Showing at NAMM. Two new synths for “kids” from Playtime Engineering.
More here including a couple videos:
And another video with adult hands.
Cre8audio will be showing off a new product to go with the East Beast – the West Pest. ( thread link )
Looked at the exhibitors list, to find Cre8audio – they don’t have a booth. Pittsburgh Modular does so maybe West Pest will be there.
But i learned something about the Cre8audio / Pittsburgh Modular connection.
Looking at the exhibitor list for NAMM, i see that both Cre8audio, and Pittsburgh Modular are all part of a larger Canadian company iConnectivity. Also part of this are Sonnus, and Strange Electronics.
So maybe you can see the West Pest at the iConnectivity booth ?
Will we get System 8 part II : Electric Boogaloo ?
The MIDI Association is announcing at the addition of MIDI 2.0 capabilities to A2B, which is is a high speed digital bus, capable of distributing 32 channels of audio along with data.
More detail in the MIDI 2.0 thread.
ADDED : Hoping there will be specific announcements from some of the dozen plus corporations that are also members of the MIDI Association, for specific products that will support this new audio and MIDI standard.
I started a thread for the Nina polysynth from Melbourne Instruments.
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ADDED : Show stealers for me so far, are the three synths from brand new companies, the Nina, the 3rd Wave, and the BEATS FM.
We’ll see if the establishment synth makers can break back, or if they are shown up by these first timers.
I thought the same when I saw the picture. Hilarious.
OK, i do have Hydrasynth in my profile, so a link from me to the Sonic State interview with Glen Darcey, is to be expected. He shows off the booth, and talks about the challenges of keeping their complete line up in stock worldwide – they have done a good job at that – along with doing new product engineering in China, all in a lockdown. No detail on what the new product is exactly, but this is the firmest i’ve heard him say, it’s on the way. Perhaps there would have been a new product in their booth for them to show if times had been more regular.
And I do look forward to getting a t-shirt.
Have seen almost nothing new from Namm 2022 here. Is there almost no product being announced or is it not updated here?
Why is Namm so preoccupied with Guitars? Its been done to death over the years.
The groovebox is… kind of weirdly cool?
I feel like in addition to being featured on Bad Gear in the future it will also be wildly collectible, probably after a Magpie circuit bending video.
Edit: Oh no I just listened to the video good god it’s awful
MyTracks Groovestation from Playtime Engineering
They certainly are aiming this at children, but also at adults who wouldn’t necessarily be playing electronic instruments but who may more casually have this on their coffee table more as recreation and just for fun. It has the sample sounds plus one track of MIDI out.
Their other products get a mention toward the end of the video.
Their products are tested for safety for 3 and up.
Definitely slower for brand new stuff, which mostly got shown at Superbooth. So look back at that stuff for the endorphin rush.
New in hardware at NAMM :
There is software stuff too.
Also important is the audio transport specification for MIDI 2.0 put out by the MIDI Association !
I want to see more of the other smaller announcements like what’s happening with Osmose, and some more of the background sort of product stuff.
And plenty of the guitar stuff of course.
What did i miss ?
Interview with Tom Oberheim and Marcus Ryle. They talk about the OB-X8 and of course Dave. Looks like J3PO was playing the synth.
The pad around 35 seconds in not only took care of my hangover, but resurrected all the dead pet goldfish from my childhood. This thing sounds great.
I bought their Blipblox After Dark (also mentioned in the video) on sale, almost on impulse, for my daughter’s kid, and kept it a few weeks before sending it on. It’s quite well made and a lot of thought went into the design. I was surprised; it doesn’t sound like a toy (there’s a good Oscillator Sink video on it). The kid loves it! I hope to visit them soon and will take along a MIDI keyboard to use with it. Of course, the MyTracks is a different device, and the devil is in the details, but I wouldn’t dismiss it because of its looks or target audience.
Big thanks Jukka for your answer! Will Namm be back in January as usual 2023? Seems like Superbooth stole the show this year.
Are Midi 2.0 released now?
The spec mostly is, but it is being tested and finalized. Expect it to change as devices enter the arena.
Just watched a Sonic State video interview, links in a moment, where the first guy interviewed says to expect devices end of this year, beginning of next, and stretching out for more comprehensive adoption over the next 5 years. So that is his projection for how this change will be incremental.
The good news is you can still use MIDI 1.0, blended with 2.0 through the transition.
Consumers can speed things along, by buying good and useful devices, with MIDI 2.0, and let manufacturers know we want the improvements and new features.
Warning : This video is pretty boring, at least for most viewers.
ADDED : The Bome Box now has MIDI 2.0 update.
At NAMM, I tried the Dexibell S1, 68-key stage piano. It has a Fatar keybed. It starts with a low-A, which is really cool. In its default state, the low A is an octave higher than the low-A on a piano. If I owned it, I I’d set the octave down and sacrifice the very highest notes on the keyboard, the ones I tend not to play anyway on the piano.
Dexibell had a couple newer models with an updated Fatar keybed, but I actually liked the feel and touch of the S1 (which is not a new product, introduced in 2018).
I complained to the rep about the velocity sensitivity. My playing tends to gravitate either to very slow-velocity key-presses or to stabbing quick key-presses. The low velocity notes I played got lost in the din of the convention hall and the high-velocity notes notes triggered the brighter, more percussive sounds. So, finding the center velocity values was difficult. I read another review of the product that said the same thing.
The rep accessed the velocity settings, but he was unable to adjust them to my satisfaction. I would have to play around with the velocity sensitivity if I owned the S1, and I’d have to develop a new technique of playing to better control velocity.
I own an 88-key Yamaha weighted action keyboard. The action is okay, easy to control, but for some reason, playing it for too long kind of tires my hands out in a way a real piano does not.