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Point Blank Reports from NAMM 2018: Needle-less Technology, Portable Turntables + More

Today marks the end of this year’s National Association of Music Merchants convention or NAMM. The American body has been in existence for over a century, bringing together the biggest musical innovators of the day to show off their wares and push the envelope for what musicians can achieve. Here at Point Blank we always try to stay ahead of recent developments in equipment and gear, so naturally, Namm is the kind of place you can be sure to find Point Blank represented. This year one of our top instructors from PBLA, DJ Morse Code, headed to NAMM to get acquainted with one of the biggest collections of new music gear on the planet. What follows is a photographic account of some of the event’s highlights. If you’d like to know more, check out our music production courses in Los Angeles, where you can be sure your instructors will know this gear inside out and can teach you how to make the most of your talent.

L: DJ Day performing live for Roland on the DJ-808 controller

R: People trying out Roland and Serato’s new collaboration, the DJ-808 controller paired with Serato DJ

L: DJ Shortee needle-less turntable demo for Phase

R: Novation Booth

L: Allen & Heath Booth

R: Portable turntable scratch cypher at the MixFader booth

Pioneer Rekordbox controller with waveforms built into each deck

L: Pioneer DDJ-RZ

R: Needle-less turntable from Rane and with Rane 72 mixer

L: 12-year-old DJ D-Ill performing for Roland on the DJ-808

R: Hardware installation at Roland

L: MixFader portable turntables

R: Portable Turntable from Numark

There was plenty that was announced or teased at the event for us to get excited by. In addition to the needle-less technology on show and all kinds of new innovations in DJing, this year also saw the announcement of Behringer’s first standalone synthesiser, in the form of the semi-modular Neutron. Watch the teaser for that below.

DJ Morse Code naturally gravitated toward the DJ gear. If you’d like to know more about the man once voted ‘best DJ in America’, head here for our instructor spotlight feature from last year. you can find out about the DJ course on which he teaches too, just click here. Of course, you don’t have to live in LA to study with us, as well as our flagship London school, we also offer an extensive online programme. Questions? You can find out everything you need to know by speaking with a course advisor. That’s 323 282 7660 in the USA or +44 20 7729 4884 anywhere else.

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