NAMM Highlights 2023: What You Should Not Miss
NAMM (National Association of Music Merchants) is one of the most important events in the world of music and sound design. Held twice a year in Anaheim, California, and Nashville, Tennessee, it brings together thousands of music professionals, sound engineers, producers, and sound designers from around the world. At this outstanding convention, audio equipment manufacturers and suppliers present their latest products and technologies, and professionals can see and test by themselves the latest innovations in audio equipment. In addition to the exhibition, there are also a variety of workshops, lectures, and live demonstrations, where experts share their knowledge and techniques in sound design, mixing, and editing.
When it comes to the sound design, mixing, and editing community, the NAMM event is a unique opportunity to discover new technologies, learn from experts, and connect with other industry professionals. It is also a place to network, network, and discover new job opportunities.
Last year, some exciting new instrument launches and demonstrations at the NAMM event could be seen, including the Neve 88 M audio interface, Oberheim OB-X8 polyphonic synthesizer, Focal Solo6 studio monitors, SSL BUS+ advanced stereo compressor, Adam Audio A7V studio monitors, Austrian Audio OC16 Studio Set condenser microphone, Dangerous Music 2-BUS-XT summing mixer, and Flock Audio Patch XT digital patch bay.
This year, panelists discussed four categories: Best in Show, Company to Watch, Gotta Stock It, and Add-ons & Accessories. The panelists included Chris Tso, VP of Merchandising & Marketing for Full Compass, Jim Tuerk, Director of Business Development for Reverb, DeDe Heid, President of Heid Music, Glen Noyes, Director of Merchandise for Guitar Center, CJ Hockenbury, Co-founder of Impulse Music, and Cindy & Rand Cook, Co-owners of The Candyman Strings & Things. They presented trendsetting products and services, recommended products for retailers to stock, and highlighted great small-goods products.
Let’s talk about some of the highlights of the event.
SoundToys SuperPlate was an interesting surprise. SoundToys has released the SuperPlate plugin, which simulates the tonal character of five classic electromechanical plate reverbs without the need to invest in originals, which can be very expensive and heavy. The plugin uses advanced algorithms to capture an unmatched level of realism and versatility to create immersive effects. It comes with three different tube options, analog coloration, solid state, and clean, which can be combined with any of the styles. The Soundtoys 5 package also includes a variety of modern digital functions and features 22 audio effects in total, including SuperPlate. This latest version is offered as an option for those who already own the Effect Rack plugin, but not the full Soundtoys 5.4 package.
The advanced semi-modular synthesizer, Intellijel Cascadia, is a standout product that offers a unique combination of classic East and West Coast synth blocks. With a portable size similar to a laptop computer, this massive system allows for seamless integration into any studio setup. With 101 standardized connections, the user can access any module and plug it in at will to make small adjustments or redirect the entire synth at will. The standardization behind the panel allows for limitless exploration and comes with 14 assorted connection cables, a USB-A to USB-C cable, and an international power supply. Cascadia also features input/output/via USB/MIDI and professional-level audio I/O.
Nektar Panorama CST is a channel strip controller that features automatic color-coding and simplified mapping to make it more accessible and creative. Designed to focus on the EQs and effects banks that producers open on their channel strips, it offers direct and fun physical control over these resources. Also, its unique fader simplifies automation tasks. Interestingly, Panorama CST is compatible with Logic Pro, although Nektar assures that it will soon be available in other DAWs such as Ableton Live, Bitwig Studio, Cubase, and others. In other words, Nektar Panorama CST is an intuitive and complete channel controller that allows producers to have full control over their mixes in a creative and accessible way.
Audiomovers Inject caught attention as a plugin (VST, VST3, AU, and AAX) that can be inserted into any channel in your DAW to route audio to and from any device on your system. This allows for seamless integration of audio devices, whether it is a USB synthesizer or an iOS device with your favorite virtual synth. The plugin features an internal recorder and a sample rate converter and supports multi-channel I/O over individual DAW channels, as well as a virtual stereo controller for easy routing between applications. It has a list price of $150 but is currently discounted to $99.99 during its launch.
It’s impossible to mention everything, so, as a recommendation, be sure to check out: Electro-Harmonix Lizard Queen Octave Fuzz, Expressive E Osmose Synth, Pioneer Opus Quad, Beyerdynamic M Series Mics, Donner D1 Drum Machine, Mobap Meridian, IK Multimedia AXE, Yamaha Stage Custom Drums and Black BT SusEx Sustain/Expression Pedal.
We’ll see what NAMM 2024 brings!
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