Even with fewer vendors exhibiting due to the lingering impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, the 2022 NAMM Show went off with a bang and featured some big-named exhibitors, with a few mid-tier and small companies mixed in. Considering that the 2020 NAMM Show was the largest in history with over 96,000 registrants, compared to this year’s total of around 46,627 registered attendees, the show featured some exciting new gear. With that said, here are the top 5 products for steelpan musicians to try in 2022.
1. Andy Narell Steelpans – The Ellie Mannette Collection
Without a doubt, this digital sample library is one of the most important product releases of all time for pannists and musicians in general. Over five years in the making, renowned steelpan recording artist Andy Narell traveled far and wide (including Paris, West Virginia, California and Trinidad and Tobago) to sample some of the finest steelpans ever created. All pans in the library were built by the late Dr. Ellie Mannette, known to many as the father of the modern steelpan instrument.
The sample library includes:
- 21 Mannette instruments and one vintage, 1960s tenor pan
- Five types of steel pans: Tenor, Double Second, Triple Guitar, Tenor Bass, and Bass
- Solo and Ensemble presets
- Intuitive controls to easily mute and solo instrument groups
- Built-in effects
- Dynamic Touch control
- “Rolls” feature
- “Harmony” function for authentic chords and intervals
This easy-to-use library is the perfect tool for any recording artist to add real and authentic steelpans to any recording project and with any luck will alter the course of many musical genres, replacing those synthetic, cheesy-sounding samples of yesterday with possibly the very best steelpan samples ever created.
2. Gigzter
Tired of paying exorbitant business fees with payment apps like Venmo and Paypal? Now there’s an alternative with Gigzter, an app made for musicians to pay each other and receive payments with less going out the door on fees. The app offers a 1.5% service charge, which is half that of Venmo and Paypal, with both charging around 3% for business transactions. To save money on those transactions, professional musicians and music industry vendors can sign up for the app for free with Android, iOS and online. Sign-up includes a bank account, ATM card and professional invoicing capabilities.
3. Rhythm and Rod Strykers by Native Tongue Percussion
Adding more percussion to the engine room during a gig, particular within a steelband that needs as many hands on pans as possible, can be a struggle. The Stryker Series of mounted hand blocks and bells offers hand percussionists the ability to make one player sound like three. The RhymBlock and RhymBell can be mounted to congas, bongos and rods for ease of use.
4. Onstage Utility Cart Bag
The UCB2500 Utility Cart Bag from On-Stage is an add-on product for their existing utility carts. The bag is meant to enclose and stabilize the cart, as well as offering additional storage space with accessory side pockets built in for any additional accessories for your gig. The bag is made of heavy-duty nylon, which protects it from the elements and provides additional support for getting torn over time.
5. Inears Earasers
Manufactured by a 55-year old hearing aid company, Earasers offer musicians and concert-goers peace-of-mind that their ears are protected from damage. Unlike conventional earplugs, these don’t muffle sound to the point where clarity is lost. They merely filter out loud noise to allow your ears to focus on the purpose of your listening – great music. According to the company’s website, “Earasers utilize a unique attenuation ‘V filter’ to provide up to 19dB of protection in the frequencies you need it most. The result is the world’s first flat frequency response earplugs.” The earplugs can be cleaned and reused, with the silicone sleeves designed to be replaced over time as needed.
