If you were an exhibitor trumpeting your new products, you probably had less competition for attention than at any previous NAMM show. Even major manufacturers like Roland and Yamaha launched only a relative handful of products. When I asked around about this phenomenon, the response I heard over and over again was that they were saving the big surprises for October's AES show in New York. I spoke with almost as many representatives of companies that didn't exhibit in Austin as of those that did. Even though I didn't see anything earth shattering, I did see some pretty cool stuff. What's more, I got a sneak peak at a few things I can't talk about yet.

DigiTech GSP1101
DigiTech has announced the availability of its new GSP1101 Guitar Preamp/Processor, designed to enhance and contour a player's sounds while also taking steps to preserve the guitarists core tone from their rig through the included setup wizard and effects loop. One-hundred-and-twenty-five point-to-point models are included, ranging from amplifier and cabinet models to stompboxes and effects, including several studio-quality Lexicon reverbs, which can be combined and stored into 99 user presets or tweaked from one of the 99 factory presets. Guitarists will also appreciate the GSP1101's gapless preset changes, which instantaneously call up a requested sound without cutting off trailing delay or reverb lines, for a professional performance when using multiple guitar tones.
www.digitech.com

Boss RE-20 Space Echo
One of the most beloved echo effects ever made, the Roland RE-201 Space Echo, has been reborn as the Boss RE-20 Twin Pedal. In this new stompbox, Boss has recreated every sonic detail and nuance of the original, providing users the warm, unpredictable, and highly tweakable retro sounds of the RE-201. The original, commonly known as the Space Echo, was an analog delay effects unit produced in the '70s. Despite its age, the Space Echo is still widely sought after and used by many bands today, but now Roland's coveted 201 sounds are available to anyone. This new stompbox features spot-on simulation of the original Space Echo and its spacious analog tone, including selection of the original 12 Space Echo modes. Faithful modeling of the 201's tape flutter and magnetic head saturation give this new box an authentic tone while a tap input pedal allows guitarists to easily set the delay time by foot.
www.bossus.com

Notion Progression
Notion Music has introduced Progression, a new tablature and playback application designed for guitar players. Progression is a powerful, yet easy-to-use guitar application for creating, learning, and distributing music. Guitar tablature or standard notation can be quickly entered with a keyboard and mouse, or played into the program with a MIDI guitar or MIDI keyboard. Progression then plays back the music instantly with its extensive built-in sound library. Songs and ideas can be shared by creating guitar tabs, lead sheets, and standard sheet music or by simply exporting an audio file with a complete band backing track. Progression features thousands of real electric and acoustic guitar samples, as well as grand piano, upright bass, clavinet, and electric piano. VST hosting capability enables the use of effects plug-ins and amp modelers, and a built-in mixer gives the user complete control over the rest of the mix. Progression is slated to ship in September and retail for $149.99.
www.notionmusic.com