Yamaha Thrills at Winter NAMM 2009
ANAHEIM, Calif. At Winter NAMM 2009, Yamaha built on its tradition of presenting the world's most innovative musical products, exciting concerts and standing room only events.
Those unable to travel to Anaheim for the industry-only event could still be part of the action, as Yamaha remained the sole manufacturer to offer a dedicated, multimedia Web site, www.yamaha.com/namm, complete with photos, product showcases and streaming video.
"The innovation, technology, musical artistry and sheer star power displayed at this year's show made it a thrilling experience for Yamaha and its dealers," said Rick Young, Senior Vice President, Yamaha Corporation of America (YCA).
"This year's NAMM show was tremendously energizing," added YCA Senior Vice President Tom Sumner. "It offered the opportunity to strengthen our valued dealer relationships and showcase a remarkable array of musical products and talent."
Unprecedented Award-Winning Streak Continues
For the last eight years, the Yamaha Disklavier performance-reproducing piano took top honors as Product of the Year in the Musical Merchandise Review (MMR) Dealer's Choice Awards. Though the Disklavier took the top prize, other Yamaha products also received accolades, including the Clavinova digital piano (Best Digital Keyboard) and the BR loudspeaker series (Best Sound Reinforcement Product). For the first time, the company's Web site www.yamaha.com won the Best Supplier Web Site category. The awards are based on votes from musical products dealers throughout the country.
In addition, Music & Sound Retailer magazine presented Music & Sound Awards to the Yamaha IM8 mixing console and to Steinberg Cubase 4.5.
Alicia Keys and Yamaha Announce New Partnership
International, multi-platinum R&B sensation Alicia Keys announced a new partnership with Yamaha to distribute piano-inspired sounds and future products. The sounds were introduced on January 17, 2009 for an intimate gathering of press and dealers in the Yamaha booth. The project was an intense collaboration between the 11-time Grammy Award winning Yamaha artist, her engineer and her programmer, who all worked in concert to digitally reproduce the exact sound of Alicia's prized Yamaha C3 Neo grand piano. Keys' hope is to have her sounds available at a very affordable price within the next three months, so that young musicians from all backgrounds will be able to play her signature sound. The press conference was streamed as a live webcast courtesy of NewTek using TriCaster, their portable live production system.
In other artist-related news, Yamaha Corporate Artist Affairs, Inc. launched All Access 360, a dynamic video supplement to the popular All Access magazine, providing exclusive, behind-the-scenes footage of photo shoots and one-on-one interviews with Yamaha's hottest artists. Site visitors can enter to win a guitar signed by All Access cover artist Jason Mraz.
Divisions Showcase Revolutionary Products, Impressive Events
The Yamaha Keyboard Division launched the category-defying new piano product, the AvantGrand, at a highly successful press conference on January 15, 2009. With its advanced sound reproduction and sampling technology, the AvantGrand is the first piano ever crafted to truly capture the sound, touch, action and physical resonance of a concert-quality grand piano without the tuning, cost or footprint of a comparable stringed instrument. The Keyboard division also unveiled the expanded line of elegant Modus digital pianos, including the H11 and R01 models. Also debuting was the Disklavier E3 Series, offering Disklavier quality at a highly competitive price. New Clavinova models on display included the new CLP300 Series and S Series pianos, which represent a stunning new design concept, as well as the CVP409GP, which offers Clavinova technology in a luxurious mini-grand piano style cabinet. New acoustic products on display at Winter NAMM 2009 included the GC2, GB1K and GC2 models.
New digital keyboards include the Tyros3 Arranger Workstation, with incredibly realistic reproduction of wind and string instruments. The new PSR-S550B Arranger Workstation is packed with professional features like USB MIDI and storage, 16-track sequencing, Ethnic instrument Voices and Drum Kits and full XG compatibility. With the new PSR-E323 and PSR-E223, Yamaha's technical innovation and design quality have led to the addition of powerful specifications and features to its entry-level products. The P155 slab piano and sleek YDP-S31 round out the new offerings.
To strategically showcase its offerings, Yamaha's Pro Audio and Combo Division (PAC) displayed in two different locations. The Music Production, Live Sound and Accessory departments set up shop in the Marquis Ballroom at the Anaheim Marriott. Music Production unveiled the new Motif XSpanded series of downloads and sample banks, over 700 MB of free sound libraries with top-notch quality and clarity. Live Sound displayed the STAGEPAS 250M and STAGEPAS 150M, portable PA and monitoring solutions designed with keyboard players in mind, along with the MSR250 powered speaker and the IM8 large format analog mixing console.
Yamaha Guitars and Yamaha Drums set up booths at the Anaheim Convention Center, Hall C. To commemorate Yamaha Guitars' 40th Anniversary in the United States, the company issued the SBG3000 40th Anniversary Edition, an ornately styled and appointed electric guitar that comes with a glass display case. Yamaha also introduced the CPX500FM and APX500FM, which feature a gorgeous flamed maple top, eastern mahogany back and sides and the proprietary System55T preamp, a one-way piezo pickup with three-band EQ. Yamaha's top of the line LLX16 handcrafted acoustic guitar now features the A.R.T. preamp system.
Yamaha Drums unveiled the new Absolute Series of drum sets, available in Birch and Maple, which feature several design elements borrowed from the PHX kit. New Hardware and Footpedals, designed to stand up to the rigors of hard-hitting players, were also introduced. The DTXTREME III Standard and Special electronic drum sets are complete workstations for drummers featuring redesigned cymbals, a new kick tower and an all-new module that uses the same technology that powers the supercharged Yamaha MOTIF XS synthesizer. The new Hex Rack System provides superior strength and easily customizable configurations.
At a standing room only press conference, Steinberg Media Technologies GmbH presented Cubase 5 and Cubase Studio 5, major new updates to its Cubase Advanced Music Production System and Cubase Studio Music Production System products. Upgrades include new beat creation tools, an integrated vocal pitch editing toolset, extended composing features and a convolution reverb.
Yamaha's Band & Orchestral Division debuted the dramatic Black Phoenix Instruments, celebrating Yamaha's upcoming 50th anniversary of making music instruments in the United States. Winds also offered the new YCL-622II Bass Clarinet, as well as the Yamaha YTR-938FFM and YTR-948FFM Custom Rotary Trumpets. Additionally, Winds showcased three new professional trombone models among a range of new wind and brass instruments. Strings showcased the AV7-44SGE and AV10-44SGE Electro-Acoustic Violins, which made their first introduction in the US and also showed off new downloadable material for the SV-150 models. Percussion presented the new 3100 Marimba, developed with legendary percussionist Keiko Abe. Percussion also showed the popular Berlin SymphonicSeries Maple Concert Snare Drums, CSM Series Snare Drums and the YV-1605 Intermediate Vibraphone. Accessories introduced the exciting new Carnegie Recorders, highlighting Yamaha's relationship with The Weill Music Institute at Carnegie Hall. A new range of Metronomes, Mouthpieces, Pianicas and Practice Snare Pads was also on display.
The Band & Orchestral stage area was host to memorable performances by some of Yamaha's best artists. Marimba player Naoko Takata showed off her amazing skills at the new 3100 Marimba, while Cellist Tina Guo excited the crowds with her scintillating performance on the Yamaha Silent Cello. Legendary Yamaha artists Jim Walker (flute) and Mike Garson (piano) likewise showed off their incredible mastery.
Yamaha's Music Education Systems Division hosted its popular Junior Original Concert (JOC) Series, which featured three exceptional Yamaha Music School students performing their own original compositions. Valerie Narumi, age 9, a student at Harmony Music World Yamaha Music Academy in Fullerton, Calif., performed "My Magic Door" with co-performers Julian Hallmark on the SV-200 Silent Violin and Xiao-Dan on the SVC-210 Silent Cello.
Christian Nguyen, age 12, a student at the East Valley Yamaha Music School in Chandler, Ariz., performed "Dragon Keeper." JOC veteran Gabriel Dotson, age 15, also a student at East Valley Yamaha Music School, performed his creative composition, "Feelin' Old School," with co-performers Christian Nguyen on a MODUS H01 digital piano and Gary Matsuura on clarinet.
For more information, write Yamaha Corporation of America, P.O. Box 6600, Buena Park, CA 90622; telephone (714) 522-9011; or e-mail infostation@yamaha.com.
 Yamaha artist Rufus Choi debuts the new AvantGrand piano. |
"The innovation, technology, musical artistry and sheer star power displayed at this year's show made it a thrilling experience for Yamaha and its dealers," said Rick Young, Senior Vice President, Yamaha Corporation of America (YCA).
"This year's NAMM show was tremendously energizing," added YCA Senior Vice President Tom Sumner. "It offered the opportunity to strengthen our valued dealer relationships and showcase a remarkable array of musical products and talent."
Unprecedented Award-Winning Streak Continues
For the last eight years, the Yamaha Disklavier performance-reproducing piano took top honors as Product of the Year in the Musical Merchandise Review (MMR) Dealer's Choice Awards. Though the Disklavier took the top prize, other Yamaha products also received accolades, including the Clavinova digital piano (Best Digital Keyboard) and the BR loudspeaker series (Best Sound Reinforcement Product). For the first time, the company's Web site www.yamaha.com won the Best Supplier Web Site category. The awards are based on votes from musical products dealers throughout the country.
In addition, Music & Sound Retailer magazine presented Music & Sound Awards to the Yamaha IM8 mixing console and to Steinberg Cubase 4.5.
Alicia Keys and Yamaha Announce New Partnership
International, multi-platinum R&B sensation Alicia Keys announced a new partnership with Yamaha to distribute piano-inspired sounds and future products. The sounds were introduced on January 17, 2009 for an intimate gathering of press and dealers in the Yamaha booth. The project was an intense collaboration between the 11-time Grammy Award winning Yamaha artist, her engineer and her programmer, who all worked in concert to digitally reproduce the exact sound of Alicia's prized Yamaha C3 Neo grand piano. Keys' hope is to have her sounds available at a very affordable price within the next three months, so that young musicians from all backgrounds will be able to play her signature sound. The press conference was streamed as a live webcast courtesy of NewTek using TriCaster, their portable live production system.
In other artist-related news, Yamaha Corporate Artist Affairs, Inc. launched All Access 360, a dynamic video supplement to the popular All Access magazine, providing exclusive, behind-the-scenes footage of photo shoots and one-on-one interviews with Yamaha's hottest artists. Site visitors can enter to win a guitar signed by All Access cover artist Jason Mraz.
 Participants of the Junior Original Concert (JOC) Series included Valerie Narumi, Christian Nguyen and Gabriel Dotson, pictured here with Yamaha Senior Vice President Rick Young. |
The Yamaha Keyboard Division launched the category-defying new piano product, the AvantGrand, at a highly successful press conference on January 15, 2009. With its advanced sound reproduction and sampling technology, the AvantGrand is the first piano ever crafted to truly capture the sound, touch, action and physical resonance of a concert-quality grand piano without the tuning, cost or footprint of a comparable stringed instrument. The Keyboard division also unveiled the expanded line of elegant Modus digital pianos, including the H11 and R01 models. Also debuting was the Disklavier E3 Series, offering Disklavier quality at a highly competitive price. New Clavinova models on display included the new CLP300 Series and S Series pianos, which represent a stunning new design concept, as well as the CVP409GP, which offers Clavinova technology in a luxurious mini-grand piano style cabinet. New acoustic products on display at Winter NAMM 2009 included the GC2, GB1K and GC2 models.
New digital keyboards include the Tyros3 Arranger Workstation, with incredibly realistic reproduction of wind and string instruments. The new PSR-S550B Arranger Workstation is packed with professional features like USB MIDI and storage, 16-track sequencing, Ethnic instrument Voices and Drum Kits and full XG compatibility. With the new PSR-E323 and PSR-E223, Yamaha's technical innovation and design quality have led to the addition of powerful specifications and features to its entry-level products. The P155 slab piano and sleek YDP-S31 round out the new offerings.
To strategically showcase its offerings, Yamaha's Pro Audio and Combo Division (PAC) displayed in two different locations. The Music Production, Live Sound and Accessory departments set up shop in the Marquis Ballroom at the Anaheim Marriott. Music Production unveiled the new Motif XSpanded series of downloads and sample banks, over 700 MB of free sound libraries with top-notch quality and clarity. Live Sound displayed the STAGEPAS 250M and STAGEPAS 150M, portable PA and monitoring solutions designed with keyboard players in mind, along with the MSR250 powered speaker and the IM8 large format analog mixing console.
Yamaha Guitars and Yamaha Drums set up booths at the Anaheim Convention Center, Hall C. To commemorate Yamaha Guitars' 40th Anniversary in the United States, the company issued the SBG3000 40th Anniversary Edition, an ornately styled and appointed electric guitar that comes with a glass display case. Yamaha also introduced the CPX500FM and APX500FM, which feature a gorgeous flamed maple top, eastern mahogany back and sides and the proprietary System55T preamp, a one-way piezo pickup with three-band EQ. Yamaha's top of the line LLX16 handcrafted acoustic guitar now features the A.R.T. preamp system.
Yamaha Drums unveiled the new Absolute Series of drum sets, available in Birch and Maple, which feature several design elements borrowed from the PHX kit. New Hardware and Footpedals, designed to stand up to the rigors of hard-hitting players, were also introduced. The DTXTREME III Standard and Special electronic drum sets are complete workstations for drummers featuring redesigned cymbals, a new kick tower and an all-new module that uses the same technology that powers the supercharged Yamaha MOTIF XS synthesizer. The new Hex Rack System provides superior strength and easily customizable configurations.
At a standing room only press conference, Steinberg Media Technologies GmbH presented Cubase 5 and Cubase Studio 5, major new updates to its Cubase Advanced Music Production System and Cubase Studio Music Production System products. Upgrades include new beat creation tools, an integrated vocal pitch editing toolset, extended composing features and a convolution reverb.
Yamaha's Band & Orchestral Division debuted the dramatic Black Phoenix Instruments, celebrating Yamaha's upcoming 50th anniversary of making music instruments in the United States. Winds also offered the new YCL-622II Bass Clarinet, as well as the Yamaha YTR-938FFM and YTR-948FFM Custom Rotary Trumpets. Additionally, Winds showcased three new professional trombone models among a range of new wind and brass instruments. Strings showcased the AV7-44SGE and AV10-44SGE Electro-Acoustic Violins, which made their first introduction in the US and also showed off new downloadable material for the SV-150 models. Percussion presented the new 3100 Marimba, developed with legendary percussionist Keiko Abe. Percussion also showed the popular Berlin SymphonicSeries Maple Concert Snare Drums, CSM Series Snare Drums and the YV-1605 Intermediate Vibraphone. Accessories introduced the exciting new Carnegie Recorders, highlighting Yamaha's relationship with The Weill Music Institute at Carnegie Hall. A new range of Metronomes, Mouthpieces, Pianicas and Practice Snare Pads was also on display.
 Yamaha Artist Naoko Takata Performs |
Yamaha's Music Education Systems Division hosted its popular Junior Original Concert (JOC) Series, which featured three exceptional Yamaha Music School students performing their own original compositions. Valerie Narumi, age 9, a student at Harmony Music World Yamaha Music Academy in Fullerton, Calif., performed "My Magic Door" with co-performers Julian Hallmark on the SV-200 Silent Violin and Xiao-Dan on the SVC-210 Silent Cello.
 Yamaha Artist Dan Alder Performs |
For more information, write Yamaha Corporation of America, P.O. Box 6600, Buena Park, CA 90622; telephone (714) 522-9011; or e-mail infostation@yamaha.com.