Gear Diary’s Best of NAMM 2020 Awards
The National Association of Music Merchants Show, better known as NAMM is wrapping up. A lot of amazing music gear came out this year; these were the items that blew us away.
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Peavey Electronics Introduces 50th Anniversary Guitar Amplifiers at NAMM
2015 marks the 50th anniversary of Peavey, a company known for high quality amplifiers at affordable prices. They also make much-loved basses and guitars (the T40 and T60 were popular when I was in high school, and I still a T20 fretless bass), as well as sound reinforcement equipment and other products, but amplifiers have always been their focus.
Orange OB1 Series Bass Amplifiers Launched at NAMM 2015!
While it seems like vintage gear, trendy tablet interfaces and more fringe stuff are dominating the news out of NAMM this year, a number of traditional music makers are also introducing the ‘boring’ stuff – great sounding gear with awesome features. One of those is Orange, who has announced the Orange OB1 series of rack-mountable bass amplifiers.
Korg ARP Odyssey Analog Synthesizer Unveiled at NAMM 2015
I remember getting the chance to play with an ARP Odyssey in junior high, back in the mid-1970s – it was an awesome piece of music-making hardware! Released in 1972 to compete with the MiniMoog, the Odyssey was responsible for many of the classic synth sounds of the 1970s, and now Korg has announced the Korg ARP Odyssey Analog Synthesizer!
IK Multimedia will show Zero latency on Android at NAMM 2015!
Let’s be honest – I have been harshly critical of Android as a non-functional platform for making music. And while Android as a whole isn’t suddenly becoming a viable music platform, the programming hooks for low-latency audio are finally being fully exploited by developers! At NAMM later this month IK Multimedia will be demonstrating zero latency audio apps for Android.
M-Audio Trigger Finger Pro announced at NAMM 2014
If you were to ask my younger son about his most elusive piece of affordable technology, it would be the M-Audio Trigger Finger from 2005. The popular controller was used by all of his favorite music producers but was discontinued. Now it is back and better than ever with the M-Audio Trigger Finger Pro announced at NAMM 2014! Here is what M-Audio is saying: Trigger Finger Pro is a fully encompassed performance instrument and software control station in the form of a portable, 16-pad (4×4 configured) instrument with onboard sequencing. Nearly a decade ago, M-Audio revolutionized the industry by introducing…
Prophet 12 Synthesizer by Dave Smith Introduced at NAMM 2013
One of the first synths I did serious work on was the Prophet 5. That synth was introduced by Sequential Circuits in 1978 as one of the first polyphonic instruments, but the reason it is still popular is the amazing sounds. The Prophet 5 was the brain-child of Sequential Circuits founder Dave Smith. If that name sounds familiar it is because Smith is also known as the ‘Father of MIDI’, and I recently wrote about the 30th anniversary of MIDI. After Yamaha bought Sequential Circuits in 1987, Smith went on to head up the new US research lab for Korg…
Korg Introduces 9 New Products at NAMM 2013, Including KingKORG and MS-20 Mini
At the NAMM 2013 show, Korg announced nine (!) new products that all look great – I recommend you head to Korg to get all of the details. But I wanted to highlight two that look super-cool: the MS-20 Mini and KingKORG. The MS-20 Mini is the reimagining of the classic monophonic synth that we have seen emulated so much recently. The KingKORG is a robust analog modeling synth built for great sound and performance. MS-20 Mini Everyone loves the Korg MS-20, it seems. This 1978 monophonic synth with cable-patching and limited configurations ultimately had one major thing that has…
Moog Releases Details of the ‘Sub Phatty’ for NAMM 2013
The NAMM Winter Show for 2013 runs from January 24-27 and will showcase the best in music technology. We won’t be there, but will try to cover the coolest tech-focused music production gear coming out of the show. The question in 1993 was ‘why would you want a two-oscillator analog synth’ … but in 2013 there isn’t even a question anymore, you simply NEED this sound! Regardless of advances in digital simulated, the Moog Filter sound has a depth that cannot be emulated as well as the original instrument. So when leaks came about Moog introducing a new affordable analog…
Mackie Brings 16-Channel iPad Powered Mixer to NAMM
Each year when I check out the news from NAMM I look at cool new stuff as well as what is happening with companies I already known and love. Mackie Designs is one of those companies. For a long time they were a mixer-only company, and about 20 years ago when I was transitioning from trying to use my Tascam Portastudio as a pseudo-mixer into having a real home studio, the Mackie 1202 provided everything I need in a well made, high quality package at a budget price – and it is still going strong today for myself and my…
Moog and Arturia Bring Mini-Monster Analog Synths to NAMM!
NAMM 2012 just keeps rolling … and more and more great products are appearing. Given that I grew up with analog synthesis and all of the good (the sound) and bad (everything else) that went along with it, I have always been amused by the fascination younger folks have with analog synthesizers. I still have a 90’s sound module that used a combination of digital sampling and waveform manipulation to provide analog-like sounds, but recently we have seen and heard much greater use of the massive bass waveforms by artists in electronica and dance music. This week at NAMM we…
NAMM 2012: IK Multimedia Presents iRig PRE Universal Microphone Interface for iPhone/iPad
This week is the NAMM (National Association of Music Merchants) trade show, and as such a number of new products are coming out. Of particular interest are products that integrate highly functional musical capabilities and our everyday mobile products. Since that is what IK Multimedia does, I was not surprised to see some cool announcements from them again this week! The first is for a pro-level microphone pre-amplifier that hooks into your iOS device. Here is some more info: IK Multimedia is proud to present iRig™ PRE, the ultimate solution for connecting any type of microphone – from regular stage…
An Interview with Asher Dowson, House of Worship Segment Manager at D&B Audiotechnik
D&b is known throughout the professional audio community for its groundbreaking Soundscape technology; at NAMM, we had a chance to visit with Asher Dowson, the House of Worship segment manager at d&b audiotechnik. He was the one to fill us in on the concept of d&b’s belief that “everyone should experience the same impeccable quality of sound, regardless of their position in the audience.”
KININ Personal Aromatherapy Pens — Just Don’t Call It a Vape!
I have a love/hate relationship with essential oils. I know they can be soothing and relaxing, but often, when they’re running through a diffuser for a long time, I get a headache. We were offered the chance to review the KININ personal aromatherapy pens, which have a different approach to aromatherapy, so I thought it was worth a shot!
Mark of the Unicorn Shipping Digital Performer 9 for Mac and PC!
Last year Mark of the Unicorn announced Digital Performer 8 at NAMM in January but didn’t ship until late September. This year they have turned around the new version much more quickly-Digital Performer 9 is now available with loads of new and updated features to make this an essential upgrade for all owners!
Roland Unveils JD-XA and Other Great Music Tech at Musicmesse 2015!
This week is the Musicmesse Festival in Frankfurt, Germany. This event, along with January’s NAMM, are the biggest events for the music industry and the place for new gear announcements. We won’t cover everything, but Roland has some new gear that simply needs to be discussed. The big announcement is their hotly anticipated JD-Xa Analog + Digital Crossover Synthesizer!
Roland Brings the Classic Sound Canvas Synth Module to iOS
Much of the big noise from the recent NAMM show was about bringing back the classic analog synths of the 60s and 70s. But what about the workhorses of the digital era? Those tools for those of us starving for polyphony on a budget? Roland is answering this with the introduction of the Sound Canvas module for iOS.
Zivix Pioneers Breakthroughs in Bluetooth MIDI Tech with Jamstick+ & PUC+
Late in 2013 Zivix announced PUC, wireless MIDI interface that allowed use of traditional music gear with iOS devices. The original PUC created a local WiFi network to handle the MIDI interface, now they’re back with PUC+ using Bluetooth Low Energy to more efficiently communicate while allowing simultaneous WiFi connections. They also announced jamstik+, bringing BTLE to their smart guitar!
IK Multimedia Announces iRig Mic Studio, Ultra-Portable Large Diaphragm Mic
Dan and Judie wrote about how the iRig Mic Field from IK Multimedia helped them cover NAIAS in Detroit as well as CES, and it illustrated another step in how far IK has evolved in their microphone offerings. Now IK Multimedia is announcing their next step with the iRig Mic Studio, an ultra-portable large-diaphragm mic for every platform.
IK Announces iRig UA, First Guitar Processor for All Android Devices
I have already noted that IK Multimedia hinted at their full-on onslaught of Android music-making at NAMM, and they are delivering. They announced one of the key items this week – iRig UA, allowing users of nearly any Android device to plug in their guitar and make awesome music using a compatible app. Time for Android users to rock out!
Moog Brings Back Three Legendary Modular Large-Format Synthesizers
This year at NAMM 2015 we have seen the rebirth of the classic synthesizer brands Sequential Circuits and ARP, leaving only one brand remaining. So naturally Moog has come back as well, and they introduced redesigned versions of their absolute classic modular synthesizers the System 15, 35 and 55. These dynamic instruments are all about creativity.