Bitflipper's 2010 NAMM Thread

Hey Bit - Didja get by Steven Slate's booth by chance?

You mean this guy? I wasn't going to mention it due to the embarassingly bad quality of the snapshot. But yeah, he's got some neat stuff. He was plugging some plugins when I snapped this shot. Some kind of mastering effects, I think, but it was too noisy to hear his demo so I moved along. They looked good, though. Maybe next year he'll get something better than Rokits for a PA. Like headphones.

Just the sight of Deering Banjo's gives me the creeps.  Nothing against the company, though.

Last summer I got lost on the way to a gig.  It was in Spring Valley, a rural part of San Diego that I don't know very well.  I happened to pass the Deering factory and it seemed like I was in another part of the country.  (San Diego + Banjo = Cognitive Dissonance)   

For some strange reason, the theme to Deliverance popped in my mind.  There are some movie scenes that you can never get out of your mind ... 

Dave,
I exhibit every year at the Southern California Vintage Guitar Show.
Same weekend as NAMM, down at the Orange County Fair Grounds. (Costa Mesa) Couldn't take the pressure of actually running a real amp company.
I'm a boutique guy! You know, build when I want to, what I want to;
that kind of thing.
Like all smart guitar players, there's a woman in my life who supports me!

Keep the pics coming, love the commentary...

Tom

MurMan,

Maybe this will ease your mind, not all we Deerings are a bad lot...



Hope this helps you sleep better...

Tom

DeeringAmps

Hope this helps you sleep better...
 

Looks like I need to be more careful on my next trip to Seattle ....  

Fake Celebs


Not the real Paul McCartney


Not the real Gene Simmons


Not the real Cookie Monster

 
 
Hey Bit.....We need a final summary/conclusion of the whole event... is that coming?
 
 
I might go next year. Brother in law works for seymore duncan and he runs a booth. Hopefully he can get me a badge  

A real celeb:


Some mystery celebs, maybe you can tell me who these guys are. I snapped the picture because there was a line of people waiting for autographs so I assumed they were snap-worthy:


UPDATES:
pooskie: "the first one from the left is John 5.  ex marilyn manson guitarist, current rob zombie guitarist "
stevec: "The second guy from the left sort of looks like Jonathan Davis, vocalist for Korn"
Trash Picker: "Looks like asian guy, 2nd from the right, could be Herman Li, guitarist for Dragon Force."

Well, the first guy in the top picture is Jordan Rudess.  He's a very accomplished player...does a lot of stuff for Eric Persing and the Spectrasonics gang.  Killer Diller.
 
That second bunch tho...looks more like the line at the unemployment office.

Hey Bit.....We need a final summary/conclusion of the whole event... is that coming?

Yes. I haven't had time to collect my thoughts yet. Being out of the office for a week means I have a bucketload of stuff to catch up on - literally thousands of emails to sift through and weed out the Viagra ads, and my telephone is still blinking at me because I haven't even dared to play any voicemails back yet. I reckon it'll be this weekend before I wrap this up. I haven't even got to the booth babe pictures yet.

Well, the first guy in the top picture is Jordan Rudess.

Yeh, I knew that. Dream Theater is one of my favorite bands. Last year he was doing demos for Roland on their stage, and what a treat that was.

Looks like this year he's hawking Synthology. Or maybe just checking it out. I don't think there is a synth or sample library he doesn't own. NAMM must be like Christmas for somebody like that. He probably doesn't even have to pay for them!

It's the guys in the lower pic that I'm soliciting help identifying.

the first one from the left is John 5.  ex marilyn manson guitarist, current rob zombie guitarist

Music at NAMM represented every form and genre imaginable, but if you wanted to hear rap at NAMM, there was one and only one place to hear it.

bitflipper

Well, the first guy in the top picture is Jordan Rudess.

Yeh, I knew that. Dream Theater is one of my favorite bands. Last year he was doing demos for Roland on their stage, and what a treat that was.

Looks like this year he's hawking Synthology. Or maybe just checking it out. I don't think there is a synth or sample library he doesn't own. NAMM must be like Christmas for somebody like that. He probably doesn't even have to pay for them!

It's the guys in the lower pic that I'm soliciting help identifying.

He's a busy dude. I think last year he also demoed the Korg Oasys (sadly no longer in production) and this year he also did a demo session for Omnisphere.

Oh yeah - just thought of this: to figure out who the lineup is in the second photo below Rudess it might help to check out the manufacturer's website for the products on the backdrop and see who's an artist endorser/player.

It's the guys in the lower pic that I'm soliciting help identifying.

 
The second guy from the left sort of looks like Jonathan Davis, vocalist for Korn.
 
But forget all that, let's talk about Dream Theatre...   
 
 

Bit
Looks like asian guy, 2nd from the right, could be Herman Li, guitarist for Dragon Force.

Hey, Bit!

I just wanted to say thanks for your excellent reporting on NAMM, and that I always look forward to these annual threads!  Great stuff!

Oh, and also, much thanks for your generous contribution of always great advice in the Techniques forum.

Have a good one!
Bob

I exhibit every year at the Southern California Vintage Guitar Show. Same weekend as NAMM, down at the Orange County Fair Grounds.

Aw jeez, Tom, I wish I'd known that! My buddy Lee, who I go to NAMM with every year, really wanted to get over to that show (he's a guitar collector - you met him, I think, at Bob Fox's studio). But we didn't have a car so it would have either shot the day navigating busses or shot the budget taking a cab. But if I'd known you were there, I absolutely would have made a point of going!

Thanks to pooskie, stevec, and Trash Picker we have tentative IDs for 3 of the 7 mystery celebrities in post #128. Anybody else?

How about these guys:

Dave,
Maybe next year we might be able to provide transportation back and forth.

Tom

bitflipper


Thanks to pooskie, stevec, and Trash Picker we have tentative IDs for 3 of the 7 mystery celebrities in post #128. Anybody else?

How about these guys:

I'll take a guess that the guy in the middle with the blue-T is Steve Morse.

KenB123

bitflipper


Thanks to pooskie, stevec, and Trash Picker we have tentative IDs for 3 of the 7 mystery celebrities in post #128. Anybody else?

How about these guys:

I'll take a guess that the guy in the middle with the blue-T is Steve Morse.

I think the other guy may be Dave LaRue.

As far as the Deering banjos, living in Kentucky, I see a lot of them.  They make some TOP quality banjos and I happen to have one.  That said, I can rock with my Strat thru my GT-8 and Roland GR-33, like nobodies buzzines too.

Deering is a "mom and pop" business that has done well, and they just happen to be in Calif. 
Btw, banjos aren't cheap, as compared to guitar prices.  I got a "low end" no frills banjo (Deering Sierra) and it lists for over $2k.

Great thread Bit.  Love the mystery photos... I knew John 5 and Herman Li.... like everyone else, but it ended there.

Even though I haven't used a console in years, I still think they are damn sexy.

The Roland stage. One of the few quiet places where you could really hear the music well, and Roland had a nonstop parade of great demonstrations there. I could have happily spent the entire day here. This is the fellow I described in an earlier post, who's doing gospel music to show off the harmonizer box. Believable harmonies, both male and female. I was impressed with both the box and the performance. Below is a closeup of the box.


Roland was showing two vocal effects boxes. The other one is a stompbox:

The demonstrator for this box was singing a capela. Maybe it was just because she was just really good, but the box sounded amazing. I stopped three times over two days to hear her sing.


I don't know if either of these is good enough for recording, but I'd love to have either of them for live performance. Both blow away my tc helicon box.

Steve Mac


While bitflipper is off at the concert (and probably enjoying a drink or three), here's my report:
 
Arrived right at 10:00 and did a quick wander around the main floor just to see if anything stood out.  Decided to do things a little differently and went to the "downstairs" area (if you've been to NAMM you know what I'm talking about!), but it's where a lot of unique products are shown.  And companies that are just starting out.  Saw the Batmobile (the 1960s one) and a buy who designs cars with the trademark black and red accents.
 
Also spent some significant time at Roland, and played with the eBand box (fun thing to have at the office!).  And then off to Cakewalk.
 
They put on an excellent presentation regardng 8.5, which included the new keyboard bitflipper mentioned.  It's fun to meet the Bakers in person; they are extremely nice and helpful.
 
I then spent a few minutes with the guy who have the presentation (sadly, I can't recall his name) and asked him why certain widgets are unavailable in the Simple Instrument tracks (e.g., interleaving) and to his credit he laughed, said they should, and that he would pass it along to the production guys!
 
I don't have time for a huge rundown, but really enjoyed the presentation re: Alloy (which is like Ozone but for tracks and busses, with a much lower CPU requirement, and some nice little toys built in). 
 
Am going back on Saturday, and if I see something worth describing, I'll let you know.
 
Oh yeah, from a non-DAW perspective, there were two things I really enjoyed:
 
1.  The VoiceCapo (voicecapo.com); get it, you'll have a blast.
2.  Taylor Guitars' new baritone 8-string.  It sounds great.
 
More to follow (but first, I hope, bitflippers' pictures).
 
Steve

I must say, Ozone Alloy is beautiful.  Very well done.

MurMan


I heard that Ms. Ono was there to endorse a new line of pitch correctors. 

ROFL... 

bitflipper


Even though I haven't used a console in years, I still think they are damn sexy.

And nice to lust after. The top one is a Neve 5088 - love the fact it's modular and you can stuff it with your choice of modules. The second one is Toft - I'm liking the cabinetry and compact design. I can't quite ID the third console; wonder who's it is, but from the colors I'd hazard a guess it's a Focusrite.

kson

Steve Mac


While bitflipper is off at the concert (and probably enjoying a drink or three), here's my report:

Arrived right at 10:00 and did a quick wander around the main floor just to see if anything stood out.  Decided to do things a little differently and went to the "downstairs" area (if you've been to NAMM you know what I'm talking about!), but it's where a lot of unique products are shown.  And companies that are just starting out.  Saw the Batmobile (the 1960s one) and a buy who designs cars with the trademark black and red accents.

Also spent some significant time at Roland, and played with the eBand box (fun thing to have at the office!).  And then off to Cakewalk.

They put on an excellent presentation regardng 8.5, which included the new keyboard bitflipper mentioned.  It's fun to meet the Bakers in person; they are extremely nice and helpful.

I then spent a few minutes with the guy who have the presentation (sadly, I can't recall his name) and asked him why certain widgets are unavailable in the Simple Instrument tracks (e.g., interleaving) and to his credit he laughed, said they should, and that he would pass it along to the production guys!

I don't have time for a huge rundown, but really enjoyed the presentation re: Alloy (which is like Ozone but for tracks and busses, with a much lower CPU requirement, and some nice little toys built in). 

Am going back on Saturday, and if I see something worth describing, I'll let you know.

Oh yeah, from a non-DAW perspective, there were two things I really enjoyed:

1.  The VoiceCapo (voicecapo.com); get it, you'll have a blast.
2.  Taylor Guitars' new baritone 8-string.  It sounds great.

More to follow (but first, I hope, bitflippers' pictures).

Steve

I must say, Ozone Alloy is beautiful.  Very well done.

I've been playing with Alloy a bit, and it is really well-designed.  Can't wait to put it through its paces on real program material.
 
I wanted to give a +100 to the VoiceCapo, for all guitarists out there.  Yeah, it's a bit pricey, but the sheer volume of things you can do with it, opens up a whole new world of composing (best for clean sounds, picking and strumming).

bitflipper

 

I don't know if either of these is good enough for recording, but I'd love to have either of them for live performance. Both blow away my tc helicon box.

Bit,
 
I spent about an hour listening to the demos of the VP-7.  I am seriously thinking about getting one to do background vocals live.  My unprocessed voice is almost, but not not quite, good enough. 
 
I need to find out if the effects can be applied selectively/subtlely and whether they have artifacts that once identified by a listener, get old.  I probably need to demo it in a store with a portable recorder and bring it back for a good listen.
 
Murray

What an enjoyable read!!! Well done!!!

Bit, what TC Helicon box do you own? I am about to pick up the Voiceworks Plus and wonder if these rival in the harmony category. The Voicework has modeling but that's not really a need. Let me know.

The mystery console in post #144 is made by Midas, from the UK. It is a digital mixer intended for live use. It was just about the prettiest board at the show, which is why I snapped the picture.

Bit, what TC Helicon box do you own?

I have used both the VoiceWorks and VoiceLive units. I believe they are essentially the same product, the former being a rackmount version and the latter a stompbox. Neither's harmonizing is good enough to use for recording, strictly a stage effect. Lots of fun, though. My grandkids are especially fond of the "Arnold" effect, which makes anybody sound like the Ent in Lord of the Rings. The voice modeling feature of the VoiceWorks didn't turn my crank - it's a glorified parametric equalizer.

For generating live harmonies, I like the Roland product pictured earlier in this thread. They use a separate headset microphone to provide input to the harmonizer. This makes a huge difference. I cannot use the VoiceLive unit if the stage volume is too high, because other instruments get picked up by my microphone and confuse the unit. There is a threshold adjustment, but I am constantly tweaking it to compensate as the band gets louder or softer. Using a separate mic just for the harmonizer means it's much less prone to interference from ambient sound.

I apologize for abandoning this thread. I'll be adding a few more pictures and comments this week. For starters, here's some trivia for you - see if you can identify these two geezers, er, mature guitar superstars. Without cheating and looking at the file name.

Check out this cool guitar, with built-in light show. The photo doesn't do it justice.

Wes Dooley, founder of AEA, and some of his products. Cool guy. Gave me the only practical souvenir of the show: an AEA mouse pad.


If money were no object, I'd already own one of these. That big one is 5 grand with the preamp.

Coolest stompbox at the show. Makes any guitar sound like Roger McGuinn's Rickenbacker 12. Really. And it makes a real Rick12 sound even better. Here's the inventor demonstrating it. Guess what song they're playing.

What do you get a rock star that already has everything? Custom-decorated in-ear monitors, of course.

Drum porn. Check out that 48" tom. That's for performing "Life in a Northern Town".

bitflipper


... see if you can identify these two geezers, er, mature guitar superstars. Without cheating and looking at the file name.

Oh,  that's CH and HP! OK, I cheated, I looked at the file name.

Why are chick guitar players so sexy? Where is Freud when you need him? I guess sometimes, a guitar is just a guitar.



But why do they need some guy to tune up for them?