NAMM 2023 live report: rolling news from the world's biggest music-making gear show
NAMM 2023: Slotting into the distinctly unfamiliar month of April - but the very familiar surroundings of the Anaheim Convention Center in California - the 2023 NAMM Show is here, and it's promising to be... well, what exactly?
With many of the big players staying away - Fender, Gibson, PRS and Roland to name just a few - there was a danger that NAMM 2023 could have been distinctly lacking in the joys of spring, but it's looking like fears that we were approaching 'damp squib' territory were unfounded.
The good news is that there is plenty of new product to talk about - read all about all of it over on our NAMM 2023 hub page - and as the show kicks off for real, there's bound to be more to come.
And the even better news is that, whatever guitar, music tech and drum truffles turn up on the show floor, our hound on the ground will be there to sniff them out. Back in the UK, we'll be offering our own 'sideways' commentary on events, too.
You can expect this live blog to be updated from now and throughout the weekend as we start to get a glimpse of the good stuff, so keep it 'right here', as they say.
It begins...
No NAMM live blog is complete without an external shot of the convention center, so here you go. The concept of time is flexible at the NAMM Show - what is actually three days can feel like 50 years - so by close of play on Saturday, the kids shown here enjoying the NAMM sign will actually have aged more than half a lifetime and be approaching retirement.
SSL 500-series module
Today SSL previewed a new 500-series module, the B-Series 611B Dynamics Module. Based on the sound of SSL’s classic 4000 A and B series consoles, the module delivers responsive, “vibey” compression and expansion by emulating the topology of a bus compressor. With an onboard de-esser, auto-release and fixed ratio points, it’s said to be ideal for enhancing drum overheads or taming vocal transients.
Sony MDR-MV1 headphones
Sony ushered us into a soundproofed booth to demo its new open-back MDR-MV1 headphones, aimed at spatial and immersive sound creators. After playing us a clip using a 360-degree immersive speaker array, we heard the same clip through the MDR-MV1s, which emulated the spatial sound through Sony’s 360 Reality Audio technology. The similarity was, dare we say it, a little bit mindblowing. Some might be sceptical of spatial audio, but after that demo, we’re convinced it’s here to stay.
Nord Stage 4
Announced in February, Nord’s Stage 4 has been revamped with a new control panel design, an improved keybed, expanded effects section, an updated synth engine and more, making it a bold contender as one of the best performance keyboards money can buy.
Pioneer OPUS-QUAD
Unveiled a few weeks ago, Pioneer’s beastly OPUS-QUAD is the brand’s first all-in-one system to feature standalone 4-deck playback. With a 10-inch touchscreen and sleek matte finish, it looks like something Batman might use for a house party.
Hammond XK-4
The new Hammond XK-4 is equipped with an all-new sound engine - the Modelled Tone Wheel 2 (MTW2) engine accurately reproduces the 91 tone wheels at the heart of all vintage Hammond organs, capturing the expressive imperfections that give vintage Hammonds their characterful sound.
Soma Laboratories Terra
Soma Laboratories’ booth houses many weird and wonderful things, including the Terra, an unique analogue synth built into a block of wood and adorned with touch-capacitive buttons.
