<Mark Harvey's World>

Sunday, January 11, 2009

MacWorld 2009

Greetings and salutations! I'm back, fresh from MacWorld 2009. I always see a bunch of stuff when I'm there, snap a few pictures and talk to lot of folks about stuff I can't afford or in some cases just don't need. I'm not rockin' a Mac yet - plan to - so MacWorld is a bit useless for me - well, except for the iPod part (I own two) and the universal gear items (storage, laptop bags and other accessories that are universal). I'm hoping that in 2009 I will be a Mac user along with getting my ProTools studio set-up so I can maximize my recording potential. The price tag is hefty as the Mac I want to buy is VERY pricey.

This has been an annual trek I make with my father-in-law who is a BIG Apple fan. Strangely enough neither of us made purchases this year. Sure, there were things I wanted to buy, but most of it wasn't in the gotta buy catagory. I do plan on purchasing a few things (from the vendors listed below) at a later date. These vendors I found to be particularly useful and I will give them a little nod here so if you have a chance, check 'em out, give 'em business and you can tell 'em Mark Harvey sent you.

For the second year in a row I spoke to the folks at Advanced Media Solutions (AMS) about CD replication. They were nice last year and equally as nice this year. Their booth (which I have pictured to the left) has all sorts of examples of what they can make for folks. If you need media, such as CD’s, DVD’s, posters and other print materials, even T shirts and apparel, AMS can do it for you. Check them out here. Call (or email) Mike Roderick at AMS and tell him Mark Harvey sent you.

Another cool booth I wanted to mention was GelaSkins (website here). GelaSkins are removable covers for protecting and customizing your portable devices. They feature excellent photo-quality graphics ranging from fine art prints to contemporary urban images designed by their growing family of artists from around the globe. I'm not much a fan of putting this type of thing on my iPod, but I'll tell ya, these look VERY cool and they stick on and peel off very easily (I watched the guy do it - they use a patented 3M adhesive that makes GelaSkins easy to apply with no residue left behind. The adhesive allows you to reposition the skin so you can easily get a perfect fit, plus the advanced 3M adhesive contains patented micro-channels that prevent air bubbles from forming and allow for easy application so they stick well and look good). What caught my attention most of all was that they are going to add a feature that will allow their customers the ability to upload their own artwork. The idea of having a customized iPod (with a Nobody Records/Pumpkinland Studios logo on it) is amazing.

The next item that got me thinking was the Numark iDJ2 Mobile DJ Workstation. The booth I visited was repping Numark, Alesis and MixMeister. It has been a long time since I DJ'd, but the Numark iDJ2 Mobile DJ Workstation made me want to get back into it (or just buy one to play with). From their site..."The Numark iDJ2 is the only iPod mixing console that provides full control of your music with real–time scratching (via two jog wheels), a stunning color screen and Numark's exclusive crate management. Keylock insures that DJs can easily change tempo without affecting pitch. The iDJ2 features a fresh and innovative new iPod docking system that allows users to play and mix two songs simultaneously from a single iPod without the need of a computer. Users can also hook up multiple mass storage devices including additional iPods, thumb drives, and external USB hard drives through rear panel USB ports. In addition to USB connectivity, the iDJ2 comes complete with line inputs for audio sources including a microphone, CD players and turntables." I want one! Click here to check out more about this amazing tool (toy).

The final booth I'll talk about here was one that sells customized device holders and vehicle mounts made for nearly every make and model vehicle and nearly every device you can imagine. ProClips didn't have an amazing booth (it was a dashboard with a bunch of device holders and mounts on it), but the gentleman there had a crowd around him. The idea that you can have a custom clip for your car that actually is made FOR your vehicle is HUGE. Check them out here. I plan on ordering something (or somethings) from them once I decide on my next vehicle.

Well...that was my MacWorld 2009 experience. I saw a bunch of other things, but those were the standouts for me. I like wandering around and checking out the stuff they have. We didn't even eat lunch we were so busy walking from booth to booth. Even though this year seemed a lot more low key than years past, I am happy I attended since I found some great vendors that I plan on buying stuff from. It is always cool to come home with schwag and I came home with a TON of it.