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Welcome to the 2011 edition of the NAMM Oddities …finally

This year the show went smoothly but due to a perfect storm created by of a pile of work (the paying variety), local politics, and the writing of my first now published book, the Oddities were nearly 4 months late.

There was no shortage of Oddities-worthy items at the show this year. Even though this is probably the last NAMM report to go online this year, I'm certain that there are a number of products that will see their press debut on these pages.

-Barry

2011 Oddity of the Year

I'm pleased to present my selection for the Oddity of the Year: the Emulator FT, a massive multi-touch computer projection screen.

Check out the video of it in action.

A brief history of the NAMM Oddities…

After attending the Winter NAMM show for a number of years, I'd noticed that the exhibitors seem to fall into two categories: the established company showing its new (and sometimes vaporous) products and the independent start-up company looking to be noticed by distributors, music stores, potential investors and the music press.

It seemed that every year I spent more of my NAMM time checking out the various small companies that got stashed in some dark corner of the show. Many of the products from these companies were never seen by the average visitor, sometimes because they only appealed to a small market, or because most people simply couldn't figure out what the hell they were supposed to do.

That isn't to say that these products are ill-conceived or poorly executed. It's just that sometimes they're, well, a little odd. This situation made me think that there ought to be a place for people to come to marvel and wonder at all of these products. Thus, the NAMM Oddities were born.