Jump to content

Winter NAMM 2006 Reports


Geoff Grace

Recommended Posts

  • Members

As most of you know, this year's Winter NAMM Show will begin this Thursday and run through Sunday. As always, anticipation of cool product announcements is running high. :cool:

 

Please post your Winter NAMM 2006 reports here, for forum members who are not fortunate enough to go to the show.

 

Feel free to discuss NAMM announced gear, events, and performances in this thread.

 

-

 

Below are some NAMM related links of note:

 

 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • Members

Originally posted by gearmike:

Soapy
,


What day are you going to the show?

 

At this point, I'm planning on going all four days; but I'm not sure how much of Sunday I'll be there for. Depending on what's happening at the show, I may skip part or all of it so I can watch the AFC and NFC championship games. (This year my second favorite team, the Broncos, is playing in the AFC championship.)

 

Sunday at NAMM or championship football is always a tough call for us musician football fans! :D

 

How about you, Geary? ;)

 

Best,

 

Geoff

Link to comment
Share on other sites

In the news...

"The Mexican" Hits Anaheim. :cool:

 

Well, as usual and an old timer fan of Craig's Namm gigs, I'll try to get there by 2 pm daily.

 

Anyone willing to know about my employer's new toys, can pay me a visit at M-Audio's booth. Just ask for "The Mex" (Gus Lozada). I'll be glad on meeting some old and new friends :wave:

 

What a lovable weather, tonight...

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • Members

 

Originally posted by Jeff da Weasel

I am tired and cranky as hell, - Jeff

 

 

Yeah so what's different about that?

 

I'll be making the rounds on Friday. Since I'm now an officail dealer again, I have all these "official" meetings I have to attend...gone were the days when I could roam annonomously among the great unwashed masses...

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • Members

The NFL playoffs/Super Bowl season cracks me up. Long after their team gets eliminated, everybody jumps on the surviving teams' bandwagons....and on Super Bowl Sunday the two biggest bandwagon teams are up against each other.

 

If YOUR team is playing, by all means don't miss it. Otherwise just Tape/Tivo the games.

 

I have no favorite NFL team so I don't really care...but my college football team just lost the national championship :(

 

 

 

Originally posted by soapbox



At this point, I'm planning on going all four days; but I'm not sure how much of Sunday I'll be there for. Depending on what's happening at the show, I may skip part or all of it so I can watch the AFC and NFC championship games. (This year my second favorite team, the Broncos, is playing in the AFC championship.)


Sunday at NAMM or championship football is always a tough call for us musician football fans!
:D

How about you,
Geary
?
;)

Best,


Geoff

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Originally posted by gearmike



Yeah so what's different about that?


I'll be making the rounds on Friday. Since I'm now an officail dealer again, I have all these "official" meetings I have to attend...gone were the days when I could roam annonomously among the great unwashed masses...

 

Even with a "press" badge, that's exactly the approach I still take. I avoid as many scheduled meetings as possible. Either I get the demo as I'm going past, or I wait a few minutes to talk to someone, or I simply move on and hit it when I come back later that day or the next day. I tend to cover a lot of ground, and I'll probably walk the entire place at least a half a dozen times. If I can't get the demo, or the info or at least a listen and a press kit, then chances are, Craig, Lee, dB or SOMEONE else will. ;)

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • Members

Originally posted by Phil O'Keefe

Bump for tomorrow... it may be slow in here now, but I imagine this will be a busy place in about 24 hours.
;)

 

Watching HC's coverage so far, I'm pretty impressed with the Roland/Boss Looping device, and the trend of newer audio/MIDI interfaces available.

 

While, the weekend is not yet over, I'm disappointed to see nothing new coming out of the Vox and Yamaha camps for guitar amps / processors. There was a rumour that Vox would be coming out with a more functional / software upgradable version of its ToneLab stuff.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Originally posted by pbognar



Watching HC's coverage so far, I'm pretty impressed with the Roland/Boss Looping device, and the trend of newer audio/MIDI interfaces available.


While, the weekend is not yet over, I'm disappointed to see nothing new coming out of the Vox and Yamaha camps for guitar amps / processors. There was a rumour that Vox would be coming out with a more functional / software upgradable version of its ToneLab stuff.

 

Lee Flier was very impressed with the new(ish) Vox AC-15. I plan on giving that a listen myself at the show today. :)

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • Members

Originally posted by Tedster

Are Melissa and Joan there doing a running commentary on what everyone's wearing?


Joan%20and%20Melissa%20Rivers.jpg

 

If she did, she would definitely have commented on Buckethead's fine attire. He was moving fast, with a bizarre 15-person "entourage" in tow, with people fawning, snapping pictures, running after him.

 

And yes, his NAMM badge simply said, "Buckethead", possibly putting to rest any rumors that Buckethead and Craig Anderton are the same person.

 

I have pictures and some things to comment on later.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • Members

Okay, let's look at a (very) few NAMM highlights...

 

Line 6 had a new kind of stompbox. You buy a "dock" with the footswitches, DSP, jacks, power supply, etc., then can plug in modules with the UI and software. The modules are cheap - $30-$60 or so - because they're really just knobs, software, and a connector. I don't know if you can hot swap them, but this opens up the opportunity to do limited run devices and "non best sellers" because you don't have to amortize a huge expense. They actually talked about porting over some of my EPFM projects...cool, eh?

 

Arturia's logo now says "Software and Hardware." Wish I could tell you what that's all about, but I've been sworn to secrecy until Frankfurt. It's a very interesting development, though. Also they've come up with a combination Prohet-5/Prophet VS plug-in where you can use each individually, or instantiate them as one

big hybrid instrument.

 

Dave Smith has a Mono Evolver keyboard...it's a really cute little monosynth.

 

I love the new Korg stuff, particularly the Radias. It just looks soooo cool I want it just to be able to stare at it! Also I know the OASYS isn't new, but they had a plucked string addition to it that rocked. They do guitar feedback by actually creating a feedback path, and it sounds totally bitchin'. My jaw just about hit the floor. Their answer to the Trigger Finger looks great, too.

 

M-Audio claims their speakers are fantastic. Didn't get a chance to hear them but they were really really into it. They've got some new premium Pro Sessions CDs, and a bunch of "Oxygen Part Deux" keyboards.

 

Sony showed Acid 6.0, and they finally got their MIDI act together. It's looking more and more like a DAW that's built on a foundation of looping.

 

Speaking of 6, Steinberg had Wavelab 6 rockin' at their booth. Nice new UI things and some new processors.

 

There was a WHOLE lot more, but I'm busy working on the videos from the show. So far I've done eight, including some cool footage of Michael Wilton (Queensryche) and Paul Crook (Meatloaf) playing at the DigiTech pre-show party. Lots of good stuff!!

 

I'll post more when I get a chance.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • Members

Terry Howard came by and listened to our from the ground up, digital reference monitors, as did George from MIX.

 

They were both more than impressed.

 

They both commented on the complete sound field,non discernable crossover, lack of phase smear and especially the image being listenable from far, near or off the center point.

 

Terry had very positive comparasions over the existing above a $1000 crop which he's not that fond of so far.

 

terry said the only two things he'd heard at the show that impressed him were our digital monitors and SYnthax's single cone stereo monitor.

 

I played Nick Smiths CD for he and his manager and even in the din of late Thursday's hall B, their jaws dropped and they both have heard their record a lot.

 

After listening for about five minutes Phillip Burke, said it's like being in the club hearing it live.

 

Nicks playing at the Catalina Grill, Stanley Clark on bass and I believe Dennis Chambers on drums, early next month.

 

That's the same lineup as the CD we were playing.

 

I met Phil Upchurch while waiting for my car and told him Nick was going out and Stanley was playing bass, he was confused saying that Nick plays for Stanley...I said not this time out.

 

Phil tried a Zaolla cable the next day, now it's in his bag wherever he goes. Rick Derringer also glommed onto Zaolla, via the Warrior booth as did a lot of walk in folks.

 

It was really busy and for the second year, I couldn't even get around the show to simply see what was going on every where else.

 

Yikes...

 

It was fun, I'm headed for Nashville next and will ask a couple luminaryengineers to give me their feedback on the digital monitors and multi pattern tube mics we have.

 

Phil, we need to talk.

 

R

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Archived

This topic is now archived and is closed to further replies.

×
×
  • Create New...