What’s New in Music Technology: a report from NAMM 2013
It was snowing here in Carson, WA when I left for NAMM 2013 in Anaheim, CA on January 24th. I thought I could get away from the foul weather here but arrived to rain, thunder and lightning and of course snow. Nonetheless, the NAMM convention offered comfort inside and a few new and exciting things in music technology coming your way for 2013.
Sibelius is alive and well and not going out of business! I had a 1.5hr meeting with Bobby Lombardi Senior Manager/Product Management at Avid and Andy Cook Training Partner Program Manager. They assured me that Sibelius is here to stay, they have new programmers in place in CA, planning an update to 7.5, and have started a Sibelius certification-training program of which I will be a part. No worries!
iPad Software Apps The Apple iPad™ is definitely turning into a music making device, and a lot of companies are offering some great new products for it.
Thinkmusictechnology is coming up with a music notation app that will recognize music hand writing via a stylus, input using the on screen piano, or hook up a midi controller and just play it in. The product is being created by a start up company of 4 musicians and tech savvy people. It is scheduled to be
released fall of 2013 and will cost $29.99. They are asking for contributions to help fund their project. Make sure to watch the videos on their website at
www.thinkmusictechnology.com
MakeMusic™ is bringing out SmartMusic for the iPad in the spring of 2013. Offering much of the functionality found in the desktop version of SmartMusic, the upcoming app includes quality practice tools, assessment and accompaniment features as well as access to the entire content library with a SmartMusic subscription.
Chromatik is a free web platform with everything you need to practice, perform, and teach music. It is available for iPad and web. It allows the teacher to share music with students, make assessments and have everything synced in the Cloud. Upload your own sheet music or workbooks for free into the Cloud or purchase music thru their store. When I saw it at NAMM my first impression was a free SmartMusic. For more information go to
www.chromatik.com
iPad Hardware
IK Multimedia™ has just about everything you will need as far as iPad music hardware.
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The Garritan Ultimate Collection $449 contains a collection of 6 Garritan Sound Sets Including Instant Orchestra, Jazz & Big
May/June 2013
By Mike Klinger
Their new iRig Keys $99 is the first ultra-slim and highly portable universal MIDI controller keyboard for iPhone, iPod touch, iPad and Mac/PC. iRig KEYS connects directly to the iOS device 30-pin dock connector or the USB port on your Mac/PC. The iRig mic $59 is the first handheld, quality condenser microphone for iPhone, iPod touch and iPad.
Of course if you have your own mic, then go with the iRig Pre $39which allows you to connect your XLR mic directly into the iPad and includes phantom power.
Apogee™ is a definite step up in quality and has some wonderful hardware for the iPad ranging in price from $199-$799. The Duet $595 is a 2x2 audio interface, headphone amp, and midi interface. The Apogee Mic $199 is a USB Condenser Microphone with Cardioid Pickup Pattern, Adjustable Input Level, and Monitoring LED.
Notable Keyboards
I am very excited about the new M-Audio™ Axiom Air keyboard line coming in at $99, $299, $399, and $499 for the Mini, 25, 49, 61 note models. As a controller it is massively equipped with knobs, sliders, pads and switches to control the included Pro Tools Express ($49 value) and Ignite software that ships with the 25, 49, and 61 keyboard. I was really impressed with Ignite as it provides a refreshingly original and musician-centric way to quickly capture, combine, and arrange your musical ideas.
Korg’s new MS20 mini $599 made the show for me. For those of you “old school” synth players, this thing is a blast. In a nutshell it is an analog synthesizer featuring the original circuitry from 1978 with 2VCO / 2VCA / 2VCF / 2EG / 1LFO structure. Much fun!
Notable Software
Ilio™ introduced a new notation product called Score Cleaner $99 teacher/$69 student that I was really impressed with. This software is designed for those who just want to play in without a metronome with a midi keyboard and get great results. It amazes me how the software can interpret your key, your time signature, your phrasing, your quantization and artistic intent without ever having to pre set things up ahead of time. Just click and play and Score Cleaner will dictate your score with amazing accuracy. You can also save as XML to bring into Finale or Sibelius.
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