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All-Star Appearances on M-Audio NAMM Stage

All-Star Appearances on M-Audio NAMM Stage
M-Audio’s Main Stage delivered a never-ending parade of star-studded talent at the recent Winter NAMM show
NAMM 2004 proved to be another star-studded event as Jackson Browne; Earth, Wind and Fire; Duncan Sheik; BT; The Crystal Method; and numerous others graced M-Audio’s Main Stage to demonstrate the products they rely on in the studio, on the stage, and beyond.

Renowned film and television composer Jeff Rona kicked off the show Thursday morning by unveiling his brand new Liquid Cinema series of sound and loop libraries. Presentations by Gray Area; Sonic Reality CEO David Kerzner; and Scott Kinsey and Steve Tavaglione rounded out Thursday afternoon, bringing the first day of NAMM to a successful close.

Accompanied by world-class tabla player Satnam Ramgotra and keyboardist Rodney Lee, film composer Jeff Rona introduces "Tabla Science" from his new Liquid Cinema series of sounds and loops.

Chicago-based electronic band GRAYAREA spent three days on the road to make it out to Anaheim for the demonstration, where they incorporated live instruments into their laptop-based performance.

David Kerzner and Dan Dashnaw display the host of rare, playable instruments available in the Sonic ReFills volumes.

Keyboardist Scott Kinsey, saxophonist/EWI player Steve Tavaglione, and drummer Kirk Covington demonstrate the seamless integration of live instruments, Ableton Live, and M-Audio hardware on M-Audio’s Main Stage.

On Friday, educator Stephanie Sobey-Jones opened the show by introducing M-Audio’s new “Educator’s Guide to Music Technology,” which connects educators with the ideal classroom setup for their budget and requirements. Guest artists Jason Halbert, Carmen Rizzo, Junkie XL, Tom Scott and Lili Haydn packed the booth during the remainder of the day with their presentations of Reason, Live and M-Audio hardware.

Educator Stephanie Sobey-Jones presents M-Audio’s educational solutions.

Music Director Jason Halbert demonstrates how he uses Live to provide backing tracks during the live performances of such artists as Kelly Clarkson and Nick Carter.

From left to right, Jed Smith, Carmen Rizzo, and Junkie XL show how Live plays an integral role in forging their hallmark electronic stylings.

Grammy Award-winning saxophonist Tom Scott sat in during M-Audio Lead Clinician Scott Wilkie’s presentation, revealing how Ableton Live can be used to support an improvised live performance.

Accompanied by bandmates Steve Nalepa, keyboardist Christoph Bull, tabla player Satnam Ramgotra and bassist Leroy Ball, violinist/vocalist Lili Haydn loses herself in the music. George Clinton watches from the audience before joining Haydn onstage.

Earth, Wind, and Fire brought down the house on Saturday afternoon with their passionate demonstration of Reason. Keyboardist Myron McKinley jammed on M-Audio’s brand new Keystation Pro 88 as the group presented perennial favorites “September” and “Shining Star.” Saturday also brought appearances by Duncan Sheik, BT, Jeff Rona, and the Obliteration Quartet.

Horn players Gary Bias and Reggie Young appear on M-Audio’s Main Stage with Earth, Wind and Fire.

NAMM attendees pack the aisles as Earth, Wind and Fire jams.

After an exhilarating appearance, Earth, Wind and Fire’s Robert Brookins, Kim Brewer, Ralph Johnson, Verdine White, John Paris, Benjamin Whitworth, Myron McKinley, John Johnson, and Daniel de los Reyes snap a quick shot in front of the Main Stage.

BT delivers an engrossing demonstration of Ableton Live, which he’ll be using to execute his “Laptop Symphony” international tour this winter.

Accompanied by drummer Doug Yowell, singer/songwriter Duncan Sheik gives the audience a listen to the soulful tracks from “Daylight” and his upcoming release. Sheik and Yowell are both avid Live and Reason enthusiasts.

Scott Wilkie hosts guest artists Andrew Ford and Dave Hill during his presentation of M-Audio’s “Where do you want to take your music?” theme.

Joined onstage by the Obliteration Quartet on found objects, film composer Jeff Rona demonstrates another new Liquid Cinema Volume, "The Junkyard Sessions."

Sunday morning brought an inspiring turn of events as the legendary Jackson Browne appeared onstage with several students from the George Washington Prep School. The school’s model music program has provided education, motivation and direction to thousands of underprivileged students living in South Central Los Angeles over its nine years of existence. After a student-led demonstration of how to use Reason for arranging and composing, a group of musicians from the GWP wowed the audience with a soulful performance of an original song. There wasn’t a dry eye left in the house by the time Browne closed the presentation with two of his own songs.

A group of eight George Washington Prep School students called The Fabulous 9—the 9 represents the ninth letter of the alphabet, an “i” for intelligence—demonstrate how their choice to stay away from drugs and violence has yielded the ability to create powerful original music.

One of the Fabulous 9 accompanies the vocalists and horn players with her guitar, while Reason provides the backing tracks.

Accompanied by a gospel choir comprised of GWP students, the legendary Jackson Browne delivers a compelling rendition of his perennial favorites.

Sunday afternoon featured a lineup of today’s hottest electronic musicians, including The Crystal Method, Deepsky, and Electric Skychurch. Their presentations displayed tremendous variety within the genre as each group used Reason, Live and M-Audio hardware to craft their trademark sound.

Using the FireWire 410 and Reason, The Crystal Method’s Scott Kirkland and Ken Jordan demonstrate how they created the single from their brand new album, “Legion of Boom.”

J. Scott Giaquinta and Jason Blum of Deepsky use M-Audio hardware and Live to give the audience an early listen to material from their upcoming album.

Electric Skychurch’s James Lumb records Roxanne Morganstern’s vocals into Live, demonstrating how he uses the program’s effects—controlled by M-Audio’s Radium keyboard—to create a signature sound.

Needless to say, this year’s performances at Winter NAMM were second to none. M-Audio sends many thanks to the entire line-up of incredible artists who took time from their busy schedules to join us in presenting this truly star-studded event.