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WaveDrummer · Posted: Fri Jan 20, 2012 6:46 am Post subject: Day one

Busy, busy, busy today. A typical opening day at NAMM. Lot's of activity, but experience tells me this is only a warmup for the insanity to come on Friday and Saturday.

The Kaossilator2 and the MiniKaosspad2 are the big focus. Even though the Wavedrum Mini is "new" (we didn't have it yet for last year's NAMM show) most people—and companies—want the "new" new. New is never "new" enough. Rolling Eyes

I've been having fun creating some loops on the "new" new stuff and then playing along with the Wavedrum mini. I'm sure videos will be surfacing in the next 48 hours.

Spent a few hours after the show watching Steve Smith and Vital Information prepare for the shows they'll be doing at the Korg Booth — two each on Friday and Saturday. I'll see if I can get some pics. Steve is playing a small 4-piece kit with a Wavedrum Oriental on his left hand side. The band sounded great but after 8 straight hours of trade show; only a few hours of sleep; nothing to get me through the day other than one, single bottle of water...it was time for me to go.

Bleary-eyed and punch-drunk from the sensory overload of NAMM, I must now sign off...

hazabikit · Posted: Fri Jan 20, 2012 3:04 pm Post subject:

Thanks for the updates -- I appreciate getting the chance to hear about what it's like there!
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WaveDrummer · Posted: Sat Jan 21, 2012 10:54 am Post subject:

For some reason I'm still up at 2:30am...so why not post?!

As expected, there were a TON of people at the show today. The foot traffic was relentless, so I never got a chance to see Steve Smith's band play their full set (even though this all took place not 25 feet away from where I was). Maybe tomorrow...maybe.

The convention center in Anaheim is simply massive. You could easily fit more than a few football fields inside the place. It's basically broken up into five main "halls" plus a downstairs and upstairs display area. The halls are organized by types of gear so that you can find all the guitars in one vicinity, all the live PA gear in one vicinity, etc. They usually have "noise police" patrolling the aisles with dB meters to ensure that volumes are kept under control. They can hand out citations, and even get a booth shut down if the violations persist. They must be on strike this year because the hall that was home to all the drum companies was complete madness! Shocked

I only had a small window of time to visit that part of the convention center, but wow...such a cacophony of sound should be outlawed. I mean, NAMM is usually nuts but this was over the top. With small groups performing spontaneously, and what sounded like a million people trying out every snare drum, kick drum, cymbal and percussion item under the sun — even attempting to think clearly was futile. It's insane. It's impossible to do any serious business in that atmosphere, and it's probably the worst environment imaginable to actually try to hear what an instrument really sounds like. But today was just a primer...

At the Pearl booth they have Tommy Lee's drumset on display, the one where everything is bolted down and the drumkit turns upside down, with him strapped in place with roller-coaster-like support bars over his shoulders. The whole kit is suspended in mid-air. Well, he's making an appearance tomorrow, and I have no doubt that the crowd and hysteria that will be created by that will make today look like a cub scout meeting.

Anyway, before the sun comes up I should probably wrap this up and try to get some sleep. Here's one video that just got posted. Not my best effort, but this is some of what I was doing most of the day.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=izr4B0G2YhA

No wavedrum in this video but hopefully some more footage will surface tomorrow. It's always a race between the companies to see can post their videos first in the hopes of attracting more views.

I did have a lot of fun though this afternoon by combining the Wavedrum Mini with the new Kaoss products. Unfortunately, "integration" isn't something that most people seem to be interested in. They like their boundaries and their borders, and they'd rather think about each product as existing in its own universe. I don't really get that, but I also understand the mindset when someone has thousands of different products to check out — you have to find some way to keep track of all that and have it make sense at the end of the day. Anyway, I'll post any links I find, or that get forwarded to me, of how I'm blending all the new products (including the Wavedrum Mini) together. Fun stuff!

Bertotti · Posted: Sat Jan 21, 2012 11:43 am Post subject:

Fun! Look at the bright side, when you get home and the significant other starts chewin your butt you won't be able to hear it! Bananas thanks for the update!

WaveDrummer · Posted: Sat Jan 21, 2012 4:42 pm Post subject:

Don't get me wrong, I'm glad to be out here. It's just a total circus, which you have to fully embrace in order not to lose your mind! Surprised

The Shure booth is directly across from me and only a few feet away. They had "meet & greets" with KORN and, separately, Alice Cooper among many other artists. When that happens, the lines are LONG and you can barely move or see much.

The upside is that I get a captive audience. They have no choice but to listen to me (What? I didn't just turn the volume up. Who, me?). Wink

That's when I do this:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7KQ_nx0OyXU

Off to the show...

Bertotti · Posted: Sat Jan 21, 2012 4:55 pm Post subject:

Very cool! Those new kaoss products look fun but I liked the layout of the kaoss pro. Hope they didn't drop it. Might have to run into a store and check out the new one though!

WaveDrummer · Posted: Sun Jan 22, 2012 3:39 am Post subject:

Another day down...

Today wasn't nearly as crazy as I anticipated. It rained all morning, so that may have kept much of the local riffraff away that often floods the show on Saturday. Surprised

I never was able to catch Steve Smith perform, here's a clip though:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IkrjYYcu3o4

I performed in the sound room with two silver wavedrums as part of PA demonstration with a band. I'll post a link as soon as that is up. For the most part though, the wavedrum is being neglected this year.

Sabian held their annual event last night which featured Billy Sheehan on bass, Mike Portnoy on drums and Tony Mcalpine on guitar. You'd like to think that of all places, the NAMM show would be where you'd get all the best gear dialed in to perfection. Sadly, that is rarely the case. It was easily one of the worst audio mixes I've ever heard in my life. Go figure. Confused

We just couldn't stay.

I saw a great mariachi band at the Mexican restaurant we went to though. One of the best dining experiences I've ever had! Good times.

Party on, Garth.

More to come...

Bertotti · Posted: Tue Jan 24, 2012 7:33 pm Post subject:

WaveDrummer you must be beat! Curious do you use the kaoss products in your home or just for shows and you gigs?

I will say I liked what little I have seen of the nord drum and the kaoss products but I get all the models confused? Which has all the effects? Anyone really put one through its paces with the WD. I will also say the Nord Drum is sort of where my WD vision lays. I like the module idea, would like to see WD head like we have now pressure sensor and all and the ability to do multiple channels and modi and usb! Ah I hope Korg gets into that. I will buy the Nord Drum based on what I have seen I think it would be a cool addition to a kit and WD. Sadly Korg until the ND I was all set to pursue a oriental. Ranting a bit sorry I get frustrated because the WD has so much more potential!

WaveDrummer · Posted: Tue Jan 24, 2012 11:55 pm Post subject:

Ah, back home now with a better functioning internet connection.

Sunday was the usual dialed-down version of NAMM. Many of the sales reps and buyers tend to disappear on the final day of the show, and most of the floor traffic is made up of the general public with "visitor" passes. It's always much calmer on Sunday but it tends to lack energy compared with all the previous days. There are very few, if any, artist appearances or scheduled performances on the final day, so that probably cuts down on attendance as well.

But the show behind the show begins at the end of the day: Breakdown time! A skeleton crew of approx one dozen of us stayed until after 11:00 pm to unplugged, disassemble, sort and organize, repackage and load onto pallets all the equipment from the show. With a company the size of Korg (which also includes VOX, Black Star, HK and LAG), that is a substantial amount of gear.

How do you celebrate a long, intense week of non-stop stimulation and interaction after midnight on a Sunday? Late-nite food at Denny's! It's all glamor, boys and girls. Rockstar style. It all seems like a distant memory already. If it weren't for Youtube, I'd swear it was all a dream.

WaveDrummer · Posted: Wed Jan 25, 2012 12:20 am Post subject:

Bertotti · Posted: Wed Jan 25, 2012 12:29 am Post subject:

Thanks WaveDrummer as always very informative and much appreciated! Thanks Bertotti

WaveDrummer · Posted: Wed Jan 25, 2012 1:14 am Post subject:

Here's another look at the new Kaoss products that just popped up.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-pCkYbkkEHQ

Gizmo1300 · Joined: 19 Aug 2011 Posts: 32 Location: Australia

Thanks Wavedrummer
On the other side of the world we don't get shows like this so it has been good to get an insite to the latest and greatest

Gizmo
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Bertotti · Posted: Mon Jan 30, 2012 6:51 am Post subject:

Now that it has sunk in that the nord drum is mono only, stereo in the WD has spoiled mr, I think an oriental is in my future. I really wanted to like the nord drum but mono just seems wrong now. am I wrong, is there something about the ND's analog nature that rules out stereo? I don't know. I don't know I just got excited about having four inputs, something I wish the WD supported!

Kaden · Posted: Tue Jan 31, 2012 3:01 pm Post subject:

Don't get overly hung up on 'it's gotta be stereo'. It's a pretty rare thing to find a club PA that's running in stereo. Getting fancy with panning in a big room automatically makes the audience experience different depending on where they're sitting in the venue.

This is not desirable.

Chris Randall pointed out that a Nord rep at the show admitted that their drum box was *really* targetted towards reproducing an 808 kick during a live performance, which apparently it does exceptionally well.

The Nord falls down not in lacking stereo output, but in not having separate outputs for each voice, or at least having multiple assignable busses so you can route specific voices to specific effects.
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