It’s January and a major storm is brewing in Southern California: The Winter NAMM show begins next week in Anaheim, California and, judging by the pre-show press releases (and from the confidential information I’ve gleaned from “un-named sources” at a few major companies), it’s going to be a big year for new gear.

While there are always plenty of announcements at NAMM, the show can sometimes be a snoozefest. However, 2012’s show promises to be a very interesting one as manufacturers try to find new ways to take advantage of the exploding prosumer market (or, as some see it in their half-empty glass, the shrinking gap between pro-level and consumer-level products).

Certainly, products designed for iOS devices will be a major focus at this year’s show — we’ve gotten a few hints of that via CES in Las Vegas this week. But we’ll also see a bit of innovation in the areas where traditional instruments and recording interact.

Here are a couple of items that I plan to investigate while I’m at the show.

Moog Minitaur: A desktop version of the classic Taurus analog bass synth with a competitive street price of $599. That makes this two-oscillator synth less expensive than Doepfer’s single-VCO Dark Energy, for example. It should be a boon to gigging musicians who are looking for the Taurus sound without having to lug around the larger and heavier $2,000 model (or a treasured vintage unit).

Line 6 Mobile Keys: A pair of keyboard controllers that plug into and can be powered from your portable Apple device (iPad 1 and 2, iPhone 3Gs and later, iPod Touch 3rd/4th generation). And they’re compatible with Mac/Windows computers via USB. They even have sustain and expression pedal inputs. With 25- and 49-key versions priced under $200, these controllers provide a welcome alternative for those of us who enjoy the convenience of playing music on i-devices but who want to schlep the fewest accessories possible.

Are we seeing a pattern here yet? Like many musicians, I want to carry as little as possible when I gig. Isn’t that what the future was supposed to promise us?

Fine, then check this out:
IK Multimedia iRig Mix and iRig Stomp: A mobile mixer and stompbox, respectively, for iOS devices. I’m particularly intrigued by the iRig Stomp because it appears to be able to hold a chain of effects from Amplitube in a sturdy, pedal-board friendly form factor.
Meanwhile, iRig Mix includes DJ Rig among the four included apps, promising plug-and-play turntabalism in a handheld controller. I’m curious to see how well it works. They’ve also introduced the iRig Mic Cast microphone for iOS devices, though it seems to have been overshadowed by…


Blue Microphones Spark Digital, Mikey Digital, and Tiki: More mic concepts for the highly lucrative prosumer market. Spark Digital has USB and iPad connectivity, while Mikey Digital works with the newest iOS devices (but retains the useful features of Mikey version two, such as a USB port for power and 270 degrees of rotation). Blue claims that the Tiki USB mic “mimics the intelligence of human hearing by focusing on desired sounds, minimizing background noise and knowing when to mute altogether.” It’s geared towards podcasting or use with Skype. Perhaps the noisy tradeshow floor will provide the proper environment for testing such a transducer.

You can also expect big announcements from Arturia, Peavey, Roland, Fender, and Universal Audio, among others.