I was also impressed with two new stereo mics from Avantone, the single pattern CK33 ($349) and the multipattern CK40. The capsules sit one on top of another and can be rotated to change the stereo pattern. Tech 21's new Sans Amp character series offers a number of different stomboxes that each emulate a different amp type (Fender, Vox, Marshall, Mesa-Boogie) although they don't mention them by name. These boxes can be used live or in the studio, and feature speaker-simulation technology.
--Mike Levine

Thursday was rockin' on the floor, although nothing like Saturday promises to be. There was a wide array of gear and software on the floor as we went from E-Hall up to the arena.

Eventide was showing their new E-Control RTAS plug-in that provides real-time control of the Eventdie H8000, H7600 and Eclipse multi-effects processors. E-Control provides multiple parameter control automation and program change capability which is saved with the session for easy recall.

Violet Design had a slick looking mic called the Wedge, a fixed cardioid condenser offering a 6 micron mylar film capsule and a presence bump at 3k.

New to NAMM, P5 Audio a provider of music sample sounds/effects, individual loops and construction loops had a wide range of products across all genres of music. Their developer base have created sounds for EMI, ClearChannel, HBO, Def Jam, Interscope, MTV and more

Sonnox, the Oxford plug-in people had an impressive de-esser plug in called the SuprEsser. It is in AU, VST and RTAS formats and offers a slick and intuitive interface that makes it easy to find problem areas and treat them with surgical compression.
--Kevin Becka

On the electronic/urban/DJ front, I only (ahem) scratched the surface of what is at NAMM today, but still found some really cool stuff. Akai MPC aficionados will be delighted to know that the MPC5000 was introduced today. It's the company's new flagship piece, adding a faster processor than the MPC4000 and most significantly, an onboard synth and an onboard hard disk recorder, which make this machine a truly all-in-one workstation.

For digital DJs, Stanton debuted its SC System, a two-piece MIDI controller setup that can work as a tandem or as seperate units. The SCS.1m Mix Controller takes on the familiar appearance of a combination DJ/console mixer, with four channel strips, precision metering, a full FireWire audio interface and much more. Meanwhile, the SCS.1d Deck is the size of a full-size professional DJ CD player, except that it is MIDI only. It's 10-inch high-torque motorized platter gives you a real turntable feel, and it also includes 4 360-degree rotary encoders. The SC System is schedule to ship in May for a price to be announced.

Digidesign Eleven Plug-In
Digidesign's new guitar amp--emulation plug-in promises to provide access to a connoisseur's collection of vintage and modern amp sounds. The set offers selected emulations of modern amplifiers and speaker cabinets from Vox, Fender, Marshall, Mesa/Boogie and Soldano, as well as several custom Digidesign creations inspired by the most revered amplifier designs in the world. Designers used a variety of techniques to capture cabinet resonance unique to each amp and speaker combination, and also modeled speaker load and coupling with the power amp emulating the natural cabinet resonance produced when driving a speaker at different volumes. It is available in TDM ($595) and LE ($395) versions in RTAS and AudioSuite formats. NAMM Booth #6606.
www.digidesign.com

Pioneer SVM-1000 A/V DJ Mixer
Crammed full of features, the Pioneer SVM-1000 ($5,999) audio/video DJ mixer tears down the walls between DJing and VJing. Each of the SVM-1000's four channels can operate as a video input (with or without audio) or an audio-only input. Pioneer's new Multiple Video Blending Technology with full A/V effects section is controlled via an 11-inch LCD touchscreen. Effects include 12 AV Beat Effects that synchronize to bpm, 12 AV Touch Effects that allow Kaoss-like use of the touchscreen to manipulate visuals and Text Effects that display and manipulate messages entered via the touchscreen or a USB keyboard, all in sync to bpm. A JPEG viewer allows using effects, looping or mixing with as many as eight still images. The audio system uses 24-bit/96 kHz A/D conversion. More features include full MIDI integration, AV Sync, Video Trim and Video EQ controls, a talk-over mic input and full crossfader section with curve adjust. NAMM Booth #6928.
www.pioneerprodj.com

Marantz PMD620 Recorder
This handheld recorder from Marantz offers 24- and 16-bit recording, and features two built-in condenser microphones, stereo or mono recording modes, and a choice of uncompressed 44.1kHz WAV files or three levels of MP3 file compression. The PMD620 ($499) uses an SD Flash memory card for data storage and can accept memory cards up to 2 terabytes. The unit features one-touch recording, familiar transport controls, a thumb-operated scroll wheel and a vivid organic LED (OLED) screen featuring two font sizes. Two AA batteries power the PMD620. Other features include Copy Segment editing, which uses nondestructive cut-and-paste--style editing to create a new sound file, and Skip Back, allowing transcribers to review recorded audio from 1 to 60 previous seconds. Files can be downloaded via the unit's USB 2 port. NAMM Booth #7105.
www.d-mpro.com

Dave Smith Instruments Prophet '08
With the original Prophet-5 designer (Sequential Circuits founder Dave Smith) at the helm, the DSI Prophet '08 ($2,199) is a fully future-ized version of Sequential's classic analog beast that boasts its own 100% analog signal path with eight notes of polyphony, each with two VCOs and a Curtis lowpass filter. The 5-octave keyboard has semiweighted action with Velocity and Aftertouch (lacking in the original), a spring-loaded pitch wheel and an assignable mod wheel. The 16-by-4 gated sequencer, powerful arpeggiator, three envelope generators (ENV3 can loop) and four LFOs offer a multitude of ways to animate sounds. MIDI In, Out, Thru and Poly Chain are all offered on the rear, as are sustain pedal and CV/expression pedal inputs, a headphone output and a pair of stereo 1/4-inch outputs for sending patch layers to separate places. NAMM Booth #6948.
www.davesmithinstruments.com

Say Hello to Cory Lamb
Hey Cory Lamb here on B.S.E. records at NAMM on the first day. Chilling with my favorite manufactures and making many new friends. I also went and talk to cakewalk about some new solfware powered by intel to use on my new up and coming album. I also headed over to my favorite mic. brand audio-technica and ran into Timothy B. Schmit. and his enginer Hank linderman. MORE

Rory Kaplan Stops By
Hi !! This is Rory Kaplan representing Intel. I always look forward to the NAMM show as technology has come a long way, and what I look for is how technology can make the creative process flow, rather than worry about what the stats are of a device. I'm here because Intel's Core 2 processors are the heart of what I do in creating and producing tracks or surround sound mixes. I'm looking forward to seeing what other companies are doing in the advacement of technology, and how it contributes to the creative content process. MORE