Winter NAMM 2019 - part 4
Native Instruments Out of the blue I got an invitation to visit Native Instruments (NI) at the show. They hinted at something interesting and I was curious as they had already release the news about the flagship software bundle Komplete 12 which contains among very many other things a new version of Massive and an equally new version of Kontakt (which I use all the time). I usually reserve the first day of NAMM to browse the aisles but in this case I made an exception. And I'm glad I did because Native Instruments showed a very interesting concept with new products to match. The concept centers around the wish to reach the entry level customer who may be new to making music or the customer who plays but may want to branch out to another instrument or start recording. NI seems to have found a way to design products which, while having an accessible price point, are still valid instruments/controllers and audio interfaces. All this equals a massive bang for the buck.
In the picture you see the brand new Komplete Kontrol M32.It's a 32-key kontroller that has mini keys (taht still felt good), two ribbon controllers, 8 control knobs and assorted buttons. The M32 will retail at €199.
Now you may wonder what's the use of a controller if I don't have nice softwere to control. Here NI are offering a software bundle they call Komplete Start which contains 15 synths and sampled instruments, 2 effects plus loops and samples. It also includes the Komplete Kontrol software so you can control all the instruments from the 8 control knobs on the M32. You want bang for the buck? Komplete Start is kompletely free of charge. I teach a lot of classes in Digital Music Creativity and I will definitely include Komplete Start in my curriculum as soon as it hits the web.
You obviously want an audio interface for you computer. NI now offers Komplete Audio 1 and Komplete Audio 2. Audio 1 has one input channel and you can chose instrument or microphone and will retail at $99. Audio 2 has two microphone preamps and adds balanced outputs. I didn't get the retail price for Audio 2 but I will be very surprised if it's a lot more expensive than Audio 2.
NI Micro Maschine (Retail €249) is not entirely new but it can now be seen from in the perspective of the entry level creator. The Micro Maschine comes with it's own bundle of software (including Monark and Massive) plus a trial subscription to Sounds.com which can be seen as the Spotify of samples. Even if you decide not to continue your Sounds.com subscription, you can still keep the samples you've downloaded.
Neuman
Neuman premiered their NDH-20 headphones.
Nik Huber Guitars
Nik Huber is such a nice guy and he builds the most awesome guitars. From basic rock machines to sophisticated artwork as you can see in the picture above. While I'm in love with his Dolphin model, the one that really keeps me excited is the Krautster II. At the show Nik and I discussed some possible new switching options and we'll see where that goes.
It has become a tradition to include a picture of Nik in my NAMM report but this time he invited me in the picture.
Noah Guitars
Noah Guitars from Italy displayed various shapes and forms in the Boutique Guitars Showcase booth. Nik's not known (yet) for his basses but here he is holding up a semi-hollow bass that looks decidedly cool.
One Control / Björn Juhl
Swedish pedal designer extraordaniaire Björn Juhl now has a large assortment of pedals in this smaller format.
Björn stands behind his pedals.
Guitar players often need a clean amp that sound good. Many have such an amp but experience that the sound level at when the amp sounds it's very best is way too loud. Rhis amp is Björn Juhl's attempt att building an amp that let's you get that sweet spot at a volume that can fit any situation/venue. I didn't get to hear it but considering Bjorn's track record, I'm really looking forward to hearing it in action.
Oni Guitars
Alos located in the Boutiqu Showcase area were these interesting guitars made by Oni Guitars.
Origin Effects
The Revival Drive pedals from Origin Effects have met with approval from the guitar community and rightfully so. These drives are powerfully flexible and can get you amp sounding like a sweating stack.
To the left of all the different Cali 67 compressors is a prototype of the coming Revival Drive Compact. A Revival Drive with a reduced set of controls.
Ormsby Guitars
Fan fret guitars seemed like a trend this year and often combined with slanted pickups and bridge.
A combination of the new and the familiar.
Palmer
Palmer has some high quality accessories and I have a few of them in my studio. Because Peter put his on the back!
Paoletti Guitars
A wester leather theme at Paoletti Guitars. My only question after leaving their booth was, are those sculls or is it Darth Vader and his twin?
Patrick James Eggle Guitars
Many years ago Patrick Eggle Guitars in England made a splash in my native Sweden but disappeared shortly after. Now Patrick James Eggle Guitars is back with some very, very nice guitars.
A single cut with a pickup combination I've never seen before.
Patrick James Eggle himself with a nice looking Strat style guitar.
People NAMM is not only about instruments and audio. It's also a very interesting people gallery.
My freind and mentor, Craig Anderton, is so busy that even when he's standing still je's a bit blurry. This guy is probably from another planet as he get things done within inhuman time frames.
Technologically speaking, the object in the picture is not a human but close enough.
Peple who can play pedal steel is a rare breed even at NAMM so I had to include this woman. I'm always impressed that people can keep track of all these strings and the tunings with the pedals.
Then you have the "dressers".
Pointy guitars used to be the norm back in the 80s. Here we have pointy hair.
We all want to leave our foot prints in history.
PreSonus
New in the PreSonus ecco system is the new series of USB-C audio interfaces. The obvious choice in my book unless you want to go Thunderbolt.
Because if you do then this Quantum 2 is my choice.
And if you need many channels then the new Quantum 4848 should be of interest.
The Atom pad controller is for the beat oriented producer and all of us who grew up in the pre-DAW days with a drum machine and miss pads for drum programming.
The Atom goes very well together with the Impact XT which made its debut in Studio One v4.
PRS Guitars
Two new models in the SE range. The SE Schizoid and the SE Paul's Guitar. I'm impressed they crammed so much of the core Pau's Guitar into this SE model.
The CE24 Hollow was new at NAMM 2019. I apologize for the blurry picture but the while the lighting in the PRS booth looks great it is not kind to freehand photography.
Paul's Guitar is a very interesting guitar with its narrow bobbin TCI pickups (Tuned Capacitance and Inductance) and has a sound of it's own.
PRS Private Stock keeps turning out cool guitars.
This year is hollowbody year as the McCarty 594 is now available as a hollowbody.
PRS has a range of acoustic that should not be forgotten.
The PRS Silver Sky was most probably the most debated guitar in 2018. Personally I'm saving up for one and my choice just got harder as PRS presented four new colors to choose from.
Quimper Electronics
I love the retro-futuristic design of the Retrofier Roadtripper MCM from Quimper Electronics.
Relab
If there ever was an iconic reverb it must be the Lexicon 480 and if there ever was a lovingly detailed take on the 480 it must be the Relab LX480 where the programmers are so ossessive with the details it almost borders on insanity. But it really paid off for them becuse the LX 480 is sounding absolutely fantastic. The plugin has recently gone through an update which among other things makes it easier to handle presets.
But there is new plugin coming from ReLab. This is the Sonsig Reverb which is their own take on what a reverb can and should be. It wil be at a lower price point then Relab's present offerings. The demo was very impressive and I'm sure this will find its way into many DAWs around the world.
Relish Guitars
I first saw and played a Relish guitar at the very first Holy Grail Guitar Show a number of years ago. This guitar based around a metal fram and the back is held in place by magnets and thus you have easy access to the electronics.
The pickups are connected with quick connectors so it's very easy to swap pickups.
Revv
Revv displayed their products next to the guys at Two-Notes and the D20 is a 20 watt tube amp with Two-Notes technology built in so you can go direct into you mixing/PA desk or audio interface. It's really good to see people combining old and new technology in innovative ways.
The back shows that you can connect the Two-Notes Remopte software for editing the settings for the speaker and microphone models. To the right you'll find the FX loop and the internal load so you can record silently.
Revv Generator is a 4-channel tube driven power house for the loud players.
But if you want the portability and flexibility of the D20 but with the overdrive channels from the Generator you can get the Revv G3 or G4 which have the overdrive character of the Generator gain channels.
Ritter Instruments
Jens Ritter always shows some instruments that is uniquly his. This year he displayed the by now famous cow pasture guitar. Check oput his Youtube video for an explanation.n't recall ever seeing such an elaborate yet tasteful soundhole decoration.
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