Google's Sergey Brin is quoted as saying “Scarcity brings clarity.” New clarity and innovation was found on all fronts, as the scarcity of the recent economy drove manufacturers to dig deep and advance their crafts in ways not seen in the 16 years I've been attending the Winter NAMM Show. Held this past week in Anaheim, Calif., the innovators at NAMM were rewarded as the show set records with over 95,000 in attendance and over 1,400 exhibitors.
What was the buzz of the show? Depends who you talk to. We scoured the floor for the latest in pro audio, and the offering was impressive and widespread.
Number One
Line 6's new StageScape M20d was probably the most discussed product from the church tech people we talked to. New digital mixer from Line 6 (retail price $2499) offers an entirely new way to do live sound. Inputs are routed from source to destination in much the same way you'd program a GUI on a digital signal processor. Just drag and drop from the touch screen. With just a few knobs on the front panel, set-up and operation are as automated as we've seen in a digital mixer. To me, it looks and feels like playing a video game. Depending on how the interface is received, this could be a game changer in the world of digital mixing. Line 6 has a history of building good quality, affordable audio equipment. Based on the company's experience, we expect the StageScape M20d 20-input Stage Mixing System to be a hit in the church market.
Number Two
We were equally impressed with the new Mackie DL1608 iPod-based digital mixer. At just $999, plus the cost of an iPad, the new DL1608 will likely provide some heady competition to the new Line 6 StageScape M20d. Unlike Line 6, Mackie says it chose to adopt an existing interface (the iPad) instead of spending millions of dollars developing their own. Mackie says the DL1608 delivers pristine sound quality, the result of 16 Mackie Onyx mic preamps and 24-bit Cirrus Logic AD/DA converters. The new mixer is scheduled to ship in May or June.
Number Three
While we're on the subject of small digital mixers, Presonus adds features to its StudioLive Series of digital mixers. A few months ago, the company announced plans to incorporate Smaart loudspeaker analysis capabilities from Rational Acoustics in its mixers. At NAMM, we got more details. Smaart Spectra and Smaart Locator will be incorporated into PreSonus's Universal Control Version 1.6, expected to be available later this spring. Using Smaart technology, users can improve the sound of their P.A. system with sound-system analysis and optimization tools never before offered in a mixing console --- let alone one that costs less than $2,000. Very cool. Presonus also announced a software update that allows up to 10 musicians to simultaneously control their monitor mixes using an iPhone or iPod touch. The free QMix app is expected to be available later this month.
Number Four
JBL announced a new flagship, large-format line array system. The VTX Line Array Series will eclipse the company's successful Vertec as the top-of-the-line, high-output, concert-quality loudspeaker system. JBL says the heart of new VTX is the D2 a new dual driver, dual voice coil compression driver design. The new dual-driver D2 design overcomes the limitations of conventional compression driver technology: limited high frequency extension due to mass of the diaphragm and voice coil, and distortion characteristics that arise due to dome breakup modes, according to a company announcement. JBL says there are no plans for an installation-only version --- the new models will serve double duty.
Number Five
Neutrik says its TimbrePlug gives guitarists and bassists an opportunity to find new tones and timbres. The company says the guitar cord plays a role in the sound of the guitar, and the four-position control on its TimbrePlug provides additional options not possible by simply changing treble and bass. Neutrik isn't saying much about how the TimbrePlug works, but the demonstration at Winter NAMM certainly was compelling.
See photos and captions for additional coverage of Winter NAMM 2012.
