LOS ANGELES – Alfred "AL-Tee" Williams, currently with R&B artist Jay Sean, has worked as a FOH and monitor engineer with Kool and the Gang, The SOS Band, Tank, Rachelle Farrell, Angie Stone and Fantasia, among others. He's been using the Yamaha PM5D for some time now, and it's still his mixing board of choice.
Along with its performance characteristics, the PM5D's wide availability is a key advantage.
"The Yamaha PM5D is the board that I can count on seeing no matter where I travel," Williams said. "It's one of the user-friendliest digital consoles to work with, especially for engineers that are more familiar with analog mixing boards, and for the digitally inclined as well," he added. "Some of my ‘seasoned' engineer friends also agree how easy the 5D is to use right out of the box."
In addition to being able to find a PM5D at multiple venues, its ready availability has proven to be an advantage when mishaps occur.
"The night before mixing Kool and the Gang on a morning telecast of the Rachael Ray Show, it rained on my console. Now what was I supposed to do?" Williams asked. "Fortunately, the show had an extra Yamaha PM5D console in the production truck, so we powered it up within minutes of airtime, loaded my Yamaha file, and the performance went on. It was one of my most magical moments."
Williams also appreciated seeing all the console's 24-aux sends without going to another page. "This feature is great, especially when it's your first time working with an artist and there isn't a sound check. In a live application, you only have seconds to pull up a mix. With the Yamaha PM5D, it's just as fast as you are, with no delays."
For more information, please visit www.yamahaca.com.
