Steinberg has announced today that its hardware products will be rebranded under the Yamaha banner.
Undertaken as part of a restructuring of both companies' product development systems, the rebrand will see Steinberg shifting its focus away from hardware and exclusively towards software development and sales.
A German manufacturer and software developer founded in 1984, Steinberg was acquired by Yamaha in 2004. Since then, the companies have jointly developed and released a number of products, including Steinberg-branded audio interfaces such as the IXO series, launched in 2024.
As part of the transition, Steinberg's IXO12, IXO22, UR22C, and UR44C interfaces have been relaunched under the Yamaha brand as the UR12MK3, UR22MK3, URX22C and URX44C, respectively. All other Steinberg audio interfaces will be gradually phased out, but both companies will continue to provide customers with product support "for the foreseeable future".
Steinberg's exclusive focus on software development and sales will "allow both companies to focus on their respective expertise", according to a statement from the company. Steinberg and Yamaha will continue to "work closely together", providing users with a "refined, integrated product experience which unites software and hardware".
Steinberg is the brand behind popular music software such as Cubase, its well-established DAW, and Nuendo, an audiovisual post-production suite. The company is also responsible for Dorico, a leading music notation program, and a catalogue of VST plugins that includes the HALion sampler and Groove Agent drum machine.
"This transition is a very positive evolution for the product line," says Steinberg's Managing Director Clyde Sendke. "By moving our range of audio interfaces to Yamaha, we are ensuring that they receive a dedicated focus and allow both companies to play to their core strengths."
"It will ensure there is greater clarity for both our customers and the industry regarding the respective product lines. Steinberg's reputation for groundbreaking audio software is second to none, and it makes absolute sense for this to be given our exclusive attention."
Steinberg's rebrand is an unexpected move, especially considering that the company was acquired over two decades ago and has continued to operate with a generous degree of independence since then.
Though Steinberg's hardware has been consistently well-reviewed, it's never been the company's forte: the brand is most closely associated with software titles such as Cubase, its flagship DAW. Whether this too will ultimately be folded into the Yamaha brand remains to be seen.
