Now, we get to transport you to the toy store of sound-making gadgets that is the NAMM show in Anaheim, California.
James Grahame, the engineer behind MeeBlip, gets to show off his love of synthesizers in his photolog. And we see some of the big winners at the show for electronic instrument lovers:
- Boutique makers are doing more wonderful stuff than ever. It starts with modular, yes, but look for products in other areas, as well. We were thrilled to get to insert MeeBlip anode at Pittsburgh Modular and Studio Electronics, as they already had some of my favorite stuff in the show.
- KORG. Yeah, you knew that. But apart from re-imagining the keytar and making a full-sized MS-20, they’re now producing adorable toy pianos for a new generation and have made the TRITON workstation friendlier to a wide audience of people who wouldn’t normally buy such things.
- Elektron was attracting plenty of attention to their drum machine, without question.
- MOOG. Not only did the release two hits – a digital Theremin and a brand-new synth – but their booth was one of the best meeting-place scenes on the floor. Of course.
- Arturia’s BeatStep sequencer might be our show favorite – tiny, inexpensive, ready to work with any computer, MIDI, or CV gear.
And, of course, James found some nice oddities, too.
We’ll of course have follow-ups on all this stuff in more detail – we like it slow and in-depth, you know – and some of the new modular stuff. But for now, it’s impossible to think about technical details while we’re being blinded with gear. Let’s do this.
That’s Diego Stocco, one of our favorite composers, meeting with James Grahame.
