Calrec’s flagship Argo Q console has been nominated for a NAMM TEC Award in the Outstanding Technical Achievement in the Large Format Console Technology category.

The TEC Awards honour the latest achievements in pro audio and sound production, along with the audio professionals that bring sound to life and winners will be announced on January 27, 2024, at the NAMM Show. Other nominees in this category include SSL, DiGiCo, Yamaha, Avid, and Audient.

Calrec is leading the world of broadcast audio on the path to IP with a range of solutions, allowing customers to move at their own pace to the protocol of the future. Argo heads its console range, which includes the Argo Q and the smaller Argo S, with intuitive IP native surfaces and supercharged DSP, interchangeable panels and configurable layouts. Argo has captured the industry’s attention, with broadcasters and OB suppliers deploying the product and Argo winning NAB Product of the Year in 2023.

Argo interacts with Calrec’s Assist UI, allowing users to switch between physical hardware panels and a remote GUI with ease. Argo’s modular panel system encourages broadcasters to adapt surface hardware to meet their unique requirements, with two mid-level rows of interchangeable panels on the larger Argo Q model and one mid-level row on the compact Argo S model.

Argo also leverages Calrec’s scalable ImPulse and its newer ImPulse1 compact native IP processing engine to provide audio mixing and routing capabilities from the smallest to the largest scaled networks, serving all productions simultaneously and geographically independently. The flexibility of control surface options combined with web-browser based control and third-party protocol support provides a powerful and intuitive human interface that can fit into any space to serve any size of production, spread of operators and sub-mix positions.

Dave Letson, VP of Sales at Calrec said:

“Earning a prestigious award nomination such as this clearly reflects Calrec’s dedication to delivering advanced IP audio solutions for broadcasters. Argo signifies a groundbreaking step in audio consoles, simplifying on-site staffing for events and studios and virtualizing control rooms and processing equipment within event spaces. These changing workflow styles are being driven by scale, cost, and geographic reach, and Argo excels in meeting these criteria.”

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NAMM has announced the finalists of the 39th Annual TEC Awards which will take place on January 27 2024 in Anaheim as part of next year’s NAMM Show.

Presented annually during The NAMM Show, the TEC Awards recognize the individuals, companies, and technical innovations behind the sound of recordings, live performances, films, television, video games and multimedia.

Recognizing innovative product design and excellence in audio and sound production, the Outstanding Technical Achievement awards include 23 categories that span across the pro audio product spectrum. Details of the technical finalists can be found here.

Honoring the world’s most innovative studio environments along with the influencers, engineers, mixers and acousticians who bring the sound to life, the Studio Design Finalists are can be found here and below.

AMPLIFICATION HARDWARE / STUDIO & SOUND REINFORCEMENT

Audeze

MM-100 Studio Headphones

Avantone Pro

Planar the II

JH Audio

Ambient Pro

Shure

SE846 Gen 2 Pro Sound Isolating Earphones

Sony

MDR-MV1 Headphones

Ultimate Ears Professional

UE Premier IEMs

ADAM Audio

A Series

ATC Loudspeaker Technology

SCM25A Pro Mk2

EVE Audio

SC2070

Focal

TWIN6

Genelec

8381A SAM Adaptive Point Source Main Monitor

Neumann.Berlin

KH 150 – Next Generation Two Way Nearfield Monitor

WIRELESS TECHNOLOGY

The post NAMM announces finalists of 39th Annual TEC Awards appeared first on Audio Media International.

The call for entries is coming to a close tonight (August 31).

If you’re in the industry and don’t want to muss out on this incredible opportunity. The spotlight is waiting, and your chance to be part of the TEC Finalists is right here.

Enter your qualified products and spread the word among industry peers.

Submit your entry today and let your excellence shine at The NAMM Show and TEC Awards.

More information here: TEC Award Entries

The post Last Call For TEC Awards 2024 Entries appeared first on Audio Media International.

This year’s NAMM show was short, but it packed a big punch. Here are our ten hottest launches of NAMM 2023 from in-ears packed with dozens of drivers, an audio interface fit for a U87, to a plug-in that promises to free up all your CPU, by Andrea Smith.

It was the best of NAMMs, it was the worst of NAMMs – depending on who you ask. Major brands including Fender, Roland and Akai were absent in Anaheim, California this year, and product launches seemed to take a backseat for many.

But this meant more room for smaller companies and space for attendees to really get hands on with new gear.

Here are ten NAMM 2023 launches that made the April show one for the books.

1. Ultimate Ears

UE Premier IEMs

The biggest standout was Ultimate Ears UE Premier in-ear monitors which feature a jaw-dropping 21 drivers per ear. The previous flagship, UE Live, had a mere eight per ear in comparison. And there is no comparison.

While both have five-way crossover and a 5Hz to 40kHz frequency range, the power, clarity and richness of UE Premier’s driver arsenal made listening on them an almost religious experience.

Crispy detailed highs soared over tons of mid-range nuance, and the two dual sub-low drivers meant bass you could feel.

UE had a massive footprint at the show where attendees auditioned their full range and even Stevie Wonder stopped by to try UE Premier. A UE Pro tech said, “The highlight of my show has been the smiles on people’s faces when they first experience UE Premier.” However, the $3,000 price tag soon brought many back down to reality – or a pair of UE 11 Pros.

2. Neumann

MT48 Audio Interface

NAMM 2023 saw Neumann leap into digital with its first ever audio interface, the MT48.

Pros were excited to see the storied microphone manufacturer incorporate Merging Technologies esteemed AD/DA conversion into it.

MT48 has two premium mic/line preamps, two line inputs, two balanced XLR main outputs, two balanced line outputs, and two headphone outputs with capability for four separate stereo output mixes.

Onboard DSP includes parametric EQ, dynamics processing and reverb. Neumann’s Dual Output Technology lets you record with or without effects or both options simultaneously.

It has MIDI I/O, built in talkback, and is expandable through ADAT and AES67.

A dynamic range of 136dB and mic preamps with up to 78 dB gain mean it can capture the full potential of Neumann microphones without bottlenecks.

MT48 is available for $1,850 USD from Neumann dealers later this month.

3. Trinnov

Nova Room Calibration System

French innovators Trinnov debuted their first step into the home studio space, Nova – a monitoring processor and 3D room calibration microphone.

Equipped with ‘Optimizer’ tech that’s used by the world’s most advanced studios, Nova promises to take room compensation completely out of the mixing equation.

Trinnov’s iconic microphone is designed specifically for Nova with phantom power and integrated memory for a more user-friendly calibration process.

Nova comes with two channels of Optimizer processing including bass management (can be upgraded to six) and is also a monitoring controller and Dante interface.

Nova + updated 3D Monitoring Microphone ships from June at $4,190 USD.

4. RealTime Audio

RealTime Portal

Texas-based RealTime Audio unveiled the RealTime Portal – an ethernet device and app that allows users to perform or record together remotely within a 1,000 mile radius with an undetectable latency of 8ms to 55ms.

This is big news for music educators as well as songwriters and producers.

Victor Wooten dropped by the RealTime booth on Friday for a Portal jam session with musicians scattered around California.

Portal is available for $299 USD and includes a free one-year subscription to the RealTime Audio app ($9.99 USD per month thereafter).

5. GPU Audio + Vienna Symphonic Library

Vienna MIR Pro 3D

Established developers Vienna Symphonic Library and audio processing trailblazers GPU Audio showed off their groundbreaking collaboration at NAMM.

LA-based GPU Audio is democratizing high end audio processing – like VSL’s 3D immersive virtual stage simulator – by unlocking the massive power of a computer’s Graphics Processing Unit (GPU) for audio applications.

Jonathan Rowden, Chief Business Officer of GPU Audio said, “We’ve developed what can be described as an ‘engine’ that allows audio algorithms to be processed in parallel, spread across thousands of GPU cores, with real-time/instant rendering, and at extremely low latencies (less than 1ms).”

With further third party GPU compatibility, musicians can bypass prohibitively expensive hardware for sophisticated processing in both studio and live situations.

GPU Audio’s Beta Suite of effects plugins is available now for free and Vienna MIR Pro 3D will ship from May priced at $823.75 USD.

6. Amphion

One25A 3-way Active Studio Monitor

Finnish speaker manufacturers Amphion unveiled the One25A at the show – a compact yet powerful full range monitor that expands their reach into post-production studios, and television and film composition.

The One25A’s innovative sealed dual cabinet with isolated bass and midrange chambers was designed with the help of bass guitar maker, Tom Stenback, to control resonance and minimise acoustic cross-coupling for incredible resolution and clarity.

The One25A is available for $14,900 USD per pair and will ship from August.

7. Zynaptiq

Orange Vocoder IV

Zynaptiq’s Orange Vocoder IV was another plug-in attendees raved about.

Originally developed by Prosoniq in 1998, it’s widely regarded as the most transparent vocoder plug-in ever made.

Zynaptiq brings it into 2023 with 22 vocoding algorithms, pitch manipulation, and a robust synth section.

Originally announced at NAMM 2018, this powerful vocoder plug-in will finally be available this May for $249 USD.

8. Pioneer DJ

DDJ-FLX10

Pioneer announced the DDJ-FLX10 a few weeks before the NAMM show.

The 4-channel DJ controller for Rekordbox and Serato DJ Pro has a host of new features with the most exciting being ‘track separation’ and lighting control.

DJs can now instantly create ‘stems’ from audio tracks by isolating vocals, drums, and the instrumental with one touch.

The DDJ-FLX10 is the first controller made with a DMX output to control lighting.

Rekordbox can synch lighting effects to tracks or they can be programmed ahead of time.

The DDJ-FLX10 is available now for $1599 USD.

9. Soundtoys

SuperPlate Plug-in

Popular developers Soundtoys demoed their eagerly awaited new SuperPlate plugin.

A sizeable crowd gathered at their booth Saturday afternoon to sample the classic plate reverb emulator and a few classic cocktails to close the show.

SuperPlate is built on meticulous models of the EMT 140, EMT 240, Audicon, EcoPlate III and Stocktronics RX4000 plate reverb units.

With three different flavours of analog colouration, infinite decay time, built-in pre-delay, enhanced modulation, and parametric EQ, SuperPlate is an powerful step up from Soundtoys’ famous Little Plate.

10. Headliner

R2 Mixer

Los Angeles firm Headliner showcased their new 2 channel rotary mixer, the R2 among Mixware’s offerings at NAMM.

Its stained wooden side panels and solid metal enclosure give the mixer a classic look that matches its warm vintage sound.

Headliner also had a custom, fully functional Star Wars-themed version of the R2 on display that channeled everyone’s favourite droid of the same name – though it might cost a bit more than the very competitively priced standard version at $399 USD.

Welcome to issue 7 of Audio Media International

The post NAMM 2023: Top 10 Launches appeared first on Audio Media International.

UK loudspeaker manufacturer PMC will showcase its full range of professional monitors at this year’s NAMM (April 13th to 15th).

As in previous years, PMC will shine a spotlight on monitoring products for immersive audio mixing, an area in which it is renowned as an industry leader. Leading lights in this field will host regular presentations in PMC’s on-booth demo suite to highlight best practice when it comes to mixing music in the Dolby Atmos format.

“NAMM 2023 gives us the perfect opportunity to showcase our important role in the immersive audio market,” says Maurice Patist, President PMC USA and head of Pro Global. “There is no doubt that PMC monitors are now the de fact standard for Dolby Atmos facilities, not least because, as a technology partner of Universal Music Group and Dolby, we have been championing this format for music for more than five years. Having a 9.1.4 Dolby Atmos enabled system in our NAMM demo suite will allow visitors to experience this exciting new format by hearing it demonstrated through PMC’s world-class monitoring products.”

PMC’s demo suite will be equipped with the company’s large, active three-way PMC8-2 XBD monitors (left, right and centre channels), six ci65 monitors and a total of four ci45 compact slimline monitors for the surround, rear and height channels.

The booth will also feature a large video display wall featuring many of the high profile Dolby Atmos studios that PMC has equipped around the world. These include the Abbey Road Institute in Miami, Dean Street Studios in London, and the new LP:ME studio complex in Dubai, which has two PMC-equipped Dolby Atmos music mixing rooms, plus a stereo studio featuring a quarter of PMC’s flagship QB1-XBDA monitors and two powerful PMC BST subwoofers.

Another draw will be the top of the range car, complete with built-in Dolby Atmos music speaker system, which will be parked on the PMC booth throughout the show to highlight the significant impact Dolby Atmos is having on the automotive industry as it strives to deliver the ultimate in-car entertainment.

At NAMM 2023, PMC will also be showing its exciting line of compact, state-of-the-art near-and midfield monitors that are redefining the listening experience for every audio professional, whether they are working in stereo or large scale immersive formats. These include the PMC6, PMC6-2, and PMC8-2, along with their associated subwoofers the PMC8 SUB and PMC8-2 SUB.

Among the many fresh innovations PMC has incorporated into this range are all-new drivers, cutting edge DSP and Class-D amplifiers, as well as significant improvements to the company’s proprietary ATL bass-loading and Laminair air flow technologies. The monitors can be used as standalone products or can be part of a scalable systems that easily grows to suit the end user’s exact requirements. Configuration can be done via simple menu-driven controls on the rear panel, or through PMC’s class-leading and highly intuitive SOUNDALIGN network interface, which is accessed through wired connections to any standard network via any web-browser on a PC, Mac or Tablet.

Other PMC products on show will include the powerful IB2 and BB6 monitors, plus result6 compact nearfield reference monitors that deliver the high quality audio for which PMC is renowned, at a very affordable price.

The post NAMM 2023 Preview: PMC Highlights Immersive Audio Music Mixing appeared first on Audio Media International.

Austrian Audio, maker of innovative pro audio microphone and headphone technology has received four product nominations for this year’s NAMM TEC Awards.

Having had several nominations in recent years including two finalists in the 2021 awards a winner in 2022 with their Hi-X65 Headphones, the five-year old company has proven to be a real contender with long-established brands and seems to be on its way to another successful year in pro audio.

The Austrian Audio products among this year’s finalists are:

• “Microphones – Recording”: CC8 Cardioid True Condenser Microphone
• “Microphones – Sound Reinforcement”: OC707 True Condenser Vocal Microphone and the OD505 Active Dynamic Vocal Microphone
• “Headphone / Earpiece Technology”Hi-X60 Professional Closed-Back Over-Ear Headphones

Voting is open now and industry professionals can register to vote here: Voting Registration

In total, product nominations in 21 Technical Achievement and Studio Design Project categories were evaluated by industry professionals across major music, sound, and game audio associations, along with pro audio focused media groups.

The finalists will be celebrated at The 2023 NAMM Show at the TEC Experience, a special reception to applaud the achievements of the researchers and developers, product designers, marketers, and innovators behind the innovations. The event, which is open to all NAMM Show attendees, will be held on the campus of the Anaheim Convention Center on the evening of Thursday, April 13.

Learn more about the TEC Awards at www.tecawards.org

Welcome to issue 7 of Audio Media International

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After literally years of anticipation, the return of NAMM did not disappoint. Here’s our rundown of the ten most important takeaways from this year’s spellbinding comeback

That’s NAMM 2022 then. The music technology, instrument manufacturer and retailer’s most central trade show firmament has, at long last, returned as an in-person show. Across the four days, countless astounding innovations sat among age-old designs, as a plethora of new speakers, instruments, software, synths and more took their first steps, and made a traditionally debut splash at NAMM.

Here then, are our immediate takeaways following the show, with an eye on the most impressive new gear, as well as a broader eye on NAMM’s heroic return itself…

10: Navigating the show was easier than ever…
Thanks to NAMM Show+. This new app addition enabled in-person attendees to organise their time at the show more effectively, while external viewers could also officially join in from afar. NAMM Show+ changed the game in a number of ways, with the ability to communicate directly with the exhibiting brands, reschedule meetings on the fly, check in on newly launched product details and expand your social network (via the app’s AI matchmaking algorithm), it gave an augmented experience for NAMM-goers.

9: Saturday night’s alright (for bestowing awards)

The 37th TEC Awards were held on Saturday, hosted by the ever-hilarious Fred Armisen. Genelec, PreSonus and Universal Audio were the big winners, scooping two awards apiece for an assortment of kit. Namely, the GLM V4.0, and Immersive Experience Center, the ATOM SQ and Electronics Sphere and UAFX Golden Reverberator and LUNA respectively. Other worthy gong recipients included Austrian Audio, bagging the award for Headphone/Earpiece Technology for their acclaimed Hi-X65. Neve scooped a worthy honour in the Large Format Console Technology department for their modern spin on a legend, the 8424 desk. Other plaudits went to the likes of software titans iZotope, receiving the honour for best Signal Processing Software for their top tier audio editing workstation RX 8, while in the monitoring department, EVE Audio’s SC4070 took home the award for Best Loudspeaker. Read more about the TEC Awards 2022 winners here.

Also, the She Rocks Awards marked its tenth anniversary by honouring the likes of Manley Laboratories President EveAnna Manley, the singer songwriter Meredith Brooks and six-time Grammy-winning legend Dionne Warwick. Meanwhile, over at the Top 100 Dealers Awards, the likes of Anderson’s, All County Music, Amro and Zeswitz Music were recognised for their exemplary work in helping the industry recover after the pandemic.

8: The future waits for nobody…

While we might have been patiently waiting for the chance to get back to roaming the stands and discovering the innovations of tomorrow in-person for the last couple of years, many of the industry’s forward-thinkers haven’t been resting on their laurels. At NAMM 2022, several products made us giddy for where the ’20s might lead us. Namely…

Eventide MISHA – A game changing interval-based Eurorack instrument and sequencer that creates music in a wholly original way.

Joué Music Instruments Play – Attending NAMM for the first time, Joué presented their future-proof Play and Play Pro modular instrument, designed to teach people the intricacies of music making via an expressive MIDI controller. Read more here

Artiphon Orba 2 – The tiny handheld music generating hub allows users to play pretty much any instrument conceivable, all within the palm of the hand. Orba 2’s four modes sport dozens of instrument presets.

iZotope Neutron 4 and Music Production Suite V5 – Combining two of its most advanced mixing tools into one superb package, the AI-powered Neutron 4 allows for smart mix interrogation, while Music Production Suite V5 presents a smorgasbord of creative effects, audio manipulation and intelligent balancing aids. Quite the duo.

Playtime Engineering Blipbox SK2 – A child-friendly synth you say? Don’t be deceived by its Toymaster-esque design, the Blipbox SK2 is a densely packed sound designer and synth that will undoubtedly provide many a musical youngster to begin their journey into synthesis. With a 5×5 grid of pads, MIDI support, multiple oscillator schemes and wavetables up the wazoo.

7: The guitar industry exemplified ‘transformation and tradition’ more than anyone

With a stellar array of guitars on show this year, it was abundantly clear was that while certain guitar builders were keen to mark anniversaries, accentuate their legacies and re-mould the classics, on a sonic level, there was much to be excited about, rethinking the types of sounds our axes are now able to explore…

Guild Surfliner – Guild’s brand new Surfliner model is visually stunning yet budget-conscious. Drawing from the style of classic Guild models of the 1960s and ‘70s. The pickups however, are an entirely 2022 affair, with its Rocker Pickup switching system providing up to seven pickup combinations.

Martin 2.5 Millionth Guitar – One of the world’s most respect guitar makers, Martin presented the 2.5 Millionth guitar that it has ever made. This gorgeous work of art, sported 436 diamonds, a palladium pick-guard and a hand engraved map of New York City. It’s an absolutely astonishing work of art, and will live in Martin’s bespoke museum in Nazareth, Pennsylvania.

Dreadbox Treminator and Raindrops – The former synth manufacturers have switched back to their original passion of making vivid and expressive guitar pedals, with Treminator and Raindrops brining a fresh spin on tremolo and stereo delay.

Aviate Multiverse – You can’t move for multiverses in 2022, and Aviate Audio have also got in on the act, with the Multiverse inviting users to craft their own realities of sound, and save them as new presets within the pedal. A linked app allows you to purchase pro-built presets, too.

Universal Audio Woodrow, Ruby and Dream – UA are the MVPs when it comes to software modelling, and now they’ve packed the distinctive mechanical oomph of vintage tube amps into three small stompboxes. With mobile app control and customisation bridging the old and the new.

6: Live sound is booming once again
It’s not just the show itself that’s back in force. Across the world, live music has returned to our venues – from stadiums to village halls, arenas to bars. With that revitalisation has come the demand for increasingly efficient live sound and monitoring solutions, some of which we saw at NAMM. The Loudspeaker System Showcase provided a round robin insight (or ‘insound’) into how the latest crop of speakers fared in a large environment. More specifically, speakers at the show such as the Eastern Acoustic Works AC6 column loudspeaker wowed many with its portability, while still delivering on frequency response. So too, did the ART 9 from RCF, which improved on the legendary build quality of the ART series with a host of modern bells and whistles, as well as an advanced waveguide. For those needing improved in-ear monitoring solutions, the 3000 series from Audio Technica proved enticing for those needing stable, uninterrupted connections and astounding room noise rejection.

5: Home studio kit is now indistinguishable from pro

The quality bar for the types of pro quality kit consumers can now purchase for their home and project studios has been continually rising over the last ten years. At NAMM 2022 the wares of some of the industry’s most trusted manufacturers wowed us with a combination of peerless sound, build quality, innovation and ease of use. Here’s a few of our fave picks of a verdant field…

AMS Neve 88M – Packing fully fledged console sound into a tiny desktop interface, Neve’s 10 in/10 out 88M gives you the same mic preamp as the famed 88RS, as well as transformer-coupled inputs.

Audient iD44 MK II – A studio classic for years, Audient’s second iteration of their beloved iD44 contains a a digital Audio Loopback feature to record playback from multiple sources, not to mention a 9dB increase in its frequency capturing capabilities.

Austrian Audio OC16 – Growing in stature over the last few years, Austrian Audio’s OC16 brings solid, high-end performance to a budget-priced microphone. Using their patented Open Acoustic Technology, this new cardioid large-diaphragm condenser looks set to be a new studio workhorse.

Focusrite Vocaster Range – Podcasting has exploded over the last decade, so it’s no surprise that more pro audio heavyweights are getting in on the act. Focusrite’s small Vocaster Range is suited for those needing to record their conversations as efficiently as possible, with slick Auto Gain and Voice Enhancement features.

4: Conventional keys will never die

Among the multitudes of weird and wonderful modular synths, patch bays and newfangled MPE devices, conventional keyboard synths (and keyboard-based MIDI controllers) show no signs of being supplanted any time soon. This year’s crop of new keyboards stemmed from those that blend next-level ideas with those that favour simplicity and immediacy. Some of the best were:

Gamechanger Audio Motor Synth MK II – Motor Synth – the crowdfunded electro-mechanical desktop synth – has been hotly anticipated for a while now, and this second pass at the design bolsters its moving motorised oscillators with MIDI and CV support.

Novation Launchkey 88 MIDI – Novation’s biggest entry in their Launchkey range, this 88-note heavyweight sports a sumptuous-feeling keybed, as well as built-in arpeggiator and new Scale mode

Melbourne Instruments Nina – A newcomer to the fierce world of synth design, Melbourne Instruments’ inaugural instrument is an impressive 12-voice analogue polysynth that allows users to morph between triangular and sawtooth waves, as well as futuristic encoders.

Casio CT-S1FH – More of a stylistic upgrade to Casio’s keyboard warrior, the gorgeous design of the CT-S1FH was added by artist Romero Britto, who freshens up the design of the 61-key MIDI keyboard with a vibrant application of colour.

3: Speakers are getting louder and more precise

A whole range of new monitors were loudly making their presence heard this year. Though volume and impact remain as important factors as ever, precision, ease of use and functionality are not being compromised. Focal’s ST6 upgrades the company’s Solo and Twin monitor series, with brand new drivers and 1.5mm Beryllium inverted dome tweeters for an optimised and dynamic sound. On the smaller end of the scale the Auratone 5C Super Active Sound Cube cements a studio legend with a modern age upgrade to make the tiny box speakers now Active as opposed to Passive. Fluid Audio rolled out their Image 2. These studio monitors are designed for near and midfield use, and effectively present two monitors in one, suited for both mixing and mastering purposes. The mighty Augspurger were present this year too, and we finally got chance to check out their recently launched immersive-sound producing MinimaX MX-65. This Atmos-ready design grants 70 x 110 degree dispersion for astoundingly accurate aural response On the more wider aural picture front, PMC’s twin cabinet, full-range PMC8-2XBD offers a staggering 6dB of bass headroom and class-D amplifiers.

2: Nothing beats face-to-face interaction with the industry

From casual booth-hopping, dashing from business meeting-to-meeting, enjoying the traditional breakfast of champions (or a few post-show bevvies), attending one of NAMM’s numerous educational seminars and learning from the collectively thousands of years of experience on offer, NAMM 2022 has reaffirmed our belief that while virtual conferencing has it’s place, to truly soak into a show like NAMM, getting into the heady social flow of the real-life tradeshow is unparalleled.

1: NAMM’s future looks promising
With NAMM 2023 set to take place between April 13-15th next year, and the 2024 show returning to its traditional January slot, it seems like NAMM’s immediate future is secured. As NAMM CEO Joe Lamond told us recently, NAMM belongs in the first month of the year. “It was aligned with a time of renewal” Joe told us, “Coming out of the Christmas holidays and looking ahead to a new year. This show belongs in January and it will return there.” While many might debate the importance of in-person shows in comparison to the immediacy of virtual experiences, the addition of NAMM Show+ to this year’s proceedings furthers NAMM’s ever-shifting evolution, adapting to change while still keeping the heart and spirit of the show intact.

Welcome to issue 7 of Audio Media International

The post Ten of the biggest things we learned at NAMM appeared first on Audio Media International.

NAMM President and CEO Joe Lamond has issued a new statement ahead of Summer NAMM, scheduled to begin on July 12th.

“Do you realise what is about to happen? Our economy is about to take off like a rocket ship” said Lamond in a recent video address.

Eight exhibitors confirmed by Lamond include Yamaha, Martin Guitars, Taylor Guitars, Gator Cases, Cannonball Musical Instruments, Hal Leonard, OWC, Boutique Guitar Showcase.

Lamond also confirmed that Winter NAMM is planned to go ahead and urged brands to book spaces and said  ” it’s incredible to see what response we’re getting already for Winter NAMM 2022″.

To hear the full statement, watch the video here,

The post Joe Lamond, NAMM “The economy is about to take off like a rocket” appeared first on Audio Media International.

Leading figures from across the pro audio industry have given their verdict on last month’s virtual NAMM 2021 Believe In Music Week.

With the California show forced to close due to the COVID-19 pandemic, NAMM organisers knew that  the task of replicating the traditional show in a digital format would be an impossible one. Instead, they set about creating a new event for 2021 aimed at providing a vast range of interactive digital content, while also enabling exhibitors to hold meetings with clients and partners from across the world. 

In that regard, the show absolutely delivered. Of course, a digital show is never going to be an adequate substitute for an in-person gathering – the social element has always been the beating heart at the centre of any trade show. But given that the COVID crisis is still wreaking untold havoc upon much of the industry, it’s hard to imagine what more NAMM could have provided 

The numbers certainly showed a great willingness from the industry to embrace NAMM Believe In Music Week. Some 93,226 people ‘attended’ the event, with 1,227 brands participating in the Market Place to showcase their latest products and technologies. 

“With Believe in Music, we set out to accomplish a couple of key targets to serve our members and the industry,” Joe Lamond, NAMM president and CEO told Audio Media International. “We wanted to create a digital platform to launch new products and gear, our annual ‘Market Week’ if you will, then, education and training for all areas of the industry, and last but for surly not least, the opportunity to network to keep us connected and engaged, while exposing new areas and opportunities for business connections. 

“While the Believe Week numbers exceeded our expectations, we also felt it was important to keep the industry engaged and focused on planning for the year ahead so we extended the Believe Platform through the end of February. We’re having thousands of people a day still on the site, looking at brand pages in the marketplace and attending educational sessions. it’s still a little too soon to tell the real impact, but I can tell you that having never done anything like it before, the member response has been terrific.”

Hannah Bliss, marketing director at Focusrite Novation was quick to pay tribute to the efforts NAMM went to to deliver as vibrant a show as possible.

“Unsurprisingly, NAMM pulled out all the stops for a virtual trade show, providing constant entertainment and high quality produced visual and audio content for its attendees,” Bliss commented. “As with most online booth style events, the result for the exhibitors was a little lacklustre simply because you have no idea how many people are looking at your virtual display. The benefit, that we took advantage of, came from being able to host live or pre-recorded events at coordinated times that you could advertise from your booth and to your customers. 

“There was a chat and meeting function, which worked well, particularly during these sessions. It provided direct contact with customers who would normally be standing in front of us. However, the casual “hi, can I help you with anything” style conversations can still never be replicated in these virtual spaces. NAMM did a great job with the production of its TEC Awards and other artist, engineer and guest speaker events, and I imagine attendees really enjoyed the whole experience.”

You may also be interested in:

• NAMM 2021 in numbers: Attendance for digital show tops 93,000
• EXCLUSIVE: d&b launches new e-commerce platform, CEO Amnon Harman interview
• How does live come back? Frank Turner, Music Venue Trust and Concert Promoters Association speak out
• Abbey Road enters exclusive media partnership with Audio Media International 
• Take part in the 2021 AMI reader survey
• ‘The multiplicity of life’: Catherine Anne Davies on overcoming devastating loss to produce The Art Of Losing

Tim Boot, director of global marketing at US loudspeaker giant Meyer Sound, was also full of praise for NAMM’s efforts. 

“Meyer Sound applauds the great strides NAMM made in delivering a virtual trade show,” he said. “It certainly is a different experience from an in-person show, but we leveraged the opportunity both on our own platforms and saw great engagement on the NAMM platform, especially for the special sessions we curated for the show. This content seemed to be some of the most viewed among pro audio manufacturers, so we were pleased with how our programming was received. The content continues to live on demand until the end of February so this engagement should only continue to rise. While there are still some lessons to learn on navigating through the show for customer meetings, Meyer Sound brand awareness with the NAMM audience certainly benefitted from our participation.”

Fellow loudspeaker manufacturer d&b audiotechnik shared similar sentiments: “NAMM Believe in Music delivered their promise with a very wide international audience,” added Marc Lopez, VP, marketing America. “We had visitors from all across the globe able to visit our virtual booth and attend our demo sessions. Virtual shows are incredibly difficult to build a sense of community, but NAMM did a really great job at bringing the music community together.”

Meanwhile, Sean Bowman, director of US retail sales at Shure, applauded the efforts of organisers’ to try something different. 

“We are appreciative that NAMM decided to create a one-of-a-kind virtual experience while keeping everyone safe,” he said. “Unlike other virtual trade shows, NAMM’s Believe in Music served as a celebration and global gathering to support the people who bring music to the world. This new digital initiative still allowed Shure to meet our immediate business needs. While we missed seeing everyone in person, we continued to connect with customers, introduce them to our products, and host planning sessions with our channel partners.

“NAMM did an outstanding job of planning the virtual experience. The well thought out digital platform enabled Shure to produce live streams, giveaways, and live chats, generating a similar number of customer leads that we have seen in past years in person. We were thrilled to learn 80 per cent of customers were new to Shure and experiencing the brand for the first time. Overall, NAMM Believe in Music Week was a great success for Shure and we are optimistic about the year ahead as well as the industry’s resilience in overcoming challenges. We look forward to incorporating these digital strategies and building upon them next year in-person at NAMM 2022.”

“The lack of trade shows hurt us”
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As the week draws to a close, Audio Media International rounds up the Top 10 biggest pro audio stories from the past seven days. 

It may be a week since NAMM Believe In Music Week closed its digital doors, but there’s still plenty of NAMM-related news dominating the headlines. Details of who won what at the annual TEC Awards caught the industry’s attention, as did our ‘NAMM in numbers’ breakdown, which detailed all the key figures from this year’s virtual events, from attendance and national represented at the show, to the number of hours devoted to online learning across the week. 

Product launches from Antelope Audio, CEDAR Audio and Yamaha also featured prominently, as did our review of Cranborne Audio’s EC1 preamplifier.

News of Audio Media International’s exclusive new partnership with Abbey Road Studios and our interview with Chicago-based rapper and producer Saba also made the Top 10.

See the full rundown below.

1. NAMM 2021: Universal Audio, JBL and AKG among TEC Awards big winners

The 36th annual TEC Awards took place as part of the NAMM Believe In Music Week virtual event on January 22, with Universal Audio, JBL and AKG among the big pro audio winners…

2. NAMM 2021 in numbers: Believe In Music Week attendance tops 93,000

Last week’s NAMM Believe In Music Week drew a virtual attendance of 93,226 from 187 different countries and territories, after the physical iteration of the show was canned due to the COVID-19 outbreak…

3. REVIEW: Cranborne Audio EC1 preamplifier 

Is Cranborne Audio’s EC1 microphone preamplifier the best of all possible sonic worlds? Music technology author and lecturer Stephen Bennett finds out…

4. NAMM 2021: Yamaha showcases MSP3A powered monitor speaker

The post ICYMI: Check out the Top 10 stories on Audio Media International this week appeared first on Audio Media International.