Winter NAMM 2001 Report
Part 1
Welcome to part 1 of the special NAMM Show edition of inSync, brought to you from the floor of the show by guest columnist and roving reporter David Klausner. After a 3 year hiatus in LA, the historic 100th NAMM Convention has returned to its old home at the Anaheim Convention Center. Especially exciting is the fact that the show is the first event held here since the complete renovation of the facility – but the real reason we’re all here is the gear.
Now, before we dig into the meat of the report, remember that a lot of this equipment is so new that prices and specs may not be completely finalized. We’re reporting information given to us by the manufacturers.
The building wasn’t the only thing showing signs of a major overhaul. There was quite a buzz over at the Mark of the Unicorn booth, where crowds were treated to a preview of Digital Performer version 3.0. DP 3.0 completely updates MOTU’s flagship digital audio/sequencer software. In addition to revamping the entire look of the software, 3.0 will have an incredibly comprehensive surround matrix and graphic user interface built in. It is structured in an “N”.1 configuration, which will allow 5.1, 7.1, and future larger systems. Similarly, the multiple processor support will take advantage of not just dual processor Macs, but future quad+ machines down the road. The MIDI side is vastly improved as well, with new graphic editing options, the ability to view multiple windows, strip chart behavior similar to Vision (trying to take care of you “Opcode orphans”!), a stationary playback head with more intuitive zoom behavior and more. In addition, “keyboard equivalents” allow templates to be stored that mirror the quick key functionality of Pro Tools, Cubase, etc. This major upgrade won’t be released for several months, but it gives a great look at where these guys are heading. Nice work, MOTU!
There was a lot of activity at the Digidesign booth as well. In addition to the folks straining for a look at ProTools 5.1, lots of necks were craned toward the new Digidesign/Focusrite Control/24. Incorporating 24 touch-sensitive motorized faders and 16 Focusrite Class A mic preamps, this is an incredible front end to a Pro Tools system. Lots of dedicated switches make recording and mixing a mouse-free breeze, and the extensive analog routing section means this all-in-one controller/preamp/router may be all you need on your desk with your Pro Tools rig.
RME added to its ADI-8 series of interface boxes with the ADI-8 DD, an all-in-one digital format and sample rate converter. It converts ADAT optical and TDIF to and from AES/EBU, and can handle sample rates up to 96 kHz, even outputting 96 kHz on lightpipe using their DoubleSpeed mode, where two 48 kHz channels are used to transmit one 96 kHz channel (analogous to S/MUX or Double-Wide).
Sennheiser was showing a new microphone, the MKH800. This multipattern mic has an extended frequency response up to 50 kHz and a dynamic range of 126 dB with a self noise of 10 dB. Sennheiser hopes this mic will help users capitalize on the higher fidelity of audio storage media such as DVD Audio and Super Audio CD.
EMU had heads turning with the new XL-7 and MP-7. The first tabletop sequencers from EMU since the legendary SP1200, these units build on the same ROM sounds as the XL-1 and Mo Phatt respectively (but with all new presets). Blending these powerful tone modules with a 16 track sequencer, 16 real time control knobs, pitch ribbon, latch keys, and 13 trigger pads laid out like a keyboard octave like the ASR-X, these units may be all you need to create complex grooves, beats and sequences. With 16 simultaneous arpeggiators, up to 12 pole filters, and the ability to expand the sound set with any Proteus 2000 series ROMs or custom ROMs burned from EMU E4 series samplers, these tabletop music production stations are ready for anything you throw at them. With a list price of $1695, EMU have packed an awful lot of technology into these guys!
GeneralMusic was showing off the new PRP-6 and PRP-7. These 32-voice portable digital keyboards feature some great piano sounds using the same sort of FFT Merge technology used in the highly respected Pro-1 and Pro-2 series, in addition to hundreds of orchestral sounds. The PRP-6 (MSRP $795) has 76 semi-weighted keys and a 12-watt stereo sound system. The PRP-7 (MSRP $995) has 88 hammer action keys, an 8,000 event sequencer and a pitch/mod joystick.
That’s all for today from the NAMM convention floor, but there’s still plenty of new gear to talk about. Stay tuned to next week’s inSync for much more from the NAMM show floor. This is David Klausner, your man in the field, signing off.