NAMM News 2012: Universal Audio Apollo dominates Day 1

As NAMM closed the doors on the first day of the music production expo in Anaheim, California, we rounded up the biggest announcements and what to look out for at the show. The huge news of the Auria iPad app earlier in the week would be hard to beat, but Universal Audio had a Thunderbolt ace up their sleeve with the new Apollo interface, and new products from Behringer, RME and RØDE were all vying for attention too.

Universal Audio Apollo

As the first audio interfaces with Thunderbolt compatibility, the Apollo UAD-2 Duo and Quad have been causing quite a stir since their announcement. As well as hopefully giving recording artists and producers the low latency and buffer size they've been yearning for from the port since it was announced, the Apollo crams in UAD processing with on-board plug-ins for tracking and mixing (it's supposed to sound great too!).

While the Apollo is positioned as a Thunderbolt interface, to take advantage of the new port (FireWire connectivity is standard), you'll need the separate Thunderbolt Option Card. This is set to ship just after the Apollo, but the price is as yet undisclosed. Both the Universal Audio Quad and UAD-2 Dudo Thunderbolt interfaces are available to pre-order from Jigsaw24 now.

Behringer iPad mixers

After the madness that was the colossal iNuke iPod speaker dock, Behringer were keen to show they hadn't completely lost their minds at NAMM 2012. They'll be demo-ing the more sober (but no less innovative) offering of three new mixers controlled by iPads, in three seperate sizes - 16 channels for the iX1642, 24 on the iX2442, and 32 for the big ole iX3242. With a dedicated audio interface, mic pre-amps and the new dual-engine KLARK-TEKNIK FX processor, along with 32 configurable presets including reverb, chorus, flange and more, Behringer's new range are great mixers in their own right. Pricing and availability aren't available yet, but they'll be available to try at NAMM.

RME Fireface UCX and ARC

The latest in RME's line of Fireface audio interfaces, the 36-channel USB and FireWire UCX is a smaller version of the award-winning UFX, including X-Core and the complete 192kHz effects engine. In other news, RME has also announced the Advanced Remote Control (ARC), a wired controller modelled on the portable Babyface that lets you take control of the Fireface interfaces. Seven buttons can be assigned via TotalMix FX to more than 36 different commands.

Shipping will soon be starting on the Fireface UCX, with the ARC to come soon after. As an RMExpert Dealer, get in touch with us for the latest pricing and availability on RME interfaces.

RØDE Stereo VideoMic Pro

Our friends at RØDE are never short of a great new microphone, and the one they're showing at this year's NAMM is no exception. Taking the success of their original VideoMic Pro, the Stereo VideoMic Pro is the next level of dedicated DSLR mics. Based around a matched pair of high sensitivity ½" cardioid condenser capsules in a coincident XY pair, the Stereo VideoMic Pro is intended to provide a wide stereo image with natural depth. The sound quality of RØDE's latest offering could see it being adopted not only by DSLR videographers but also for recording music and capturing ambient sound.

You can pre-order the RØDE Stereo VideoMic Pro from Jigsaw24 now.

Yamaha acoustic treatment

Lastly, it's not often that new acoustic treatment is something to shout about, but the Acoustic Conditioning Panels (ACP) Yamaha unveiled at NAMM were enough to get our audio consultant Rob Holsman excited. "If any other manufacturer had announced this sort of product, it probably would have passed me by, to be honest," he said. "But when they come from Yamaha, who are experts in acoustics after a long track record in designing and building their own auditoria, and producing £100,000 pianos, these will definitely be worth trying."

The Yamaha ACPs are designed to be easy to install without any prior knowledge of room acoustics. They're slated to begin shipping in May.

Remember to keep up with the biggest NAMM 2012 announcements - follow us on Twitter (@Jigsaw24Audio) or head over to our Facebook page. For more info on audio hardware and iPads, you can always call the team on 03332 409 306, email audio@Jigsaw24.com or leave us a comment below too.