Sony Pixel Power calrec Sony

NAMM Show Is Virtual, Features Wealth of Pro Audio

22/01/2021

NAMM Show Is Virtual, Features Wealth of Pro Audio Introductions target immersive audio, podcasting, broadcast sports By Dan Daley, Audio Editor

Thursday, January 21, 2021 - 10:48 am

Print This Story | Subscribe

Story Highlights

The annual NAMM Show may be virtual this year, but the pro-audio products using it as a launch pad are very real.

Online this week, the event is produced by the trade organization for the musical-instrument industry, but the National Association of Music Merchants' expo - which dates back to 1902 and had Thomas Edison as a member and exhibitor - began embracing pro audio several decades ago, focusing on personal-recording technology as the AES's own annual U.S. conferences saw a steady decline in attendance. That trend was de facto formalized in 2012, when the TEC Awards, which recognize excellence in audio production and products, moved its ceremony to the NAMM Show's main Anaheim Convention Center venue, conferring pro audio's imprimatur on NAMM's foundation of drums and guitars.

(The AES Show co-located with NAB Show New York at the Javits Convention Center from 2017 to 2019; the two events were held virtually in 2020. Both organizations will co-locate their main events this year in Las Vegas: the AES Show will take place at the Westgate Hotel Oct. 11-13, adjacent to the Las Vegas Convention Center, where the NAB Show will be held Oct. 9-13.)

The AES has its own slate of events on the NAMM Show conference program this week, with panels covering how pro audio can best deal with the ongoing pandemic ( Pandemic: Panic or Pivot ), near-field monitoring ( Secrets of Near-Field Monitoring ), and file management ( Organizing Chaos - Top Engineers Discuss File Management ).

The stream of new audio products, including those relevant to broadcast sports, has continued unabated, pandemic notwithstanding. Here are some highlights from the NAMM Show - virtual though it may have been - this week.

Lectrosonics SMWB transmitters

Lectrosonics introduced two transmitters as the latest generation in its Digital Hybrid Wireless SM Series product line: the SMWB/E07-941 (single AA battery) and SMDWB/E07-941 (dual AA battery), covering the Part-74 license-only frequency range from 941.525 to 959.825 MHz. The new transmitters have the same dimensions and features as the earlier UHF SMWB and SMDWB units, including the ability to act either as a transmitter or as a body-worn recorder. RF power is selectable at 100, 50, or 25 mW. The transmitters feature the standard TA5 connector with servo-bias mic input used on all previous SM Series units and all current TA5 beltpack units, such as the LT and LMb. Any lavaliere microphones wired for the other Lectrosonics transmitters will also work on these new models. The new units can be configured as either a transmitter or a recorder, with files stored on Micro SD card memory, allowing use as body-worn recorders. Audio files are recorded in the industry-standard Broadcast Wave (.wav) format at 24 bits, 44.1 kHz sample rate. The Micro SD memory card can also be used to update firmware in the field.

Electro-Voice RE-20 Variable-D broadcast mic

Electro-Voice is showing its broadcast-microphone line topped by the RE-20 Variable-D, which was designed to mitigate the proximity effect on speech tonality. Other microphones in the series include the RE27N/D, a high-output, neodymium-equipped voice-production microphone, and the RE320, also equipped with Variable-D proximity control and an integrated humbucking coil and integral pop filters for virtually noiseless performance.

AKG K812 studio headphone

Priced at over $1,000, AKG's K812 flagship studio headphones are not inexpensive, but they are unique. The K812's 53-mm transducer is the largest that AKG has ever built. The 1.5-tesla magnet system offers highly accurate imaging, and a copper-covered aluminum voice coil extended frequency response up to 54 kHz.

An Immersive Show As immersive audio moves closer to reality for broadcast, support in the music sector is also on the rise. Avid has announced it will support independent music distribution in the Dolby Atmos format to streaming services Amazon Music and TIDAL, via Dolby Atmos Music and AvidPlay. Meanwhile, Sony's 360 Reality Audio uses Sony's spatial-sound technologies to establish an object-based, immersive-audio system for headphone virtualization. The final mix is encoded in MPEG-H and can be delivered at a bitrate of up to 1.5 Mbps, depending on the streaming service used.

Podcasting, which has become well-entrenched in sports media, is also well-represented at the virtual NAMM Show. Shure's MV7 microphone was inspired by the SMB7 broadcast mic but has pivoted nicely to podcasting with a USB connection and its Auto Level Mode, part of the ShurePlus MOTIV app, to control vocal tone and distance from the microphone.

See lots more gear here (requires free registration).
LINK: https://www.sportsvideo.org/2021/01/21/namm-show-is-virtual-features-w...
See more stories from svg

Most recent headlines

05/01/2027

Worlds first 802.15.4ab-UWB chip verified by Calterah and Rohde & Schwarz to be demoed at CES 2026

Worlds first 802.15.4ab-UWB chip verified by Calterah and Rohde & Schwarz to be ...

09/10/2026

Dolby Expands Dolby OptiView Platform with New Capabilities at IBC 2026

September 10 2026, 06:00 (PDT) Dolby Expands Dolby OptiView Platform with New Capabilities at IBC 2026 New Sports Intelligence helps providers better unders...

07/10/2026

Dalet Flex LTS Delivers Smarter Media Operations from Ingest to Distribution

Dalet, a leading technology and service provider for media-rich organizations, today announced the latest Long-Term Supported (LTS) release of Dalet Flex. Build...

11/09/2026

IBC 2026: Calrec Launches Type RT Console and Apex M6 Modular I/O Platform

Calrec will introduce two new products at IBC2026 (Stand 8.C47, RAI Amsterdam, September 11-14): the Type RT broadcast production console and the Apex M6 Modula...

11/09/2026

IBC 2026: Grass Valley Launches AVORA All-in-One Live Production Platform

Grass Valley has announced AVORA, a standalone all-in-one live production solution launching at IBC2026 (Booth 9.A01 and IBC Future Tech Zone, Stand 14.C49, Sep...

11/09/2026

IBC 2026: CAMB.AI Launches Streaming SDK and Dashboard for Multilingual Live Broadcasting

CAMB.AI is introducing its Streaming SDK and Streaming Dashboard at IBC2026, wit...

11/09/2026

IBC 2026: EVS Launches XT-S Software-Defined Multi-Application Server

EVS has announced XT-S, a software-defined server platform that runs multiple live production applications on a common hardware foundation. The platform debuts ...

11/09/2026

IBC 2026: EKT Showcases Linux-Based ATSC 3.0 Converter Box

EKT is demonstrating a new Linux-based ATSC 3.0 set-top box at IBC2026. The second-generation product moves away from Android to reduce memory costs, with Linux...

11/09/2026

IBC 2026: Sennheiser Group to Showcase Wireless, Monitoring, and Broadcast Workflow

The Sennheiser Group will exhibit at IBC2026 (Hall 8, Booth D50, September 11-14...

11/09/2026

Ludacris Joins Chris Stapleton and Cindy Blackman Santana for Monday Night Footballs In the Air Tonight Open

ESPN's Monday Night Football will open its 2026-27 season with a new renditi...

11/09/2026

Dalet Integrates NVIDIA Synthetic Content Detection into Dalet Flex

Dalet has announced an integration of NVIDIA's Synthetic Video Detector AI model into Dalet Flex, enabling media organizations to identify potentially AI-ge...

11/09/2026

IBC 2026: MC-IF Demonstrates VVC Capabilities

The Media Coding Industry Forum (MC-IF) will demonstrate Versatile Video Coding (VVC) capabilities at IBC2026 (Hall 2, Stand 2.B13), as the codec moves toward c...

11/09/2026

IBC 2026: Sony to Demonstrate Live, News, Cinema, and Immersive Production

Sony will exhibit at IBC2026 (Hall 13, September 11-14), demonstrating products across live production, news, cinema, and immersive and spatial content workflow...

11/09/2026

Wave Central Named Recipient of 2026 Technology and Engineering Emmy for FPV Drone Systems

Wave Central, a Domo Broadcast Company, has been named a recipient of a 2026 Tec...

11/09/2026

IBC 2026: SNS Validates EVO Compatibility With Avid Media Composer 2026.8, Adds Browser-Based Upload to Outpost

Studio Network Solutions (SNS) is bringing a pair of workflow updates to IBC2026...

11/09/2026

IBC 2026: iodyne to Demo Pro Mini Smart Drive Across Four Partner Booths

iodyne will co-exhibit with Hedge at IBC2026 (Booth 7.A36, September 11-14) and appear across three additional partner booths, marking the first public demonstr...

11/09/2026

SVG GameDay, Ep. 30: Freelance Graphics Operator Corinne Yamada - Philly-Based Graphics Creation

In-venue and creative video staffers at the professional and collegiate level ha...

11/09/2026

CBS Sports Goes HDR Across Its Entire NFL Package, Heads to Rio in Week 3

The network will phase in HDR crew by crew while expanding Next Gen Stats integration, SkyDry availability, and onsite studio shows...

11/09/2026

IBC 2026: CAMB.AI Unveils the World's First Multilingual Broadcasting Agent Powered by NVIDIA

CAMB.AI is introducing its new Streaming SDK and Streaming Dashboard at IBC2026,...

11/09/2026

Netflix Goes Down Under With NBC Sports, NEP for NFL From Melbourne

Massive host operation at Melbourne Cricket Ground featured 54 cameras, 25,000 ST 2110 flows, REMI studio production in Stamford, and global distribution to mor...

11/09/2026

FOX Sports Homogenizes Coverage With Upscaled Game Tech, Seamless Integration With Studio Shows in L.A.

Production Anywhere Remote Kit (PARK) & AR-fueled Stage B are two key pieces to ...

11/09/2026

Get to Know This Fall and Winter's Filmmakers Through These 36 Sundance Institute-Supported Films

By Ramona Flume and Lucy Spicer There's a particular kind of magic that hap...

11/09/2026

Film Festival Watch: 8 Sundance Institute-Supported Films to See at the 2026 Toronto International Film Festival

By Jessica Herndon The fall film season is kicking off, and Sundance Institute-...

11/09/2026

Positive Grid announce the Spark Pedal

Spark series gains compact modelling stompbox Positive Grid's Spark amps have become a popular part of the company's line-up, offering a convenient ...

11/09/2026

Rapid Flow release omniGRID

New flagship sequencing plug-in revealed Rapid Flow have just launched a new 16-track sequencer plug-in which they say has been designed for total rhythmic...

11/09/2026

Rohde & Schwarz unveils the air-cooled R&STM1 medium-power UHF transmitter at IBC 2026

Rohde & Schwarz unveils the air-cooled R&S TM1 medium-power UHF transmitter at I...

11/09/2026

TV Usage Kicks Usual Summer Slowdown, Fueled by World Cup and Streaming in Nielsen's July Gauge Reports

FIFA World Cup 2026 and Peacock's Love Island USA' Power NBCU-Versant ...

11/09/2026

Atomos Debuts New HDR Monitors at IBC2026

Share Copy link Facebook X Linkedin Bluesky Email...

11/09/2026

Calrec to Unveil Type RT Compact Console at IBC2026

Share Copy link Facebook X Linkedin Bluesky Email...

11/09/2026

Lightware Launches LARA 2 with New Architecture for More...

Lightware has announced the launch of LARA (Lightware Advanced Room Automation) 2.0, a major upgrade to its built-in room automation platform, introducing impro...

11/09/2026

MusiMap launches latest technology unlocking new commerci...

10 September 2026 - MusiMap, the B2B music intelligence company that is transforming how companies can harness the emotional power of music to reach consumers a...

11/09/2026

Matrox Video Integrates Matrox ORIGIN with NVIDIA Holosca...

Matrox Video today announced an integration between Matrox ORIGIN and NVIDIA Holoscan for Media, enabling Matrox ORIGIN media services to be provisioned, config...

11/09/2026

Net Insight brings cloud-native live media orchestration...

Net Insight today announced that its cloud-native live media orchestration is now available through Oracle Cloud Marketplace, providing broadcasters, production...

11/09/2026

Calrec to Unveil Type RT Compact Console at IBC 2026

Share Copy link Facebook X Linkedin Bluesky Email...

11/09/2026

Biggest functionality boost yet makes Buttons the perfect...

Version 1.8 will bring advanced routing control, new workflow tools, boosted control panel flexibility and ease of integration into IP networks...

11/09/2026

Ikegami Announces Four New UNICAM XE Series Cameras

Ikegami announces four additions its UNICAM XE range of 4K-UHD cameras with the introduction of the UHK-X700VN, UHK-X750VN, UHK-X600VN and UHK-X650VN. Developed...

11/09/2026

DHD Launches New MX3 Consoles - Modular to the Core

DHD.audio has chosen IBC2026 as the launch venue for a major new addition to its broadcast sound production platform: the MX3 console range. MX3 retains the mod...

11/09/2026

Sony To Showcase Latest Production Technology At IBC2026

Share Copy link Facebook X Linkedin Bluesky Email...

11/09/2026

EKT To Feature New Linux-Based ATSC 3.0 STB At IBC2026

Share Copy link Facebook X Linkedin Bluesky Email...

11/09/2026

Jimmy Kimmel Shifts Political Interview to YouTube Over FCC Worries

Share Copy link Facebook X Linkedin Bluesky Email...

11/09/2026

Remembering 9/11: 25 Years of TV Tech Coverage

Share Copy link Facebook X Linkedin Bluesky Email...

11/09/2026

Tiger Group To Auction Equipment from a National Broadcasting Studio

Share Copy link Facebook X Linkedin Bluesky Email...

11/09/2026

Grass Valley Launches AVORA at IBC2026

Share Copy link Facebook X Linkedin Bluesky Email...

11/09/2026

Survey: Low Latency for Live Streaming Is Industrys Top Challenge

Share Copy link Facebook X Linkedin Bluesky Email...

11/09/2026

Atomos Debuts New HDR Monitors at 2026 IBC Show

Share Copy link Facebook X Linkedin Bluesky Email...

11/09/2026

Grass Valley Launches AVORA at IBC2026 Bringing All in On...

New standalone solution gives production teams everything they need to create, produce and deliver live content from one flexible system. Grass Valley today an...

11/09/2026

Wave Central a Domo Broadcast Company Named Recipient of...

Recognition honors the development of FPV drone camera systems for live sports broadcast coverage Wave Central, a Domo Broadcast Company that develops advanced...

11/09/2026

Teradek Launches Bolt 7 A Unified Wireless System for Zer...

Teradek, the industry leader in zero-delay wireless video solutions, announced the launch of Bolt 7, which now includes a unified wireless video and data system...

11/09/2026

ACT Pixel Academy Announces Autumn Courses

The ACT Entertainment tvONE and Green Hippo Pixel Academy has released its autumn course schedule, with hands-on training dates in September, October and Novemb...

11/09/2026

Scientists discover a new way that a disease-linked protein comes apart

LA JOLLA, CA-Transthyretin amyloid disease (ATTR) is a progressive, life-threatening condition caused when the protein transthyretin (TTR) breaks apart and aggr...