Welcome to the first installment InSync’s NAMM Report. The eyes of the music world are on Winter NAMM every year, anxious to see the manufacturers roll out their coolest new toys. 2002 is no exception, with important new innovations from some of the biggies in music technology. As always, your InSync crew was there to bring you a run down of the latest, the greatest, and a few things that we simply thought looked really cool.
Once again, please keep in mind that this is not intended as a complete listing of all new or relevant products debuted at NAMM, nor is all of the information here guaranteed to be 100% correct. The key phrase here is “Subject to Change.” In many cases, manufacturers are still solidifying things like price, availability, and features. We gathered all we could from the things that caught our eye. We hope you enjoy this first sneak preview.
Digidesign had so much cool new gear to show us that we were scrambling to keep up. First on our list is the Pro Tools|HD, capable of a multitude of sampling frequencies, right up to a stunning 192kHz! Featuring a sleek new design and logo, Digidesign is offering core configurations called HD1,HD2 and HD3, similar in card-configuration to the ProTools Mix, MixPlus and Mix3 systems. The new system boasts even more processing power than its predecessor, with the new cards offering roughly twice the DSP power of a comparable Pro Tools Mix system.
They also had several cool new interfaces to show us. To go along with their 192kHz sampling rate is the 192 I/O Multi-channel Audio Interface, which not only lets you work with today’s current 96k sampling standard, but also sets you up for future standards up to 192kHz. The 192 has an I/O expansion bay allowing for enormous flexibility, plus they’ve included what’s called a Legacy Port for those loyal customers who have invested considerable time and money in previous Digidesign systems. Essentially, the Legacy Port lets customers connect 48k ProTools audio interfaces into the 192.
For those not ready to take the leap to 192kHz, Digi also introduced the affordable 96 I/O Multi-Channel Interface. Offering the highest-quality audio and a variety of I/O options, the 96 supports sampling rates of 96, 88.2, 48 and 44.1kHz. The 96 I/O ensures the widest range of connectivity, as well as compatibility with the latest standards in the world of digital audio production.
Finally (as far as Digi’s interfaces go) they showed us their MIDI I/O for their new Pro Tools|HD. The MIDI I/O offers up to a whopping 160 channels of MIDI – an excellent solution for bringing unity to those racks of sequencers, samplers and other MIDI gear. Designed for the Mac- or Windows-based ProTools systems, the MIDI I/O interface connects easily to any computer with USB and is the perfect option for any OMS/WDM-compatible sequencing application.
They also showed us the PRE, an extremely high-performance and great-sounding mic pre that delivers the clearest possible signal into your ProTools system without “colorization,” – ideal for capturing sound the way it was meant to be heard. You get no less than 8 mic pres in PRE. The PRE is made for a variety of different applications, but it complements the 192kHz ProTools|HD systems perfectly!
Last but certainly not least, Digi unveiled their Mbox, a compact 2-channel USB peripheral device with Focusrite preamps that essentially gives you the ability to work with Pro Tools anywhere you go. The included Pro Tools LE 5.2 software supports Digidesign Internet Collaboration. Simply plug in the supplied USB cable to your compatible laptop or desktop computer, launch Pro Tools LE, and you’re ready to go. Mbox draws 100% of its power from the USB port, so you won’t have to purchase another power strip to power up Mbox. You’ll be hearing a lot more about the Mbox VERY soon, so keep an eye out.
Roland was also parading an impressive line-up of brand new gear at their booth. Their SH-32 Desktop Synth is sure to be on every synthesizer lover’s wish list this year, especially if said “synthesist” enjoys lots of knobs and sliders for full, hands on realtime tweaking control. The SH-32 4-part multitimbral desktop synth fits on a table (just like the name says), and features 32-note polyphony – far above any other synth in its class.
Now there’s another reason to love the VS-2480 Recording Workstation! The latest incarnation of this extremely popular digital recorder features version 2.0 software that rivals some of the best computer based DAWs out there. It also includes a built-in CD burner.
And speaking of the VS-2480, Roland’s new VS-2418 delivers similar power and features as the VS-2480 but at a lower price point. It provides 18 tracks, with the same effects set as its cousin, a 10 GB internal hard drive, and a built-in CD-RW drive for creating audio CDs or making backups.
More Roland later!
When it comes to great guitars, you know you can always look to Paul Reed Smith to deliver. Like kids looking forward to the holidays, guitarists start getting all excited about the PRS annual collector’s guitar sometime towards the end of October. The PRS Dragon 2002 certainly does not disappoint. With everyone dusting off their old Tolkien paperbacks these days, it seems appropriate that this year’s PRS Dragon features a striking representation of a fearsome dragon (in fact, the designed was inspired by Dungeons and Dragons). The pearl-inlayed design is a sight to behold. This is one beautiful instrument. Sweetwater has committed to a small number of these very limited edition pieces, so call your Sales Engineer and reserve one today.
That’s all we have time for today. Tune in tomorrow for more of the NAMM Report.