NAMM 2026: After a return to form last year, NAMM was well and truly back in business for its 2026 edition, with many of the industry’s major players once again jetting themselves down to the sunny climes of Anaheim, California to unveil the products on which they’ll hinge their year.
We’ve been reporting on this rolling live blog with all the brand-new gear, jaw-dropping reveals, head-scratching oddities (NAMM’s embrace of the weird is a genuine highlight) and the overall vibe of this music-maker’s paradise.
Aside from our coverage here, we’ll also be reacting shortly on our MusicRadar and MusicRadar Tech YouTube channels, and you can check out our findings at our Instagram (@musicradarofficial @musicradartech).
NAMM 2026 Live
Here's some early speculation to ponder what we can expect next week from some of the bigger players…
Roland: We know for sure that Roland will be foregrounding beats, with showcases of its recently-released TR-1000 Rhythm Creator as well as the V Drums 3 & 5 series. There’s also the MIDI-enabled Aerophone Brisa Digital Wind Instrument which we’re curious to see and hear in action - hopefully played by an actual flautist.
We’re also hearing rumours of a few new offerings in the software domain which have piqued our curiosity. So, we'll certainly be checking in with Roland as a day one priority.
Korg: Everyone is expecting something of note from Korg this year, considering it typically uses NAMM as the annual launch point for the year's new flagships. Last year, for example, we were highly impressed with the Kronos 3 workstation. Perhaps a new revitalized Electribe will square-off against Roland’s TR-1000?
We must stress we're in pure speculation mode here and don’t have any firm updates as yet from the company, but we’re standing by the proverbial phone…
As we noted last year, Korg is also a dab hand at throwing in a plethora of unannounced Easter eggs onto its booth. Back in 2020 we caught our first glimpse of a prototype Opsix when it appeared unannounced on Korg’s NAMM stand.
Akai: A few unconfirmed leaks suggest that Akai has been working on something that will mark a major advance of its industry-leading MPC platform. Perhaps a substantial all-in-one software/hardware workstation that expands on the brilliance of the MPC Live III. That's certainly heavily rumoured. As with everything, we’ll keep you posted with confirmed info when we have it.
Native Instruments: Speaking of all-in-one music production hubs, it’s rumoured strongly that NI might… might… be re-introducing a 2026-ed-up version of Maschine, six years since the Maschine+. This would see it go head-to-head with Akai’s hypothetical offering.
Otherwise, we can surely expect a series of new releases in the Kontakt instrument realm, plus updates to the expanded family of companies under NI’s belt (iZotope, Plugin Alliance and Brainworx)
Behringer: Well, like everybody else, we’re entirely in the dark on this one. After returning to the show for the first time in a decade last year, Uli Behringer’s company are clearly keen to push the envelope when it comes to spotlight-stealing.
Last year Behringer captivated us with the 16-voice Prophet-5-inspired, Pro-16 (which now seems to have been strangely discontinued…), the LM Drum and the Yamaha DX-1-inspired BX1. So, we can expect displays of similar allure this year for sure. The question is, when (if ever) will whatever instruments Behringer brings this year be available for purchase?
Besides the major players, speculation is also rife that Arturia will be bringing out a new software-integrated hardware synth offering, Ashun Sound Machines (the maker of the extraordinary HydraSynth) is also heavily rumoured to be dropping its successor. Or perhaps that’s just wishful speculation…
Anyway, this is just our initial chin-rubbing to get the wheels turning.
We’ll be back every day over the next week with further updates, theories and NAMM-related news drops until the show itself kicks off.
We've just published a lengthy interview with NAMM's President and CEO, John Mlynczak.
With vast expertise across the music education domain, as well as a stint driving learning at PreSonus Audio, Mlynczak’s appointment in early 2023 marked a real statement of intent. At that time, the future of NAMM was looking somewhat bleaker following the industry’s painful readjustments post-COVID.
With John at the helm, NAMM’s year-round educational offerings - and people-first attitude - have been key factors in its annual winter show regaining both its attendance and its importance to the wider industry. As John explains, this year’s show is already well on course to exceed previous records across a range of metrics.
We caught up with John to learn about his experience of leading NAMM so far, and his view on some of the key industry concerns that will undoubtedly be on everybody’s lips at the Anaheim Convention Center this year…
Read our interview here
In an interesting turn of developments ahead of the NAMM Show, we've learned that PreSonus's respected Studio One DAW is being renamed and re-angled, bringing it under an overarching Fender Studio brandname.
Fender's new idea for a "connected music ecosystem" comprises both software and hardware, with the brand launching several new products and bringing a number of existing PreSonus products under the Fender Studio name.
But the big headline is that Fender is rebranding PreSonus Studio One Pro as Fender Studio Pro 8 and relaunching the DAW with new native amp and effects plugins, a revamped interface and much more.
Read more about the rebrand to Fender Studio Pro 8 in our full report
Korg has revealed the first of its NAMM 2026 line-up, announcing its new microAUDIO interface range, which combines preamp-equipped inputs with some interesting effects tricks – in one case doubling up as a standalone analogue filter.
If the microAUDIO interfaces look somewhat familiar, it’s probably because the company actually previewed the range as a ‘concept’ product all the way back at NAMM 2025.
The new range kicks off with two devices, the microAUDIO 22 and microAUDIO 722, both of which are 2-in, 2-out USB-C interfaces.
Read more info here
AlphaTheta has unveiled a new DJ-focused effects processor and performance sampler, the RMX-Ignite.
The RMX range was originally established under the Pioneer DJ name in the early-2010s, with the launch of the RMX-1000. That unit – which was later joined by a smaller sibling, the RMX-500 – proved popular with both DJs and producers for its ability to quickly apply rhythmic and modulated effects to incoming audio.
Now the RMX range has been relaunched under the AlphaTheta umbrella. The RMX-Ignite significantly redesigns the format, and represents something of a step up in terms of both capabilities and price point.
In the words of AlphaTheta: “More than a decade after the launch of the RMX-1000 – the model released in 2012 that’s still highly respected by top DJs worldwide – this completely renewed effector combines dynamic sound-shaping control with advanced effects to enable new levels of live performance."
Read more info on the new RMX-Ignite here
Boss has anted up in the battle for multi-effects pedal supremacy, releasing budget-friendly but pro-quality entry-level GX series units for electric guitar and bass.
The GX-1 and GX-1B are all but identical in layout (the latter, for bass guitar, has a blue chassis), and are designed to be super-easy to use, portable, affordable, and promise tube amp dynamics courtesy of Boss’s proprietary AIRD amp modelling tech under the hood.
We live in the era of multi-disciplined creators - many musicians are now equally adept at producing video content, for example - and, naturally, this is having an impact on the kind of products that are being designed and released. Korg’s new Liano Live! digital piano, for example, an evolution of its original Liano, which was released in 2022.
Built for pianists who want to livestream and/or record their performances, this promises to give you everything you need to make it happen.
It ships with a mic and stand and has a built-in mixer, so you can set the volume and reverb levels of your vocals and the piano right from the instrument itself. It can be connected to your phone, tablet or computer with a single USB-C cable.
Read more info about the Korg Liano Live!
Korg has unveiled the next generation of the long-running Kaoss Pad effects processor and sampler, Kaoss Pad V. Equipped with a redesigned dual-touch interface, new effects and expanded connectivity, Kaoss Pad V is pitched by Korg as the most “versatile and performance-ready” model in the series to date.
A decade after the last instalment in the Kaoss family, Korg signalled a renewed interest in the concept with the release of the Kaoss Replay performance sampler in 2023 and the DIY NTS-3 Kaoss Pad the following year, but Kaoss Pad V is the first full-size, traditional Kaoss Pad to be released since the KP3+ in 2013.
Read all about it in our full news piece here
Celemony, the company behind Melodyne, has announced the release of a new plugin that puts a world-class session player in your DAW, adapting authentic studio recordings to the harmony, tempo and groove of your track while preserving the feel of the original performance.
Running as a software instrument in your DAW, Tonalic doesn’t rely on loops, MIDI or even AI to work its magic. The plugin employs the sophisticated polyphonic note separation and manipulation technology found in Melodyne to reshape its extensive library of more than 7000 recordings to gel with an existing arrangement using its one-of-a-kind Tonalics engine.
It’s a unique concept, a hybrid of virtual instrument and session player that combines the organic feel of authentic performance with the flexibility of DAW-based editing.
It’s been long-rumoured (mildly leaked) and giddily anticipated for years, and today every sound design-minded synthesist's prayers were finally answered as Ashun Sound Machines’ Leviasynth finally washed ashore to dwarf its (brilliant, we might add) digital wavetable polysynth predecessor, the Hydrasynth in terms of size, breadth and creative potential.
With an eye-catching new teal colour scheme, Leviasynth is ASM’s all-new flagship hybrid algorithmic synthesizer, offering 16 voices with 8 oscillators per voice. Driving its rich sounds are an algorithmically-powered merger of analog and digital filters.
The Leviasynth takes the Hydrasynth aesthetic and attitude and looks like it's expanding on everything that was beloved about that latter-day legend.
Read more about the Leviasynth here
Squier has announced that a comprehensive refresh of its Sonic Series of beginner electric guitars and basses is incoming, and that means more Fender designs in budget-friendly formats – and it has expanded its range of miniaturised classics with Stratocasters and Precision Basses scaled down to 3/4 size for young players.
These new models have been announced in time for that big old gearapalooza in Anaheim, California, but the dust from NAMM will have settled by July, when these hit stores and online.
Check out the details here>>
After some 60 years out of production, hunted down relentlessly on the vintage market, the Silvertone 1446 is back.
In Hubert Sumlin’s hands, this semi-hollow electric was a formidable blues guitar. In Elvis Costello’s it was the sound of power-pop, rock and new-wave. Perhaps most famously, the haunting dream-world twang of Chris Isaak’s Wicked Game came via this electric guitar (heck, his debut album is titled Silvertone).
More details on the 1446 here>>
Pioneer DJ’s DJM-V10 is one of the most popular pro-level DJ mixers on the market. Along with the likes of Allen & Heath’s Xone:96, Pioneer’s all-singing, all-dancing flagship is a common choice for DJs playing major clubs or big festival stages.
With six-channels and a price point in the region of $/£3k, the V10 is unnecessarily big and expensive for home DJs or use smaller booths. Now it’s getting a compact and (slightly) more affordable sibling, which offers a similar design ethos and many of the same features in a three-channel format.
Vox has unveiled the VTB-1 Treble Booster, a super-simple boost pedal with a single dial, one switch, and yet perhaps everything a the AC30 owner needs to recreate the iconic electric guitar tones of Rory Gallagher, Brian May et al.
Inspired by the Dallas Rangemaster that Gallagher used to such devastating effect that May simply had to add one to his rig, the VTB-1 is described as the perfect complement to Vox’s tube amps – yielding the kinds of juicy harmonic drive tones you’ve heard on countless Queen records, and giving players that touch-sensitivity that makes it such an expressive addition to a rock or blues guitar player’s rig.
More VTB-1 Treble Booster deets here>>
Warm Audio and YouTuber, producer and musician Ryan ‘Fluff’ Bruce have joined forces for a signature overdrive pedal inspired by an ‘80s Japanese classic – and Fluff says a comprehensive suite of improvements makes this drive pedal a natural fit for high-gain rock and metal guitar.
The pedal is called the Fluff Drive. It is offered with a Teal or White enclosure. The pedal that inspired it was a Maxon TS-01 Super Tube Screamer, but this promises to be quite a different proposition for your pedalboard.
Akai has launched its successor to the flagship MPC X, the MPC XL. The XL follows in the footsteps of last year’s excellent MPC Live III upgrade, adding a lot of similar enhancements such as vastly improved CPU power, expressive MPCe pads and a new step sequencing workflow.
The MPC XL maintains the design ethos of the MPC X, which was first released in 2017, and followed by an upgraded Special Edition model in 2023. Broadly speaking, it offers the same workflow as the smaller MPC Live and MPC One models, capable of self-contained beatmaking, recording, sampling, arranging and mixing, but with an increased amount of inputs and outputs and a broader variety of hands-on controls.
PRS Guitars and Ed Sheeran have collaborated on a signature guitar unlike any other, with the stadium-packing pop-star’s limited edition model finished with his own artwork, and it presents us with a very different kind of guitar.
The Ed Sheeran SE Hollowbody Cosmic Splash takes its name from the artwork on the front, a piece taken from Sheeran’s 2025 Cosmic Carpark paintings, which were sold off to raise money for his foundation.
What would January be in the guitar calendar without a new release that makes us question everything, that there is a new way of doing things and it might change how guitar players perform for good?
Casio might just have that release, with a gizmo that allows you to control settings on your guitar effects pedals via your guitar strap.
The DN-SE10 Dimension Shifter is a wireless controller that’s integrated in your strap. It’s a world first. Install this and you no longer have to crouch over your pedalboard to adjust parameters – you don’t even need your expression pedal.
I can go for that: Roland releases an official plugin version of the CR-78 drum machine
Released in 1980, the TR-808 might be remembered as the device that (eventually) became Roland’s first classic programmable drum machine, but rhythmic scholars will tell you that, two years previously, the company released the CR-78.
This analogue beast offered not only a decent selection of built-in rhythms, but also the option to create four variations of your own, giving it an extra level of flexibility.
Much more on the new CR-78 plugin here>>
Ever been tempted by the look of Reason’s Rack of virtual analogue gear, but can’t find space in your heart for another DAW? Well today might be your lucky day, as the Reason Rack is now available as a standalone purchase or subscription for the first time.
Launched in 2000, Reason was one of the first wave of DAWs. Building on the success of Propellerhead Software’s iconic soft synth ReBirth, Reason brought an old-school studio workflow into the software realm, with a faux-analogue design that set it apart from the more digital look of Logic or Cubase.
We're finally here and ready to bring you as much exciting new tech and gear news as we can at this year's NAMM Show.
We've been eagerly gathering as much info as possible ahead of this year's NAMM but nothing prepares you for actually setting foot in the Anaheim Convention Center and taking in the sheer scope of of all there is to absorb.
At Wednesday's Global Media Day, we were treated to some incredible presentations and product demos from the likes of Roland, Korg, Akai and Fender Studio (videos to follow!)
Launching at the show today, The Carbon Fox from Telgrapher is the world's first mass-produced studio monitor built around a fully carbon-fiber enclosure. This means that it's pretty lightweight (a 30% reduction vs the original Fox) yet inside sports the same all-analog design that the brand is known for, adding warm and rich analogue qualities to its sound reproduction.
If there’s one trend that we’re glad to see continued at Namm 2026 , it’s that of heavyweight, cast bell bronze snare drums, and DW is first out of the gate with the latest edition to its True-Cast series, the Limited Edition MFG True-Cast 14x4” snare drum.
Designed in collaboration with ace session drummer, posture expert and cast-snare aficionado, Dave Elitch (The Mars Volta, Miley Cyrus, Weezer and more), the 4-inch-deep version of the True-Cast is just slim enough to claim the crown as DW’s first ever piccolo model in the range.
"Rethinking motion, balance, and response"
Swedish guitar company Strandberg, known for its lightweight and ergonomic headless guitars, has revealed an innovative new tremolo system at NAMM 2026 at the Anaheim Convention Center in California.
The new Arc TILT tremolo, currently patent-pending, is said to be “groundbreaking” with Strandberg’s Founder and Chief Creative Officer, Ola Strandberg and his team, designing it from the ground up and calling it “a groundbreaking innovation”.
Seymour Duncan has unveiled a multi-voiced electric guitar pickup set that gives players the tones inspired by two of its most-loved humbuckers, a “clear, articulate single-coil” voicing – and delivers an all-new voicing that promises totally brutal electric guitar tone for those occasions when you need to take your tone nuclear.
At first blush, the MortalCoil Multiple-Voiced Active humbuckers are a serious upgrade for any metal guitar. And they sure throw down the gauntlet to Fishman, whose Fluence humbucker series has established itself as the industry standard for multi-voiced pickups.
Apogee has added to its line-up of Symphony desktop audio interfaces with the release of the Nova, which comes packed with DSP for onboard effects processing.
In fact, one of the Nova’s big USPs is that it offers simultaneous realtime DSP processing on all four of its mic inputs, meaning that multiple sources can be tracked with a consistent sound. This could be useful when you’re recording drums, small groups, multi-speaker podcasts or a selection of live instruments.
"From professionals to advanced amateurs, EAD50 empowers every drummer to achieve their ideal sound"
NAMM 2026 is officially underway, and If you’re anything like us, you’ll have been keeping your eyes peeled for the most exciting new releases. Yamaha knows this, and has leaned into it with teasers for an all-new electronic drums product over the last couple of weeks.
The cryptically-cropped pictures got tongues wagging - is it a new electronic drum set module? Maybe a new multi-pad? As of now, we know that it is, in fact, a new addition to Yamaha EAD line-up: the EAD 50. And it seems to have its sights set on doing away with your sample pad, trigger module, mics, interface and mixer in one fell swoop.
“Give the average guitar player the chance to own my live rig. My tone. The tone worth $100,000s”
You can officially stop scrolling if you want to nail Billy Corgan’s electric guitar tone, because Laney Amplification has teamed up with Brian Carstens, the designer of the Smashing Pumpkins frontman’s signature tube amp, to effectively house his entire rig in a compact amp pedal, the Supergrace.
The latest in Laney’s series of Loudpedals, the Supergrace pairs the high-gain channel from Corgan’s Carstens Grace amp with the circuit of a 1969 Supergroup, offering a wholly analogue replica of Corgan’s tone – and it is so good that he used it when sitting in to play Pumpkins classic Bullet With Butterfly Wings in front of 60,000 My Chemical Romance romance fans in Chicago. That's confidence. Corgan left his "real" guitar amps behind and just rolled with this on the night.
It is all kinds of remarkable.
It might get loud
Jim Dunlop has lifted the curtain on first new guitar effects pedals to come from its portfolio of brands this year. and there are some special stompboxes in the lineup – what Iron Maiden fan could resist a special Edition Dunlop Cry Baby wah pedal finished with Derek Riggs’ iconic cover art from Killers?
But we can’t look past the bright red enclosure of the MXR EVH Modern High Gain Pedal, an amp-in-a-box style drive that not only bears the most famous initials in electric guitar but has been co-designed by the man himself, Eddie Van Halen.
KORG PHASE8
Behringer takes on the Juno-60
Donner enters the pro-level electronic drum set market with new flagship Groove Series
Donner is known for squeezing-in plenty of bang for your buck, and new for 2026 is its Groove Series, a new line of professional electronic drum sets made exclusively for the US market, and delivering what it describes as “portability without compromising the authentic feel and expressiveness of an acoustic drum kit”
There are three kits in the Groove Series: Groove, Groove Max and Groove Ultra. Each kit follows a five-piece drum pad setup, with mesh-headed snare and tom pads throughout, and the trio uses the same quick-setup Swift-Rack system.
California’s very own Synergy Amps is a leader in modular tube amplifier technology and is set to push the envelope once more with its patent-protected Machine-Learning Power Amp technology, which makes its debut at the Anaheim Convention Center this year.
Known for crafting award-winning amplifier designs and collaborating with amplifier engineer heavyweights such as Dave Friedman, Mike Soldano and Tone King, the company has never shied away from breaking boundaries.
Akai MPC XL: First look review
We got our hands on Akai's newly-announced flagship MPC XL. How does it stack up against the original MPC X or the recent MPC Live III. Watch our first look review to find out.
We've got more details on Casio's surprise new sampler. And a demo...
A new dimension
The Buck starts here
Stem separation in a box
Half-size Quad Cortex
Off with their headstocks
Ethical AI?
ZEQD-Pre
Gibson concept
Tats entertainment
Juno the score
Ignite fever
NAMM 2026 is officially done and, furthermore, dusted, but we still have showfloor goodies to share. Plus, stay tuned for more reaction as we chew over our findings from Anaheim.
