NAMMbulating 2013
NAMM Convention January 2013, Anaheim, CA
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I love Hall E. Or did I say that already? Where else can you see beautiful, beautiful stuff like the Antiquity Music Wheelharp? So cool, and so original. Let's let them describe it: The Wheelharp is a groundbreaking keyboard musical instrument that gives the player the ability to orchestrate a full chromatic scale of sixty-one (61) actual bowed strings at one’s own fingertips, almost like having a real chamber string orchestra at hand. With an exotic profile and stunning rosette appointments, the Wheelharp’s appearance is equally as breathtaking as its audible character. It is available in a Radial Model (curved keyboard) and a Linear Model (traditional straight keyboard), and in several ranges. It utilizes a patent-pending action and bridge to translate the player’s subtle fingerings into a range of bowing intensities, and comes equipped with a damper system and electronic pickup system, allowing individuals to sculpt astonishingly beautiful and complex sounds. For musicians, composers, and studios that seek to create the natural sound of classical string instruments while avoiding the frequently sterile quality of digital string synthesizers and samples, or for those looking to foray into new sonic territory, the Wheelharp presents a truly exciting opportunity. So to sum up how one plays it, you basically play the keyboard (curved, shown here, or linear, not shown here) while pressing a pedal, which spins the thing. You need a light touch on the keyboards, as the keyboard applies pressure to the strings, and can bend 'em out of tune in a hurry, which can probably make listeners seasick in a hurry. Two freakin' thumbs up for creating something this cool, this beautiful, and this original. |
 This beautiful guitar was created by Ravi at RKS Guitars, and is called the Kama Sutra. |
 A clever idea. Clamp. Bendable Neck. 1/4" threads. You can put mic clips on it or screw in a camera or GoPro. Imagine the fun you can have with either, putting 'em in odd spaces. I don't think I would stick a DSLR on this. The reason is not the clamp, but the neck. The neck can come apart, which is cool because you can shorten or lengthen it, a cool idea. But it can come apart if there's a lot of swaying, and I think a DSLR would be too heavy, at a guess. Still, maybe doing long exposure shots or something fun on a bike or car might be really fun. Who knows. I have it, and maybe I can come up with some inventive photos with this. Or recordings. |
 Back to the Robotune booth. This is another configuration of the Robotune, which can accommodate guitars with tuners all on one side of the headstock. This is a robot made by www.goltar.com that tunes all six strings of your guitar simultaneously. It's portable and can tune most guitars (there's another version for guitars with tuning pegs on one side of the headstock). To tune, you simply strum the guitar, and within seconds, the guitar is completely in tune. This could be really great for manufacturers, stores, music teachers, anybody who has to tune lots of guitars and get to work.
And it might be good for someone who hates tuning, does it slowly, or whatever. Or in the studio, it would be good for accuracy because it tunes to within 1-2 cents AND tunes all strings simultaneously (for those who don't know, the act of tuning one string at a time can throw the tuning off the other strings slightly).
The artist in me would love it if they could make the thing look fun, as right now, it looks utlitarian. I can't help but wonder if people would really love it if it looked like Darth Vader, a robot, kinda Geigeresque, steampunk, have an odd face on it, or something. |
Now, with a name like Hell Guitars, one might think that they look like Warlock guitars or cater to black metal kids or some such thing. But no. Here's a description of their guitars from their website: Styling is rooted in the great designs of the 50’s and 60’s but with a modern sophistication and sense of balance. Simultaneously familiar and fresh, Hell Guitars stand out without having to scream for attention. |
 I really like the sound of these HAPI Steel Tongue Drums (HAPI stands for Hand Activated Percussion Instrument), particularly the copper ones (shown here), which have a beautifully complex bell-like tone. The hammered copper ones were about $230, so I don't know if I will get one, but for ambient recordings or some such thing, I think these could sound pretty great. I do have a Javanese gamelan instrument called a gender which is beautifully complex and gorgeous, so I'll probably stick with that for now. |
 So this was interesting. I have Primacoustic Recoil Stabilizers for my studio monitors here at Blueberry Buddha Recording Studios, and I like the way they've focused the bass more. However, I saw these down in Hall E and stopped by to have a listen. The general idea behind these IsoAcoustic speaker stands differs from the Recoil Stabilizers in that the PRS attempts to stop movement through mass, or to put it how they do, "eliminates disruptive resonant coupling from the loudspeaker to the stand, while providing a stable base that reduces the recoil caused by the forward energy of the loudspeaker motion." But while these IsoAcoustics also isolate from the surface, they apparently allow the speaker some slight give, but only a specific motion, which the manufacturer claims is better than complete rigidity. In the demonstration between Focus monitors placed on IsoAcoustic stands and the desktop, I heard a marked improvement in bottom end, but also bringing the midrange forward. It was difficult to determine the imaging on the noisy NAMM floor, but the bottom end was tighter and less boomy, and the midrange was definitely brought forward. I will keep my eye on this product, but it does seem promising. |
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I asked if they were interested in pairing with a photographer for some images that they'd sell, but the guy was clearly not interested. |
 This is a special edition of the Minimoog with some rather blingy knobs. |
Mike is also into photography, and took the photos of the Privia in the brochure, which looked great. |
 Steve, who tours with as Jason Bonham’s Led Zeppelin Experience, plays keyboards and lap steel with 'em and is also a huge Lakers fan. Him and Mike were at the Keyboard Corner dinner the previous evening and are great guys. |
 Synth couch. I can't remember which booth this was in. |
50 hopeful contestants stood in a semi-circle. Except for Chris, who kneeled in the middle, directly in front of the keyboard controller, almost as if he were expecting to win. They dumped the entry forms in, dutifully shook the box...and called out Chris' name. This controller is supposed to ship around April, so he should have it mailed to him by then. |
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Ken's photos of Nobel Peace Prize Winner Aung
San Suu Kyi, as well as photos of Peru, Burma, India, Morocco, China, Thailand,
Ghana, Ecuador, and elsewhere, have appeared in many books, magazines,
websites, and galleries. Visit the
Ken Lee Photography Website. Some of Ken's select photos may be
purchased through his
Imagekind Store. |
NAMMbulating, January 2013
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Eleven Shadows Travel Page
Contact photographer/musician Ken Lee
After a good sleep, I ate breakfast at my usual Mexican spot on Katella and Walnut St. (this morning it was tamales oaxaqueños, which were good if way too expensive, and horchata, nicely spiced). Then it was on to Hall E.
Still cruising around Hall E, I found this cool looking tattooed guy with horns at Hell Guitars.
I never write about Telefunken even though they make cool stuff because I can't really afford most of their products. But here's one product I can afford: Telefunken guitar picks. At least, I think I can. I never did ask the price.
Lamvin Acoustical Products makes custom acoustical products. It was nice looking stuff. One of the things they can do is put a photo you provide on their acoustic panels, such as those depicted in this photo. The ones in the back - I can't remember the dimensions but you can see they're fairly large - cost about US$350.
Mike, pictured here, demonstrating the Privia. To my surprise, I didn't hate the digital piano sounds. I almost always detest digital piano sounds, but this had some sense of physicality and response to them. The filter adjustments were very smooth, although I wasn't too keen on the synthesizer sounds. But the Privia has surprisingly good piano sounds, and seeing as this only comes with the full 88 keys, it's pretty clear that Casio intends this to be a piano-first sort of board.
Chris texted me, saying he was going to enter the contest for the new M-Audio Axiom controller, so I joined him, filling out the contest entry form and wearing the orange shirt necessary to win. He had shown a lot of interest in purchasing this controller, and we had come to the M-Audio booth the previous day to check it out.
Here is my friend Gus hanging out with Chris shortly after Chris won the M-Audio Axiom controller. Gus has been working for M-Audio when it was owned by M-Audio, and basically oversees all of Mexico, Central, and South America.
