This year, Mix, Electronic Musician and Remix joined the editors of other music and audio magazines to vote for the best products of 2006/2007 at MIPA, the 8th annual Musikmesse International Press Awards. Chosen from three finalists in each of 40 categories, the winners were announced at a packed awards ceremony held March 29, 2007 during this year’s Musikmesse/Pro Light+Sound show in Frankfurt, Germany.
More than more than 300 international representatives of manufacturers and distributors of musical instruments and audio equipment have joined for the 8th MIPA Awards show including guests from the U.S., Canada, Japan, Brazil, South Africa, Russia, Poland, Great Britain, Italy, France, Greece, The Netherlands, Belgium, Luxemburg, Sweden, Denmark, Austria, Switzerland and Germany.
One highlight of this year’s MIPA ceremony was the presentation of the MIPA Lifetime Achievement Award to Remo president Remo D. Belli. Belli founded the company fifty years ago, and was intrigued with the possibility of using Dupont’s newly available Mylar as a durable, inexpensive and weather resistant alternative to calfskin drum heads. The result was Remo’s Weatherking™ line, the first practical synthetic drum heads.
The coveted “Best Innovative Product” award went to Fender for its new VG Stratocaster. The guitar incorporates the traditional single coil Strat pickups and a Roland GK pickup and uses modeling technology to deliver 37 sounds, ranging from Stratocaster, Telecaster, humbucking, 12-string and acoustic sounds, plus five alternate tunings.
AND THE WINNER IS…
The following lists the 2007 MIPA winners, as chosen by 107 music/audio journalists from dozens of countries worldwide.
Pro Audio
Mixing Desk (high-end): Digidesign ICON D-Command
Mixing Desk (live): Midas XL8
Mixing Desk (project studio): Mackie VLZ3-Series
Live Microphone: Sennheiser e900 Series
Drum Microphone: Audix DP-7 Drum Mic Pack
Portable Sound: JBL VRX 928
Large Format PA: Meyer Sound M’elodie
Studio
Studio Microphone: Neumann TLM49
Studio Monitor (near-field): ADAM Audio A7
Recording Software: Steinberg Cubase 4
Recording Hardware: Focusrite Liquid Mix
Recording Effects: Celemony Melodyne 3
Keyboards
Synthesizer (hardware): Roland V-Synth XT
Stage Piano: Clavia Nord Stage
Keyboard Workstation: Korg M3
Organ/Portable Keyboard: Yamaha Tyros
Software Instruments: Native Instruments Massive
Sampler: E-mu Emulator X2
Sound Libraries: Vienna Symphonic Library Symphonic Cube
Groove Gear
Groove Box: Roland MV-8800 Production Studio
DJ-Software/DJ-Tools: Korg Kaoss Pad 3
Guitar
Electric Guitar: PRS Singlecut
Acoustic Guitar: Taylor GS
Guitar Combo Amp: Vox DA5
Guitar Effects: DigiTech Brian May Red Special
Guitar Top: Hughes & Kettner Switchblade
Acoustic Guitar Amp: AER Acousticube 3
Pickups: L.R. Baggs M1 Active
Strings: Elixir Nanoweb AntiRust
Bass
Bass Amp: Ampeg SVT-VR
Bass Cabinet: Markbass Traveler 121H
Electric Bass: Music Man Stingray HH
Drums
E-Drums: Yamaha DTXPRESS IV-SP
Acoustic Drums: DW Classic Drums
Cymbals: Meinl Byzance Jazz
Hardware: Pearl 900 Series
Drumheads: Remo Powersonic Bass
Drumsticks: Vic Firth Signature
Percussion: Pearl Travel Conga
From more information about the MIPA Awards, visit www.mipa-award.de.
