Mevio Music

The Winter trade show of the National Association of Music Merchants was held in Anaheim, California on January 13th-16th. With more than 1600 exhibitors participating, it’s hard to pick just a handful of top products, but here are five that the musicians here at MeVIO have been chatting about most as we pass around the Jack…er…as we gather around the water cooler.

The Empire Amp – 65AMPS came about when Sheryl Crow’s guitarist, Peter Stroud, needed to find an amplifier that sounded as rich and complex as a larger tube amp, even when played at lower stage volumes. Since the amps weren’t originally conceived as products that would be sold to others, every decision about design and components was made purely to create the best amp possible. Of course, it wasn’t long before other guitarists began requesting the custom-made amps for themselves, and 65AMPS was born.

The new Empire Amp (the head lists for $2900) was the talk of the town in Anaheim. Created to bring the classic tones of British EL34 tube amps from the ’60s through the ’90s, you can channel your inner early Pete Townsend, or your best Mick Jones. Pair it with a 4×12 cabinet and let ‘er rip.

Korg Kronos – With the M1 in the late 1980s, Korg practically invented the workstation category of musical instruments. This year Korg reinvents it in the Kronos. With nine individual synthesis engines in a single instrument, and new interactive performance features, the Kronos brings a virtually inexhaustible variety of sounds for the creation of music.

The 61-key version of the Kronos features the same semi-weighted keyboard found in Korg’s M3-61, and the 88-key model sports the same graded weighted hammer keys used on Korg’s upper-end digital pianos.

For recording and editing, Kronos can send MIDI signals via USB, and the Kronos Editor software allows you to edit sounds and settings directly from your computer. The Kronos 61 has a list price of $3750, the Kronos 73 is $4350 and the Kronos 88 is $4750.

TASCAM DR-680 – If you’re looking for a way to get pristine recordings of live performances, TEAC TASCAM’s DR-680 is about as good as it gets. Record up to eight tracks of 96kHz/24-bit Broadcast WAV quality to solid-state SD card media. With six phantom powered mic inputs  and 60dB of gain, a selectable low cut filter and analog limiter – plus a digital S/PDIF source for 8 track recording – it’s the ultimate multi-track portable studio.

The DR-680 also captures stereo audio at 192kHz/24-bit for audiophile-quality masters. Connect two of the recorders with a cascade cable for up to 14-track recording on location using battery power. Am I drooling? Why, yes. Yes I am.

The DR-680 gives you all of this for a list price of $1399.99.

Burns Shadows Bass – John Lennon once remarked that before Cliff Richard and The Shadows, there had been nothing worth listening to in British music. The Shadows emerged as stars in their own right, third only to Cliff Richard and Elvis Presley as the most successful hit singles act in British chart history.

Now Burns brings a recreation of the original 1964 Shadows Bass in a limited edition of 500. At £1050 retail, it’s an authentic reproduction of the original guitar, not the production models of 1964.

This thing has a lot of knobs and switches, but any axe using pickups called “Nu-Sonic type” is sure to peak the curiosity of guitar geeks everywhere.

Ear Filters – Let’s face it, stage volume levels sometimes get out of control. First of all Bruce turns up his bass amp to bring a little more thump, then Andy has to turn up his guitar amp to keep pace, and after the third break when they’ve had enough whiskey it becomes a bona-fide race to eleven, and you go home reeking of stale cigarette smoke with a buzz and ringing in your ears that’s still there at noon the next day. But, hey, loud and proud, right?

Working musicians are finally recognizing the need for ear protection. Tinnitus is not fun, whether temporary or permanent. Unfortunately, traditional ear plugs tend to make it difficult to hear the music. Enter Ear Filters, named a 2011 NAMM Best of Show. When inserted correctly, they filter out 75% of the dangerous sound pressure without blocking the clarity of what you want to hear. At only $1.50 a pair, they’re perfect for the working musician, and also for others who want to hear clearly but protect their ears in high volume situations.