MATRIXSYNTH NAMM 2014 Pics

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Update: added a few notes below.  I hate picking highlights because I honestly do love it all.  That and I don't like missing anyone or anything.  The focus is on what's new.  More will come with the videos.

This is the full set of 282 NAMM pics including the following sub-sets just posted:
MATRIXSYNTH NAMM 2014: WMD et al. Modular Booth Pics
MATRIXSYNTH NAMM 2014: Moon Modular Booth Pics
MATRIXSYNTH NAMM 2014: Miselu, Quicco Sound & Audiobus Booth Pics
MATRIXSYNTH NAMM 2014: Studio Electronics & Pittsburgh Modular Booth Pics
MATRIXSYNTH NAMM 2014: Schmidt Analog Synthesizer Booth Pics
MATRIXSYNTH NAMM 2014: Radikal Technologies Booth Pics
MATRIXSYNTH NAMM 2014: Big City Music Booth & Aerosmith Pics
MATRIXSYNTH NAMM 2014: Buchla Booth Pics
MATRIXSYNTH NAMM 2014: Elektron Booth Pics
MATRIXSYNTH NAMM 2014: Dave Smith Instruments Booth Pics
MATRIXSYNTH NAMM 2014: Monome ALEPH Looper Pics
MATRIXSYNTH NAMM 2014: Moog Music Booth Pics
MATRIXSYNTH NAMM 2014: Dubreq Stylophone Pics
MATRIXSYNTH NAMM 2014: Bob Moog Foundation Booth Pics

And that's it for my NAMM pics. Videos will follow over the coming days. As you can see I missed a few of the major synth booths including Clavia/Nord Keyboards, Waldorf, Access, Teenage Engineering, Korg, Roland, Novation, Studiologic and Yamaha. This is no slight to them. I would have loved to check them out, specifically the new A1 from Clavia and the new Waldorf 2-Pole filter.  I did see the new full size KORG MS20 kit but the booth was packed and I didn't get any pics. I knew anything AIRA was not going to be shown so I skipped Roland. I typically go to NAMM on Saturday as I'm literally glued to the site posting away all the NAMM news along with everything else that comes in up to then. By Saturday I have a pretty good idea of what has and hasn't gotten plenty of coverage on the site.  Based on that, new product announcements, and prior commitments with those that reached out to me, I go through my list of booths in order.

As for standouts, although I didn't get to try the new A1 from Clavia, I was impressed by the new oscillator and effects section in the demos to date. I like what I hear. I do think they made a mistake with the messaging on it being an entry level synth. Not sure why they chose to go that route as it degrades the synth's capabilities in my opinion and the price does not reflect an entry level synth.

The new Elektron Rytm sounded fantastic. I should have a video of Highsage jamming on it coming up. Hopefully the audio is good.

The Sub 37 is a thing of beauty.

I'm a fan of the Prophet 12 and the new Prophet 12 module. I'm a fan of mixing digital with analog and I think it is capable of timbres you simply can't get out of pure analog.

The Tiptop Audio system at the Big City Music Booth was absolutely insane! Tomio is a Jedi master on that thing. I should have video of it coming up.

The new Make Noise modules were a mind trip. Video coming.

Noise Engineering is new to the scene and their modules sound fantastic. I particularly like the drum module. They also have a vocal formant module. I mentioned the Yamaha FS1R's formant synthesis and they said it was actually based on it to an extent. Video coming.

The STG EMS Oscillator sounded insane. Video coming.

The new Studio Electronics Boomstars sounded pretty incredible. Video coming.

It takes quite a bit to surprise me.  Two things did.  Full on patch memory on a modular synth with the Buchla Music Easel and what's coming for Audiobus. The Miselu iPad keyboard and Quicco Sound controller were pretty cool devices as well. The Future Retro Triadex Muse based sequencer caught my interest. I didn't show it, but it definitely was a geek out moment for me and caught me by surprise. Who would have thought technology based on the obscure Muse would re-appear today.

That's it for now. The videos and pics should speak for themselves. I love it all.

NAMM 2014: Tip Top Audio Modular Jam

Published on Jan 23, 2014 sonicstate·615 videos

"NAMM 2014: Tip Top Audio Modular Jam Nice jam at the Big City Music booth"

Below: pic of Tiptop Audio's Gur Milstein & The Harvestman's Scott Jaeger on the NAMM floor via Scott on Facebook (Two of my favorite people).

Just added: Richard Devine and Drumcell jaming on the Tiptop Systems Namm below.

MATRIXSYNTH NAMM 2014: Tiptop Audio Booth - Tomio Direct Audio Video

Uploaded on Jan 30, 2014 matrixsynth·303 videos

http://tiptopaudio.com

Tomio rocking the Tiptop Audio eurorack system. Unfortunately the audio jack I plugged into was a bit low and noisy so you'll have turn it all the way up. Just remember to turn it back down afterwords, especial before watching The Schmidt video below. This system sounded absolutely insane live. The new Valhalla Reverb was in the Z-DSP in the right system. New Circadian Rhythm on the left driving things.

5... 6... 7... 8! Ha ha haaaa!

via Scott Rise of Division 6 on Facebook & Gur of Tiptop Audio.

Sesame Street's The Count checking out some Tiptop Audio euro-crack at NAMM 2014. I think he likes it.

Best, NAMM, Pic, EVER.

Happy New Year From MATRIXSYNTH! - A Look Back at 2014

Happy New Year everyone!

I want to start by thanking everyone that comes to MATRIXSYNTH and helps make it what it is - the readers, the supporters, and of course all the sponsors on the right.

THANK YOU and have a GREAT 2015!!!

This site is a labor of love and a ton of work. This site is ultimately meant to be an testament to everything synth in the making. We have over nine years of daily synth history captured here, 119,983 published posts. I can't wait to see what the future brings us in 2015!

That said, here are a few interesting bits from 2014 in the longest post of the year. ;)

CLICK FOR MORE »

TipTop Audio at NAMM 2014

Published on Jan 28, 2014 perfectcircuitaudio·44 videos

"Gur Milstein leads us through the new TipTop Audio lineup including the Circadian Rhythm, Serge WAD, and Valhalla DSP card for the Z-DSP! Gur also gives a little information about the future of a certain module at the end of the video. Thanks for watching!"

MATRIXSYNTH NAMM 2014: Big City Music Booth & Aerosmith Pics

Highlights included Tiptop Audio, Future Retro, Surfin Kangaroo, Dewanatron, Analogue Systems and Metasonix. Note the prototype panning by Surfin Kangaroo. It has 8 Audio Inputs and a couple of outputs. You can configure it as an 8 in 4 out / 4 in 8 out / 2 in 16 out / 1 in 32 out. The black panel under it is just there to cover the rack and is not part of the module.


Don't miss Aerosmith's Steven Tyler. :)

Update: added some info on the Surfin Kangaroo prototype. It's actually a panning system, not a sequencer.

Tomio .U jamming on the Tiptop system at Namm

Published on Jan 24, 2014 Tiptop .Audio·51 videos

"day two, namm 2014"

The 2014 NAMM Booth List for Synths

And here is my list:

Hall A

6009 Waldorf
6100 Access
6314 Arturia
6409 Teenage Engineering
6440 KORG
6464 Studiologic, Clavia/Nord, Novation
6527 Radikal Technologies & Schmidt
6700 inMusic - Akai, M-Audio, Alesis & more
6724 Spectrasonics
6735 Big City Music (BRANDS: 4ms, Analogue Systems, Critter & Guitari, Cwejman, Dewanatron, Dirty Boy, Eowave, Jomox, Kenton, Kilpatrick Audio, Knas, Koma, Livewire, Mellotron, Metasonix, Mode Machines, Monorocket, Sherman, Vermona, Tiptop Audio and WMD.)
6825 Rob Papen
6809 Buchla

Hall B
5300 Moog
5304 Elektron
5400 Dave Smith Instruments
5406 Bob Moog Foundation (according to Marc Doty, "We'll have synths you'll want to see more than the synths in some of those other booths..")
5900 Casio

Hall C
4812 UVI

Hall E
1034 Moon Modular
1050 Haken Audio
1076 WMD - Analog Haven Booth (4ms, Delptronics, Enclave, Foxtone Music, Harvestman, KOMA Elektronik, MakeNoise, NoiseEngineering, Steady State Fate, Suit And Tie Guy...)
1385 Miselu
1675 Studio Electronics & Pittsburgh Modular

Yamaha: Booth# 100 (Marriott), 102 (Marriott)
Roland: Booth# 303C (Level 3), 302A (Level 3), (), ()

http://www.namm.org/thenammshow/2014/directory

If anyone is missing let me know.

Note: Link to this post added to the main link section above all posts.

Gur .M demo the Tiptop System

Published on Jan 23, 2014 Tiptop .Audio·50 videos

"Namm 2014 day one."

Tiptop systems

Published on Feb 2, 2014 Tiptop .Audio·53 videos

"The night before Namm 2014, Tomio and I set down to test the systems, the new Quantizer and the magic of the Valhalla Z-DSP card made it all."

Tiptop Audio to Bring Five New Ones to NAMM 2014

Hall A Booth 6735
http://tiptopaudio.com

Artists of Tokyo Festival of Modular 2014

"featuring artists of Tokyo Festival of Modular 2014 . https://twitter.com/TFOM2014 *not every artists on this list."

Playlist:
TOKYO FESTIVAL OF MODULAR 2014 @ Super deluxe , 六本木
MATRIXSYNTH NAMM 2013: Richard Devine on Make Noise Modular at the Analogue Haven Booth
Studio Tour with Richard Devine
Keith Fullerton Whitman - PAN ACT Festival - Goethe Institut - Boston, MA - June 20th 2013
Black Zenith - Live at the Substation
DENSHIKAIMEN_v3_電子海面v3@KIWA_20110709
OMEI "Unyielding Reason" Live at La Sala (@ Cantina Royal) 9.29.12
HATAKEN live @ OZORA festival 2013
Hataken Solo @ Tokyo Festival of Modula 2013

Don't miss my early interview with Hataken posted here on MATRIXSYNTH back in 2007.

See the Tokyo Festival of Modular channel below for more.

Update: Tomio will be there with Tiptop Audio as well.  You can catch many of his videos posted here on MATRIXSYNTH.