The dust has settled, and we are comfortably back in our studios after a packed weekend in Anaheim for 2023’s National Association of Music Merchants. And while most of the Magnetic team have been attending NAMM for years – David Ireland, the site’s founder and head honcho – said that this was his 23 NAMM, and it was my first time there.
And while the occasional beer helped alleviate the nerves, the sense of awe and bafflement at the spectacle of NAMM is undeniable and inescapable. Yet through the flurry of meetings, sporadic sightings of superstars, and exhibitors hailing you to check out their “industry-changing new technology,” a handful of products and software rose to the top as the true belles of the ball.
So now that the Magnetic team has had a chance to decompress from the weekend and reflect on all that we saw and the business cards we collected, here is our favorite things we saw at NAMM 2023.
Sound Particles 3D Synthesizer
While we keep this list of NAMM highlights centered on gear and products seen at NAMM, the weekend’s watercooler/beer garden conversation was all about Spatial Audio. And while countless companies were showcasing their monitors and listening environments that cater to this emerging style, Sound Particles took it further by debuting their new plugin, the first 3D synth.
A wealth of parameters and stereo placers allow you to blend, merge, and modulate the different sound oscillators around the spatial mix. The demo started with just a single oscillator moving about the small spatial audio setup that they set up in the demo booth. Seemingly unimpressed, we started to migrate to the next booth just as the Sound Particle team started introducing more and more oscillators into the mix of the sound, and the true potential of what this synth could do was realized. Timbres, FX, and details cascade around the listening environment before sucking themselves to mono as the sound filtered and collapsed to zero. It was inspiring to say the least, and Sound Particles is certainly making a beeline to being a serious power player in the Spatial Audio world.
Check It Out Here
Soundtoy’s Superplate
This groundbreaking reverb plugin is designed to deliver a lush, warm, and versatile sound, perfect for any audio production. Inspired by classic plate reverb units, the SuperPlate offers unprecedented control over its parameters. With its user-friendly interface and advanced capabilities, the SuperPlate is an essential tool for any music producer, sound designer, or audio engineer.
The SuperPlate boasts an impressive range of features, including adjustable pre-delay, damping, width, and modulation, allowing users to sculpt their desired reverb sound easily. The built-in saturation control adds warmth and character to the reverb signal, making it perfect for adding depth to any mix. Soundtoys has also incorporated its renowned EchoBoy and PrimalTap algorithms, providing even more creative options for shaping the perfect reverb. If you want to elevate your audio productions with an advanced reverb plugin, the Soundtoys SuperPlate is a must-try.
Check It Out Here
Headliner Los Angeles – 2 Channel Rotary Mixer
We were thrilled to discover the R2, Headliner’s 2-channel rotary DJ mixer. This revolutionary mixer combines the classic rotary design with modern technology to deliver a versatile and intuitive mixing experience. Crafted with durable components and a sleek, user-friendly layout, the R2 is perfect for DJs looking for a seamless and creative way to mix their music.
The R2 mixer features two isolated channels with individual gain, 3-band EQ, and filter controls, enabling DJs to blend tracks effortlessly. It also boasts a high-quality, studio-grade master isolator and a customizable crossfader curve for smoother transitions. The durable, all-metal chassis and smooth, high-torque knobs ensure longevity and precise control. Whether you’re a seasoned DJ or a beginner looking to elevate your performance, the R2 2-channel rotary DJ mixer is an exciting addition to any setup.
Check It Out Here
Wavebone’s Studio Furniture
As music production becomes an ever more accessible craft, more and more creators are looking for pro-grade gear for their smaller studios. And while massive, $30k SSL mixing desks will always look cool, Wavebone’s new studio furniture debuting at NAMM 2023 is far more practical (and more incredible looking if you ask me). They had a handful of different options which they were showcasing, but the two that caught our attention were the Starship and Spacestation models.
The former is more akin to an official studio desk, with quality wood that looks as sleek as it is durable. The latter is a standing-desk option for producers who avoid sitting during those long hours in the studio.
What was most impressive about the Starship model was the extra add-ons and features that you could purchase along with the desk, such as monitor stands, Vesa monitor mounts, and more. This small team of designers truly thought of every last detail with these desks and is certainly something to keep an eye on as they seek to bring these to market here in the United States.
Check It Out Here
Audiomovers ListenTo
This innovative platform is designed to revolutionize remote collaboration for musicians, producers, and engineers by providing real-time, lossless audio streaming. With its advanced technology and user-friendly interface, ListenTo enables seamless collaboration between artists and audio professionals, regardless of location.
ListenTo offers many features to facilitate remote collaboration, such as synchronized playback, multi-track streaming, and chat functionality. Users can also integrate the platform with popular DAWs, making it incredibly easy to implement in existing workflows. ListenTo ensures that your audio remains secure and private during streaming, thanks to its end-to-end encryption. If you’re looking to enhance your remote collaboration capabilities and work on projects in real-time with fellow musicians and audio professionals, AudioMovers’ ListenTo is the perfect solution.
Check It Out Here
Muse Ovation’s Beatwarp
We are suckers for grooveboxes, sequencers, and beat machines, and when Muse Ovation’s hailed us over to their booth as we were wandering around, we couldn’t resist a listen. In just ten minutes, we learned about the team’s recent moves across the country, their excitement for the show, and of course, the Beatwarp, which was making its debut this year. We covered a lot of ground in that ten minutes, which speaks to this small team’s passion and love for what they do.
And the Beatwarp is undoubtedly a testament to this!
The Beatwarp is a sampler, sequencer, and groovebox that takes all the best parts of industry-leading grooveboxes like the Syntakt and injects a healthy dose of gamification and individuality into the device. Map out your sequences using a little joystick displayed across the bottom of the retro-game-inspired color palette of the device’s design. And that’s just the start of its features, as an onboard SSD card allows for sampling (a feature sorely missed in the aforementioned Syntakt), and a laundry list of other creative effects are there to supercharge your sequencing workflow.
Check It Out Here
u-He’s Filterscape Bundle
U-He, the maker of industry-leading plugins like Zebra and Hive, was showcasing the newly revamped Filterscape plugin that aims to be the best-in-class filter plugin for intense modulation, out-of-this-world sound design, and complex and rhythmic filtering. The demo loop on display at NAMM turned a standard hip-hop loop into a resonance-filled and warbled breakbeat, and with just a few cycles through the presets, it’s wild how much movement this plugin brings to a sound.
And while this plugin has the potential to get pretty insane, it also handles subtly just as well. The analog filtering models add a warm drive. The countless modulation points can add a touch of delicate modulation that turns dull digital signals into lush, warm, and complex sounds. While the price and release date is still being discussed internally with the team, this new plugin is undoubtedly one to keep on your radar (especially for those IDM and DnB producers).
Check It Out Here
Nugen Audio’s Mix-Note App
Checklists and notepads are a necessity in every music studio. This is doubly true in a post-COVID industry where more and more music is being made and worked on remotely. But sharing checklists over iCloud and mixing feedback over Dropbox timestamps is terrible and almost guarantees that things will slip through the cracks and game-changing ideas can be missed.
But Nugen Audio’s Jotter app changes this, allowing time-stamped feedback notes, intuitive checklists, and more to be shared remotely between collaborators. And with both a free and paid version of the app, wrapping up a high-quality track with multiple collaborators has never been more accessible. To learn more, through the link below, check out some of the other handy plugins they’ve made while you’re on their site! Jotter was their focus at NAMM 2023, but that doesn’t mean their plugins like Monofilter and SEQ-S won’t be just as tempting.
Check It Out Here
Freqport FT-1 freqtube
As the digital world continues to take over our lives, producers are always looking for ways to inject analog warmth into their music. While ways of doing so continue to get easier, Australian company Freqport has potentially created the best and easiest way to do so with their FT-1 unit. Real tube saturation, controllable with a VST, and connected to your setup via a single USB-C cable? It almost sounds too good to be true, but this is the real deal.
Carefully calibrated matching tubes, knob-per-function, and simple GUI make this an imposing unit that can be taken anywhere. Not only that but session settings are instantly recalled, all parameters are automatable, and perhaps most impressive, multiple instances can be used in the same session, allowing you incredible flexibility. This is a seriously amazing unit.
Check It Out Here
Will Vance is a professional music producer who has been involved in the industry for the better part of a decade and has been the managing editor at Magnetic Magazine since mid-2022. In that time period, he has published thousands of articles on music production, industry think pieces and educational articles about the music industry. Over the last decade as a professional music producer, Will Vance has also ran multiple successful and highly respected record labels in the industry, including Where The Heart Is Records as well as having launched a new label with a focus on community through Magnetic Magazine. When not running these labels or producing his own music, Vance is likely writing for other top industry sites like Waves or the Hyperbits Masterclass or working on his upcoming book on mindfulness in music production. On the rare chance he's not thinking about music production, he's probably running a game of Dungeons and Dragons with his friends which he has been the dungeon master for for many years.
