Keyboards

[Geoff Grace]

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

Please post your Winter NAMM 2007 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:

• Harmony Central will post regular NAMM gear updates here (http://namm.harmony-central.com/WNAMM07/Index/) throughout all of the days of the show. (In fact, they've already begun posting show coverage at the above link.)

• There will be a forum dinner (http://www.musicplayer.com/ubb/ultimatebb.php?/ubb/get_topic/f/18/t/020683.html) during NAMM on Thursday, January 18th, at 7:30 PM.

• Craig Anderton will perform at the PreSonus booth #6330 every NAMM show day at 3:00 PM. Click here for details (http://acapella.harmony-central.com/forums/showthread.php?t=1477758).

Best,

Geoff

[Phil O'Keefe]

Here's the press release on Structure - Digidesign's new sampler:

For Immediate Release

Digidesign Announces Collaboration with EASTWEST



Anaheim, CA (NAMM, Anaheim Convention Center¾Booth #6606 Hall A, January 18, 2007) ¾ Digidesign and EASTWEST today announced a collaboration to bring EASTWEST’s high quality sample libraries to Digidesign’s collection of award-winning virtual instruments. In the near future, Digidesign® instruments—including the new high-end sampler Structure™—will feature premium sample content from EASTWEST.

“Our new professional sampler, Structure, was developed specifically for use with Pro Tools workstations, offering exceptional performance and playability as well as the ability to build superior sample-based RTAS® instruments,” explains Peter Gorges, director of Digidesign’s Advanced Instrument Research (A.I.R.) group, an in-house team dedicated to the development of high quality virtual instruments for Pro Tools. “As a result, Structure provides the best platform yet for seamlessly integrating sound libraries into the Pro Tools environment.”



Gorge continues, “By partnering with EASTWEST, we are able to complement our engine with the world’s most acclaimed libraries, perfectly optimized for Structure and upcoming integrated virtual instruments. Not only does EASTWEST offer some of the most recognized libraries, including EASTWEST/Quantum Leap Symphonic Orchestra, Symphonic Choirs, Colossus, RA, and Stormdrum, but they also share an unswerving dedication to quality and innovation that is similar to our own. In so many ways this is the perfect partnership.”



“We fully respect the major contributions Digidesign has made to the industry and feel that a relationship of this type is of tremendous benefit to those looking for the best tools to compose with,” adds Doug Rogers, EASTWEST founder and producer. “Utilizing top-of-the-line studios, recording equipment, performers, and instruments, EASTWEST is continuously enhancing its product lines to meet the ever-changing needs of the industry. Working closely with Digidesign, we plan to make further advancements in the way producers create and compose music.”

As a first outcome of this collaboration, Digidesign’s new sampler Structure will ship with exclusive EASTWEST factory content as well as a trial version of EASTWEST’s Colossus “Structure Edition” that can be upgraded to a full 160+ instrument powerhouse.



For more information, visit Digidesign’s website at www.digidesign.com.

:wave:

[Geoff Grace]

Here's a few links:

Six New Releases From From Eastwest/Quantum Leap Powered By Play™ The World's First 64-Bit Sample Engine (http://www.soundsonline-forums.com/showthread.php?t=6904)
Digidesign Introduces Structure — the Future of Professional Sampling (http://www.digidesign.com/index.cfm?navid=48&itemid=24499&langid=100&action=news_details)
Arturia Jupiter 8V (http://www.arturia.com/evolution/en/products/jupiter-8v/intro.html)
Arturia Origin (http://www.arturia.com/evolution/en/products/origin/intro.html)
Muse Research Receptor PRO (http://www.plugorama.com/customer/product.php?productid=535)
SSL Launches Drumstrip Plug-In For Duende (http://www.solid-state-logic.com/news/drumstrip_news.html)

Best,

Geoff

[Alndln2]

Here's a few links:

Six New Releases From From Eastwest/Quantum Leap Powered By Play™ The World's First 64-Bit Sample Engine (http://www.soundsonline-forums.com/showthread.php?t=6904)

If anyone at Namm can report wether the new East/West/N.I. Storm Drum 2 finally support drag&drop midi clips ala Stylus and EZ drummer it would be nice, because if they left that out or don't have an alternative solution to this it would be dissapointing no matter what it sounds like. The N.I. Intakt solution has been passed by long ago and a new GUI and new samples aren't going to cut it with a lot of people. The Kompakt based stuff looks more interesting though.

[Anderton]

Overview or Arturia's Origin. What's cool is that this will cost around $2500 and it's basically a complete modular synthesizer, in hardware...doesn't need a PC or Mac to work.

[Anderton]

Here's the Origin's step sequencer screen.

[Anderton]

...and the Origin's module selection screen, where you select the modules you're going to use in a patch.

[Anderton]

And here's the Korg M3, their big deal workstation. It uses a lot of OASYS technology, and sounds really good - definitely NOT another Triton! The casing design recalls the RADIAS somewhat.

[Anderton]

More views of the M3.

[Anderton]

And...Korg must read my Keyboard reviews, because I closed out the Legacy Collection review by saying they HAD to do the Mono/Poly as a soft synth...and now they have :) :)

[Anderton]

Ooops, forgot about the Korg R3...this one of those "really inexpensive with lots of sounds and a vocoder" kinda things. Joerg Sunderkotter from Sound+Recording magazine over in Germany is lusting after it...

[Anderton]

And here's the KP, the smallest and least expensive member of the KAOSS pad family.

[Anderton]

Yamaha had two new keyboards. The less expensive one, basically an inexpensive Motif with a lot of the same sounds, is the MM6.

[Anderton]

The XS series is their top of the line workstation. It has category search, and a very fast sequencer.

[Phil O'Keefe]

Yamaha had two new keyboards. The less expensive one, basically an inexpensive Motif with a lot of the same sounds, is the MM6.


I saw and played this today - IIRC, it was $699 list - it sounded very impressive to me at that price point.

[Phil O'Keefe]

Now here's the Korg thing that got me really excited on my trip to Japan: The Zero series mixers. The main thing is that these are mixers that are designed to be played, not just set and forget -- right up my alley! The channels can be either audio channels or MIDI control channels, and light up differently to indicate which is which. The EQ is playable too, and they look fabulous :love:

Yeah, gotta get my hands on this one. After all these years, might be the twilight of my Peavey PC-1600x...


That looks SO cool! :thu:

Gotta go hear this puppy!

[Bunny Knutson]

Craig, do you have any idea what the street price is going to be on the Korg R3, other than "really inexpensive"?

[mobobog]

I saw and played this today - IIRC, it was $699 list - it sounded very impressive to me at that price point.

wow! motif sound at that price is a bargain:thu:

Could someone post prices for the korg m3 please?

[mobobog]

http://www.sonicstate.com/news/shownews.cfm?newsid=4079
:freak: :o :mad: :bor: :freak:

[Filch]

http://photos1.blogger.com/x/blogger/6863/1447/1600/800059/boomchik.jpg

Someone posted this on another forum, with no details. I can only assum it's from NAMM. Any sightings or info about a Roger Linn and Dave Smith Instruments drum machine?

I have an evolver and love it to death, so I'm very curious about this thing.

[Anderton]

Craig, do you have any idea what the street price is going to be on the Korg R3, other than "really inexpensive"?

Pricing isn't official yet, but I'm hearing between $200-$300 street.

[percyexpat]

Pricing isn't official yet, but I'm hearing between $200-$300 street.

wow, that IS inexpensive :) Korg are definitely the company with the most interesting new stuff for me. With that little pocket recorder and the mysterious looking new Kaoss pad and this new cheap synth. Korg are great :c)

[UstadKhanAli]

wow, that IS inexpensive :) Korg are definitely the company with the most interesting new stuff for me. With that little pocket recorder and the mysterious looking new Kaoss pad and this new cheap synth. Korg are great :c)

The rep, Bobby, said that the list price was not quite determined yet, but he felt it (the Korg R3) would be somewhere around $799. It sounded really really good, and is far more sophisticated than the MicroKorg - so much so that it should not be compared to it even though it has a Vocoder with mic attachment. Mercifully, it also has full-sized keys.

[Gus Lozada]

Pricing isn't official yet, but I'm hearing between $200-$300 street.

I was told today it will be around $600 street -little above from what the MicroKorg was when originally released-.
Many differences with it, tough. Full size keys, better synth engine, USB port, does not run on batteries, etc.

... and the M3 will be "something between 2k and 3k" according different Korg sources.

[Bunny Knutson]

Pricing isn't official yet, but I'm hearing between $200-$300 street.
Even if the street price is $600, we'll be able to find used ones for $300 soon enough. :thu:

[UstadKhanAli]

http://www.korg.com/r3/ for more info, pic on the Korg R3.

[Anderton]

Here's a picture of the CME WIDI keyboard, which uses wireless MIDI. They showed a wireless MIDI system at Frankfurt, so incorporating it into a keyboard would be the next logical step. FYI CME is no longer being distributed by Yamaha, and is back with Kaysound, its original distributor.

[Anderton]

The CME UF series has a few new additions as well. This picture shows (from top to bottom) the UF60, UF70, and UF80.

[dahkter]

http://photos1.blogger.com/x/blogger/6863/1447/1600/800059/boomchik.jpg

Someone posted this on another forum, with no details. I can only assum it's from NAMM. Any sightings or info about a Roger Linn and Dave Smith Instruments drum machine?

I have an evolver and love it to death, so I'm very curious about this thing.


Yeah, I saw that pic too, that thing is just gorgeous, I'm an MPC addict, so that looks like something from my dreams, crazy.....

[Gus Lozada]

... and for those Keyboard lovers... Rhodes is back:

http://guslozada.com/nipex/rhodes.JPG

[Anderton]

Propellerheads showed "Thor," a new synth that will be part of a future Reason update. It's "semi-modular" in that you can substitute different oscillators (wavetable, analog, FM pair) and choose a 70s ladder-type filter or state-variable multimode. This was a technology preview, not a demo, and they wouldn't commit to a release date...but it looks like it sure would be a nice addition to Reason.

It also has a 16-step sequencer and a really extensive modulation matrix. It doesn't distinguish between CVs and audio so you can do some weird stuff if you want!

[the otter]

Overview or Arturia's Origin. What's cool is that this will cost around $2500 and it's basically a complete modular synthesizer, in hardware...doesn't need a PC or Mac to work.

Like the Nord G2 series?

[the otter]

Waldorf also had some stuff, didn't they?

[Anderton]

Like the Nord G2 series?

Yes, very much like the Nord, except that it uses all the modules from the various Arturia synths so there is (supposedly) a wide variety in terms of filter modules, oscillators, etc. If you like the Arturia stuff, it basically folds all their synths into one box.

[Anderton]

Waldorf also had some stuff, didn't they?

What I saw was expansion options, the most ballyhooed being the expansion board for the CME series of controllers. Put in a Waldorf card = get sounds out of your MIDI controller.