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.
Music and Musical Gear
Roland Announces GO:LIVECAST Live Streaming Studio for Smartphones at CES 2020
Roland, the industry-leading manufacturer of electronic musical instruments and professional video products, announced its latest innovation at CES 2020 in Las Vegas, the GO:LIVECAST Live Streaming Studio for Smartphones. GO:LIVECAST is a mobile device that allows streamers to enhance and manage live content while remaining engaged with their audience. It’s basically a mobile broadcast studio and it’ll be available January 2020 for $249.99.
MacOS Catalina … Is It Safe Yet?
I have always been an ‘update first and ask questions later’ kind of guy, but every now and then an update arrives that hits at something critical me – and that is the case with MacOS Catalina. Because it is incompatible with 32-bit applications, everyone has known that older applications would be in danger – but for me an entire industry seems to have been waiting for the last possible moment: music production.
Learn to Play Right Away with Roland’s New AE-01 Aerophone Mini
Last week we were treated to some awesome new Roland synths and controllers, and to follow it up they are announcing a new digital wind instrument that us powerful yet easy to learn: the AE-01 Aerophone Mini.
Roku Launches Pre-Orders for New Smart Soundbar and Wireless Subwoofer
Roku, long known for their streaming devices, has decided to up the ante in the audio market by introducing the new Roku Smart Soundbar and Roku Wireless Subwoofer. The Smart Soundbar is said to produce excellent sound on its own, but the new Wireless Subwoofer should a punch of bass. Preorders are open now on Roku.com for October 2019 shipping.
#909Day Continues as Roland Announces New Hybrid JU-06A Boutique Synth!
One of the first of the Roland Boutique series was the JU-06, recreating the classic Juno-106 synth (one of my personal favorites that I constantly regret selling) – but after a quick run it was also the first one pulled off the market. So I was thrilled to hear that for 909Day Roland is releasing an updated version that includes not just the Juno 106, but also the Juno 6 and Juno 60!
Roland Ups the Ante on #909Day with New Additions to their Flagship Jupiter-X Series!
Even before the 808 and 909 changed the face of rhythm production, Roland had many legendary and iconic products including the early entries of the JUPITER series.
Roland Announces Powerful New FANTOM Keyboards for #909Day!
Two of Roland’s most influential early products are the TR-808 and TR-909 Rhythm Composers, and each year on August 8th (808) and September 9th (909) the community celebrates by sharing favorites created with the classic tools and Roland offers great sales and launches awesome new products. This year is no exception, and we are covering each of the new products separately.
Roland Introduces the MC-707 and MC-101 Production Platforms for #909Day
Continuing the September 9th tradition of new product launches, Roland has announced two new GROOVEBOX products that reintroduce a concept they pioneered back in 1996 and that remains relevant with artists today.
Echo Auto is Alexa for Your Car … and Not Much More!
Last fall Amazon announced the Echo Auto, promising all of the power and convenience of Alexa in your car, and started taking sign-ups for orders. This week they started allowing people to actually buy the device, so I immediately jumped when my invite arrived!
Roland’s New Bluetooth Speaker Lets You Jam Alongside Your Tunes
If you happen to like playing the guitar or are just a music fan, Roland’s BTM-1 Bluetooth Speaker might be the one device you need to entertain your family and friends this summer.
Edifier W860NB Active Noise Cancelling Headphones Check All the Boxes
The new Edifier W860NB over-the-ear headphones are my new favorite for commuting, by far. They feature Bluetooth 4.1, Active Noise Cancellation, aptX, NFC, and smart touch controls on the side of the right ear cup. These fashionable black headphones are comfortable, easy to use, and last a seriously long time before needing to be recharged.
Yesterday Promises Great Music and a Unique Storyline
I am in no way a movie buff, and it takes something pretty unique to pique my interest. The trailer for Yesterday immediately caught my attention as a unique story coupled with Beatles music. Directed by Danny Boyle, the movie is about a struggling musician who after an accident realizes he is the only person who remembers the Beatles.
TIDAL’s Master’s Finally Arrives, Adding High Fidelity MQA to iOS
If you happen to be a user of TIDAL and happen to have an Apple Device, you’ve probably been excited about the teasers TIDAL has released over the past few months regarding the upcoming ability to listen to Master-quality audio through the streaming service. And today the feature finally arrives!
The Roland R-07 Takes High Quality Portable Audio to an Affordable Next Level
In many ways, you can compare the Roland R-07 to a smartphone microphone the same way you’d compare a DSLR to a smartphone camera. Except that while cameras have consistently and considerably improved on phones, the audio input has merely crept forward.
The Roland GO:MIXER Pro Lets You Bring Your Full Creativity Wherever You Go
I’ve long been an advocate for making music on the Apple iPad – to me it has been a key reason to always have one by my side. But while it is a great device to allow for chaining up synthesizers and recording occasional audio one track at a time, that has been pretty much the end – until now.
TIDAL Masters Now Available on Android
I’ve been a fan of TIDAL since Jay-Z acquired it in March of 2015. As the streaming service grew into a global music and entertaining platform, one thing many people wanted was the ability to capture studio-quality sound for Android. Starting today that is a reality.
Roland Invites You to TALK to Your Piano with the GO:PIANO with Alexa Built-In!
Roland has been making great strides in connecting with aspiring musicians in recent years with their GO series of devices – they allow an affordable entry point with capabilities that never feel like a compromise.
Roland Introduces GO:PIANO 88, Bringing Affordability to a Full-Sized Learning Keyboard
When I needed to learn keyboard basics, I did what many people I knew were doing — I bought a cheap, plastic mini-key limited device with a small set of second-rate sounds. It accomplished the task of letting me learn notes and communicate ideas — but little else.
Portable Mixing Meets Multi-Camera Livestreams with the Roland VR-1HD
With the solid audio and video quality of modern smartphones, there isn’t much else anyone needs to stream live … unless you want multiple cameras and true professional quality. Enter the Roland VR-1HD, a mixer for dynamic multi-camera broadcasting to bring your live streaming videos to life.
Phiaton’s New Affordable Bluetooth Wireless Headphones Are Now Available
Today, Phiaton has announced their latest addition to their popular line of wireless headphones and earphones: The Curve BT 120 NC. At less than $100, these may be the last-minute checkout you need for the holidays.