Musikmesse 2017 News, Highlights & Videos

BPB is in Frankfurt once again, visiting Musikmesse 2017 in search for the latest and greatest in the world of music technology. Let’s take a look at some of the highlights from this year’s edition of Europe’s biggest music fair.

Before we continue, a big shout-out to our friends at Pluginboutique and Loopmasters for sponsoring BPB’s coverage of Musikmesse 2017. Thanks for the support! And now, here are the most interesting product’s from this year’s show.

Nord Stage 3

Nord has introduced Stage 3, the latest addition to their successful Stage series of performance keyboards. The new Stage 3 keyboard comes with two OLED displays, three keyboard split points, increased polyphony in the piano section, new sounds, and a number of other improvements. This was certainly one of the hottest releases of Musikmesse 2017, along with Waldorf’s new synthesizer which you can check out below.

Waldorf Quantum

Another hot announcement at this year’s Messe, Waldorf Quantum is an exciting 8-voice hybrid synthesizer with four different synthesis algorithms. Based on a combination of wavetable synthesis, speech synthesis, classic subtractive synthesis, and a granular sampler, Quantum is sure to become a powerful sound design tool for advanced synth users.

Arturia KeyLab Essential

Arturia has refreshed their KeyLab controller keyboard lineup with the new KeyLab Essential 49 and KeyLab Essential 61 models. The new controllers feature RGB drum pads, a chord playback mode, integration with all major DAWs, and a powerful software bundle consisting of Analog Lab 2, UVI Grand Piano, and Ableton Live Lite. Most importantly, the new models are cheaper than their predecessors.

Nonlinear Labs C15

Stephan Schmitt of Native Instruments fame showed us the Nonlinear Labs C15 synthesizer. It is a very interesting performance-oriented instrument which was designed specifically for musicians who play expressively. Instead of using LFOs and external controllers, the C15 relies on note velocity, pitch bend, and two ribbon controllers to add movement and interest to the sound. It is also “skinnable”, featuring an easily removable front panel.

PreSonus Studio 2|6 And Studio 6|8

PreSonus has introduced new Studio 2|6 and Studio 6|8 audio interfaces which deliver high-definition recording capabilities for use in smaller studios, as well as podcasting and DJ setups. Both units are capable of up to 24-bit, 192 kHz resolution recording and feature high-quality preamps, audiophile-grade digital converters, phantom power, and A/B mix functionality for DJs.

Axel Hartmann’s “20” Synthesizer

The “20” synthesizer by Axel Hartmann is an instrument as much as it is a design statement. Crafted using the highest quality materials, this is a synthesizer that was made to be as comfortable to use as possible. It also packs a decent amount of synthesis firepower and features a selection of presets made by expert sound designers.

Fluid Audio Strum Buddy

Strum Buddy by Fluid Audio is a miniature portable amp for guitarists who want to practice or jam on the go. Thanks to the suction cup on the back, the amp can fit onto pretty much any electric guitar and provide clean and distorted tones, along with a chorus effect.

Korg Kronos LS

The Korg Kronos LS is a slightly different version of the Korg Kronos keyboard. It features a light touch keyboard for improved portability (it is 6.3 kg lighter than the full-sized version) and various OS improvements. The other features remain pretty much the same and the keyboard looks really fun to use as you can see in the presentation above.

Arturia DrumBrute

Although not exactly brand new, Arturia DrumBrute is still as exciting as ever. A fully analog drum synthesizer with a step sequencer and hands-on control for all parameters, it’s a dream come true for drum machine fans. The demo video above shows some of its highlight features and sounds.

All Musikmesse 2017 Videos

If you’d like to see even more clips, here is our entire Musikmesse 2017 playlist on YouTube for your viewing pleasure:

And that’s all we had in store for you from Musikmesse 2017. Once again thanks to our sponsors Pluginboutique and Loopmasters for the support. Expect more exciting news and videos from Superbooth 2017 in Berlin!