Winter NAMM Show 2008 (pictures added...)

[Phil O'Keefe]

It's a little early, but what the heck. ;)

If you have rumors, you can get a head start on things now. :D If you have wish-lists for new products you're hoping will be released, feel free to tell us about them.

And while HC will have its usual outstanding NAMM show reports available via the front page links, I'll also be reporting back on any exciting new goodies that catch my eye. Feel free to do likewise if you're planning on going.

Heck, if you're going, please say so, and maybe we'll get lunch or something. :)

IOW, this is The Trenches "Official Winter NAMM 2008 Discussion Thread". :wave:

[elsongs]

The Roland booth will make me laugh again. But hey, they're still an excellent source of bags and badge holders!

[Lee Knight]

I'll be running around with a buddy from Friday afternoon to Saturday early evening. I've got no real agenda other than to check on a few key pieces of gear, party a little Friday night and check for any interesting Digidesign demos throughout Saturday. Those can be great. I did the Paul Reed Smith party last year. I'm not sure what's up this year but whatever it is... I'll be there.

I love NAMM.

[UstadKhanAli]

I'll be around Friday and Saturday.

[Phil O'Keefe]

Guys, since there's a dedicated NAMM 08 forum, I thought I'd move this over there. :) Don't forget to also check out the show reports right here (http://namm.harmony-central.com/WNAMM08/).

[Kid Klash]

http://acapella.harmony-central.com/forums/showthread.php?t=1862389

[HCarlH]

The Roland booth will make me laugh again. But hey, they're still an excellent source of bags and badge holders!

Wow...Roland was basically a yawn fest this year. It seemed smaller and the Fantom-G was about the only new (possibly) cool thing along with the Roland/Cakewalk live mixer/recorder. The GT-10 sounded good, but it's just an update to the floor processing units.

The usual fruit cakes (those who still think it's the 80s) were walking around and lots of breast implants. Hippy guys who are well into their 50s and 60s REALLY need to get a hair cut....your long hair is ridiculous at your age. :rolleyes:

It's to the point now where it's not worth bothering with the NAMM show...you can see everything (audio and video) at company websites while you sit comfortably naked in your chair at the computer. :thu:

[Phil O'Keefe]

It's to the point now where it's not worth bothering with the NAMM show...you can see everything (audio and video) at company websites while you sit comfortably naked in your chair at the computer

But you miss out on the people watching that way! ;) :D

[petejt]

I'm hoping that the new Fulltone Tri Stereo Chorus rackmount unit will be released at Winter NAMM 2008. :)

So far all I know is the parts have been purchased and production will commence soon.

[UstadKhanAli]

you can see everything (audio and video) at company websites while you sit comfortably naked in your chair at the computer. :thu:

So apparently you can't do this at NAMM?

[HCarlH]

So apparently you can't do this at NAMM?

If you know of a booth where I can sit comfortably naked while checking out the equipment, let me know. :D

[gtrbass]

If you know of a booth where I can sit comfortably naked while checking out the equipment, let me know. :D

I you're a hot chick I know any number of booths that will gladly accomodate you...

[headshot76]

I'm hoping that the new Fulltone Tri Stereo Chorus rackmount unit will be released at Winter NAMM 2008. :)

So far all I know is the parts have been purchased and production will commence soon.

Doubtful since Fuller doesn't do NAMM.

[Phil O'Keefe]

Well, I saw some cool things today, hung out with a few friends, saw some great demos.

Since it's already been mentioned, I wanted to go hear it for myself, and I thought the Boss GT-10 actually sounded pretty darn good. :)

Yamaha has a very cool new portable handheld recorder - the Pocketrak 2G. (http://namm.harmony-central.com/WNAMM08/Content/Yamaha/PR/Pocketrak.html) I didn't get a chance to hear it, and hope to my hands on one for a review so I can, but the feature set looks interesting; 2GB memory, up to 19 hours of recording to MP3 (it also records WAV files if you'd prefer that). It has the expected onboard stereo mic and USB connectivity for file transfers, and comes bundled with Cubase AI. From what I'm told, battery recharge takes about 90 minutes, and is automatically charged whenever the onboard, slide out USB connector is hooked up to a powered USB port or hub. It's probably the smallest recorder of its kind I've ever seen... not much thicker than a pencil, and maybe as wide as four of them... and about as long as a first gen iPod. It reminded me of an oversized USB flash drive.

I ran into producer / engineer extrordinare John Paterno (www.jpreceng.com/) and we cruised the show together for a while. He took me over to the Violet microphone display - he's really hot for their Amethyst mikes. Violet also had some new models on display at the show, including a stereo condenser.

I repayed the favor and told John to check out the Groove Tubes (www.groovetubes.com) booth and the Velo-8. I've had one here for a few months, and without wanting to give away the review I'm doing, you can surmise that if I'm recommending it to a guy like John to check out, it's got some serious mojo happening. And to top it off, lo and behold, GT was showing a second version of the mic - complete with tube electronics.

John and I also spent some time over with the folks from Solid State Logic. (www.solid-state-logic.com) One thing that's sure to be of interest to a lot of folks is the new Duende Mini. It gives you up to 16 channels of SSL "channel strip" processing, and is expandable to 32 channels. 96 kHz compatible, and it will also work with all of the other Duende plug ins, although they (Stereo Bus Compressor, Drumstrip, X-EQ) are extra cost options. But at $799 MSRP, this will bring SSL to a whole new range of users.

Primacoustic Recoil Stabilizers (http://www.primacoustic.com/recoil-home.htm) - Craig Anderton recently reviewed these, and I definitely wanted to hear them for myself. Honestly one of the most impressive demos I saw at the show today. They had two identical pairs of Yamaha powered nearfields sitting there - one on standard acoustical foam pads, and one on the Recoil Stabilizers. When they hit the switch to go from the standard foam pads to the RS pair, the difference was NOT subtle. Not at all. Heck, even our band's drummer (who is a Fender Custom Shop master builder) could hear the difference. ;) :p :D They make a significant improvement in the low frequencies, where the sound is much tighter, louder and better defined. Let's just say that I told them on the spot that I wanted to buy a couple pairs. Next week, as soon as they're done getting home from NAMM (and I'm done with jury duty), I'll be placing my order. Believe the hype on this one folks. :phil:

[seclusion]

Hmm the SSl mini looks interesting...
Thanks Phil

[2stingBassist]

cooL stuff!

[Phil O'Keefe]

I got a demo disk of Sibelius 5, and look forward to trying that out. If I can export MIDI performances from PT, then use the notation in Sibelius to do edits, then send it back to PT, print lead sheets, etc... that will mean a few extra steps, but would be worth it to be able to finally integrate notation with PT.

Another cool demo I saw over in Digidesign-land was the C|24. (http://www.digidesign.com/index.cfm?langid=100&navid=219&itemid=5342) Priced at $9,995 MSRP (I'll guess about $7,500 "street"), it offers a lot of cool features, and I really liked the way it was laid out. Faders felt better than those on the Control 24 too. It will work with both LE and HD systems.

As long as you're over at Digidesign's site, owners of Strike should be sure to check out this link:

http://www.digidesign.com/index.cfm?navid=48&langid=100&itemid=28928&ref=namm-m

On that page, you'll find a free content expansion download - but hurry - it will only be online until March 22nd; after that, it will be available for purchase through the Digi Store.

Hybrid users should make sure to check out the upgrade to version 1.5 of this cool synth VI. Again, the upgrade is a free download, but only until March 22.

Of course, some of the big news at Digidesign is Pro Tools 7.4 and Elastic Audio. The demos are very impressive, and although I've been having some DAE 9500 playback error issues with it on my system (but only with E.A. - the rest of the program seems pretty darned stable), at this point, I'm not willing to rule out the possibility of operator error. :o But I'm very excited about the potential I see in this new tool.

M-Audio had a cool looking new firewire interface - the ProFire 2626. As you might guess, it offers up to 26 channels of I/O, with 8 mic preamps, onboard DSP, support for up to 192 kHz sample rates, and Pro Tools M Powered compatibility. Unfortunately, it only acts as an 18 I/O interface with PT MP.

Auralex (http://namm.harmony-central.com/WNAMM08/Content/Auralex/PR/Eco-Friendly-Studiofoam.html) "went green" with the announcement of their new formulation for their Studio Foam products. Most acoustic foam is petroleum based, but Auralex have switched to a largely soy based formula that reduces the petroleum content by 60%. In addition to the environmental benefits, acoustical performance is said to not suffer; the new foam formula is apparently slightly denser, and longevity and color-fastness should be excellent; fading due to UV exposure is reportedly improved with the new formula.

Moving to guitars, Digitech was showing some very cool new pedals this year, including a new batch of solidly built premium pedals, as well as the RP500 floor multi-effects unit. They also have a new vocal harmony processor that looks very cool, as well as a new smart floor pitch shifting pedal for guitarists.

Eventide (http://namm.harmony-central.com/WNAMM08/Content/Eventide/PR/E-Control.html) is releasing a new RTAS plug in for use with Pro Tools DAW software and their H8000, H7600 and Eclipse hardware effects units. Called E-Control, it is priced at $199 (see the link for other update offers - especially if you're a new or recent hardware purchaser) and will allow control, automation and recall capabilities for the hardware from within Pro Tools, and settings are saved with the Pro Tools session.

I spent some time over at Fender with my friend and fellow Mostly Harmless musical cohort Dennis Galuszka. In addition to playing a mean drum kit, Dennis is a master builder at the Fender Custom Shop, and he had some really cool looking guitars on display this year. Check out Bieke's picture thread for some shots. I have a few too that I'll try to get posted within the next few days, so stay tuned for more... :wave:

[Phil O'Keefe]

Okay, I have several pics (thanks to Songrytr / Ralph at Neonflame dot com for resizing them and uploading them to my server), and no time to comment, so here you go:


http://www.philokeefe.com/namm2008/api_rack.jpg

http://www.philokeefe.com/namm2008/benchmark.jpg

http://www.philokeefe.com/namm2008/boss_gt-10.jpg

http://www.philokeefe.com/namm2008/cascade_michael_joly.jpg

http://www.philokeefe.com/namm2008/chameleon_labs_7720.jpg

http://www.philokeefe.com/namm2008/creation_audio_labs.jpg

http://www.philokeefe.com/namm2008/dennis_1.jpg

http://www.philokeefe.com/namm2008/dennis_2.jpg

http://www.philokeefe.com/namm2008/diamond_memory_lane.jpg

http://www.philokeefe.com/namm2008/digitech_multi-efx.jpg



I'll post the comments either later tonight after my session, or after jury duty tomorrow.

[Phil O'Keefe]

http://www.philokeefe.com/namm2008/duncan_pedals.jpg

http://www.philokeefe.com/namm2008/ehx_steel_leather.jpg

http://www.philokeefe.com/namm2008/foxx_pedals.jpg

http://www.philokeefe.com/namm2008/gig-fx.jpg

http://www.philokeefe.com/namm2008/groove_tubes_displays.jpg

http://www.philokeefe.com/namm2008/gt_supre_gut_shot.jpg

http://www.philokeefe.com/namm2008/gt_vipre_gut_shot.jpg

http://www.philokeefe.com/namm2008/guyatone_ultrem.jpg

http://www.philokeefe.com/namm2008/hbe_pedalboard.jpg

http://www.philokeefe.com/namm2008/jacques_1.jpg

[Phil O'Keefe]

http://www.philokeefe.com/namm2008/jacques_2.jpg

http://www.philokeefe.com/namm2008/manley_rack.jpg

http://www.philokeefe.com/namm2008/new_digitech_pedals_1.jpg

http://www.philokeefe.com/namm2008/new_digitech_pedals_2.jpg

http://www.philokeefe.com/namm2008/pigtronix_pedalboard.jpg

http://www.philokeefe.com/namm2008/route_66_pedalboard.jpg

http://www.philokeefe.com/namm2008/rupert_neve_console.jpg

http://www.philokeefe.com/namm2008/soundblox_pedals_1.jpg

http://www.philokeefe.com/namm2008/soundblox_pedals_2.jpg

http://www.philokeefe.com/namm2008/ssl_duende_mini.jpg

[Phil O'Keefe]

http://www.philokeefe.com/namm2008/vox_ac15_head_and_cab.jpg

http://www.philokeefe.com/namm2008/vox_ac30_head_and_cab.jpg

http://www.philokeefe.com/namm2008/vox_organ.jpg

http://www.philokeefe.com/namm2008/vox_pedals_1.jpg

http://www.philokeefe.com/namm2008/vox_pedals_2.jpg

[Lee Knight]

That Vox organ looked pretty cool.

I've got to mention this. I stopped by the Extreme Isolation headphone booth and spoke with the owner (forget his name). I mentioned I had the original version of his phones and they'd since upgraded the drivers to a clearer more open sound. Closer to the 7506 driver. Mine are dull sounding and drummers have commented on this.

Without me saying anything he says, "Pack 'em up and send them to me. 20 bucks and I'll swap them out to be identical to the new models".

I love guys like that.

[Phil O'Keefe]

The folks at Extreme Isolation are good peeps. :phil:

And yeah, that Vox caught my eye too... :love:

[Mistersuperfly]

Phil... what are those vox amps? Are they Handwired AC30's like the AC15 with the same cosmetics?

[UstadKhanAli]

You took a lot of cool photos, Phil! The Vox looks good, and I see that you stopped by the Diamond pedal booth. Damn, those things sound good. You also stopped by the Hot Hands booth, which is really interesting. I should have taken a photograph of that as well.

My NAMM photos are here (the Winter 2008 NAMM is the first link). It's mostly people, including celebrity paparazzi shots, the gig we went to Saturday evening, etc., but I do have a photo of one of the gorgeous-sounding Lashbrook guitars as well.

http://www.elevenshadows.com/sss/index.htm

[Trextomb]

http://www.philokeefe.com/namm2008/digitech_multi-efx.jpg

Hey what is this thing? Just curious..looks kinda cool..even though its digitech.

[petejt]

http://www.philokeefe.com/namm2008/vox_organ.jpg

I like that organ! :)

[Phil O'Keefe]

http://www.philokeefe.com/namm2008/digitech_multi-efx.jpg

Hey what is this thing? Just curious..looks kinda cool..even though its digitech.


IIRC, it's the Digitech RP500.

[Phil O'Keefe]

I like that organ! :)

Yes, it definitely caught my attention. But there was no information, no lit near it, and trying to find someone to talk to at the Vox booth was... difficult. :(

Looks like a MIDI'fied Continental of some sort. Beyond that, I know little else beyond what you can see for yourself in the picture. Sorry. :(

[Phil O'Keefe]

You took a lot of cool photos, Phil!


Thanks Ken - coming from someone with your appreciable skills as a photographer, that's quite a compliment! :) :o

Note to self: Don't try to do it all with a 2.0 megapixel cellphone camera next year... :( ;)