We've got one of those Yamaha boards. Very cool. I think you'll like that mixer. Haven't had it very long and don't use it that often so I can't comment on the ruggedness or road-worthiness. It is a sweet mixer though.

I really wish Yamhah, or someone, would come out with a rack unit full of those 1-knob compressors. I definitely like advanced compressors for studio, but for live, this 1 knob business is just optimal for ease and convenience. Man, at 1 knob per compressor, how many compressors could you fit in 1 rack space? That'd be super cool for controlling kick and snare in a live drummer situation, as well as vocal mics. You can get way more apparent headroom out of your system if you just compress some stuff lightly to keep the clipping down.