Every year at Frankfurt, Germany, the international Musikmesse trade fair brings together some of the most innovative and reputed names in the music, pro-sound and lights business to showcase wide variety of products and ideas. Having major retailers, musicians, professionals and enthusiasts from all over the world, Musikmesse serves as a grand platform to network as well as build businesses. Here are some of the most interesting and innovative products that were launched at Musikmesse 2018.
Metal Drum Power
The only known drum kit whose drum shells are forged using stainless steel.
Since the vibration characteristics of the shells are of utmost importance, the microstructure of the rings is of a very high consistency. The manufacturing precision and the homogeneity of the drum ring material together with the hard coating of the outside of the ring give the drum a very particular vibration behaviour, which results in a unique sound character. A ceramic coating of approximately 0.2mm thickness is applied over the shells to shorten the vibration time and eliminate unwanted extra oscillations. These meticulously crafted German drums are definitely one-of-a-kind and caught the eyes of a lot of music enthusiasts.
Steingraeber & Söhne transducer piano
Steingraeber & Söhne has demonstrated that there are a multitude of professional applications that electronics can offer music. The transducer technology employed in this piano was born out of a collaboration between Robert HP Platz and IRCAM Paris, and optimised in SWR’s Experimental Studio in Freiburg. The rich grand piano sound is achieved using the physical modelling approach. The various features of the transducer piano include the ability to play in all temperaments, perform quarter-tonal music as the sound of the piano’s own strings is mixed flawlessly with that of the transducer. The Transducer Grand Piano is controlled by both the pianist themselves and the sound engineer at the computer. The need for an external loudspeaker is eliminated as the transducer acts as a ‘booster‘ to the sound of a live piano, perfect for open-air concerts.
GEWA Drum Workstation G9
The GEWA Drum Workstation is nothing like your run-of-the-mill e-drum module. The multi-chip architecture separates the trigger processing, sound engine and the 10 inch direct-touch user interface, resulting in optimum performance and easy navigation. The 4GB flash memory allows to load multiple samples from your library without any loading latency. A massive number of samples can be downloaded from the GEWA Electronics cloud or accessed from the 128GB internal storage memory. This device has master XLR outputs, 8 individual outputs as well as a headphones jack. Using the open routing matrix, any of the signals can be assigned to the desired outputs. The GEWA Drum Workstation can also be used as an interface to track drums directly into your favourite DAW via a multi-track USB port. The cutting-edge technology paired with the DW drum shells, the multi effects processing and the exceptional build make the GEWA Drum Workstation G9 an absolute powerhouse.
The 3Dvarius Violin
3Dvarius designs and produces electric violins with a very unique design approach which makes them truly stands out as new age masterpieces.Combining cutting technology with ancient violin-making skills results in products that are as much a feast to the eyes as they are to the hands.
The 3Dvarius electric violin is a French hand-crafted instrument with an extremely refined, transparent design. Available in both 4 and 5 string variations, these violins have the weight and feel of a classical violin while they come armed with sound sensors under each string to ensure that sound and tonality of your instrument is translated accurately. In order to facilitate the transition of violinists from a classical violin to a 3Dvarius, you can personalize each 3Dvarius according to your requirements. This means that each 3Dvarius is a unique instrument with the bridge, tuning pegs and other specifications chosen by you to cater to your specific needs.
Alternate Mode Inc vibeKat
The VibeKAT is mallet-based MIDI controller and instrument from Alternate Mode. Based off their legendary MalletKAT, the vibe contains all of the expression and dynamics with an entirely new simplified interface. The concept of the VibeKAT is that each of its 100 User Kits are completely preprogrammed. Features like dampening and layering no longer need to be assigned and programmed like they did with the MalletKAT. The user does not have to program any parameters in order to perform and as a result this is an ideal product for musicians who just want to call up a sound and play. The internal sound card from Kurzweil is accessed with 1/4″ inch stereo line in/line out cables. The 100 Pre-programmed user kits are conveniently arranged into ten sound groups including vibes, marimba, timpani, xylophone, bells, percussion, drum kits as well as standard instruments like piano, bass, woodwinds, etc. The instrument is available as the 3 octave VibeKAT Pro and the 4 octave VibeKAT Grand. The solid white body comes with water resistant pads include a coated nylon top that protects the pads from scuffing and from fading in direct sunlight when played on the field. One of the most impressive features of the vibeKAT is that it performs as MIDI controller for the virtual instruments in your DAW as well as a stand alone instrument that can be used for live performances.
Exodus Digital Valkyrie
Valkyrie is Exodus Digital’s new hardware synth from Exodus Digital. Using the latest in Field-Programmable Gate Array (FPGA) technology, Exodus Digital aims outdo the DSP competition. Valkyrie features 128 voices with 8 polytimbral Parts through four balanced stereo outputs at 32-bit/96kHz. The Valkyrie comes armed with 10 oscillators per voice which can be doubled to 20 by using two voices. Offering a wide variety of synthesis techniques such as ring modulation, FM, dual two and four pole ladder filters, hypersaw, hard sync and dual wavetable, the Valkyrie is an absolutely fierce instrument. Valkyrie is designed to be used as an independent instrument without a computer with a high-resolution OLED display but also offers a full MIDI implementation via traditional 5-pin DIN and class-compliant USB 2.0.
Ningbo Alctron CM6 MKII
The CM6 MKII is a cardioid large diaphragm condenser microphones from Ningbo Alctron. Its wide frequency response, smooth response curve, large dynamic range, and low distortion make it a very versatile tool that can used in studios and broadcast applications as well as in concert halls and live scenarios. The precision 1”Gold sputtered Diaphragm, high SPL limit, wide frequency range of 20Hz – 20kHz and the discrete class A FET electronics featuring a transformer coupled balanced output make it the perfect choice from most sources.
Earasers Musician’s Hi-Fi Earplugs
A lot of musicians and regular concert goers are not aware about the long term effects of exposure to high noise levels. Since, it isn’t possible to avoid high-noise scenarios as a musician, sound engineer or concert-goer, it is essential to look into hearing protection. But unlike your regular earbuds, Earasers don’t plug up your ears and muffle the sound. Manufactured by a 50 year old hearing aid company, Earasers filter out loud noise while still allowing you to hear at a safe, comfortable level. By utilizing a unique attenuation “V filter” that provides 19dB of protection in the right frequencies, Earasers was able to produce the world’s first flat frequency response earplugs.
The Earasers soft silicone design, based on hearing aid designs, uses Smart Seal technology that conforms to the shape of your ear canal for a comfortable fit that you can wear all day. Earasers can be cleaned and reused, and the silicone tips can replaced when they’re worn out.
