Musical Instruments

It’s not actually a black-and-white question. There are many different variations of keyboard action and it gets down to a personal preference question.   Being armed with what to expect is going to get you a good way down the road to a decision.

It wasn’t really until today that I saw something that made me literally stop and backup.    Zildjian is famous for its cymbals and has an artist endorsement list that goes on forever. These cymbals not only look different, but the display also encouraged you to listen to them through headphones.   I just had to see what this was all about.

The XW-J1 DJ Controller for your iPhone, iPod touch or iPad is ideally suited to mixing music and videos. The controller is equipped with the latest functions and a number of effects, so even beginners can use it intuitively for successful performances.   As the controller is compatible with iOS, Mac and Windows, the product offers functions that are coordinated with the popular djay and vjay app from Algoriddim and Deckadance from Image-Line.

Shure has introduced a line of products for the portable or desktop recordist who doesn’t want to deal with lots of gear with bells and whistles. The new MOTIV line microphone solutions aren’t just re-issues of existing products, they’ve designed new products that have a cool retro feel and a feature-set that is just right.

Yamaha introduces a new category of mixers with their AG line. The AG03 and AG06 are hybrid mixing consoles and USB audio interfaces for web/podcasting, gaming audio, and music production. This new approach to mixers eliminates the need for software by putting all the control at your fingertips. 

The one stand-out customer request that IK Multimedia has had to wrestle with over the past few years is releasing the fantastic products that are enjoyed on iOS devices for Android devices. This year, they’ve been able to deliver upon that request!

As with any NAMM, there are artist endorsements and demonstrations galore. Just look for a crowd around a booth and there’s probably somebody you know sitting there talking or playing an instrument. Saturday (today) is usually when they come out in force, but yesterday proved to be fruitful.

Today was busy! Even the exhibitors on the floor thought it was busy. The weather was fantastic (although I only caught a glimpse of it on the walk to the Annaheim Convention Centre), there were some artists spotted and some cool new gear discovered by yours truly.    

Even though I’ve been here before, NAMM is exciting, overwhelming, thrilling and exhausting. The first day was a hit-the-ground-running experience even though my brain and gear-geek self were asking my body and schedule to slow down. My francophone co-hort (Marc-Andre) and I caught up on each others’ past year, took a spin through the exhibit floor, saw a lot of new and familiar faces and, most importantly, took lots of photos, videos and notes on lots of interesting things!      

Boss pedals and electric guitars go together like vanilla ice cream and hot apple pie … well, at least it seems that way to me.   Boss has released one new bass pedal and three interesting takes on classic guitar pedals they’re naming “Waza Craft” editions.