Automation
I must admit that I originally expected the 02R to come with a floppy disk drive for mix data storage, but that isn't the case. All the mix data is saved in non‑volatile memory. When full, the easiest way to archive old mixes is to use a MIDI data filer. Alternatively, Apple Macintosh owners can use Yamaha's own project management software to do this [see 'Project Manager' box for details]. As supplied, the 02R has 512K of mix memory which can be expanded to a maximum of 2.5Mb, though even the minimum configuration is sufficient to hold several different mixes, unless you go mad with the automation. A test 8‑track mix employing a few fader changes and effects level changes consumed only 2% of the 512K memory. This was only a simple mix, admittedly, but in real‑life situations more often than not the automation moves will be confined to two or three tracks, and even then the faders won't spend all their time flying up and down.
The automation can be used to switch Scenes, to dynamically control any parameter, or a mixture of the two. The most likely scenario is a mixture of the two, where you set up at least one Scene to determine the initial console configuration at the start of the song. Up to 64 different Scenes can be created, named and stored, and in addition to holding EQ, fader, aux, effect, dynamics and pan data, they also include the Flip switch status, the input gain trim/attenuator settings, and individual channel delay times (the latter are sometimes used to correct for 'speed of sound' time delays in multi‑miked, live recording sessions, though you could also use them to delay multitracked vocal parts to create doubling). Scenes may be recalled in three ways: directly from the front panel Scene buttons, switched using MIDI Program Changes, or they may be switched by the Automix computer running against timecode.
No timecode generator is built into the 02R — it always runs as a slave to an external device (unless you use the free‑running internal clock, in which case there is no sync at all), but it can lock to both SMPTE or MTC. Personally, I'm surprised that the optional ADAT interface card isn't able to derive sync from ADAT's own real‑time subcode. Technically, this should be possible, and for many musicians it would be perfectly adequate. As things stand, ADAT users either have to use a BRC (or something like a JL Cooper ADAT/MTC box) or go back to old‑fashioned tape striping.
Operation of the 02R's automation seems quite similar to that of established automation systems, where the current mix information is held in a current memory buffer and new moves or changes are stored in a temporary buffer. Unless the update is aborted, the data from the temporary buffer is used to update the current memory buffer after each pass, leaving it free for further moves. An Undo buffer always holds a copy of the last mix data, so if you need to go back one step, you can recall 'U' and start again. Due to limited memory space, the 02R doesn't store a history of different mix versions, as some of the existing top‑end automation systems do. If you want to store a version of a mix before doing more work on it, you have to deliberately save it.
Storing your Scenes is very simple — you just set up the console as you want it, select a Scene location number to save into and hit the Store button. A dialogue box asks you to confirm or cancel your action and the job's done. Further changes to the Scene can be made at any time by pressing Store once again and confirming when prompted.
One potential problem with Scene‑based systems is that the transition from one Scene to the next is virtually instantaneous and can give rise to sudden level changes. One way to reduce this problem is to isolate certain tracks from the automation — for example, the drum and bass tracks will probably stay at the same level throughout the mix. Yamaha have included an isolation feature, but it is also possible to programme a 'fade‑in' rate, so that one Scene can merge into the next over any desired period of time up to a maximum of 10 seconds. Better still, the fade time can be set independently so that different channels fade at different rates.
More Parameters
Before using the automation, it is necessary to configure the system so that it knows what format and type of sync code you are using. When you come to update a mix, you have to check the type of parameters you want to overwrite; the four categories are: Fader, Channel On, Pan and EQ. Aux send levels are combined with the fader mode, and the easiest way to proceed is to use the faders themselves to write aux send level changes to the Automix system. This is probably easier than using the rotary encoder in the selected channel module, which is another way of doing it. When an aux send fader status is active, the Select buttons function as write buttons for the currently selected aux send, allowing previously written aux send data to be replaced.
In Absolute mode, the fader movement you see is what's recorded, whereas in Relative mode the fader may be used to add to or subtract from the levels already recorded. The bottom of the Automix window is arranged rather like a tape transport control section, and selecting Autorecord allows you to drop into and out of mix record mode using the individual channel Select buttons. When using this function, you have to keep in mind that one channel is always selected — the last one you accessed — so you have to take care not to overwrite a channel that you wished to keep.
A mix always starts with a Scene and a timecode start time, and if you want to abort a mix you need to press Abort before stopping the tape or hitting Stop, otherwise the mix will have been updated. I have to say that I found the on‑screen transport buttons a bit of a pain — this is one situation where a few physical buttons would have been infinitely preferable. However, the Autorecord mode takes some of the strain in situations where you can use it.
A bargraph at the top of the screen shows how much memory has been used. A maximum of 16 mixes can be stored, but if your mixes are very busy, there's a possibility you will fill the memory long before you get 16 songs finished.
When recording or updating part of a mix, only the selected channels will be recorded, and if you attempt to move an unselected fader, its motor will fight you in an attempt to prevent you from moving it. The manual rightly points out that wrestling with the fader motors is not to be recommended, as it could lead to their early demise. Another potential problem when overwriting fader moves is that the point at which you 'punch out' may result in a level discontinuity, as the fader level jumps to the previously recorded level. To help get around this, you can activate the Return function so that the fader will always return to the previous Automix level. If Return is not selected, the fader will simply stay at the level it was at when you 'punched out'.
The Fader Edit screen represents the levels of all 40 gain controls as bargraphs. When you record a fader update, the display depicts both the current and previous settings, along with an arrow showing you which way to push the fader to match up the levels. Certain edits can also be carried out 'off‑line', where events such as Scene changes, channel on/off settings and so forth can be inserted, deleted, or moved to new timecode locations.
For those wishing to burrow further into the 02R's setup pages, there are various user preferences that let you customise the interface to your own way of working, and there are quite a few control shortcuts that aren't obvious unless you read the manual. There's also a test tone oscillator and a talkback system, but if I try to itemise every facility on the 02R, this review will occupy the entire magazine!
Signal Routing
Although the 02R is an 8‑bus console, the first 16 channels may also be routed directly to their correspondingly numbered tape outputs, so it's quite possible to record more than eight tracks at a time. Using the Selected Channel controls, routing can be achieved with physical buttons which represent the eight groups, direct out or the stereo mix — but as expected, there's more than one way of doing things. If the Routing display is selected, the 16 mono channels and four stereo channels are depicted as rows of routing buttons, just as you'd expect to see them on a conventional console. Here, routings can be assigned using the cursor and Enter buttons if you want to, but it's far easier to use this page as a global display, and watch it change as you set up the channels using the Select buttons and Selected Channel routing buttons. In this way, setting up the routing is every bit as easy as it is on a conventional mixer — better, in fact, because there's no ambiguity as to whether the buttons are up or down! The same is true for panning — it's easier to look at the global display while twiddling the Selected Channel Pan knob than it is to mess about with cursors. And for that matter, the same applies to setting the aux send levels, though you still have to use the cursors to set the pre/post status, which would have been nicer with a dedicated button.
The Group output levels and Master Aux Send levels have no physical controls but may be adjusted via software faders on one of the Meter menu pages.
02R In Action
The key to using the 02R successfully is to let it do as much of the donkey work as possible. For example, rather than re‑invent the wheel every time you start a session, it makes sense to create a few default Scenes to set up the console for track‑laying (which involves routing and off‑tape monitoring), recording overdubs, mixdown and so on. If you tend to work in a fairly consistent manner, you could probably create Scenes to cover 90% of your normal console setups, leaving you to make only small modifications.
When using the automation, you must start with a Scene that includes any necessary routing and the initial fader settings; a typical mixdown Scene might also contain a little light expansion on any tracks that are likely to have picked up noise, with perhaps a compressor or two in key channels such as vocals or acoustic guitar.
It can also save a lot of work if you make use of the libraries, most of which contain 40 presets and 88 user locations. The Channel library consists of 64 memory locations (all for user settings) while the EQ library offers 32 presets and 96 user memories. Libraries are available for whole channel settings, EQ, dynamics and effects, so if you are going to record the same vocalist on a regular basis, you could set up a whole channel (including dynamic processing) and then pair it with a suitable effect.
The main console controls are very simple to use, because the setup is very much like a conventional in‑line console — with the notable exception that you only have one set of channel controls in the Selected Channel area. Most tasks involving this section can be accomplished by pressing a channel Select button and then making the necessary modifications, but other tasks — such as setting individual channel delays, tape input attenuators, effects editing, mix automation and so on — require the use of the Display Access section.
This section comprises 24 buttons, each of which provides access to one or more display pages. Navigating to successive pages is simply a case of pressing the button until the required page appears. The pages themselves are very clearly designed with simple graphics, and if you attempt something illegal, more often than not a warning message pops up to put you right. Perhaps the least satisfactory aspect of the display system is the need to use cursor buttons to navigate around the pages, but short of including a trackball, I don't really see how this could have been improved without going to the expense of a touch‑screen — and these have their own problems.
The 02R automation itself works very nicely, although the faders sometimes seem to judder a little as they move. This doesn't affect the quality of the final audio output, however, because in moving mode the faders are only acting as part of the display system. It is possible to turn off the faders when you replay a mix, but most people like to watch them move! You can adjust several faders at the same time while mixing (by selecting several channels at once), but the Selected Channel controls always relate to the last channel you selected. This means that things like EQ changes are best handled as overdubs, where you can give your undivided attention to one thing at a time.
You soon get out of the habit of leaning on this desk, because whenever you select an aux send level or similar function, the faders instantly fly to the positions of the selected functions, and are forever pushing you out of the way! Perhaps this is why Yamaha have chosen not to fit a padded armrest — they don't want you leaning on the desk.