NAMM 2020 Highlights – The Best Products Of The Year

NAMM 2020 was exactly what you’d expect from a NAMM show. It was huge, chaotic, loud, crowded, and packed with enough music production gadgets to warm up every honest audio geek’s heart.

Here are some of my favorite products from NAMM 2020, or at least the ones I managed to film while bumping into random people with my camera and vice versa. As always, thanks to our friends at Plugin Boutique and Loopcloud for the support.

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NAMM 2020 – Best New Software

These are my favorite new software products from NAMM 2020. Of course, the show is generally oriented towards hardware, but there are always some interesting new VST plugins and digital audio workstations lurking around the booths.

Waveform Free

Tracktion Corporation has announced that Waveform 11 Pro will be released early in 2020. Another big announcement from the company is the release of Waveform Free, a freeware digital audio workstation based on the full version of the product. Unlike the T7 DAW, which was Tracktion’s previous freeware offering, Waveform Free will feature all of the latest code and bugfixes minus some of the more advanced features of its commercial counterpart. Full review coming soon.

Loopcloud 5.1

Loopcloud is the freeware sample management software developed by Loopmasters. It provides direct access to all of your purchased Loopmasters products and can also be used to manage locally stored samples. Every new iteration of Loopcloud introduces a host of interesting features and the software has evolved quite a bit over time. Joshua Casper demonstrates the hottest new features in the upcoming Loopcloud 5.1 which is planned for release in early 2020.

Eventide Spring Reverb

Video from NAMM 2020 coming soon!

I’m a big fan of spring reverbs and it’s no surprise that Eventide Spring Reverb was one of my favorite new products at NAMM 2020. Eventide’s latest VST plugin delivers that wonderful spring reverb sound character along with some convenient features that expand on the classic concept.

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NAMM 2020 – Best New Synthesizers

Sequential Pro 3

Pro 3 is a deep monophonic synthesizer manufactured by Sequential. It features three oscillators in total. There are two VCOs with shape modulation and a digital oscillator with 32 sets of wavetables, each with sixteen individual wavetables. The synthesizer also features three multi-mode filters, a modulation matrix, and a powerful step sequencer. The synthesis engine is quite complex but the instrument feels very hands-on and intuitive. Check out the video above to hear the Sequential Pro 3 in action, as presented by Carson Day.

Korg ARP 2600 FS

The legend is back! Korg has introduced the ARP 2600 FS reissue, a monster analog synthesizer that was created in collaboration with the designers of the original 2600. The instrument looks and sounds impressive in person. Thanks to its massive construction and built-in speakers, you can literally feel the chassis vibrating while playing the notes. This isn’t a synthesizer you’d normally want to take on the road with you, due to its massive weight and hefty price tag. But it’s safe to say that every synth aficionado would like to have one in their studio.

UDO Super 6

Although still in late development (ETA: Early 2020), the Super 6 synthesizer by UDO doesn’t leave anyone unimpressed. Most people describe it as a Roland Juno-60 on steroids or an SH-101 and Juno-60 combo. The synthesizer is built like a tank and comes in a sleek-looking performance keyboard format. Its standout features are the “super-wavetable” oscillator and the highest-quality 24-bit effects that further enhance this 12-voice polyphonic synthesizer’s fat analog sound. The creator George Hearn takes us through the Super 6 presets in the performance you can see and hear in the video above.

Nord Wave 2

Nord has introduced the Nord Wave 2, an impressive 48-voice performance synthesizer. Its predecessor came out back in 2007, but the new iteration of the keyboard brings a host of improvements to make up for the long wait. The Nord Wave 2 features a powerful new arpeggiator with poly trigger rhythmic gate modes. Also, the instrument provides direct access to its four layers with the ability to set their volume and morph between them. Hear the Nord Wave 2 in action in the video embedded above.

NAMM 2020 – Best Sequencers, Grooveboxes & Samplers

AKAI MPC One

Akai MPC One takes all of the essential features of its bigger MPC Live and MPC X brothers and packs them into a more compact, more affordable music-making instrument. All of the iconic sequencer features are included, along with a selection of new sound packs from leading beatmakers and sound designers. There’s one thing that everyone was expecting to see, though – a built-in battery. We all remember the MPC 500 hundred which could run for 4.5 hours on 6 AA batteries. I’m sure that AKAI will introduce a new battery-powered, ultra-portable MPC at some point, but we’ll just have to wait until then.

Nektar Aura Beat Composer

Aura is an interesting 16-pad MIDI controller and sequencer that comes with the included Nektarine 2.0 software. Nektarine 2.0 enables Aura to control multiple virtual instruments and their parameters simultaneously, either standalone or within any digital audio workstation capable of hosting VST and AU plugins.

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More coming soon! Until then, see our full NAMM 2020 playlist on YouTube.