Idol Puerto Rico Adds Yamaha CL5 Digital Audio Console

Idol Puerto Rico is a reality television competition seeking to find the next best solo singing talent. Part of the Idol franchise, based on the British TV show Pop Idol and the U.S version American Idol all created by Simon Fuller, Idol Puerto Rico is now in its second season. The show made its debut in August 2011 and has recently added a spin-off entitled Idol Kids Puerto Rico.

L to R: Néstor Heredia, Ricky’s Audio Corporation and Ricky Marty, WAPA-TV

Ricky’s Audio Corporation of Arecibo, PR, handles audio production for the show, and has supplied a new Yamaha CL5 digital audio system for the live mix to direct TV audio feed. Idol Puerto Rico is performed and transmitted live every Monday from the 1,900-seat “Centro de Bellas Artes de Caguas” theater. The audio system is distributed in three main locations: the TV broadcast room which houses the new CL5, the performance stage where two Yamaha RIO-2416 remote I/O boxes reside, and the front of house and monitor system that includes a Yamaha M7CL digital console with three Dante-MY16-AUD cards and two Cisco Gigabit switches.

A long-time Yamaha console provider, Ricky’s first mixer was a Yamaha MC1604, followed by newer analog and digital mixers, including the 01V96, LS9, and M7CL-48.

“There were many factors that contributed to our decision to purchase a CL5,” states Néstor J. Heredia, EVP/electrical engineer, Ricky’s Audio Corporation. “The most important factor was knowing that Yamaha mixers are widely accepted and present on almost all riders, which makes the CL5 ideal for our rental inventory since most engineers will immediately feel familiar with it. Another important factor in our decision to purchase the CL5 was the ability to use a normal Ethernet cable as a transport for the Dante network along with the flexibility this protocol has to offer.”

“The Yamaha CL system sounds amazing,” says Heredia. “I am a real big fan of the sound of the PM5D, and I like the sound of the new CL Series even more.”