The 2010 NAMM Show

Mic check one two, one two. Yo turn my headphones up! Each year, the National Association of Music Merchants throws an industry-wide trade show located at the massive Anaheim Convention Center. If you’ve never had the chance to visit the NAMM Show, it’s a musician’s (and engineers) paradise, with thousands of exhibitors, live product demos, super fresh jam sessions, and celebrity appearances galore!

Themed “Get Ready,” the trade show offered attendees the opportunity to reunite with industry peers, learn the latest business and marketing tactics and trends at daily NAMM University sessions, and ultimately make their biggest business deals for the year ahead. The trade show is only open to industry members and their invited guests, and draws the convention center’s highest annual attendance.  Last year, NAMM reported a total of 85,799 of registrants, including 1,505 exhibitors. This year, NAMM reported 87,569 registrants, a 2 percent increase from last year.

This year I was part of that 2% increase thanks to my good friends at Odyssey and this is my tasty NAMM experience all wrapped up like a spicy scallop hand roll.

“The 2010 NAMM Show is the go-to event of the year for serious music and sound product professionals from around the globe,” said NAMM President and CEO Joe Lamond. “They will benefit from their NAMM Show experience by networking with their peers, getting the first look at the best new products for the year ahead, and by experiencing the music, concerts and parties that set NAMM apart from every other show in the world.”

The trade-only event features more than 1,500 manufacturers’ exhibits with many product launches that gather crowds to see the newest, most innovative products from all musical categories.

“This year’s NAMM Show marks a critical turning point for the international music products industry,” said NAMM President and CEO Joe Lamond. “A strong NAMM Show signals the beginning of a comeback with buyers returning to their hometowns with renewed energy, passion and hope for a strong 2010, and exhibitors enjoying strong floor traffic and sales as they introduced hundreds of new and innovative products to the market.”

There were high-energy events featuring Quincy Jones and Yoko Ono, who spoke on behalf of the importance of music education for children.

The 2010 NAMM Show will draw nearly 1,500 exhibiting companies, and is expected to generate more than $70 million for the Orange County business community.  Speaking of 1,500 exhibiting companies, let’s get to the good stuff.  So this was my first year attending the NAMM Show in person and for an audio gear fanatic like myself it was (at first)  a little overwhelming. It was like the feeling I had when I was a little kid at Toy’s ‘R’ Us. There is so much good stuff that your brain is being pulled in 20 different directions. Here are a few pieces of kit that really caught my attention.

Access Virus OS 4 Announced
Access announced the next operating system for the entire Virus TI series of synthesizers.

Six meticulously modeled overdrive stomp boxes greatly complement with the existing arsenal of distortion algorithms in the effect section.

The new speaker cabinet emulation is a fantastic and easy-to-use toolkit to add further character; especially to roaring acid lead and sync sounds. You like retro style? Our new Vowel filter will be your best friend, offering a sonic pallet from Talk Box to WahWah sounds.
The Comb filter puts the metallic shine on your patches known from many glitch and progressive tracks. And The new arpeggiator allows you to modulate any of the parameters available to the modulation matrix.

OS4 will become available shorty and is a free update for all Virus TI users.

Overdrive Stomp Boxes

OS4 for the entire Virus TI line of synthesizers brings 6 more distortion flavors to the table, modeled on vintage guitar distortion pedals. Every one of these classic pedals is famous for its distinctive character and has been exploited by some of the greatest guitar heroes of all time. The virtual stomp boxes feature carefully modeled distortion curves and tonal characteristics and include tone controls where appropriate.

Mint Overdrive – The sound of this one just screams tubes – a very special kind of overdrive which results in a wonderful smokey tone. Good for achieving a subtle distortion effect whilst still retaining headroom for dynamics.
Curry Overdrive – A more extreme distortion, like in the original, this does not feature a Tone control.
Saffron Overdrive - The ʻorangeʼ one. A very harsh distortion, popular with the grunge movement.
Onion Overdrive – A big distortion effect famous for its fuzzy character.
Pepper Overdrive - A clear, powerful distortion thatʼs perfect for making leads cut right through the mix. Tone control to soften sound with a lowpass filter.
Chili Overdrive - A classic “fuzzbox” overdrive. No tone control, just in-your-face fuzz.

In this video Ben Crosland explains some of the new features!

The SSL X-Patch
Next on the list is this nice little invention from Solid State Logic. The SSL X-Patch

ACHIEVE PLUG-IN STYLE FLEXIBILITY USING ANALOGUE PROCESSORS WITH NEW SSL X-PATCH

LOS ANGELES — Solid State Logic, the world’s leading manufacturer of professional digital and analogue consoles, is proud to announce the release of X-Patch at the 2010 Winter NAMM Convention, Booth 6907 at the Anaheim Convention Center from January 14th to 17th.

Rupert Neve Designs Portico 5017
This little beauty is the new Rupert Neve Designs Portico 5017. Teh mini hotness!
Features :
• DI box / Mic Pre / Compressor
• Variphase, Silk, Blend and two channel operation
• desktop unit

It’s looks so cute and tidy I just might have to add this to my studio!

ok moving on, we have the super dope Korg Kaossilator Pro ! Slide ya fizzle for the shizzle!




I think we can all agree that KaossPads in any shape or form are hella tight!

Now for those of you who have an audio interface with an open ADAT port this next unit is a surefire way to expand your I/O capabilities. The Focusrite OctoPre MkII DYNAMIC features eight channels of Focusrite’s legendary mic preamplification, with new, single-dial, VCA-based compressors derived from the classic Focusrite Red 3 on every channel.

On-board digital converters, with state-of-the-art clocking and jitter-elimination technology, enable you to stream eight channels of 24-bit/96kHz digital audio to and from an ADAT-equipped computer workstation or hard disk recorder. This makes it the perfect addition to your project studio setup or live recording rig, including those running Pro Tools M-Powered, LE and HD, as well as the likes of Logic, Cubase, Sonar and Digital Performer.

Those are a few of the goodies that really caught my attention. My first NAMM experience was amazing to say the least. I’m always amazed at the new technology that comes out every year. Music production and recording technology has come a long way and I can wait to see what the future holds.

Keep it Icy!

Open Labs DBeat | Open Minds And Move Crowds, Anytime, Anywhere.

Open minds and move crowds, anytime, anywhere.

DBeat is the first professional studio you can play live onstage, yet it’s small enough to stow away in your carry-on luggage. You can also stream a live-quality set online to fully conquer studio, stage and screen.

Run away with your creativity – literally – with DBeat.

DBeat is…

A revolution. DBeat is the first professional studio that you can play as a musical instrument. Compose, record, mix and master, all “in-the-box,” then use it to perform any way you like. Weighing less than 20 lbs, DBeat can be carried onto most airplanes.

A studio powerhouse. DBeat is where power and portability meet. Capable of running virtually any Windows XP-based music application or Digital Audio Workstation software (DAW), DBeat is your computer, mixer, MPC, virtual instrument (VST) host and mastering station. It will even burn your CDs or DVDs and distribute your music online.

A VST hardware brain. DBeat is the perfect companion for traditional electronic keyboard players, and a simple solution for playing your favorite VSTs on stage with rock solid stability. Run more than 200 standard VSTs at once using Open Labs’ critically acclaimed RiFF virtual instrument host, which is integrated into each DBeat.

Revolutionary features – such as a 12.1″ touch screen that allows you to create on-the-fly set lists comprised of songs and virtual controls – bring your virtual instrument to life. Physical controls, such as nine assignable faders, are perfectly matched for those that require drawbar controls for organ instruments.

And let’s not forget that DBeat comes standard with a plethora of sounds, making it the world’s most well-stocked hardware sound module. If that’s not enough, every DBeat is capable of cloning your favorite virtual instruments. By using Open Labs’ MimiK keyboard cloning software (included in DBeat Pro), you can even clone any hardware keyboard workstation, synthesizer or sound module.

A producer’s dream. DBeat is the ultimate tool for any producer, regardless of genre. Massive processing power, instant multi-track recording, integrated MPC functionality, a multi-card reader/writer and DVD burner, Internet connectivity, plug-and-play ability with third party keyboard controllers and the opportunity to produce more than 4 billion sounds are just a few features we’ve perfected with producers in mind. DBeat allows you to compose more music, produce better songs, be more creative, and make more money.

The first real DJ instrument. DBeat lets you elevate yourself to the next level as a DJ. Produce, remix and perform in ways you’ve only dreamed about. Consolidate your laptop computer, controllers, audio I/O, and cabling into a single portable instrument that you can literally set up in 30 seconds.

DBeat lets you plug in your turntables via Serato Scratch or other time-code vinyl solutions to beat, mix and scratch. But that’s only the start. The audio chain can then be routed into Ableton LIVE, allowing you to use the built-in effects or any other VSTs in real-time, on the fly. Cue points, single hits or drops can be assigned to the Bump MP drum pad controller, allowing you to play along with the track you’re spinning. You can even plug in microphones, run Auto-Tune and vocoder vocal effects, and mix them right into the tracks.

CPU
3.0 GHz Intel® Core2 Duo ®

Control Surfaces
Trackball with 2 buttons
Mix/Edit Controls
BumpMP
DJ Panel with Penny & Giles^TM Crossfader

Memory
4 GB

Audio I/O
Comprehensive I/O capable of up to 24bit / 96KHz audio with 4 in / 6 out including 2 phantom-powered mic-pres with instrument inputs, S/PDIF I/O and MIDI I/O;

Storage
320 Gigabyte

Drive
High Speed Dual-Layer 8.5GB/disc CD/DVD Burner

Display
12″ resistive touch screen

Connection
Midi In/Out
1) 4 USB 2.0 ports
2) (1) FireWire 400 port
3) (1) Gigabit (10/100/1000) Ethernet port
4) (1) DVI-I Video Port

Included Software
Open Labs Riff^TM
Ableton^TM Live 7 (available only on DBeat PRO)
REAPER^TM
GURU^TM
Deckadance^TM

PREMIUM Factory Sound Library
Thousands of high-quality sounds. DBeat PRO includes an additional 14 GB from the full-feature version of Ableton^TM Live 7. (Check our Software Bundle webpage for more information)

Dimensions:
26”(W) X 14”(D) X 5”(H), Weight (base configuration) 20 lbs. (Actual)
33”(W) X 19”(D) X 9”(H), Weight (base configuration) 33 lbs. (Shipping)

DBeat is serious enough for the pros – be they scratch or electronic – but simple enough for the aspriring DJ.

Digidesign Eleven™ Rack | Revolutionary Guitar Recording/Effects System

Eleven™ Rack is a revolutionary new guitar recording and effects processing system designed to eliminate the challenges guitarists have faced in the studio and on stage. Say goodbye to the lackluster guitar amp “models” of yesteryear: Eleven Rack utilizes a unique tone cloning design and one-of-a-kind, custom-designed True-Z input to re-create the experience of playing through a full guitar rig. By combining studio-standard Pro Tools® software with a DSP-accelerated high-resolution interface, Eleven Rack puts professional recording into the hands of every guitar player. Whether you’re tracking in the studio or playing on stage, Eleven Rack delivers fresh, mind-blowing, hyper-realistic guitar amp and effects tones that will inspire your best performances.

Eleven Rack in the Studio
Eleven Rack combines studio-standard Pro Tools software with a high-resolution, dual DSP-powered audio interface so you’ll never have to worry about latency when recording with its built-in amp/effects tones — nor will your computer have to carry the processing burden. Eleven Rack also takes re-amping to the next level by recording both dry and processed guitar signals simultaneously, allowing you to re-amplify later without patching a single cable. We even found a way to embed the Eleven Rack amp and effects settings into the audio tracks you record, enabling you to automatically recall those settings from your audio files on any Pro Tools system with Eleven Rack.  THAT IS HOTNESS!

Eleven Rack On Stage
Eleven Rack also rocks onstage as a standalone amp tone and effects signal processor — we pulled out all the stops to make sure it sounds and feels just like playing through the real deal. We also included a classic collection of effects, from must-have stompboxes to world-class rackmount studio processors. Eleven Rack has all the I/O flexibility you need to integrate it into your existing rig, and easily incorporate the tones you’ve recorded with into your live setup — closing the gap between studio and stage. Eleven Rack also offers incredibly powerful control options using affordable MIDI controllers and expression pedals, giving you full foot control over everything from vintage wah effects to tempo-driven delays and more.

Eleven Rack combines hyper-realistic guitar amp and effects tones with a dual-DSP-powered interface and studio-standard Pro Tools LE® software to create the ultimate recording solution for guitar players.

Introducing True-Z
Among guitar tonehounds, it’s a well-known fact that input impedance — the electronic resistance found in the input circuit of the amp or effect you’re plugged in to — has a huge impact on your guitar tone. We realized that re-creating this electronic relationship was critical in nailing the sound and feel of our emulations. Others have tried to fake this with signal processing but we weren’t satisfied with a one-size-fits-all-approach. Each guitar reacts uniquely with each amp or effect — so we had to come up with a true analog solution that allows your guitar to interact realistically with our amp and effect re-creations.

That’s why we developed True-Z — a unique analog input circuit that replicates the input impedance of classic stompbox pedals and guitar amps, resulting in amazingly realistic sounds. It’s almost as if the True-Z input on Eleven Rack morphs into the 1/4″ input jack of whatever classic stompbox or amplifier you are using. When you plug into Eleven Rack, you get the same response — and same great tone — as when plugging in to a vintage stompbox or guitar amp. You can also manually control the impedance of the True-Z input and set it to a value that suits your playing best.

Eleven Rack Hardware

• Unique True-Z auto-impedance matching guitar input

• Incredible emulations of classic guitar amp tones inspired by Fender®, Vox®, Marshall®, Soldano, and Mesa/Boogie® amps*
• Refined collection of sought-after classic stompbox tones inspired by effects from MXR®, Electro-Harmonix®, Ibanez®, ProCo, Univox®, and more*
• Powerful collection of studio-quality rackmount effects processors
• Convolution-based cabinet emulations deliver unprecedented realism in cabinet tones
• Convolution-based microphone emulations inspired by classic dynamic, condenser, and ribbon mic designs
• Integrated FX loop switchable to incorporate existing mono or stereo rack and stompbox effects
• Controllable via MIDI controllers and expression pedals

• Built-in tuner

• Tap-tempo control of time-based effects
• High-speed USB 2.0 connection
• Supports up to 8 simultaneous channels of high-resolution recording up to 24-bit/96 kHz
• Stereo balanced XLR outputs and dedicated 1/4” outputs
• XLR mic input with 48V phantom power and pad switch
• 2 x 1/4” line-level inputs
• AES/EBU and S/PDIF digital I/O
• Stereo 1/4” headphone jack
• 1 x 1 MIDI I/O

Up until now, amp modeling solutions haven’t really delivered the full depth, dimension, and response of a mic’d up rig. We decided to take this challenge head on to ensure Eleven Rack truly re-creates the experience of playing through the most coveted guitar amps in the world. Check it out:

• We spent years scouting a connoisseur’s collection of vintage and modern amps and cabinets, paying special attention to choosing amps that represented the best of their generation and remained unmodified from their original design. We then painstakingly inspected every component, took detailed measurements, and captured every stage of the signal path — point to point.
• We incorporated nuances like power amp sag, ghost notes, and cabinet resonance that other amp modeling developers overlooked, giving our clones the truly multi-dimensional tone and hyper-realistic response previously only achievable by mic’ing a real amp.
• We set out to invent an input circuit that re-creates the electronic relationship between your guitar and an actual amp or effect. This can’t be done digitally — so we developed a unique True-Z direct input that automatically adjusts the input impedance to match that of the particular amp/effects rig signal chain. Thanks to the True-Z input, plugging into Eleven Rack sounds and feels just like plugging into a real amp or effect.
• Using convolution processing, we captured the exact sound of the cabinets and mics used to create the tone of a mic’d combo — instead of using EQ filters to “fake” this sound the way other amp modeling solutions have done.
• We enlisted guitar recording expert John Cuniberti (Platinum and Gold recording engineer/producer and inventor of the Reamp® box) to ensure the mic’ing techniques used during development were absolutely top notch.
• We also emulated an assortment of vintage and classic effects processors — from must-have stompbox effects to high-end studio processors culled from our coveted Pro Tools|HD® TDM plug-ins used in pro studios around the world.

Guitar amp emulations based on*:
’59 Fender® Bassman® ’59 Fender® Tweed Deluxe ’64 Fender® Black Face Deluxe Reverb® Normal Channel ’64 Fender® Black Face Deluxe Reverb® Vibrato Channel ’66 VOX® AC30 Top Boost ’67 Fender® Black Face Twin Reverb® ’69 Marshall® 1959 100 Watt Super Lead Plexiglas Head ’82 Marshall® JCM800 2203 100-Watt Head ’85 Mesa/Boogie® Mark IIc+ Drive Channel	’89 Soldano SLO100 Super Lead Overdrive Head Clean Channel ’89 Soldano SLO100 Super Lead Overdrive Head Crunch Channel ’89 Soldano SLO100 Super Lead Overdrive Head Overdrive Channel ’92 Mesa/Boogie® Dual Rectifier® Head Vintage Channel ’92 Mesa/Boogie® Dual Rectifier® Head Modern Channel Digidesign Custom Vintage Crunch Digidesign Custom Modern Overdrive
Speaker cabinet emulations based on*:
’59 Fender® Bassman® 4×10” with Jensen P10Qs ’59 Fender® Tweed Deluxe 1×12” with Jensen P12Q ’64 Fender® Black Face Deluxe Reverb® 1×12” with Jensen P12N ’66 VOX® AC30 2×12” with Celestion Alnico Blues	’67 Fender® Black Face Twin Reverb® 2×12” with Jensen C12Ns ’68 Marshall® 1960A with Celestion G12H “Greenbacks” ’06 Marshall® 1960AV 4×12” with Celestion Vintage 30s
Microphone emulations based on*:
Shure SM7 Dynamic Microphone Shure SM57 Unidyne III Dynamic Microphone Sennheiser MD 409 Dynamic Microphone Sennheiser MD 421 Dynamic Microphone	Neumann U67 Condenser Microphone Neumann U87 Condenser Microphone AKG C 414 EB Condenser Microphone Royer 121 Ribbon Microphone
Effects emulations based on*:
Spring Reverb (based on the Fender® Deluxe Reverb*) Green JRC Overdrive (based on the Ibanez TS-808*) Tri-Knob Fuzz (based on the Electro Harmonix Big Muff Pi*) Black Op Distortion (based on the ProCo Rat*) Shine Wah (based on the VOX® V-846*) C1 Chorus/Vibrato (based on the Boss CE-1*) Orange Phaser (based on the MXR® Phase 90*) EP Tape Echo (based on the Maestro Echoplex EP-3*)	BBD Delay (based on the Electro Harmonix Deluxe Memory Man*) Grey Compressor (based on the Ross Compressor*) Vibe Phaser (based on the Univox Uni-Vibe*) Black Wah (based on the Thomas Organ CB-95 Crybaby*) Flanger Roto Speaker Volume Pedal Eleven SR (Stereo Reverb) Graphic EQ Tuner

Critical Listening Studio Engineering Workshop with Bruce Swedien

Does Michael Jackson (the 104 million selling ‘Thriller’ LP), Quincy Jones, James Ingram, Michael McDonald, Mick Jagger, Paul McCartney, Jennifer Lopez, Muddy Waters, Duke Ellington sound familiar?  Well the man behind their sonic achievements has opened the doors of his West Viking Studio to host a series of critical listening workshops and guess what?….    You’re invited!

www.criticallistening.net is currently accepting 10 students to attend Bruce’s Critical Listening Workshop to be held at Bruce’s private home studio in Central Florida. This is the first time Bruce has ever opened his studio to such an intimate group of students, this should be something to cherish and remember forever. This master class is designed for those professionally involved in the technical aspects, the performing, and the production of high-quality recorded music. Critical listening is a form of listening that involves analysis, serious thinking and thoughtful judgment.  When it comes to recording and mixing music, critical listening is used every day. We will explore all phases of world-class, state-of-the-art music recording right up to and including the final mix…

Engineer Bruce Swedien’s resumé lists such names as Michael Jackson (the 104 million selling ‘Thriller’ LP), Quincy Jones, James Ingram, Michael McDonald, Mick Jagger, Paul McCartney, Jennifer Lopez, Muddy Waters, Duke Ellington, Nat King Cole, Sarah Vaughn, Jackie Wilson, Herb Alpert, Barbra Streisand, the Chi-Lites, Donna Summer, Count Basie, B.B. King, George Benson, Sergio Mendes, Patti Austin, John Lee Hooker, Dinah Washington, Missing Persons, Natalie Cole, Buddy Miles, Lionel Hampton, Lena Horne and Woody Herman, among others.

Bruce has recorded just about every type of music and has worked on numerous movie scores including ‘The Wiz’, ‘Running Scared’, ‘The Color Purple’ and more. He has won 5 Grammy® Awards from 13 Grammy® Nominations including those for his engineering of Michael Jackson’s ‘Thriller’, ‘Bad’, and ‘Dangerous’ albums and for two Quincy Jones albums — ‘Back on the Block’ and ‘Q’s Jook Joint’.