NAMM predictions

[ejecta]

Nor last year. UA, Roland/BOSS, and Strymon didn't have booths either. Hung out with Sean and Mark from Strymon and Tom Cram from DOD/DigiTech too. Yesterday was way more of a "getting the band back together" kind of day, at least for me. Not much in the way of industry trends either.

On a positive note, while there appeared to be around the same number of vendors as last June (which was WAY down from the previous NAMM in Jan 2020), attendance seemed WAY UP from the last one. So maybe our death knells have been premature?

Yamaha showed their new 4ms latency headphones hooked up to Helix in our little corner of the Yamaha booth. NAMM landed between release cycles this year and we'd rather spend our NAMM budget on engineering resources, like Fender, Gibson, PRS, etc.

Might be back later, as I really miss the big Helix Users Group party on Friday night.

I don’t think NAMM is dead but it won’t be what it was IMHO. I don’t know why in today’s day and age any company big or small would waste their time. Just sounds like an uber expensive party.

 

[yeky83]

Yamaha showed their new 4ms latency headphones hooked up to Helix in our little corner of the Yamaha booth.

Super interested in these, it says designed with Line 6, any insider info you're privy to you could share? Did they take two channels of G10 receivers and put them in a headphone? Same sort of no data compression for phase accuracy? In theory then one would expect <2.9 ms latency, how come it's bumped up slightly to <4 ms, is there some DSP processing involved? <4 ms is still really great, I'd think gamers might be interested? Do you know the reference target response curve they aimed for with these? How do they sound?

 

[Digital Igloo]

Just saw the Yamaha Headphones. Pretty cool and would be interested if I didn’t already have Boss Wazas.

Totally different use cases. The BOSS cans run a mono guitar 2.4GHz wireless signal to the headphones, which has the modeling engine built in. The Yamaha cans have no modeling at all, but they have two channels of 2.4GHz wireless to monitor whatever you plug into the transmitter. The transmitter stand also charges the phones just by sitting them into the dock. (Apple mag safe-esque?)

So the BOSS is for casual playing with its own modeling, the Yamahas are for production and realtime monitoring of your DAW or standalone modeler. At least that was my takeaway.

Super interested in these, it says designed with Line 6, any insider info you're privy to you could share? Did they take two channels of G10 receivers and put them in a headphone? In theory then one would expect <2.9 ms latency, how come it's bumped up slightly to <4 ms, is there some DSP processing involved? <4 ms is still really great, I'd think gamers might be interested? Do you know the reference target response curve they aimed for with these? How do they sound?

I'll be honest—have heard vague rumblings about these for a few years but never saw them (and had no clue they were even out) until yesterday morning at the show. Line 6 wireless IP was likely utilized, but they were developed solely by YCJ.

They sounded great to me in the noisy trade show booth, but I'd really need to try them in my studio to confirm.

 

[laxu]

Totally different use cases. The BOSS cans run a mono guitar 2.4GHz wireless signal to the headphones, which has the modeling engine built in. The Yamaha cans have no modeling at all, but they have two channels of 2.4GHz wireless to monitor whatever you plug into the transmitter. The transmitter stand also charges the phones just by sitting them into the dock. (Apple mag safe-esque?)

So the BOSS is for casual playing with its own modeling, the Yamahas are for production and realtime monitoring of your DAW or standalone modeler. At least that was my takeaway.

I'd add that a unique thing on the Waza Air is the head tracking to place a virtual amp into a virtual room in a specific spot, like making it seem it's behind you as if you were on a stage. I have never tried this but it sounds like a cool feature.

 

[Rocco Crocco]

I'd add that a unique thing on the Waza Air is the head tracking to place a virtual amp into a virtual room in a specific spot, like making it seem it's behind you as if you were on a stage. I have never tried this but it sounds like a cool feature.

That feature is ok, but is a little gimmicky. Plus the tracking “wanders” after a few minutes. I use mine in ambience mode and they sound pretty killer and I don’t feel like I’m missing anything by not using the head tracker.

 

[DrewJD82]

I'd add that a unique thing on the Waza Air is the head tracking to place a virtual amp into a virtual room in a specific spot, like making it seem it's behind you as if you were on a stage. I have never tried this but it sounds like a cool feature.

The Waves Nx stuff has the headtracking feature as well but I always shut it off, I find myself trying to position myself in just the right spot to hear everything I’m listening for when just shutting it off gives me everything I need. I’m way too fidgety in my studio chair to allow it to work for me.

 

[metropolis_4]

I’m kind of shocked there was no Marshall flavor UA amp pedal unveiled

 

[GTR37]

I don’t think NAMM is dead but it won’t be what it was IMHO. I don’t know why in today’s day and age any company big or small would waste their time. Just sounds like an uber expensive party.

I don't know from anyone that was there they said it was worse than last year .
The problem is they opened it to the public at exorbitant tickets prices so now even a lot of the artists unless under contract won't go

The used to go and hang with the other artist's but many say now its like a big meet and greet with the public , which they do all the times at shows anyway

 

[mbenigni]

Damn.

Needs a proper Monkey Grip, but otherwise, I think I’m in love.

 

[Foxmeister]

That feature is ok, but is a little gimmicky. Plus the tracking “wanders” after a few minutes.

I've heard this from a lot of Waza-Air owners, but I've not personally experienced this - I do wonder if it is caused by "excessive head movement"?

Note - when I say excessive head movement, I really just mean more than I personally move my head when playing!

 

[Sleezy E]

Damn.

Almost looks like the Fractal Mandelbrot set..

Tie-in

 

[Rocco Crocco]

I've heard this from a lot of Waza-Air owners, but I've not personally experienced this - I do wonder if it is caused by "excessive head movement"?

Note - when I say excessive head movement, I really just mean more than I personally move my head when playing!

I should check to see if there’s an update. I think I last updated it over a year ago. Maybe there’s a new firmware version that fixed it. Are you running the latest firmware?

 

[Foxmeister]

I should check to see if there’s an update. I think I last updated it over a year ago. Maybe there’s a new firmware version that fixed it. Are you running the latest firmware?

No - I'm on 1.20 I think, and there was a later update to support a wireless footswitch (IIRC).

 

[Rocco Crocco]

Yeah mine start to drift after maybe five minutes.

 

[norminal]

 

[Gearzilla]

Needs a proper Monkey Grip, but otherwise, I think I’m in love.

The two versus the monkey grip grows on you after awhile.

I can’t decide if owning would be awesome or crazy compared to getting a regular one.

 

[mbenigni]

The two versus the monkey grip grows on you after awhile.

I can’t decide if owning would be awesome or crazy compared to getting a regular one.

Awesome and crazy are definitely NOT mutually exclusive here. :)

As for the grip, apart from years of arbitrary attachment to the old design, the new one just looks less “practical” - i.e. if I can’t get my whole hand through the hole, then it ain’t a grip. (Maybe each of them are bigger than they look in photos?)

 

[Deadpan]

Might be back later, as I really miss the big Helix Users Group party on Friday ninight.

That was awesome of you and the guys to host.

 

[paisleywookiee]

View attachment 6503

HOW DARE YOU DISS THE PAISLEY????!!

 

[Gearzilla]

As for the grip, apart from years of arbitrary attachment to the old design, the new one just looks less “practical” - i.e. if I can’t get my whole hand through the hole, then it ain’t a grip. (Maybe each of them are bigger than they look in photos?)

Not really sure. There is this recession:

Though the monkey grip does look a bit larger.