Members dougsthang Posted January 26, 2006 Members Share Posted January 26, 2006 Hey Craig, Good to see you at the show. Where are you posting these video reviews? I can't seem to locate them. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Anderton Posted January 27, 2006 Members Share Posted January 27, 2006 I just sent off the first 8 videos yesterday, I'm hoping they'll be posted soon. Just click on the NAMM report link on the front page and that should take you to them when they're up. Rob, I'm waaaay bummed I didn't get to hear your speakers. Is there a link for more info? I missed so much at the show because, well, there was so much interest in Harmony Central. I couldn't go ten feet without people giving the thumbs up on the site, asking about Pro Reviews, who to talk to about advertising, etc. It was very gratifying and wonderful, but it was a lot easier to cover the show before... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Geoff Grace Posted January 27, 2006 Author Members Share Posted January 27, 2006 My NAMM Report, part 1 As I wandered around the show floor with some friends this year, we ran into another friend and asked the typical NAMM question, "so what's the cool hit of the show for you this year?" "A power strip," he said. Once we stopped laughing, he added, "No. Seriously." It's called SmartRack, and it promises to replace your wall-warts forever and save you money in the process. It does this by connecting wall-wart devices to a rack-mount power strip, bypassing wall-warts with supplied adapter cables. Appropriate voltage is then assigned to the rack outputs via USB from the power supply's management application that users install in their Macs or PCs. You gotta love it when box makers think outside of the box! Speaking of items that use wall-wart technology, I was very impressed with the Novation ReMOTE SL. It has everything I want in a keyboard controller: LCD screens, automapping, knobs, sliders, buttons, trigger pads, an assignable X/Y touchpad, dedicated transport controls, aftertouch, good keyboard action, expression and sustain pedal inputs, MIDI in, thru, and out, plug and play USB connection with both Macs & PCs, and more. Personally, I'd prefer pitch and mod wheels to the ReMOTE's pitch/mod joystick; but I'd happily make do, considering everything else this keyboard controller has to offer. Considering all of the forum buzz lately about Receptor, I decided to pay a visit to the Muse Research booth; and I talked with two of the company's representatives for about a half hour. I was also told that Receptor has the same great sound card as E-mu's E-IV series. (In fact, I believe two of Muse's people helped create the E-IV in their previous jobs at E-mu.) But if you want to bypass Receptor's sound card for any reason, Muse's new UniWire technology can integrate Receptor with your DAW as if it were a plug-in (one that doesn't tax your CPU, of course). Apogee has created two new audio interfaces in conjunction with Apple. ("Applegee" anyone?) The first is a box called Ensemble. I believe that it can also be used as a standalone A/D D/A converter as well; and at half of the price of Apogee's Rosetta 800, it seems worth considering, even for those who don't use CoreAudio applications. Apogee also announced Symphony a PCI Express card with direct connectivity to Apogee's Rosetta 800, Rosetta 200, AD-16X and DA-16X converters. States Apogee, "With the ability to install three cards in Apple's G5, Symphony is the only connectivity solution that offers high end, professional users the capability to utilize up to 192 channels of audio simultaneously in a single computer, providing more than enough I/O for even the biggest scoring sessions." Is this the "Pro Tools" killer we've been hearing rumors about? Well, it remains a native solution; but it's impressive nonetheless! Both Ensemble and Symphony promise tight integration and low latency with Mac DAW applications via CoreAudio and an application called Maestro. There's also an extra layer of integration with Logic via new control panels to be introduced in Logic Pro 7.2. While Apple aimed at the high-end, Digidesign finally acknowledged the middle ground. For the longest time, Pro Tools users who found TDM to be more than they needed and LE to be insufficient had no choice but to make do or pay for features they didn't need. Now, with Digidesign Music and DV Toolkits, LE users can pay a little more and triple their track count of stereo active voices. While current LE users must make do with a maximum of 16 stereo voices (or 32 mono voices), Toolkit users will have up to 48 stereo voices (or 48 mono voices) at their disposal. Additional features, extra plug-ins, and software instruments are bundled with these Toolkits. (For details, follow the link above.) My hat's off to Digidesign for finally beginning to bridge the gap! Stay tuned for part 2. Best, Geoff Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Anderton Posted January 27, 2006 Members Share Posted January 27, 2006 Thanks Geoff!! Keep those reports coming and I'll try to do the same. Dittos on the power strip, by the way Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Phil O'Keefe Posted January 27, 2006 Share Posted January 27, 2006 Phil, we need to talk. You know my number Brother - give me a ring. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Geoff Grace Posted February 1, 2006 Author Members Share Posted February 1, 2006 Originally posted by Anderton:Thanks Geoff!! Keep those reports coming and I'll try to do the same. And thank you, Craig. I always look forward to your excellent NAMM reports! I've enjoyed them for many years now! My other installment will follow this post Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Geoff Grace Posted February 1, 2006 Author Members Share Posted February 1, 2006 My NAMM Report, part 2In part one of my NAMM report, I focused mostly on hardware. So, in my second and final part, let's start with some hardware inspired software:The Waves SSL 4000 Collection was designed to emulate SSL 4000 G and E series consoles, and Waves has garnered the endorsement of Solid State Logic for their models of the SSL G-Master Buss Compressor, SSL E-Channel and SSL G-Equalizer. So, how do they sound? Well, I was fortunate enough to sit in on a private demo in a relatively quiet room at NAMM with two engineers I know who have spent more hours than I can count at the helms of SSL consoles. All three of us were impressed by how close these plug-ins sounded. In fact, the author at the link above claims that, "the Waves SSL 4000 plug-ins sound virtually identical to their hardware counterparts, with an impressive 35dB of phase cancellation when run side by side from the same source." If you want the SSL sound in a plug-in, this appears to be the closest option yet.While they were at it, Waves also demoed their new GTR (Guitar Tool Rack) system for the three of us. Designed in conjunction with Paul Reed Smith and the PRS team, the Waves GTR system pairs a hardware guitar interface with a suite of guitar plug-ins that model amps, cabinets, mikes, and stomp-box effects. Again, we were all impressed with the accuracy of the Waves plug-ins. In fact, I think I prefer these to Amp Farm and Amplitube; but of course, I wasn't able to compare them with each other, so I'll reserve my final judgment for another time.Getting back to hardware for a moment, let's talk about keyboards. For starters, I loved the Dave Smith Instruments Evolver Keyboard, a mono version of the Poly Evolver Keyboard or a keyboard version of the Evolver - you pick. It has the same great sound as its forbearers, solid action, and plenty of control. I also liked the Korg Radias. More of a cousin to the OASYS than a descendent, Korg claims the Radias modeling techniques eliminate aliasing noise "in even the highest frequencies." I liked the sound and control offered by the knob-laden sound module section, although its knobs were just a little cramped for my taste. While I applaud Korg for the unit's novel design that allows the control module to pivot up or down and move from side to side to make room for a laptop computer, I personally wished they had made the control section wider and left more space between the knobs. However, it's important to note that the current width allows the unit to be rack-mounted; and in the end, that convenience might very well outweigh my minor quibble about its knob spacing.I also caught the Roland demos of their SH-201 synthesizer and their Juno-G synth. However, both units were still in development and neither had factory sounds yet. As a matter of fact, Roland was initially unable to demo the Juno-G because someone had swiped the demo sound card; and lacking internal sounds, it was just an empty vessel. (I caught the demo once the card had been replaced.) That said, the demo sounds of both units were promising; and I liked both keyboards' nostalgic layouts. While the Juno-G is essentially a Fantom-X under the hood, Roland indicated that it would include sounds inspired by the original Juno in the keyboard's sound bank. Both keyboards include USB ports, computer software, infrared D Beam controllers, and other nods to the 21st century, but their emphasis is on the analog sounds of the '70s and '80s.Mark of the Unicorn demoed Digital Performer 5. (BTW, 4.61 is now available as a free download for 4.5 users.) DP 5 includes new instrument plug-ins, track folders, features for film and TV composers (streamer, flutter and punch), and more. MOTU ended their demo with an impressive new sample instrument called Ethno. It couples four gigabytes of keyboard-mapped ethnic instrument sounds with another four gigabytes of world music loops and phrases. According to the link above, Ethno's preset browser "organizes both instruments and loops by regions of the world, including Africa, Asia, Australia, Celtic, Eastern Europe, India, Middle East, Mediterranean, West Indies, Occidental and others." Priced at $295, for anyone who wants a good overview of world sounds, this collection offers a solid bang for the buck. I told MOTU that if this library were available now, I would have bought a copy then and there.As much as I liked Ethno, I was even more impressed by another sample library. Judging from the demos I heard on the show floor, Broadway Big Band by newcomers Fable-Sounds contains big band sampled instruments of unparalleled realism. (Weighing in at a massive 140 GBs, it should!) The HALion based library is still in the beta stage and pricing has yet to be determined, but I was told that it will cost somewhere between $1,000 and $3,000. Each instrument was recorded in mono with at least four different microphone positions: close, tight, loose, and room. Fable-Sounds has yet to put audio demos on their site; but the NAMM demos were very impressive! If you've been waiting for a high-end big band library, this is the one to buy! For a PDF of the brochure that Fable-Sounds handed out at NAMM click here.As always, there was a lot to see at NAMM; but these were most of my favorite highlights. If I remember anything else, I'll post it later; but otherwise, "that's all, folks!" Best,Geoff Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members UstadKhanAli Posted February 1, 2006 Members Share Posted February 1, 2006 Geoff, thank you very much for that great NAMM report! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Geoff Grace Posted February 1, 2006 Author Members Share Posted February 1, 2006 Best,Geoff Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Robman2 Posted February 1, 2006 Members Share Posted February 1, 2006 Craig and Phil... No link as yet but when the final product is near (60 to 90 days) I'll give you both a shout. Phil, I'm simply out of time for a drive out east because we are doing a Zaolla set at SIR next week in Nashville.http://news.harmony-central.com/Newp/2006/Professional-Audio-Solutions-Zaolla-Muse-Clinic.html Then two more weeks on the road through the south. When I get back, I'll call and get the mics over to you as well as the digital monitors. Ray Kennedy is going to do some A/B on the two tube mics (701 style and 12AY7 style) in Nashville for me, comparing to the originals he owns. Sorry for the delay in response Craig, I missed your post after NAMM. Ray is also very interested in listening to the D-monitors as well. Thanks for the interest. Rob Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Jeff da Weasel Posted February 1, 2006 Members Share Posted February 1, 2006 Here's a little NAMM photo journal on my web site, mostly boring random stuff I took for my clients, but you're welcome to check it out if you so choose. - Jeff Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Robman2 Posted February 1, 2006 Members Share Posted February 1, 2006 Jeff great pics, you and Frank Guitwien, of PCM Marketing could be twins... At least I saw the back of my booth in the first Aphex shot. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Anderton Posted February 2, 2006 Members Share Posted February 2, 2006 Gotta mention NI's Kore. It wasn't at the booth, presented only at a press conference, but it's a hardware controller and softward protocol that is NI's sort of "unified field theory" for soft synths. The object is to be able to use one controller with multiple instruments, so you can apply gestures learned on one instrument to another (like if you learn a Strat, you can play a Les Paul). There's also a database tagging system for patches, which will be open to third parties, to make it easier to find patches (as Daniel Haver from NI said, "All the Native Instruments products alone ship with over 10,000 patches"). That's a lot to wade through. The controller looks hot -- but whether this is the hardware control breakthrough we've all been waiting for, or just a well-intentioned attempt to make software synths easier to deal with, is something we'll find out later this year. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Geoff Grace Posted February 2, 2006 Author Members Share Posted February 2, 2006 Craig, the impression I got from Native Instruments is that Kore's software side was somewhat analogous to Steinberg's V-Stack, while its hardware side was both a controller and an audio interface, kind of like M-Audio's Ozone, but without the keyboard. I gather from what you've written that Kore's feature set extends beyond those other products in some ways but that V-Stack and Ozone at least provide a frame of reference for those who have had trouble making sense of Native Instruments' press release. Does that sound about right? There had been speculation in keyboard forums here and at MusicPlayer that Kore would be a standalone hardware solution, like Receptor; but it isn't. Kore requires a Mac or PC to host the software. Best, Geoff Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Red Winger Posted February 2, 2006 Members Share Posted February 2, 2006 Actually, Kore is one of a couple of things that really got my GAS a-going. If anyone caught rumblings of target list pricing or estimates, I'd be very interested, as I've yet to see anything on that.If it does what it claims, it could be a real boon to my live rig and may even have me going "completely soft"!!! --Mark Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Anderton Posted February 2, 2006 Members Share Posted February 2, 2006 Yes...but I think (not sure) the interface is just so that the unit can interface with the real world. The V-Stack analogy isn't too far off, but I think it's perhaps more like the Legacy Cell thing in Korg's Legacy Series. The database thing interests me. Seems to me there's no reason for other manufacturers not to support it. > Yes. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Geoff Grace Posted February 7, 2006 Author Members Share Posted February 7, 2006 Update: Waves has now released its SSL 4000 Collection. Want to try before you buy? Registered Waves users may download a demo version that expires after seven days. Best, Geoff Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Anderton Posted February 7, 2006 Members Share Posted February 7, 2006 Anyone see the Morrison Digital Trumpet? It was pretty cool. Video will be on the site in a couple days. The video on the Toft console will show up later today, I think. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Geoff Grace Posted February 19, 2006 Author Members Share Posted February 19, 2006 I just saw the Toft console & Morrison Digital Trumpet videos - very cool! 2006 Winter NAMM VideosBest,Geoff Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Anderton Posted February 20, 2006 Members Share Posted February 20, 2006 There are 11 more going up in the next day or two, including some hot stuff -- there's a pretty interesting video on NI's KORE. Also check out the Hall E video, there's a taste of "NAMM Cam" in there Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Rique Posted February 20, 2006 Members Share Posted February 20, 2006 Any videos on the EmulatorX 2? It has some cool new features like SynthSwipe, TwistaLoop and Transform Multiply. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Anderton Posted February 20, 2006 Members Share Posted February 20, 2006 > Not as of now. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Geoff Grace Posted February 22, 2006 Author Members Share Posted February 22, 2006 Native Instruments is beginning to reveal more details about KORE:Originally sent via e-mail from Native Instruments:Dear musicians and producers,After previewing the brand-new KORE system at the NAMM Winter Show 2006, the time has come to take a closer look at this uniquely powerful hardware and software solution. Every Wednesday in the run up to the Frankfurter Musikmesse, one of five central aspects of KORE will be featured in detail on the NI website. Finally, in the 6th week, full information and technical specifications will be revealed at the Musikmesse and of course online too.Chapter 1: This week's feature focuses on KORE's unique interface and how it makes producing with software instruments and effects far more intuitive, efficient and musically oriented:-> http://www.native-instruments.com/kore1.infoChapter 2: Next week will focus on KoreSound, the brand new sound format that is universally compatible and shifts the focus away from individual instruments and toward the sound itself.Best regards,Your Native Instruments TeamBest,Geoff Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Geoff Grace Posted March 14, 2006 Author Members Share Posted March 14, 2006 Digidesign's Music Production Toolkit & DV Toolkit 2 Are Now Available.Click here for details.Good news: Owners of the original DV Toolkit option can upgrade to DV Toolkit 2 through the DigiStore for only $295.Bad news: Important Compatibility Note: Installation of Pro Tools LE 7.1 software will disable operation of the original DV Toolkit software option. If you intend to use Pro Tools LE 7.1 (or a future version of Pro Tools LE software) with DV Toolkit, you will need to upgrade to DV Toolkit 2. Best, Geoff Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Geoff Grace Posted March 14, 2006 Author Members Share Posted March 14, 2006 Oh, and the release of the Music Production Toolkit (which I posted news about above) also means that Digidesign's Hybrid synthesizer plug-in is now available. Best,Geoff Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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