AW2816 real-time control capability continues to expand, with new MIDI Remote Templates for Steinberg Rebirth RB-338 and Yamaha PLG150-AN synthesizers; plus Remote Templates for professional studio software packages.

If you're one of the countless musicians, artists, or audio production professionals who believe that the Yamaha AW4416 is the perfect digital audio workstation - but a little "overpowered" for your needs - the AW2816 is here! If this is the first time you've heard about a Yamaha Professional Audio Workstation, read on! There's great news ahead! In one compact console-style unit you get a fully-digital 28-input/18-output mixer with the power and performance of the now-legendary Yamaha 02R Digital Mixer, a 16-track-plus-stereo 24-bit hard disk recorder, and a CD-RW drive to archive your masterpieces and master the final versions to CD.

What are the benefits? Well, in addition to having the entire production chain right at your fingertips - in a fraction of the space and at a fraction of the cost that a system comprising comparable separate components would require, all signals remain in the digital domain from input to CD so there's no chance for degradation. In short, the sound is superb. The AW2816 is a professional-quality recording studio that you can use just about anywhere.

Powerful channels functions inherited from the industry-leading 02R Digital Mixer

Much more than just a gimmick, the AW2816 motor faders accurately represent actual levels when using automation or switching between mix layers or scenes. There's no need to manually match fader levels - just reach for the faders and create in the most intuitive, natural way possible. These precision 60-millimeter motor faders are an indispensable part of the overall interface that makes the AW2816 one of the finest digital audio workstations available.

In fact, it keeps coming back stronger than ever. The AW2816 mixer offers the features and performance of the 02R Digital Mixer, the de-facto industry standard, plus a number of enhancements that place it well ahead of the rest. All AD and DA conversion is handled by state-of-the-art 24-converters, and all internal processing is 32-bit, with the exception of the EQ stages which employ 44-bit processing. The result is audio quality that is simply superb. In the AW2816, special attention has also been paid to the head-amp design one of the very few analog circuits in the entire system that can affect the signal prior to the A/D converters. Their quality and performance is on a par with many of the finest component (and very expensive) head amps available.

Right out of the box the AW2816 provides 8 balanced inputs including two XLR-connector inputs with switchable phantom power for micro-phone input and 6 balanced TRS jacks for microphone or line input. Channel 8 also features a Hi-Z input for direct connection of electric guitar or bass. There's also a digital stereo input and dual stereo effect returns. An option slot accepts a range of optional input cards, providing up to 8 additional inputs. Routing all of these inputs to the AW2816's 16 hard-disk recorder tracks and/or 18 buses might seem like a daunting task, but digital patching actually makes it easy and efficient - and more importantly: degradation-free! No matter where you route your signals all patching is done digitally so, unlike the patch bays used in even the biggest commercial studios, there's no chance for signal degradation. Patch configurations can be saved in the internal "Patch Library" memory for instant recall when you need them again.

Inescapable fact: technology keeps getting better and more affordable. The Yamaha custom DSP (Digital Signal Processing) LSIs used in the AW2816 deliver approximately four times the audio processing power of the chips used in the 02R. This provides a significant boost in overall audio performance as well as the quality of the effects provided. The AW2816 includes two refined effect stages that offer all the effect-processing capability you'll ever need for any mix. There is a full range of ambience, modulation, distortion, and amp simulator effects for guitar that can used in a "send/return" configuration or inserted directly into input channels or the stereo bus as required.

And so you don't have to spend a lot of time setting up detailed effect parameters (of course, you can if you want to), a preset "Effect Library" provides an impressive range of setups that can be used as is or as a staring point for your own variations. Original setups can also be stored in the library so you can recall then whenever they're needed.

With the exception of the dual stereo returns, the main stereo outputs and the remaining input channels all feature the same flexible 4-parametric equalization and dynamics processing found on the 02R and AW4416. The effect returns feature 4-band parametric EQ without the dynamics processing. This is a detail that can really make a difference to the overall sound of your mixes. Of course, there are also EQ and Dynamics Libraries that contain a range of professionally pre-configured EQ and dynamics settings for many specific recording tasks, and you can save your own setups so you don't have to redo a multitude of settings every time you want to create a specific sound.

The AW2816 Scene Memory allows you to save up to 96 individual scenes - complete control and parameter setups - for each song you record. You can save different setups you might want to use in different sections of a song, or alternative mix setups that you can then audition and compare at the touch of a button. Scene changes can also be fully automated on the time axis. But the AW2816 provides much more mix automation capability than just scene changes. Actual fader movements and parameter changes can be recorded and reproduced in real time for exceptionally detailed mix control.

Although you can record in the 16-bit mode if you like, for maximum quality and resolution the AW2816 allows full 24-bit linear, uncompressed recording on 16 independent tracks and a stereo track. You also have a choice of 44.1 kHz or 48 kHz sampling frequencies. Furthermore, each main track allows recording of up to 8 virtual tracks for a maximum of 130 tracks. You can use the virtual tracks to record alternate takes, for example, and then audition and select the best take later during mixdown. The hard-disk recorder section also features an "All Rec" mode which allows up to 8 trakcs to be recorded simultaneously - ideal for recording a band in one take, or for recording multi-miked drums, for example.

One of the big advantages of hard disk recording is non-destructive editing capability. In this area the AW2816 excels. In addition to basic operations such as copy and move, the AW2816 offers advanced editing functions including time compression and pitch change - capabilities that give you extraordinary creative control. And since all editing is non-destructive (the original audio data is left untouched), you have as many as 15 undo/redo levels so there's plenty of margin to change your mind even if several edits don't turn out as expected.

The same "intelligent location" capability provided on the acclaimed AW4416 makes pinpoint location on the AW2816 fast and easy. You have direct START, END, RTZ, A, B, LAST REC IN, LAST REC OUT, and ROLL BACK keys as well as up to 99 assignable locate points per song which can be specified in time or measure numbers. For even finer location precision a Wave Display lets you search for locate points while viewing the audio waveform. A tempo-map coupled metronome as well as auto punch-in/out with precisely programmable IN and OUT points provide even further control and versatility.

Although too numerous to cover completely here, the AW2816 includes many thoughtful features that can make recording and managing your audio data a pleasure rather than a chore. For example, you can enter comments for each song, a built-in calendar makes it easy to organize and manage your data by date, a harddisk optimization utility which eliminates unnecessary data, and a defragmentation utility that ensures optimum performance from your hard disk at all times. And we can't forget the "Quick Record" function that automatically sets up 8 tracks (or up to 16 when an optional I/O card is installed) for recording when starting work on a new song.

With the CD-RW drive you can take your projects from initial recording right through to creating audio CDs that will play on standard CD players. But there's more: use inexpensive, reliable CD-R or CD-RW disks to back up your valuable audio and mix data. You can also play back audio CDs, and load data from commercial CD-ROMs.

While carrying on the outstanding basic user interface introduced in the AW4416, the AW2816 provides a number of important refinements. The signal routing (patching) displays, for example, have evolved into a more graphic format, making the patching process much more easy and intuitive. And the QUICK REC function that was such a hit in the AW4416 has been even further refined for faster, easier setup in the AW2816. Another addition is the MIDI REMOTE function: AW2816 faders and channel ON keys can be assigned MIDI messages so they can be physically controlled from an external MIDI controller or sequencer.

What's more, MIDI control data can be recorded as automix data for vastly enhanced automix versatility. And the AW4416 Shortcut Key function has been enhanced with the addition of a "Control Key Assign" function that allows you to assign your own operations to specific controls. All of these advanced features are brought together in a large 320 x 240 dot backlit LCD panel for smooth, stress-free operation.

The AW2816 comes equipped with a SCSI interface for direct connection to a wide range of data storage devices such as MO drives, hard-disk drives, and CD-RW drives. See the Yamaha AW2816 website for a complete listing of devices that have been tested and are compatible with the AW2816 (http://www.aw2816.com). MIDI and TO HOST connectors are also provided for direct connection to MIDI-capable computers and MIDI devices. The AW2816 can act as either master or slave for synchronization via MTC or MIDI CLOCK for virtually unlimited system expansion. The AW2816 is also MMC compatible, and allows remote control via MIDI control change and parameter change messages. There's even a footswitch jack that lets makes it easy to punch in or out while playing a guitar or other instrument. The details do count.

In addition to Yamaha Mini-YGDAI cards which can provide I/O in a range of formats - ADAT, TASCAM, AES/EBU, analog the AW2816 expansion slot will accept a number of high-performance upgrades. There are the AP8AD and AP8DA AD/DA converter cards from Apogee, the world leader in AD/DA conversion technology. Or the Y56K DSP card from digital signal processing frontrunner Waves, providing on-board access to industry-standard processors such as the L1 mastering limiter and TrueVerb high resolution reverb effect.

The Yamaha AW4416/2816 Digital Audio Workstations are rapidly becoming established as two of the most versatile, powerful, integrated platforms for recording and music production. Now with mini-YGDAI plug-in cards from Waves and Apogee, two major players in the field of digital audio production, and a significant OS upgrade, the AW4416/2816 attains new levels of performance and production power.

Click here for more information and guidance on the use of mini-YGDAI cards.