ResonantLive Sound Archive

Equipment file · Digital mixing console

CL5

Yamaha · 2012

Evidence status · documented

Identity and core specifications are documented; some historical fields remain unavailable.

The Yamaha CL5, launched in 2012, was Yamaha's first console built around Audinate's Dante network with remote I/O. It offered 72 mono and 8 stereo inputs, 24 mix buses and 16 DCAs, with Rupert Neve Designs-modelled processing, at $27,499 MSRP.

Introduced
2012
Category
Digital mixing console
Intended use
Touring, theatre, broadcast and worship
Production
Yamaha CL Series

Equipment photographs · 1

CL Series digital consoles (CL5 shown in the range)

1 / 1 · CL Series digital consoles (CL5 shown in the range)

CL Series digital consoles (CL5 shown in the range)·Yamaha·© Yamaha, used for identification and historical commentary

Why it mattered

  1. 01

    One of the first major touring consoles with Dante as its backbone, pushing Dante toward a de facto standard.

  2. 02

    Its remote I/O let systems drop analogue snakes, a template for the [[yamaha-rivage-pm10|RIVAGE PM10]].

Engineering record

Networking
Dante with remote I/O racks[1]
Capacity
72 mono + 8 stereo inputs, 24 mix, 8 matrix, 16 DCAs[1]
Processing
VCM modelling including Rupert Neve Designs Portico 5033 EQ and 5043 compressor[2]

Original pricing

$27,499 MSRP (2012)

2026 equivalent

≈ $40,100

Period US list or retail price reported by the cited source.[1]

Estimated in 2026 US dollars using the BLS CPI-U annual average for 2012 (229.6) and 334.980 for 2026, rounded to the nearest $100.[3]

Use in the field

No named deployment could be tied to this exact item by a checked source yet. Know of one? Suggest it on the contribute page.

Professional reactions

Release-period reaction · 2012

Already familiar with the PM5D, Woods found the new CL easy to use. He singled out its layout, navigation, display and touchscreen as making mix adjustments easier.

Matthew ‘Woody’ Woods, The Black Dahlia Murder front-of-house engineerOrion Music + More festival; launch-year use with Yamaha staff on site. · Manufacturer-published case study · Paraphrased account[4]ProSoundWeb · Yamaha CL Console Lights Up Orion Festival

Release-period reaction · 2012

Pike valued the CL5’s user-defined knobs and touchscreen for quickly shaping a festival mix. After a headphone-only line check, he was already using its Portico processing during the first song.

Adam Pike, Red Fang front-of-house engineerOrion Music + More festival; launch-year touring-engineer account. · Manufacturer-published case study · Paraphrased account[5]ProSoundWeb · Yamaha CL Console Lights Up Orion Festival

Manuals & original documents

No authoritative manual or original document has been located for this profile.

Sources

  1. 1Yamaha Launches CL Series Digital ConsolesMix · archive · 2012-03-23
  2. 2Yamaha launches New CL SeriesKVR Audio · archive · 2012-03-21
  3. 3CPI Inflation Calculator methodology and CPI-U dataU.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics · reference · 2026
  4. 4Yamaha CL Console Lights Up Orion FestivalProSoundWeb · case study · 2012
  5. 5Yamaha CL Console Lights Up Orion FestivalProSoundWeb · case study · 2012

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Know more about CL5?

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