A Look Back at the Yamaha PM1D

Nostalgic trip down memory lane… one of the more interesting side things I got to experience ~25 years ago was being part of the rollout for the then new Yamaha PM1D professional modular digital mixing console for Shiina Hekiru’s 2001 Precious Garden Summer tour. It was introduced in December 2000; a modular system of the control surface and modules like the DSP engine, controller, I/O units, and power supply along with Windows software which allowed additional functionality (by connecting a PC/laptop). Due to my side interest in music, ended up being part of the prototype field test group.

This was during that time period of the transition from analog to digital (my tech background with digital audio/video, networking, and systems is partially why I was involved as event staff). I was still working for Apple at the time (was one of the enterprise liaisons that spent time in Tokyo working with the Apple Japan office; things fell into place with Yamaha Japan and this side gig; would eventually move to Japan a few years later due to another opportunity after leaving Apple/SV). Photo 4 and 5 is the control surface, photo 6 is the DSP engine, line modules, controller, I/O unit, power supplies. Can’t find the photo that has all the cables connected.

Still remember how this setup shaped the dimension of her live sound going forward (why I noted the “sonic superiority” in that draft; something she had long sought which is why there was a wholesale change of the live band starting from that summer tour (will have comparison videos to highlight this). This system was finally EOL in 2015 (Yamaha PM5D replaced it in 2004). Since 2015, Yamaha now has a RIVAGE PM series that builds on this legacy but in a much more portable form factor (the old consoles required a team to move and set it up).

I’ve long wanted to “visually re-master” the original pro-shot footage (480p) to at least 1080p but that tech (processing power plus software) didn’t really exist until recent years. Hours of experimenting with different settings plus GPU processing has resulted in this video which now more closely matches the audio from this PM1D. Getting this to 4K (with excellent quality) is years away BUT I almost got a usable 1440p60 version (maybe a few software iterations away). Anyway, this is the fully “remastered” version in 1080p60. If you have a decent enough stereo sound system, this one should be cranked up because it is close to what we were able to achieve at that concert hall.