Knobcon 2023

The Lounge General Discussion
#1

Knobcon 2023

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Chicagoland means Schaumburg, 30 miles from downtown.
Friday is evening only. Think more like September 9th and 10th.

Exhibitors
  • 4ms company
  • 1010 Music
  • After Later Audio
  • AI Synthesis
  • Analogue Solutions
  • Ashton Instruments
  • Bastl Instruments
  • Bjooks
  • Black Corporation
  • Boredbrain Music
  • bubblesound
  • Buchla USA
  • Catalyst Audio
  • Circuit Happy
  • Conductive Labs
  • Dreadbox
  • EarthQuaker Devices
  • Entropy & Sons
  • Erogenous Tones
  • Five12
  • Foxing Hour
  • Future Retro
  • Hive Mind Synthesis
  • Industrial Music Electronics
  • Infrasonic Audio
  • JoMoX
  • Karltron
  • Kilpatrick Audio
  • KVGear
  • Landscape
  • LoBlast
  • LZX Industries
  • Madisynths
  • Melbourne Instruments
  • MFOS
  • Midiverse Modular
  • Modbap Modular
  • Muse Electronic Instruments
  • Mordax Systems
  • Music for the Masses
  • MuSonics
  • Mysitc Circuits
  • New Systems Instruments
  • Niio Analog
  • Noise Engineering
  • Novation
  • omiindustriies
  • Pet Rock
  • Physical Synthesis
  • Pluton Modular
  • Point and Click Systems
  • PWM
  • Rides in the Storm
  • Rogan Corporation
  • Sequential | Oberheim
  • Schlappi Engineering
  • SetonixSynth
  • Sleepy Circuits
  • Small Bear Electronics
  • Sonocurrent
  • Steady State Fate
  • STG Soundlabs
  • Studio Electronics
  • Tangible Waves
  • Therevox
  • this.is.NOISE inc.
  • Tidbit Audio
  • Tone Charm Audio
  • VCV
  • Vondle Synths
  • Wildwood Soundworks
  • Weston Precision Audio
  • WMD/AMMT

Not the largest of shows, but definitely an important show for electronic music gear at this time of the year. New products often make a first appearance at Knobcon, in time for holiday sales.

For instance Sequential Trigon-6 desktop module ( thread ) is making it’s public showing there this year.

There is always a good combination of larger makers and many smaller companies and startups. Looking over the list i see this year is the same. There are also workshops as a part of this show.

Let’s see what’s new this year.

Knobcon 2023

Thread for the 2022 Knobcon Show

11 Likes
Chicago Nauts Unite!
A Show of Shows - Superbooth, SFF, NAMM - Spring 23
Synthfest UK 2023
#2

I am biased because I am friends with people that do things behind the scenes at KnobCon, but holy moly I would love to go some day.

Much less “flash” than NAMM, more like a meet-up, but with some awesome companies in attendance. Seems like a great event!

4 Likes
#3

I thought the list of exhibitors was final but I see new ones have been added today.

#4

New exhibitors get added and removed all the time. ( For instance Zlob Modular got added. ) That’s part of the reason, i put a static list up, with a live link, to track this,

I’ve watched that in the past for other shows. Both additions and last minute cancellations are interesting.

#5

I was worried I’d waited too long to book a hotel, as it showed no availability for the dates when I checked yesterday. Fortunately, I checked again a bit later and one showed up, so I grabbed it.

It looks like they actually just extended the deadline for the reservations block – it was the 18th, but now it says the 25th.

#6

Let’s preview a cool product, that will be showing at Knobcon.
It’s been around a few years, but for some reason, it hasn’t caught fire with sales … yet. It’s a small all in one video generator, so you can concentrate on doing the music, and still do nice visuals.

The Hypno from Sleepy Circuits.

Here’s a video from MylarMelodies queued to a spot where CV control is shown.
Flashing images warning.

Note : They were looking to hire a demonstrator for the show a few weeks back. Especially Hypno users.

4 Likes
#7

Something is up.

I noticed ASM ( the Hydrasynth people ) was not on the list.

That was striking to me as they have been at every Knobcon back to the beginning of ASM, and had announced every one of their new products at Knobcon.

OK, so they’re not going to be there this year. So big deal ( sarcasm ), right. They decided to do Machina Bristronica 2023 ( thread ) instead this year. And i notice not a lot of companies are doing both shows.

BUT ---- Now i see ASM is touring and going to four stores in the Northeast USA. ( post ). And they end up in Detroit on September 6th, and then Chicago on September 7th. If they’re in town, why aren’t they going to show up at Knobcon???

So i immediately jump to the confusion ( i’m standing up for a time honored Elektronaut tradition ) that ASM is planning a surprise appearance at Knobcon, with a big announcement. ( Well they are way overdue and it has been established ( by Glen himself ) that they have had some undisclosed thing in the works. )

If it is a Not-a-Hydrasynth i hereby am claiming the very first one shipped.

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Hydrasynth from ASM
#8

Man, I’d be so stoked to see something new out of the woodworks. I sincerely hope you’re right :slight_smile:

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#9

ASM PolyTouch™ series of high-quality yet affordable MPE MIDI controller keyboards. No frills, just the same great keybed from the HydraSynth family in a compact package for your DAW or standalone MPE gear like Push 3. :crossed_fingers:

Ok, got that out of my system. :sweat_smile:

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#10

This is quality dot-connecting.

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#11

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#12

How would this work absent a booth?

#13

That would be too long of a post.

#14

Plus you already said it in a previous post:

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#15

I am waiting for footage of ASM personnel casually strolling in, all wearing fake nose and mustache, and gradually moving into formation in the main open space before whipping them off just as the music starts

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#16

At first when i started this thread i looked at the list quickly and thought Ashton Instruments, was Ashun.

I’ve looked up “Ashton Instruments”, trying to find what they make.

There is an Ashton Music who makes brightly colored cheap guitars and drums. ( website ) Somehow i don’t think this is them, though it’s the closest fit.

And their is Ashton Instruments who is “a Cambridge-based startup that builds next-generation cycling power meters for bicycles.” ( article ) Don’t think it is them.

So i don’t know who Ashton Instruments is for sure.

A nom de guerre ? ( nom de synth ? ) Hey what do you want i did the original Syntakt speculation thread, and you see where that ended up.

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#17

I am not doubting your credentials, for sure

1 Like
#18

I’m torn between “this sounds like way too much trouble for a company to go to just to announce some new gear and Ashton Instruments is probably a new, one-person operation that doesn’t have a website yet” versus “the rest of this matches up too much to be a coincidence.”

#19

Yeah that’s what i think too, just feeding the beast.

#20

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The new owner said they intended to bring the whole FR back-catalog back into production. Chatting them up on that at Knobcon would certainly be a good topic.

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