The Network Effect of MI and Pro Audio
I ’ m not just a marketer at NAMM . I ’ m a producer , engineer , guitarist , keyboardist , and former tour manager . When I work The NAMM Show , I always carve out a little “ me time .” That ’ s the time when I walk the floor to find the next big thing , or rather , the next big network of things .
You see , too often companies can focus on making their products ideal for one group — the synth for all synthheads . But producers like me , who grew up working on laptops , look for ecosystems . It ’ s all about finding novel ways to connect two bits of gear to create a brand-new sound .
That ’ s part of why I love The NAMM Show . There I can find a synth that sounds great running into my guitar pedals , which then feed my 500-series pre-amp into my DAW and an awesome plugin I found at Software . NAMM . The sum of this gear becomes greater than its parts — and only at The NAMM Show can I find all those parts .
Put another way , a show that is too focused on one product community misses how music is actually being created in the real world . As more musicians rely on their DAW to run their live sets , the possibilities for MIDI-controlled everything continues to rise . That ’ s why NAMM and the MIDI Association are such kindred spirits and frequent collaborators . MIDI was introduced at The NAMM Show back in the 80s , and to this day , it drives much of the synergy across the product communities at the show ( including the awesome MIDI Showcase that houses some off-the-wall gear ).
But what ’ s next ? MIDI 2.0 is one answer . Other innovations like digitally controlled analogue gear or immersive audio have ramifications far beyond the pro audio world . Only through a large and diverse marketplace can manufacturers and retailers see the ways that seemingly disparate innovations can influence their own .
As a weekend-warrior record producer , I have my own laundry list of dream gear . Some of it might not be invented yet . For example , how awesome would an immersive audio synth be , especially one running into a recording interface that can handle those inputs — all highlighted by a truly ambisonic IR reverb . I realize that ’ s a lot of jargon , but that ’ s what the producers and engineers across the world are looking for today . We ’ ll spend a lot of money for the right tools because they set our sounds apart . Mixing and production have never been closer , and finding the right sonics can be the difference between the calls .
What manufacturer will identify these needs and make these tools ? What retailer will carry and recommend them ? Those that come to the show have the best chance to set trends rather than follow them . After all , they can talk to the best producers and engineers in the game . And
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