Yamaha DM3-D 22 Review

Apr 11

Maybe review is the wrong word seeing that I haven’t actually gotten my hands on one of these yet. So, Yamaha, how about sending a sample over?

This is Exciting

I’m excited about the announcement of this board considering the jam packed features that it’s boasting. The Yamaha DM3-D 22 is a 16 input, 8 output digital console. First off, if the preamps are anything like past Yamaha models, I’m pumped. Yamaha makes some of my favorite audio equipment on the market. Particularly the mixers and drums. The Yamaha DM3-D 22 is also equipped for 16x16 Dante right out of the box. That’s huge. This board is meant to be small and compact, so naturally it’s not for everyone or every purpose. So who is the Yamaha DM3-D 22 for exactly?

Routing wireless in ear monitors

If you’re already on a Dante equipped system or even a small x32 system, I could see this being extremely useful for a “quick fix” to not consuming your mix buses. Think about it this way. You could do a Dante feed into this mixer (or even a tie line), having all of your wireless in-ear-monitor packs routed to it’s outputs. This will give you eight mono mixes. Obviously I’m not a huge fan of mono mixes, or a fan at all for that matter. However, sometimes you’re in a pinch. If you have a super small team, this would be good for getting four mono mixes. Most singers are typically good with mono mixes, so if your band is already on something like a MyMix, DP48, p16, or Aviom; this would be a great fix to get singers over to wireless. The Yamaha DM3-D 22 would be great as a second console, if 16 channels for IEM is a reality for your team.

Home or Church Studio Usage

This is the bread and butter of this system. If your church is getting started in studio work, this would be an absolute monster to get started with. Don’t have a large enough control room to track the drums? Route it in via Dante. With 16 channels of input available and Yamaha preamps, I can’t see why you wouldn’t be able to get crazy good recordings. Try to find another audio interface at $2000 that can handle 16 inputs at 96k and get back with me.

Is It An X32 Killer?

Unfortunately no. The only reason would be the channel count though. Every aspect of the Yamaha DM3-D 22 is going to be a better console than the Behringer x32. Heck the fact that it’s Dante equipped is enough to make me want to go out and buy one right now. Until they get into a larger channel count, I wouldn’t think this would be the best FOH solution, as far as a permanent solution goes. It’s kind of funny though because I would bet money that having an x32 for FOH and the Yamaha DM3-D 22 for monitors would actually yield better IEM results than FOH.

We Need a Rack Version

The best way for the Yamaha DM3-D 22 to compete with Behringer’s x32 console would be to have a rack mounted version of this. I’m not talking about attaching rack ears to the side of the console, we need a version that fits in a 2u or 3u configuration. This would be an absolute killer for in-ear systems.

More Channels, More Better

Hear me out Yamaha, what if you realized a 32x16 version of this console? Rack and desk versions maybe? I could see churches doing a desk version for Front of House and a rack version for monitor, and maybe even a second desk for broadcast. Dante on this system makes things so flexible that you could do so much with just a desk version at 32x16 though. If Yamaha did this and kept the cost at a reasonable price point, Allen & Heath and Behringer may have some serious competition on their hands for the church market.

Yamaha DM3-D 22 Specs

Packs 22 channels into an ultra-compact digital mixer: 16 mono channels, 1 stereo channel, and 2 stereo FX returns
9-inch touchscreen and single all-purpose touch-and-turn knob provide easy operation and navigation

Capable of sampling rates as high as 96kHz
6 mono or 3 stereo mixes, 2 matrixes, and 1 stereo bus
16 outstanding mic preamps and 8 convenient analog outputs
Excellent built-in DSP effects
16 x 16 Dante interface supplies loads of room for expansion
18 x 18 USB audio interface for playback and recording
2 x 2 recording directly to a USB drive
DAW remote mode with transport control
Custom control via OSC, USB-MIDI, and Yamaha's powerful ProVisionaire software applications