NEXO Updates NS-1 System Software to Integrate Yamaha Speaker Systems and AFC Design Assistant

September 13, 2022 – Hamamatsu, Japan

Yamaha and NEXO S.A. are pleased to announce the latest version of NEXO’s NS-1 system configuration and simulation software. This update adds two major features: First, NS-1 Version 4 now supports a wide range of Yamaha professional audio speakers, providing designers a powerful simulation tool to ensure performance & uniform coverage of Yamaha and NEXO systems. Second, the update adds AFC Design Assistant, which assists in speaker positioning & prediction for immersive applications.

NS-1 is a powerful, intuitive system configuration and simulation tool which allows users of NEXO, and now Yamaha speaker systems to optimize performance and ensure uniform SPL coverage. Utilized by audio system designers around the world, NS-1 is regularly updated to enhance its functions.

NS-1 Version 4 is another significant step forward, now supporting many Yamaha professional audio speakers, from VXL line array, VXS surface mount and VXC ceiling speakers to the CZR, CHR, CBR and CXS ranges of speakers and subwoofers. The Yamaha speaker data includes all the necessary information, such as maximum SPL, giving system designers the tools they need to work across the entire Yamaha family of brands & products to create & predict systems.

"It's about valuing the designer’s time; reducing time on projects, while increasing confidence in the solution. Rarely, do we find opportunities to accomplish both.” says Preston Gray, Marketing Director of Professional Audio. “From the main PA line source system in the theatre, to the surface mount system in lobby, and bar areas that include pendants, Yamaha & NEXO have joined forces with this software update to provide quick & precise modelling of many different applications you may find in one venue, all with the confidence & precision expected from manufacturer design platforms."

This latest update also includes AFC Design Assistant, giving NEXO users the resources to work with Yamaha’s AFC Image immersive audio systems.

Yamaha Active Field Control (AFC) technology can completely change acoustic environments at the touch of a button, for example turning an acoustically dead space into a reverberant cavern or cathedral. Recently AFC has been expanded to included AFC Enhance for reverberation control and AFC Image for sound image control. Together they can create any acoustic environment imaginable.

Immersive audio requires very precise speaker implementation to achieve its goal. When the user specifies parameters such as venue dimensions, stage dimensions and aisle width, AFC Design Assistant provides the necessary guidelines for the required number and placement of speakers to provide a full immersive audio experience for an entire audience. When the system design is complete, the design file can be exported from NS-1 and imported to AFC Image Editor, making the whole process from studio design through to venue performance as quick, easy and accurate as possible.

"NEXO and Yamaha have already worked closely together to develop a range of products, including the NEXO NXAMP powered TD controller and Yamaha DXR series loudspeakers. With this latest collaboration we have taken another big step forward and are very happy that NS-1 Version 4 is now available, after many hours of in-depth discussions and work by the respective development teams," says Tadashi Morikawa, Project Manager of Immersive Sound Systems, Pro Audio Division at Yamaha.

Francois Deffarges, NEXO’s Engineering Support Director, adds, "We have collaborated very closely with the Yamaha R&D team over the years to bring new solutions to the market, so that devices like NXAMP, as well as CL / QL / RIVAGE PM digital mixing systems and ProVisionaire remote control and monitoring software interface in a very natural and straightforward way. It's clear that Version 4 of our NS-1 software will help to significantly increase the users and partners that we can work with. We are very pleased with the direction that NEXO and Yamaha are going forward in together."