Keyboard technical editor Steve Fortner here, just off the p*** from the Summer 2008 NAMM Show in Nashville, where along with my colleagues from Guitar Player, Bass Player, and EQ mags, I spent three days video-blogging all the new gear. Search for the term "keyboard" at livefrom.musicplayer.com to find all the Keyboard-related vids, and see below for my top picks.

Korg's Nano series MIDI controllers pack tons of control into an impossibly thin space. Top to bottom: NanoKONTROL, NanoPAD, and NanoKEY.

Korg Nano Controllers
These are the first MIDI controllers truly small and thin enough to live in your laptop bag all the time, just in case inspiration strikes. In these videos straight from the show floor, we learn that the NanoKEY is velocity-sensitive and amazingly playable for its size, the NanoPAD has great-feeling drum pads and an assignable X-Y touchpad, and the NanoKONTROL is like someone pointed a shrink ray at a full-featured DAW control surface. Best of all, each is expected to sell for under a hundred bucks!

Roland Juno-Stage
Are live gigs your bread and butter? The Juno-Stage has everything you want and nothing you don't. Seriously, Roland has made enough smart design decisions here for their next three keyboards, only rolled into one. See for yourself in this video.

Yamaha StagePAS 250M
Speaking of live gigs, we keyboardists are often content to amp in mono onstage, but want the front-of-house PA to get the full benefit of our stereo sounds. Click here to see the simple and elegant way in which Yamaha's latest portable PA does this and more.

Source Audio Hot Hand MIDI-Exp Control Pedal
Wave yo' hands in the ay-ah! Imagine turning hand motions you make as you play into any MIDI message you want - adding aftertouch to a keyboard that doesn't have it jumps to mind, but that's just the beginning. We reviewed Source Audio's  previous pedals (wah and phaser) in the July '06 issue, and shot new NAMM videos of the wah pedal on a Clav sound, the MIDI-Exp pedal on guitar, and the same MIDI-Exp pedal on keyboard. Watch and be amazed!


Steinberg MR-816csx and CC-121
Usable separately but better together, this 8-channel audio interface and single-fader controller are desgined to work with Cubase recording software. What makes 'em special? Watch . . .

ArKaos Grand VJ
A lot of VJ'ing tools are out there, but what impressed me about this one was the way it lets you think like a keyboard player while adding visual elements to your performance. It was at the shared booth of Alesis, Akai, and Numark.

Yamaha's Tenori-On is part synth, part drum machine, part step sequencer, part Lite-Brite, and all fun.

We Get Our Tenori On
There's been a huge buzz about Yamaha's step-based synth and its light-matrix interface. Tech editor Steve Fortner got stuck in Nashville airport, ran into the crew from Keyfax, and learned why. For about fifteen minutes, you're scratching your head, then you figure a few basics out, and you can't put it down. Even those synth-skeptical guitar players. Look for a review in an upcoming issue of Keyboard. Oh yeah, where do you get a Tenori-on? Here.

Ten Years Old and Better Than Your Drummer
Okay, so he isn't playing keyboards, but this kid is so bad-ass we had to share a couple of clips with you. Check out Isaiah Fogle rocking out on Roland V-Drums and laying down a funk groove on an acoustic kit at the summer NAMM show.

By Popular Demand: Direct Link to Chester Thompson Videos
These instructional videos by the legendary Tower of Power and Santana B-3 player launched our popular video site, KeyboardMag.tv, and we've gotten tons of requests to repost them. Click the title bar above or here to get straight to the directory where they live. Hint: If you get a message saying a video is "temporarily unavailable," refresh your browser, re-click or re-paste the link, and try again.

BASS PLAYER LIVE 2008: LOS ANGELES NOVEMBER 1-2
Join us on the West Coast as BPL takes Hollywood by storm!
Confirmed exhibitors include: DR Strings, Markbass, D’Addario, Ampeg, Dr. Bass, Lace Music and others TBA! Confirmed artist clinicians include: Chris Chaney, Mike Elizondo, Steve Bailey, Alex Al, Neil Steubenhaus and more TBA! 2008 Bass Player Lifetime Achievement Award Recipients:  Carol Kaye, Verdine White, Mike Watt. Details will be announced here! In the meantime, subscribe to the BPL Enewsletter for breaking event news! Subscribe here. 


Guitar Player's Guitar Superstar: Call For Entries!
SPONSORED BY EPIPHONE, ZZYZX SNAPJACK, MESA/BOOGIE AND MORE TBA

Presenting Guitar Player's fourth annual guitar competition! Ten finalists will compete LIVE before a panel of celebrity judges and a sold-out house in San Francisco on September 13. Only one will be named Guitar Player's Guitar Superstar 2008. Have you entered yet? The clock is ticking. . . Submission Deadline is June 30!
ENTER here!


Presenting the Music Production Technology Webinar Series
Introducing a new series of FREE music production technology webcasts from EQ & Keyboard magazines that give you how-to tips and technique for the latest recording applications. In these one-hour web sessions you will learn how to maximize your music production with top software tools.

Digidesign Pro Tools LE 7.4
In this educational webcast, we share some choice tips and tricks for utilizing Digidesign’s Pro Tools 7.4 LE in the home studio.

Propellerhead Reason 4 
In this webcast Keyboard editor at large John Krogh takes an in-depth, real world approach to making music in side Reason 4, the premiere all-in-one software studio.

Native Instruments Kontakt 
Native Instruments’ Kontakt is the top soft sampler of choice for in-the-know songwriters and producers; Keybaord editor at large John Krogh shows you the ins and outs of making real-world music with this powerhouse.


The Music Player Network Artist Master Class Webcast Series
Ever wish you could have a private lesson with the pros? You can! Check out these webcasts: Keyboard's Jeff Lorber: The Art Of the Groove, Guitar Player's Larry Carlton: 335 Blues, Bass Player's Victor Wooten: Slap Techniques, and EQ's Master of Your Studio Domain with editor Craig Anderton. New! Check out the newly archived versions of our webcasts "Full Range Bass" with bassist Michael Manring and Keyboard Wizardry with Jordan Rudess.  Check it out here.

Coming Soon: Al Di Meola, Chuck Leavell, and many more to be announced soon!

UP NEXT: Billy Sheehan on Bass: Top to Bottom, Wednesday August 13, 6:00pm PST/9:00pm EST.