CERRITOS, CA – Engineer Melissa Britton used the new NEXO 45 N-12 12-inch line monitor for Earl Klugh and his band at a recent show held at the Cerritos Center for the Performing Arts.
Britton, who normally mixes monitors for Klugh using Yamaha digital consoles, was in this case filling in at front of house on a Yamaha PM1D. Brian Rachko mixed monitors for the Cerritos gig on the house Yamaha PM5D.
"I have to say that I could not hear the stage at all while I was at front of house," said Britton. "The NEXO line monitors were super clean. I went on stage a couple times during sound check and was amazed by the separation from mix to mix."
The NEXO line monitor is designed to reduce interference between adjacent point source monitors for a stable, steady frequency response in the coverage area.
Britton said all acts she works with would benefit from the use of the NEXO wedges. In addition to Klugh, Britton is currently working with Dave Koz, Sheila E., and Al Jarreau.
"The artists I work with on a regular basis are always looking for high fidelity sound with volume, as opposed to ‘just get it as loud as it will go, no matter how it may end up sounding in the end.' It is rare that you can turn a wedge on and up and it sounds great with zero EQ and zero feedback. If you have a great desk like a Yamaha PM5D and incredible wedges like the NEXO 45N-12, it would be virtually impossible to have anything but an awesome show."
On Al Jarreau's gig, Britton said the overall stage volume is relatively quiet and finds that mixing quietly is challenging in that the musicians have to be able to hear everything clearly without overpowering each other, or Jarreau. "High fidelity is a must, and the NEXO wedges would be perfect in this environment. The sound is so focused and the clarity across the full audio spectrum is great at both high and low volume levels."
The NEXO 45 N-12 is designed to provide a higher SPL from the cabinet before feedback, and offers sharp side attenuation. Coverage and SPL are scalable. The arrayable line monitor has a frequency response of 55Hz-19kHz ±3db with 30-degree horizontal coverage, 22.5-degree diagonal (Coupling Plane) coverage and asymmetrical vertical coverage of 60° constant level from zero to 8 ft. A single unit has a peak SPL of 140 db, passive/active internal switching mode. In passive mode 1000 to1600W is recommended at 8Ω, in active mode the 8 Ω LF is 900W to1400 W and the 16 Ω HF is 300W-450W.
Guitarist Klugh said, "the NEXO wedges are great sounding, well-balanced floor monitors. They have a lot of life and the clarity is outstanding; some of the best I have ever heard."
"The monitors seemed very good to me, quite clear," noted Nelson Rangell, sax and flute player. "I was made aware of the NEXO line monitor's isolation pattern which seems like a very good element indeed."
Bass player Dan Lutz said he thought the sound was awesome and the whole Yamaha/NEXO crew phenomenal. "Thanks to Melissa for a great job and for being such a pro and making the band all sound great."
David Lee, producer, writer, and Klugh keyboardist, who with George Clinton co-wrote "Atomic Dog," said of the NEXO 45 N-12, "Oh man, when I walked up to my riser, I only had to hit one note to hear the incredible quality and clarity of the NEXO wedges. When I hit that one note I said, 'Oh my God!'
 As a live performer on keys, I've always preferred live monitors instead of IEMs, and these monitors sounded like I had IEMs on. I will be recommending to Earl that we have the NEXO wedges added to the rider."
"Working with NEXO wedges makes the day so much easier because you can spend more time getting the perfect mix instead of spending time trying to get the wedge to sound good," said Britton. "The NEXO wedges sounded great right out of the box. I have to say I was quite impressed with them and I'm looking forward to using them again in other situations." After the show, Britton said she would certainly add the NEXO 45 N-12 to her rider.
For more information, please visit www.yamahaca.com.
