GENERAL MUSIC: The latest in their Equinox Series of workstation synthesizers, the Equinox 88 Pro ($3,969) features 88 weighted keys and comes complete with an internal hard disk pre-loaded with a selection of excellent sounds. There’s also built-in SCSI interface. KIND OF LOUD TECHNOLOGIES: Pro Tools artists will be excited about the impressive new plug-in from Kind of Loud Technologies. The RealVerb 5.1 ($1495) is a multi-channel reverb for Pro Tools that provides a multitude of creative reverb options. It boasts excellent physical space modeling for surround mixing, and also has the unique ability to morph between room shapes and textures. Users have incredible control over all Real Verb 5.1’s functions and can blend and mold sounds with amazing accuracy and detail, including the ability to create and change perceived distance between the sound source and the listener. It really is an astounding audio tool. A MAS version for MOTU will also be available. KORG: The new TRITON OS version 2.0 adds a little boost to the sampling section of this amazing keyboard. New features include time slice, which lets you take a sampled loop or phrase, cut it into segments, and then create a new multisample and program. This is placed into the sequencer along with the required track data to play the part. There is also a time stretch function, which matches the tempo/length of sampled phrases. The crossfade/looping function lets you loop complex sounds without clicks or pops at loop point. Korg was also showing their new old skool synth, the MS2000 Analog Waveform Synth ($1100). This is the first new entry in Korg’s classic MS Series in 20 years. The MS2000 faithfully recreates the analog sounds of the past using the latest DSP technology, and adds a very cool vocoder. We got a brief demo of this synth and the sounds were excellent. Tweakers will especially love this synth: there are no less than 35 dedicated knobs on the MS2000, all so you can create and manipulate sounds in realtime. The weird thing was that your NAMM Report staff had just come from an exhibit of vintage synths, and it was interesting to see how people seem to like the look and "hands-on" aspects of the older synths with knobs, even if the dependability, performance and sound quality of today’s synths bears no resemblance to the instruments of even 15 years ago. Finally, the ES-1 Rhythm Production Sampler ($600) is the newest member of the Electribe (this one is green). The ES-1 is a kind of variation on the ER-1 (that’s the red one), but the ES-1 lets you process the samples in an astonishing variety of ways. You can tweak and alter your sample via the pitch, filter and effects knobs, and use the step sequencer to create complex rhythm patterns. KURZWEIL: Their excellent new PC2 ($2395) and PC2X ($2890) Performance Controllers are to be on the "must-have" list of any serious keyboardist. They feature a host of new sounds including Triple Strike Stereo Grand Piano, Stereo Strings, classic electric pianos and keyboards, and a wide range of other instruments. There’s also MIDI control and 64-voice polyphony. LINE 6: It’s black. It’s vaguely kidney-shaped. And it’s for bassists! Line 6 opens the way for bass players to have a little effects fun with the Bass Pod, the bass version of their popular Pod modeler/effects device. Bass pod offers 16 bass amp modelers, 16 bass cabinet model, 16 digital effects combinations, and much more. They were also showing their Rackmount Pod Pro, essentially a rackmount version of the Pod with extra cool features, including 24-bit AES/EBU and S/PDIF digital out, and stereo effects loop. MARSHALL: An acoustic guitar amp from Marshall? They exist, and our raised eyebrows were lowered when we got a look and listen. The AS80R Acoustic Guitar Amplfier ($1199) is an 80-watt chorus combo that sounds amazing. If you’ve ever heard one of Marshall’s acoustic amps you’ll know what we mean. All that power and clarity applied to a more delicate sound, and the results are stunning. MARTIN: Martin’s Special Edition guitars are always a NAMM highlight, but this year they out did themselves with the Eric Clapton signature guitar ($1500). A curvy acoustic of Brazilian Rosewood, the 00042ECB (its "official" name doesn’t do justice to such a fine looking instrument) has already caused quite a stir among collectors and connoisseurs. There are only 200 of these beauties in existence. Still think a young man ain’t got nuthin’ in the world these days? Think again. For the Young Man Blues there’s the Johnny Lang signature guitar, a jumbo 14-fret full access Venetian cutaway equipped with a Fishman Prefix Onboard Blender system. The face of the guitar has an aged, amber hue for that "dues-paid-in-full" look and feel. Martin was also showing off two Jim Croce limited edition guitars. The D-21JC (see Clapton comment) features back and sides of Indian Rosewood; the D-21JCB has back and sides of Genuine Brazilian Rosewood. Each guitar has a mint condition 1973 dime inlaid at the third fret fingerboard position, in honor of Croce’s tune "Operator" (perhaps an inlaid image of a mutilated pimp in honor of Croce’s hit "Bad, Bad Leroy Brown" was rejected in the early planning stages). Martin is limiting the number of Jim Croce special edition guitars to 73 in reference to the year Croce died. There were a number of other special editions we liked, such as the 00-1750 "Sing Out" guitar, honoring folk groups and artists who came to prominence in the 30s and 40s, and an acoustic Dreadnought guitar honoring George Nakashima — the founding father of the contemporary American woodworking movement — and designed in the woodworking style of the artist, just to name two. But one that definitely caught our eye was the Custom D-45 Dreadnought, an incredibly ornate instrument featuring pearl inlay Chinese icons and symbols. The neck boasts an ornate double dragon motif, while the keys have beautifully intricate symbols of the Chinese calendar. The serial number is #700,000, and you can pick one up for a paltry $15,000. It’s a beautiful guitar, though this probably isn’t the acoustic you’d use to play your Violent Femmes medley. MIDIMAN: Continuing a trend we saw this year, interface kings Midiman unleashed two USB MIDI interfaces. For use on both Mac and PC, the USB Midisport 1x1 and the USB Midisport 2x2 sport a sleek design and offer high-speed, dependable connection to USB-equipped PC or Apple computers. Also in the "little-things-mean-a-lot" category were two digital thru boxes, the CT-14 and OT-14. The CT-14 and the OT-14 quadruple your Coaxial and Optical (respectively) access to digital devices. Finally, a new entry into their Delta Series, the Delta 44, includes a PCI card connected to a sturdy analog break-out box. You get 4 x 4 I/O jacks. In many respects, it’s similar to the Delta 66, with the same 24-bit 96kHz converter section, but it’s made for the person who doesn’t need S/PDIF digital I/O. MOTU: There was a really exciting development at Mark of the Unicorn’s booth. We got to go behind closed doors to see their brand spankin’ new 1296 audio workstation for Mac and Windows. It’s a new addition to their 2408 family, and boasts 24-bit/96 kHz. It’s ideal for surround sound mixing and is available as a core system and as an expansion I/O. You can connect up to three 1296s for 36 channels. We’ll have more on the 1296 VERY soon. NEUMANN: Nuemann has turned their attention from the studio to the stage with the KMS 105, a super-cardioid vocal mic for live performance that could easily become another Neumann classic. It boasts a remarkable "intimacy" and subtlety for a live mic. Features include 145 dB maximum SPL, reduced handling noise thanks to special capsule tensioning, mounting and microphone electronics, and a reduced sensitivity to plosives. Neumann also reaffirmed their status as a manufacturer of impeccable grace by honoring Sweetwater with the Neumann Dealer of the Year award. Sweetwater Founder and Chairman Chuck Surack recently went to see the Neumann factory in Germany and there’s an account of his trip in an upcoming SweetNotes. PARKER:  They’ve added two new models to their line of innovative instruments. The Parker Hardtail ($2,650) and the Parker Jazz ($3,375) boast Parker’s characteristic lightweight and easy playability, but add a stronger low-end to the overall tone. The Hardtail is a stealth gray color with a basswood body and neck. It also features a Drop-D tuner. The Jazz is a deep, classy red color with gold hardware — gold piezo, gold fret, etc. The pickup is specially voiced to deliver a warm jazz tone. Very nice. PRS:PRESONUS: There were some very cool new things in development from the smart kids at Presonus. The Quad Com ($899.95) was their new, single rack, four-channel professional compressor/limiter. They also had the Quad Gate ($899.95), a single rack four-channel professional frequency gate with zero crossing circuitry. Then there was the DigiMax ($1,499.95) eight-channel preamp featuring peak limiter, EQ enhancer, and Analog and Digital outputs. They had a new 4-band parametric EQ, the EQ80 ($2,299.95), with eight channels, Narrow Q select and High/Low shelving. Finally, their Blue Tube ($199.95) was a 1/2 rack space stereo tube mic pre. We’ll be giving you more on all these fine units as soon as we get it. ROLAND: They had so much new gear — so much cool new gear — that it’s tough to know where to begin. We had the privilege of seeing all this stuff put through its paces at the big Roland show the night before the official NAMM opening, and the crowd was suitably impressed. We’ll start with the addition to their VS workstation series, the VS-1880, which like its predecessors is a completely self-contained digital recording workstation with built-in digital mixing, optional effects processing, and CD-burning capabilities. You get 18 tracks of simultaneous playback, 8 tracks of simultaneous recording and 288 virtual tracks. Burning CDs is very efficient, thanks to a feature called Audio CD Image Format. Accessing CD writing menus and Mastering is a button push away. The new MC-307 Groovebox is for the DJ who wants the old school feel with the cutting-edge of groove technology. All new patterns, realtime controls, PLUS accurate turntable emulation which has to be seen — and heard — to be believed. DJs who want the visceral vinyl feel should check this out. The VG-88 V-Guitar System ($1295) also ranks  high on the impressive scale. It’s a top-of-the-line guitar modeler, and the detail and variety of options are extraordinary. Features include nylon string guitar, brass sounds, and awesome guitar-oriented stuff like overdriven amp sounds and tube amp tones. We saw a great demonstration with this and were amazed. They were also showing the GR-33 ($695), the latest and most advanced in Roland’s extremely popular line of guitar synths. The GR-33 boasts a massive wave memory and over 350 stunning instrument sounds including analog synths, basses, nylon string guitars, orchestral sounds, a variety of instruments, choir sounds and more. It’s a great tool for a creative guitarist. Need fat bass? The DB-700 ($1299) is Roland’s high-performance digital bass amp. It features COSM bass amp modeling to pack a lot of bass power and volume into a pretty compact and portable package. It’s perfect for mid or large sized performance venues. They also were showing off their new XV Series of synths. The 3 XV synths are all 128-voices and include the XV-88 expandable keyboard, the XV-3080 rack module and the flagship XV-5080 rack module. They are all expandable and feature enormous internal wave memory — up to 64MB with 1,083 waves and sounds from many Roland classics, such as the JD-990 Super JD. Expanding on the technology and innovation that made the Roland V–Drum kit so popular, the HPD-15 Hand Percussion Pad ($1295) is a perfect example of a seemingly simple idea executed brilliantly. Just like the name suggests, the HPD-15 is sort of the hand percussionist’s answer to the V-Drum kit. Percussionists can tap, slap and pound away like angry chimps. Like the V-Drum kit, the pads are touch sensitive for expressive performance, and the sounds are incredibly realistic. There’s even a "D-Beam" and dual ribbon controllers. Trust us, it rocks. But Roland’s crowning achievement this NAMM, and one of the most exciting releases of the entire show,  is a unique device called the VP-9000 VariPhrase Processor ($3295). The VP-9000 is difficult to describe. The basic principle is that the VP-9000 makes music "elastic." It’s an audio processor that allows you to manipulate pitch, time and formants in real time via MIDI control. But the sound quality of the original sample remains the same, whatever you do with it. Speed it up, slow it down, but the pitch stays the same. You can also instantly match phrase loops from different sources to the same key and tempo. But the VP-9000 goes far beyond pitch correction, or sampling. Basically, you can take a vocal line, drum beat, or other musical phrase, and change the "character" of a song, all in real time. Seamlessly. Still a little unclear? Well, we saw a number of different demonstrations of the VP-9000, and with each demo our appreciation grew. The applications are mind-boggling, encompassing everything from remix tasks, to postproduction for audio and video, to a complete creative tool. You’re going to be hearing a lot about this new technology in the coming months, and Sweetwater will keep you up to date on all the latest developments. Home • Page 1 • Page 2 • Page 3	Click image to view larger Hartke amps and basses. Korg's MS2000 synth. Line 6 Bass Pod and Pod Pro. Line 6 demos new amps and the bass pod. Martins and more Martins. Martin's Eric Clapton signature model. Sweetwater receives Dealer Excellence award from Neumann. Parker with fixed bridge and a really sweet sound. PRS single cutaway models. Sweetwater receives Dealer Excellence award from PreSonus. Roland BR-8 demo. VP-9000 showing built in Zip drive. Roland XV3080 & XV5080. Roland XV-88 keyboard. Roland showed several great new guitar products, includin a new guitar synthesizer and the VG-88. Debut of the VP-9000.