Simple Audio Solutions; EtherSound Networking for Live Sound; the NEXO GEO Family – Listen and Learn; and Point-n-Shoot Systems featuring the new Yamaha DSR active speakers and more.
"The YCAS staff worked very hard in its planning and execution making Audioversity the success it was," said Larry Italia, vice president/general manager. "We especially want to thank the staff at SoundCheck for their hospitality in accommodating our event and third-party manufacturers who participated. It was very gratifying to see the enthusiasm with which some of our competitors quickly embraced Audioversity and the type of marketing opportunities that present themselves for the industry when this type of event is produced effectively."
A highlight of the event was the NEXO GEO Stage, where attendees took advantage of GEO D, GEO T and GEO S demonstrations featuring Erika Jo and her band. "Many of our customers attending were from as far east as the Outer Banks of North Carolina," noted Herman Civils, Millar Electronics. "The networking sessions were invaluable." Civils also alluded to the buzz generated by a forthcoming NEXO product launch.
Another highlight was PM Consoles on the Road. with guest panelists including Stan Miller (Neil Diamond), Les Banks (Ryman Auditorium), independent engineers Monty Lee Wilkes (most recently, Scissor Sisters), Jeff Priepot (Shania Twain, Faith Hill), and monitor engineer Robert Bull (Grand Ole Opry and Martina McBride).
"The panel with seasoned engineers was very enlightening, educating the younger engineers to ‘listen' before they begin their set up," said Rick Earl of Elon University. Miller took a look back at all the Yamaha consoles he has used in his 43 years as Diamond's FOH engineer, while Wilkes told the crowd his weapon of choice is a Yamaha PM5D, and that he won't mix on anything else.
Earl also said he attended to get a better understanding of how he can integrate a lot of the existing technology on his campus maximizing its use in order to get audio across the campus, and to provide students with the tools to learn how to mix remotely, "It was also a great time to pick the brains of the Yamaha product managers."
Representatives from other manufacturers, including Audinate, Auvitran, Aviom, Optocore, and Riedel, also attended, and were invited to demonstrate how their digital audio networks integrate with Yamaha digital consoles.
"I learned a great deal about audio networking," said Jim Hoyle, AV integrator. "The training sessions and Dante demonstration was invaluable."
Audio and acoustic consultant Dieter Giese of Giesekustiks, Dearborn, MI, said Audioversity provided him with hands-on time on newer digital equipment so as to better inform his customers of their options.
"It was great to meet with third party manufacturers especially the Dante experts as well as the NEXO staff, particularly for several jobs I'm working on right now," said Reid Henion, Stage Sound, Virginia Beach. "The EtherSound networking presentation was extremely valuable as was the NEXO new product sneak peak presentation. It was also great to network with other end users and designers who attended.
"I found the Point -n-Shoot section particularly of interest since we were able to personally listen to Yamaha and NEXO speakers and settings carefully, whereas at a trade show, you don't get the opportunity to kick the tires of every product," continued Henion, who also appreciated the Road Warrior panel.
For William Mingari, FOH engineer, Northeast Christian Church, Audioversity reinforced his understanding of the technology behind Yamaha and NEXO systems.
"It was great to see so many end user customers attending Audioversity and to witness their excitement," said Pascal Danon, from Yamaha dealer Tight AV who, with his staff drove 13 hours from Sarasota, Fla. "They were like sponges, taking in all they could learn in the classes. We walked away with many new potential customers so it was a win-win for everyone."
For more information, visit www.yamahca.com and www.audioversityexpo.com.
