NAMM Report, Part Three!

Picking up where we left off, here is the third installment of our Summer NAMM report. Keep in mind that the entire report, along with photos, is posted in the Publications section of our website.

Summer Namm 2001

Audio-Technica showcased three new microphones in their AT series. The AT3050 comes with its own shock mount and sizzles on acoustic instruments and vocals. The AT3031 and AT3032 are great for overhead applications. Retail prices are $349, $259 and $259, respectively.  

They also are offering a commemorative edition of their now famous AT-4033 large diaphragm microphone.  The AT-4033SE comes in a wooden case, has a redesigned matching shock mount and includes a dust cover.  Retail: $529.  

Audio-Technica was showing a new addition to their wireless family as well.  Called “The Freeway,” it is a low cost, frequency-agile UHF system, available as a handheld mic package or with lavalier, headset or instrument configurations.  The most prominent feature on this unit is that it has a docking power supply, with IEC power cable, so there no “wall-wart” type power supply (as found in many of the lower cost alternatives) is needed.

Auralex introduced a new product called GRAMMA (Gig & Recording Amp & Monitor Modulation Attenuator) designed to reign in out of control bass.  Able to hold up to 250 pounds of weight each, GRAMMA is designed to decouple any guitar/bass/keyboard amplifier, PA subwoofers, or full range boxes from the floor, which really tightens up the low end.  Conveniently designed, the GRAMMA is small & light enough to carry around, and even includes a built in handle.  Many units can be used together either for larger amps/subs, or to quickly put together a visually and acoustically wonderful drum platform.  GRAMMA is available now for the incredibly low list price of only $59.95!

Finale 2002, which ships in a month, is easier than ever to use. Recent upgrades include the astounding new Exercise Wizard. This tool allows a teacher or instructor to create training exercises for their students quickly and efficiently.

The big news from Crown this summer is the new look and pricing of the ever popular Power-Tech series amplifiers. Musicians and DJs alike demand and have come to expect a lot from this series, and now they can have it with less pain to the pocket book.

“I am woman, hear me roar!”  Well, I’m not, but that’s the message the guys over at the Daisy Rock booth are saying this summer. With the introduction of their new guitar line shaped like hearts and daisy’s, the “She- Rock” title has been dubbed to the uniquely crafted instruments and are shown in bright, vivacious colors like Dreamy Daisy, Awesome Blue, Pepper Mint, Princess Purple, Black Heart, and my personal favorite, Red Hot Red.   Also thrown into the mix are a pair of acoustic guitars, one of which is a 3/4 size designed specifically for the smaller female body and hands followed by the Jr. Miss which shrinks to a tiny but full sounding 1/2 size. Throw any one of these Girl Guitars into their included padded gig bags, throw it in the back of your favorite VW and take off on a musical journey.

Digital Audio Corporation introduced the Voodoo Lab Pedal Power 2.  Eight powerful effects all wrapped up in one unit that can be battery powered!  One of the coolest features is the Pedal Power 2 allows for 2 outputs to be used at 200ma for Line6 products, and 2 outputs that are adjustable from 4v to 9v to plug into a number of pedal type effects.  Available immediately for only $239!

Another one of the fine Italian companies represented in the USA by Music Industries was at NAMM showing their affordable compact PA systems.  While these products are not new to the European community, they are very new to the US market.  Most impressively, their FBT Maxx line-up of powered and un-powered speakers were their biggest hit at the show.  Their extremely compact design and light weight make them ideal for the portable PA system.  The unit that made the biggest impact on us was the FBT Lightforce LF40AM.  It has a 2-way 12″ woofer with a 200 watt power amp for the front of house and a built-in 8″ rear-facing monitor speaker powered by a 60 watt amp.  With separate inputs and volume controls, this makes the LF40AM a perfect match for Karaoke or small stage PA setups. Retail price: $1049.95.

This summer, there was nothing hotter at the Gemini booth than the all new CDX601 and CDX602 Single and Dual tray DJ CD players.  Featuring Gemini’s unique ADCS (Automatic Disc Calibration System) technology, both units re-align the laser for each individual disc for better performance playback on different types of media (CD, CDR, CDRW, etc.). Great for DJ’s, the CDX’s allow them to use their own material already burned onto an existing disc. In addition to these features, the CDX602 also has the Robostart function, which can “ping- pong” back and forth between its dual trays by either track or song allowing one to jump back and forth between beats! The CDX602 will retail for $599, while the CDX601 will retail for $319. Both should be available this fall.

General Music is expecting to release the WK6 Latino early fall. This workstation ships with patterns from the WK6 plus sixteen new Latin patterns and around 1000 sounds. Eight faders and an auto arranger make creating music a lot of fun. Retail: $2,200. The PRP7 from General Music is an 88 key, 16-part multi-timbre keyboard with 444 GM sounds. This keyboard has Pitch Bend/Mod Wheel and great action making it a fantastic controller. Retail: $995.