Issue link: https://digital.copcomm.com/i/1475048
C A S Q U A R T E R L Y I FA L L 2 0 2 2 47 Wrap-Up NAMM The NAMM (National Association of Music Merchants) Show was held June 2-5 in Anaheim, CA. The attendance was 46,627 with more than 1,000 exhibitors. This was down significantly from the 2020 Show which had 115,888 attendees and 2,000 exhibitors. The Show is normally in January, but NAMM decided to move it to the summer as the pandemic was still creating issues when they were planning the event. The AES (Audio Engineering Society) and the College Music Society had related events this year. Two products of interest in audio are both USB audio interfaces. One is the Focusrite Vocaster Two USB-C Podcasting Audio Interface. The interface is great in its simplicity, yet it includes quite a bit of connectivity. Inputs are two XLR with switchable 48V power. Outputs include two 3.5mm headphone jacks on the front, Bluetooth, and 1/4" speaker connectors on the back. There is also a 3.5mm output for connecting to a video camera, and TTRS input/output for connecting to a smartphone to record calls, all for $300 from online vendors. The Vocaster Two Studio comes with a Vocaster DM14v broadcast microphone and Vocaster HP60v closed-back studio headphones for $500 total. The second interface is from AMS Neve. Priced at $1,225 online, the Neve 88M USB Audio Interface is not intended for podcasters like the Focusrite. As the name suggests, the two channels of analog input are the same preamps that the 88R console used. The inputs are dual XLR or 1/4". It also has eight channels of digital in/out via ADAT link. The headphone output is a 1/4" jack on the front, with two 1/4" jacks on the rear for speakers. b y D a v i d B o n d e l e v i t c h C A S M P S E