There are plenty of new products planned for 2024. At this year’s NAMM (National Association of Music Merchants) show, Korg defintely won the award for most new announcements! But there’s plenty to come from all the major manufacturers this year.
The original Korg Microkorg came out over 20 years ago and has been used exhaustively by bands and artists of almost every genre. It’s success even surprised it’s creator. But, as good as it is, Korg have finally decided to do a new version. It’s called Microkorg Mk II. It’s got a whole host of new voices and features, and the vocoder mic has been significantly upgraded and the vocal effects on offer are fully expanded.
Another option is the brand new KingKorg Neo – not so much a re-working of the old KingKorg model as a totally new synth. It also has a variety of vocal effects on offer.
A few years ago, Korg went all into digital and FM synthesis, updating DX and other sounds but in a much more user-friendly way. The Modwave, Opsix, and Wavestate all came out to much acclaim and popularity. Now, they have been upgraded to the MkII versions and have been made into Modular versions. That is to say, they are without a keyboard and can be added to racks etc.
Korg have also updated the NTS1 DIY synth kit and introduced an NTS version of the Kaoss Pad.
On the stage piano front, Korg’s new flagship keyboard is the Grandstage X that features fully weighted piano-style keys along with 7 (yes 7!) entirely different sound engines.
There’s also a new compact drum machine, the KR-11, that is designed specifically for bands and musicians.
And finally (!) Korg’s brand new digital piano called Poetry is for fans of Chopin – featuring the famous composers 2 favourite pianos as the basis of its samples. Phew! They’ve certainly been busy.
Yamaha’s main announcement was the SeqTrak – an all in one sequencer, sampler, interface and more all in one. Looking a bit like something Teenage Engineering would make, it’s like a very affordable hi-tech Swiss Army Knife.
They’ve also added the smaller and more affordable Yamaha HS3 and HS4 home studio monitors to expand the range.
Gibson have announced their return to the world of amps! Reviving the Gibson Falcon name, but redesigning the whole thing from scratch to combine classic vintage tones with modern features, this has caused great excitement with all Gibson fans!
And finally, in 2024 Fender are celebrating the 70th anniversary of what is probably the most iconic and influential electric guitar ever – the Stratocaster. Played by Jimi Hendrix, Nile Rodgers, Buddy Holly, Hank Marvin, Wayne Kramer, Eric Clapton, Jeff Beck, Stevie Ray Vaughn, Tom Morello, Mike McCready, Shana Cleveland, Bonnie Raitt and countless others. It’s probably the most copied guitar design ever.
To celebrate 70 years of the Strat, there will be both a USA and more affordable Mexican made 70th anniversary Strat. We’ll be getting them in so, keep an eye out for them coming in, along with other new stock on our “Latest Stock Just Arrived” page.