TF1

great value, super powerful, easy to use.

Excellent mixer and very happy with the promptness that it arrived.

Sounds great, simple, easy to use. Forget everything you know about CL/QL, this is totally different. If you approach this board with an open mind you'll learn the new interface quickly. Within an hour I had the board powered on, firmware updated, connected with the optional NY64 Dante Card to our PA, and had 8 mics set up with the Dugan automixer. You can really fly on this thing. For those wondering, you CAN multitrack record and playback with Dante. Also can with the included USB audio interface. You can also repatch your x2 stereo inputs to come from the iPad/USB port (which charges your iPad by the way!), or Dante ("slot") channels 63/64, or USB interface channels 33/34. Very handy so you don't have to burn up your other inputs. The idea of having two permanent effects slots, which cannot be anything other than effects, is a novel concept. But I like it because, the way it's set up on the board, you're not burning up auxes and stereo inputs/returns for your effects. They simply show up in the interface as "send to FX slot one or two" respectively, then you have your master return volume knobs (which can be added as a fader on your custom layer, so you don't have to use the knobs. Same for stereo ins). But the board is not limited to only two FX - you can directly assign an effect to a sub-mix/aux. For example you can have a Room reverb on a Drum Kit sub-mix. Also the two preprogrammed effects slots can be changed from Rev/Delay to others. So you have options. This board also has a dedicated send for "subwoofers." Again, very helpful because you don't have to burn up an aux or a matrix for your subs. It's already there. So if you really think about it, this board is marketed as having 16 auxes and 4 matrixes and 2 stereo inputs. But including the preprogrammed Sub send, the built in effects slots (x2 mono sends), and the effects returns (2 stereo ins/4 inputs).... you're really looking at a 19 aux, 4 matrixes, and 4 stereo input mixer. As you approach this board, keep in mind that it was designed from the ground up to be beginner/user-friendly. That being said, some things are pre-programmed and cannot be changed. For example, on other Yamaha consoles such as the CL5, you have to patch your output mixes/matrices to output ("transmit") Dante channels. For example, you could manually patch ST L and ST R to Dante channels 1 and 2, auxes 1-24 as Dante channels 3-26, etc, then you label them in Dante Controller/Device View to make patching easier. You could choose whatever channels you want, and be as disorganized or organized as you want. I assumed the same would be needed for the TF1, but there is no patch menu I could find. Once I fired up DC and expanded the TF1 output channels, I could see that all the Output channels were already labeled in Dante Controller, including individual channel direct outputs for multitrack recording. So basically, the board already has all the outputs patched internally, and the patches are already named in DC, and there's no easy way I can find to INTERNALLY to change this patching. But I see that as an advantage and time saver because I would've normally had to spend some time getting all that stuff patched, then disable the ability of the volunteers to change those settings. The real inflexibility may come later when we start talking patching Dante Inputs to the console. FYI the only rack cases on the whole internet I could find which would fit this board are the SKB GigRig (not enough rack space for gear), and the Odyssey FW1416Z. We used the SKB rack ears so it would sit down in the case with room at the top for the lid. Gripes: Really wish it came with built-in Dante networking. Every other console in this price range has built in connectivity to their own stage boxes, but Yamaha doesn't. Also if other manufacturers come out with cards for this console, I'd have to choose between using stage boxes and using a different option card, which forces me to use the analogue Pres on the TF1 and an analogue snake. Sure, there are workarounds... ex. If your external rig supports a Dante card then you could do your patching that way. And that's not a bad way to go either, considering the flexibility Dante offers. But IMO if you're gonna have a card slot, you need to have built-in stage box connectivity. Minor gripe - Dugan automixer. Works great, but it's only on the first 8 channels and I don't think it can be moved to a different block of channels. Makes sense for us because we're running our radios into the local pres on the TF1 and a TIO for channels 17-32. But if you ever need to mix and match channels going into the Automixer, you have to repatch them to be in channels 1-8 on the TF. This type of Dante patching, I think, needs to be done with Dante Controller. It's easy, just another step you have to factor in. Overall I've been very impressed with this mixer and its ease of use. Time will tell if it proves itself reliable like other Yamaha consoles.