Musikmesse 2017

Every year the European music community focuses on Musikmesse in Frankfurt to see the latest trends in the musical instruments industry. Here we bring you a taste of the big show by mentioning a few products that caught our eye.

Nord Stage 3

The legendary Nord Stage has been updated again, further widening its sonic capabilities. Its piano, organ and synth sections can all be used simultaneously. The synth section has been upgraded to feature the synth from the Nord Lead A1. Separate slots even allow you to have two from each section. There are expanded effects capabilities too.

You can organize sounds by song, by assigning up to 5 sounds per song. So you can cut out that connection to a computer!

Another useful feature we liked is the ability to change the program via pedal, so you don’t have to stop playing.  The Nord Stage 3 comes in 3 separate models. See more at Nord's website

Mod Duo Guitar multi-effect

Mod Devices debuted some new footswitch extensions for their MOD DUO multi-effect. This hybrid multi effect pedal is controlled by downloadable plugins, which can be created and shared by users, and can shape almost any sound you can imagine. It’s part stompbox, part computer, part pedalboard community. Mod Effect's Official site

Meinl Cajon Drum Set

Everything you need for a drum set…in a bag! It’s a cajon with kick pedal, hi hat and snare-like-thing. It has a surprisingly good sound and feel and is very portable, so it could be useful in a lot of applications, from busking to fully miced gigs.

Meinl's Official Site

Radial Engineering and their Swiss Army Knife products

Known for producing high quality audio components such as DI boxes, signal routers, and the Tonebone effects series, Radial displayed a number of new products at Musikmesse. While at first their gear may seem simple or uninteresting, you know when they do something, they do it well. Their booth was full of things that we never knew we needed…until now! More info at Radial's Official Site

• Backtrack: Playing with a backing track? Do you wake up at night in cold sweats dreaming that your backing track failed? The Radial backtrack allows you to swtich seamlessly between two backing tracks, assuring that if your first one fails, the show goes on.
• Direct Drive: An Amp Simulator and Di box in one for guitarists.
• Voco Loco: Preamp and effects loop for vocals or horns.
• Cab-Link: Connect one amp head to two speaker cabinets, in series or parallel.
• North Star: An overdrive and high-ouput booster in one, designed for rock/country players.

Roland DJ-808

This thing goes way beyond a DJ controller. It’s also a mixer, drum machine, vocal processor, and sequencer.

In addition to everything you would expect from a professional DJ controller, you can connect external instruments via MIDI or USB, use 4 built in effects, and control two decks at once. Roland’s TR drum machine and VT voice transformer both come built in. It’s especially compatible with other Roland instruments and devices. See It at Roland's DJ page

Elixir Strings

Elixir has long been known for making the longest-lasting strings, thanks to their Nanoweb and Polyweb coating technologies. Now they have released the Optiweb Strings, which they say perform and feel like an uncoated string but have the long-life of the previous elixir strings. The very light coating allows the strings to maintain the natural feel while protecting against the elements. Elixir’s A/B testing shows that guitarists can’t tell the difference between their strings and uncoated ones. More info at Elxir

What did you like at Musikmesse? Let us know below...