Exploring Sound Reinforcement DVD (Pro Audio Review, July 2005)

As a commendable follow-up to Yamaha's Sound Reinforcement Handbook, this new instructional DVD from Yamaha Professional Audio is an excellent resource for beginners and professionals who do live sound. Executive Produced by John Schauer of Yamaha Corporation of America in cooperation with Shure and produced by Keyfax NewMedia, the two-hour-plus DVD is an instructive break down of the use of audio amplification systems. The disc features six languages-English, Spanish, French, German, Italian and Japanese-and contains no region encoding, so it can be played anywhere in the world without formatting issues. Exploring Sound Reinforcement carries a suggested MSRP of $49.95 and is currently available at authorized Yamaha dealers.

The disc includes five sections covering basic sound system components with an approach that you know virtually nothing about sound reinforcement. Chapters include Introduction, The Equipment, Putting It All Together, and Live Applications. Each chapter is broken down into subchapters covering everything from cabling, microphones, sample system setups, to mixing and monitoring techniques, as well as troubleshooting. All aspects are individually addressed so that you can skip to an area you need, without wading through a lot of information you don't need. The presentation is interspersed with hands-on demonstrations, tips and techniques used in real live sound situations along with advice from experts.

As a professional doing sound for over 25 years I found the DVD clear and concise and not overly basic so that there is something to be learned for the novice or professional. With the ability to watch and review a subject, it is a faster way in today's busy environment to comprehend aspects of live sound reinforcement principles. Watching the DVD it is apparent that the equipment demonstrated is from Yamaha and Shure, however, it never appears to be an advertisement for said manufacturers. Yamaha's Exploring Sound Reinforcement is a good reference and worth purchasing for anybody with interest in this field.

-Tom Young