PreSonus Blog

Another Louisiana original, Startisan’s sound is at once uplifting and arresting—definitely on the rock side of things, but also employing heavy synth and percussion elements that put them light years beyond their peers. Startisan is the second band in the world to tour with the StudioLive RM16AI, which has allowed them to bring complex multitrack arrangements to the stage—arrangements that not long ago were only possible in the studio.

Startisan performs on Saturday and Sunday at 1:00 p.m. and 5:00 p.m.

• Startisan on Facebook
• Startisan on Twitter

Click here for more on ALL the presentations at NAMM this year.

Electronic music producer, songwriter and DJ KATFYR blew the roof off the walls last year, breaking down his #1 BeatPort hit “Lose Control.” He shared a lot of secrets of how he crafted the electro-dubstep hybrid in Studio One. It was such a hit that we decided to bring him back around for another spin. Here’s his latest work “Everybody,” everybody:

KATFYR performs at 11:00 – 11:45 all four days of the show, and at 5:00 – 5:45 on Thursday, Friday, and Saturday. Here’s his presentation from 2014:

• KATFYR on Facebook
• KATFYR on Twitter

Look, there’s pros, and then there’s real pros. Like, there’s Esteban, and then there’s Brian May. The Blue Devils are objectively the best in the world at what they do, and what they do is drum corps. In August of 2014, The Blue Devils set—nay, earned—the highest score ever in the history of competitive drum corps, an institution with a rich history dating back to whenever cavemen started banging rocks together.

It has since evolved considerably. The Blue Devils smoked the competition in 2014’s World Championship Finals with a 99.650. Take that as an indication of just how competitive DCI Championships really are. Can you think of another form of competition where the precision is so high that it requires a scoring system with three decimal places?

The ‘Devils are founded on precision, and we’re flattered that they’ve chosen the StudioLive AI digital mixers as well as the Studiolive AI PA Loudspeakers to reinforce their azure thunder with high volume and articulate clarity their chops deserves.

The Blue Devils perform at the PreSonus booth on 1:00 p.m. on Friday. Don’t miss this one. It’s not often you get to see the best drum corp in the world from five feet away—they’re usually packin’ stadiums.

• The Blue Devils on Facebook
• The Blue Devils on Twitter

Click here for more on ALL the presentations at NAMM this year.

Ace Baker brings his StudioLive on the road with supergroup Chickenfoot, which as far as I’m concerned makes him a superengineer. A couple years back, he used a classic StudioLive 24.4.2 to record every show of Chickenfoot’s tour. He’s been the first-call soundman of choice for Tower of Power as well. As such, Ace is appropriately monikered, and will demonstrate the latest developments in cascading technology of the StudioLive AI series—doubtlessly alongside his unique flavor of humor for which he is almost as well-known.

Ace presents at the PreSonus booth every day of the show at 4:00-4:45, demonstrating the cascading technology of the StudioLive AI mixers.

Click here for more on ALL the presentations at NAMM this year.

Award-winning singer/songwriter, multi-instrumentalist, session musician and Berklee graduate Katelyn Benton is a vet of the PreSonus NAMM stage. This time around she’ll be lending her velvet voice and instrumental prowess to demonstrate the potential of the AudioBox i-Series interfaces. If anyone knows DIY recording and production, it’s Katelyn—her EP Once was self-recorded and independently released in 2009. That was after winning Best Original Song in the World Championship of Performing Arts.

A monster talent, and we’re stronger for having her in our corner. She performs at the booth at 3:00-3:45 on Thursday and Friday, demoing the AudioBox i-series interfaces.

• Katelyn Benton on Facebook
• Katelyn Benton on Twitter

Click here for more on ALL the presentations at NAMM this year.

Ubertight heavy prog-rockers Nothing More are currently on the Juggernaut Tour with Periphery, and are the first band to tour with a StudioLive RM16AI, subjecting to the rigors of the road and rock stardom. So far, it’s holding up great while providing critical backing tracks and effects to their bombastic, shirtless live show. Fortunately for you, their breakneck tour schedule includes a stop at our NAMM booth on Saturday at 3 p.m. With these guys performing, we will probably have to bribe the sound police to keep our spot in Hall B next year.

• Nothing More on Facebook
• Nothing More on Twitter

Click here for more on ALL the presentations at NAMM this year.

David Gibbs is the Executive Director of The Blue Devils, the best drum and bugle corp in the world. They’ve come to rely on the StudioLive AI digital mixers as well as the StudioLive AI PA Loudspeakers.

• For more on the StudioLive AI mixers, click here
• For more on the StudioLive AI PA Loudspeakers, click here

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We will be offering a FREE demo of WorxAudio’s new speakers in Anaheim during the NAMM show, and it’s so free that you don’t even need a NAMM badge. This event will be held in the Topaz Ballroom of the nearby Sheraton, a mere stone’s throw from the convention center. But hey, we understand that you’re going to be spending a lot of time on your feet at the show, so we’ve arranged lots of shuttles. They’ll be available to pick you and your tired feet up from the Convention Center Courtesy Vehicles boarding area, next to Hall D, and will run from 3-7 p.m. Click here to register and get more info.

Sheraton Garden Grove Anaheim South
Topaz Ballroom
12221 Harbor Blvd.
Garden Grove, CA

Directions

Demos will be held from 4-6 p.m. all four days of the show. We’re bringing the V8, V8 Grid, TL218s, X2i, SuperSub, the V5 and X115. Come check ‘em out and get your ears cleaned.

It’s that time of year again—the new time, which means we’re all scrambling after postholiday gluttony to get everything ready for The Loudest Tradeshow In The World. For those of you able to make it out to sunny California’s Anaheim Convention Center for the 2015 NAMM show. First, the basics:

Show dates: 

• Thursday, Jan 22    10 a.m.-6 p.m.
• Friday, Jan 23        10 a.m.-6 p.m.
• Saturday, Jan 24    10 a.m.-6 p.m.
• Sunday, Jan 25      10 a.m.-5 p.m.

The PreSonus Krewe, as well as the PreSonus New Stuff (sorry, can’t tell you what that is yet) can be found at in Hall B, Booth 5700. The Krewe will be the smiling, informed-looking folks in handsome PreSonus-branded apparel. Come on by anytime to get insight to all things PreSonus.

If you want to see any of this stuff (and you do), pencil any of the following presentations into your schedule. We will be featuring spotlights on these artists in the coming days, right here on the blawg.

Click for full-size

Furthermore, we will be offering a FREE demo of WorxAudio’s new speakers. It’s so free that you don’t even need a NAMM badge. This event will be held in the Topaz Ballroom of the nearby Sheraton, a mere stone’s throw from the convention center. But hey, we understand that you’re going to be spending a lot of time on your feet at the show, so we’ve arranged lots of shuttles. They’ll be available to pick you and your tired feet up from the Convention Center Courtesy Vehicles boarding area, next to Hall D, and will run from 3-7 p.m. Click here to register and get more info.

Sheraton Garden Grove Anaheim South
1221 Harbor Blvd.
Topaz Ballroom

Demos will be held from 4-6 p.m. all four days of the show. We’re bringing the V8, V8 Grid, TL218s, X2i, SuperSub, the V5 and X115. Come check ‘em out and get your ears cleaned.

Telecaster elite Jim Weider has been in the game for a lifetime. He’s one of those incredible guitarists that has somehow flown under the radar of many—but I’ll put it to ya this way: When The Band reformed in 1985, Jim was the go-to first-call six-stringer to replace Robbie Robertson.

You don’t get that gig without knowing your way around a fretboard. Jim didn’t just get the gig, but kept it for 15 years.

The Weider collaborator name-drop roll call reads more or less like a who’s who of Woodstock-era wunderkinds: The Band, Dylan, Taj Mahal, Paul Butterfield, and more. Further luminary collaborators include other folks you may have heard of—including a guy who calls himself “Keith Richards,” and someone else called “Mavis Staples.”

Oh, and Jim was born in Woodstock, New York. Just sayin’.

Jim’s Nimbit store is largely focused on his most recent effort, PRoJECT PERCoLAToR, a notable diversion from his rootsy roots. PRoJECT PERCoLAToR is a little more on the experimental side of things, instead focusing on multi-layered guitar parts and looped drums and percussion. The result is a series of groove-driven efforts that offer a fresh direction for Jim—one  that listeners familiar with Jim’s pedigree may be surprised by. Studio and live albums are both available.

Something we don’t see every day in the merch section of Nimbit stores is instructional resources. Jim’s got a bevy of guitar instructional DVDs covering blues, country blues, and rockabilly—all of which are available autographed! Also available is the exhaustively researched Get That Classic Fender Sound DVD, an exploration of vintage Fender guitars and amps from the 50s and 60s that gear geeks will flip a chrome tailpiece for.

• Click here to keep up with Jim Weider on Nimbit.
• Interested in Nimbit? Sign up for free here.