With its focus on pop and rock music, live music is an important part of the Netherlands radio station NPO 3FM’s output. Recently, the broadcaster has equipped its studios in Hilversum with a Yamaha QL5 digital console, continuing its long-term use of Yamaha mixing systems.
3FM is an important radio station in the portfolio of Netherlands national public broadcaster NPO, broadcasting music 24/7 to a large youth audience. It is broadcast from studios at Hilversum’s Media Park, which comprise three main areas – the DJ broadcast studio, a main control room which can house larger events and a room for live performances.
The technical infrastructure is managed by Red Bee Media (RBM), a company that works with many Dutch television and radio facilities.
For the past five years, a Yamaha LS9-32 mixing console with SB168-ES stage boxes has been used in the live room, mixing performances from a wide variety of contemporary artists. However, with technology in the broadcast industry moving very quickly, an upgrade was now required. After testing and evaluation by RBM, the QL5 console with Rio3224-D stagebox chosen for the new system.
Supplied by Winterswijk-based Soundsolution – which has long experience with Yamaha’s digital mixing solutions – the QL5 and Rio3224-D combination was the ideal upgrade for 3FM. Thanks to its sound quality, flexibility, reliability and familiar user interface for any performer’s audio engineer, it delivered a very high-quality solution for the allocated budget.
