NAMM 2025 live report: rolling news from the world's biggest music-making gear show

Be kind, rewind

It’s hardly newsworthy that tapes are cool again, but the modernised cassette players created by French brand We Are Rewind are particularly stylish devices. We last heard from the brand at the end of last year, when it dropped an appropriately retro-looking personal cassette player branded around funk aficionados Chromeo’s Adult Contemporary album. Now the company has landed at NAMM with its stylish new Blaster boombox in tow.

We Are Rewind’s players promise more than just retro cool, though. All players offer ‘dynamic power control’ to suppress distortion and create a more ‘natural’ sound. On the show floor – admittedly a less than ideal listening environment – they sounded impressive to our ears. Blaster also offers modern touches such as wireless connectivity, a rechargeable battery and even a karaoke mode with included mic.

Let's connect

We’ve long been impressed with Audient interfaces, with their compact, desktop iD models offering a whole lot of convenience for small studios. At this year's NAMM show, the range has stepped up somewhat with the launch of the new flagship iD48, a new 8 channel 24-in/32-out flagship USB-C interface.

Unlike the desktop units in the rest of the iD range, the 48 is a rackmount interface, but it comes equipped with eight of the same low-noise, low-distortion Audient Console Mic preamps. Most interestingly, its new Switchable Analogue Inserts let you track and mix using external hardware without physically re-patching cables. We’ll be bringing you a full review in the coming weeks, once we’re back on our home turf.

Battle of the Linns

Unlike Behringer’s LM Drum, which is also on show at NMM 2025, Deft Audio’s Luma-1 is an LM-1-inspired drum machine created with the approval of Roger Linn himself.

This chunky piece of beat making hardware bridges the gap between old and new. Its sound engine faithfully recreates that of its inspiration, using the original samples, as well as the same DAC and filter components as the original, and even running the original firmware. Alongside that, however, it houses a second modern processor that facilities things like MIDI and USB control, as well as the ability to upload and re-order sounds using a browser-based interface.

At $4,500, it’s over 10 times the price of Behringer’s offering (which emulates the more common LM-2, as opposed to the LM-1) but it’s still considerably cheaper than the $30,000 price tags currently listed for original LM-1 units on the secondhand market. Each Luma-1 is configured to order, with a choice of wooden end panels and a power supply appropriate for wherever you are in the world. It’s not cheap then, but this is the closest you’ll get to authenticity without the pitfalls that come with a vintage unit.

Sweet sixteen

Behringer's booth at NAMM 2025 is packed with modern, low-priced imitations of classic instruments from synth history; along with the recently-released Wave and LM Drum, they've also brought with them a couple of long-anticipated instruments that aren't yet available to order. Pictured here are the Pro-16 and JT-16, 16-voice clones of the Prophet-5 and Jupiter-8. Sadly, they weren't making any sound, but they sure look pretty.

This synth is bananas

One of the most appealing products we've come across this year (forgive the pun, we're too jet-lagged to come up with anything better) is MicroKits' Banan-a-Synth. It's a synth, shaped like a banana, that you can play with bananas. Need we say more?

The L is a W

Donner is a Chinese manufacturer that's snipping at Behringer's heels with its affordable clones of famous vintage synths; first, we had the 303-esque B1 Analog Bass Sequencer, and this year Donner has dropped the L1, an analogue monosynth inspired by Roland's '80s classic, the SH-101.

There's a lot to love about the L1. Like its legendary forebear, it has an intuitive one-knob-per-function workflow and a bright, punchy sound, but the synth also has a few original tricks up its sleeve: its oscillator can produce triangle waveforms and there's a second envelope for additional modulation. There's also a detachable keyboard on offer (sold separately) that you'll be able to use with future Donner synths, we're told.

Main character syndrome

There's a lot of ground to cover at NAMM, so we took a little pit stop at Focal's booth, where they had some folding chairs set up for people to sit down and experience their brand-new, top-of-the-line studio monitors.

Designed to be soffit-mounted in the wall of pro studios, these are $50,000 monitors that weigh as much as a baby elephant. Focal were kind enough to fill us in on the technical details, but it was the sound that almost knocked us out of our chair: they're phenomenal.

Yes, that's paint

Roto-vator

We were drawn to a new bit of double-kick pedal tech from Tama, that delivered a buttery-smooth action to any set up, by the way of the Mirror Rod. Out of all the setups on the booth we tried, it really felt like it delivered on its promise.

It features a new drive shaft system that the marketing spiel promises zero latency, courtesy of the positioning of the eight ball bearings in the axle. Made out of light-weight aluminium, with a single bolt deign and memory locks, the Mirror Rod, could be this year's upgrade for drummers coming in at $299.99.

Moving me, Movingui

The new Starclassic Maple from Tama has to have one of the nicest finishes we’ve seen in a while. It’s called the Marine Shoreline Movingui Fade, in case you were wondering.

The floor and Tom shells are 6-ply Maple with a single Movingui outer-ply. While the kick is 8-ply Maple with the Movingui top. The 4-piece shell pack will set you back $3,799.99 and the snare separately for $689.99.

At the other end of the Tama scale is this new Imperialstar 5-piece complete kit for $899.99, in an eye-catching Electric Yellow finish. You get a 22"x16" BD, 10"x7" TT, 12"x8" TT, 16"x15" FT, 14:x5" SD in 8mm, 6-ply Poplar shells and the full hardware package included including drum throne.

Sine of the times?

The Sine from Verso Instruments strikes the perfect balance between expression and art, bringing strong Kandinsky vibes.

The pickups are freely moveable and the guitar’s faceplate can bend to modulate the volume whilst also able output expression, CV and MIDI. Verso Instruments were also part of the main art installation at the NAMM show’s Boutique Guitar Showcase.

None more black

These new Blackout acoustics from Ibanez are surely a metaller’s dream, especially the 7-string, and that all-black finish being the biggest giveaway to its target market. Although, as you can tell from these images, greasy fingers need not apply.

The AE and AEW both feature Fishman S-core pickups and Ibanez AEQ-SP2 preamps, while the Talman has an Ibanez under bridge pickup and AEQ-2T preamp. Perhaps the best part is the sub $500 price point.

"Masterpiece"

We attended a press conference over at Austrian Audio's booth to hear more about the brand's recent acquisition by DPA Microphones, and witness the launch of a new flagship microphone that the well-regarded manufacturer is calling a "masterpiece".

A versatile microphone with five adjustable polar patterns and dual XLR outputs, OCS10 is designed to provide "clarity and sonic richness" thanks to its free-floating CKR12 capsule and Open Acoustics Technology. The "S" in the name stands for "solo", signalling that Austrian is aiming this towards solo artists that want to capture vocals or instruments with depth and precision.

We're big fans of the rotating rings that make up the mic's bottom half; they're a stylish and thoughtful way to give the user control over pad, filter and pattern settings.

Korg turns the tables

At last year's NAMM, Korg introduced Handytraxx Play, a portable record player and performance tool with a multimode filter and built-in looper that was based on the '00s Vestax Handy Trax. Battery-powered with an onboard speaker, it's intended as a mobile solution for listening, scratching and performing on-the-go.

This year, the Handytraxx line gets expanded with two more mobile turntables, this time aimed at the audiophile market. Handytraxx Tube gets a Nutube vacuum tube - the same tech found in the Volca Nubass - with the aim of "enriching the audio with warm harmonics", while Handytraxx 1bit is capable of digitizing your vinyl collection in the super-high-quality 1-bit DSD format.

Polyamorous

Released earlier this year, Korg's Multi/Poly is a quasi-revival of the classic '80s Mono/Poly synth. In our review, we described it as "much more" than a vintage reboot, with enough depth to "keep even the most demanding synthesist satisfied."

Korg has now dropped the keyboard to release Multi/Poly as a module for those who'd prefer to control the synth via their own MIDI keyboard or an external sequencer. What's more, Korg's put the sound engine in a plugin - Multi/Poly Native - that can also be used to exchange sounds between your DAW and the hardware unit.

Interface Time

You've heard of the MicroKorg, but how about the MicroAudio? Korg surprised us all this year by bringing along two new desktop audio interfaces - both prototypes with no official release date to speak of - dubbed MicroAudio 22 and 722.

While Korg has dabbled in the interface world previously with PlugKey, its mobile MIDI/audio interface for iPhone users, MicroAudio could mark the brand's first entry into the crowded desktop audio interface market - if it ever gets released.

While the 22 looks a little vanilla by anyone's standards - it's serviceable but basic with 2 ins, 2 outs, direct monitoring and a Hi-Z input - it's the 722 that caught our eye, doubling up as an analogue filter based on the classic MiniKorg 700S Traveler filter. Both low and high-pass filters are available, along with a basic LFO and envelope on modulation duties.

Ticket to ride

It's not often you get to step inside a fully kitted-out, Atmos-equipped recording studio that's been squeezed inside a tour bus, but that's the experience that the team behind the John Lennon Educational Tour Bus aims to provide to as many kids as possible.

This state-of-the-art non-profit mobile production studio travels the US and Canada, offering students free tours, technical workshops and advice on breaking into the music industry.

You spin me right round

Melbourne Instruments is the Australian brand behind Nina and Delia, two analogue polysynths with a twist: their knobs are motorized and rotate all by themselves in response to modulation and patch changes.

This year, the company has made the genius move of repurposing their touch-sensitive, self-rotating knobs for a MIDI controller, appropriately christened Roto-Control. It's a simple idea, but an excellent one, giving you real-time feedback on parameter changes in your DAW or device.

It's not all about the knobs, either; eight keyboard-style buttons and a row of displays provide additional control and versatility, while Roto-Control's Motion Recorder featue allows you to automate and loop MIDI parameters on external hardware and software.

Morello mega-mix anyone?

“I’ve honestly never felt a smoother neck in my life”: Cory Wong feels the humbucker heat as the funk guitar virtuoso and Ernie Ball Music Man team up for StingRay II and StingRay II Deluxe

Wong is still a paid-up member of the Stratocaster club but says he has been on the hunt for humbucker-equipped guitar for years and this is the one...

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Gibson VIP lounge

Gibson’s space at the show is an invite-only lounge with a slew of fresh new guitars on display and we’re promised there are even more coming later this year. It would’ve taken us all day go through them all, so we asked VP of Product, Mat Koehler, to take us through his Top 5. You’ll have to wait for our full demo to find out the exact ones.

And yes, that is a tiny handcrafted J-45, we couldn’t find a banana for scale.

2-up

Ernie Ball has a treat for the retro gamers as they cause some coin-op chaos in the corridors of the NAMM Show, with not one but two arcade parodies, Pluck-man and Slinky Invaders. Presumably, high-scorers will be in with a chance of winning some strings. We honestly wouldn’t know as we absolutely sucked at both games.

DigiTech and MonoNeon team up for Whammy Pedal with “Hypersonic” 3-octave pitch shifting

DigiTech is calling this its “boldest” Whammy design yet and the specs back this up. Is the world ready for a pinch harmonic and a three-octave pitch rise? It’d better be…

Korg 700Sm

"In a few years there will be no piano that doesn't have a camera": Can ROLI’s AI-powered, hand-tracking Piano rewrite learning to play?

Live and direct from the NAMM show floor, we get the lowdown on ROLI’s latest gear on video...

Aldrich + Blackstar = TONE

Blackstar has been working closely with Doug Aldrich on The Dead Daisies guitarist’s signature amp, the DA100 Ruby head and DA412B cab, for a while now.

The collaboration has seen the development of a new OD channel that dishes out some serious hot-rodded Plexi-style punch. Our guitar-gear aficionado, Rob Laing, had a chat with Doug on the show floor and we’ll bring you the full video shortly.

Fender's Anaheim A-list

Fender's invite-only event on Thursday saw its full Standard Series Strat, Tele and P Bass models on display - plus Acoustasonic Tele and Jazzmasters. Made in Indonesia, the range is now the new entry-level Fender offering, sitting under the Ensenada-made Player II series.

Think outside the box

Described by its maker Eternal Devices as "a gateway to the unseen and unheard frequencies that surround us", Demon Box is one of the most unconventional noisemaking machines we've come across in a very long time.

Using an array of 33 inductors, this triangular oddity translates the electromagnetic fields produced by ordinary electronics - anything from a microwave to an iPhone to an electric toothbrush - into strange and spooky sonic landscapes. Not only that, but it also outputs MIDI and CV, so it’ll let you use your hairdryer to control your modular synth... if you're into that kind of thing.

The Kronos returns

The Korg Kronos is a legendary workstation keyboard that made its debut all the way back in 2011, its ample sonic capabilities finding favour with a broad spectrum of music-makers that included Chick Corea, Vangelis and Mark Ronson. After Kronos 2 came out in 2014, though, Korg shifted its focus elsewhere - until now.

Korg has revived the Kronos this year in its third incarnation, but if you're expecting a dramatic reimagining of the instrument, you may be disappointed. 11 years on, Kronos 3 looks remarkably similar to Kronos 2. Available in 61, 73 and 88-key versions, it's equipped with the same synth engines as its younger brother, the OS has only received a minor update, and the keybed and interface are the same too, aside from a lick of paint.

So what is new? Korg has installed 256 fresh sounds, including a new Italian Grand Piano, a new vintage tine electric piano and expanded range of FM-based pianos, storage has been expanded to 62GB and startup time has been improved by 60%. The Kronos remains a hugely versatile and powerful instrument, but after more than a decade, we'd have liked to see a little more panache from the next generation. (Polyphonic aftertouch, anyone?)

Honey, I shrunk the MiniKorg

As always, Korg has brought a smorgasbord (Korgasbord?) of new products to NAMM this year, including a semi-disappointing revival of the Kronos workstation synth and a module version of the recently released Multi/Poly. Our pick of the bunch, though, is the MiniKorg 700Sm, a miniaturized take on the peculiar analogue mono that was Korg's first ever synth.

Released all the way back in 1973, the MiniKorg 700 was swiftly followed up by the more capable 700S, an instrument that Korg then resurrected in 2022 as the 700FS, a limited-edition recreation with a few modern bells and whistles included. The 700Sm is pretty much the same instrument, but shrunk down to 86% of the size.

The beloved 'Traveler' filter, three types of ring modulation, and an analogue spring reverb set the 700Sm apart from other monosynths; it's a charmingly quirky instrument with an offbeat aesthetic that we're unquestionably here for. At $1299, we just wish it was half the price.

Attack of the clones

We were expecting to see more than a few clones of classic instruments at Behringer's booth this year - in the past few weeks alone the brand has made recreations of both the PPG Wave and LinnDrum available to order after years of anticipation. What we weren't expecting, however, was this: a clone of the Yamaha DX1, an ultra-rare, bitimbral, frequency-modulating beast that's the crown of the DX series.

Like the DX1, Behringer's BX1 is a 32-voice FM synth with a formidably complex architecture, but the German manufacturer's remake departs from the original on a few significant points most notably its analogue filter, which is reportedly based on the filter section of another Yamaha classic, the CS-80.

All in all, the BX-1 certainly looks like a crowd-pleaser, and it'll likely be cheap enough to keep Behringer's fanbase on side when it's eventually released. But after the Wave and the LM Drum dropped just weeks ago, do we really need another vintage clone from Behringer? How about something new and innovative instead?

Rainbow warriors

If you're not matching your favourite Boss compact pedal with a matching colour-coded cable, are you even living right?

The company has unveiled a six-colour selection of 3 metre BC-10A instrument cables that mirror the hues of classic stompboxes including the DS-1 Distortion and RC-1 Loop Station.

Hercules introduces completely wireless and cable-free DJ controller

A completely wireless and cable-free DJ controller, Hercules DJControl Mix Ultra lets you bring the party with you wherever you go. The battery-powered decks can link up your smartphone or tablet via Bluetooth 4.0 to run Algoriddim Djay, which can stream from Apple Music, TIDAL and Beatport; pair this with some wireless speakers and you're ready to go. The concept is impressive, but we can't help but feel that the Mix Ultra looks like a bit more like a toy than a DJ controller. If you want an affordable solution for on-the-go mixing, though, it's certainly worth a look.

Sheila E. and Patrice Rushen honoured at Roland's Lifetime Achievement Awards

NAMM 2025 sees Roland return to the show (along with its Boss and DW Drums brands), which also means the return of the company’s traditional lifetime achievement awards. This year sees hugely deserved recognition of jazz and R&B artist Patrice Rushen - honoured by Roland - and iconic Prince collaborator Sheila E., who picked up DW’s lifetime achievement award as well as being honoured with a new signature snare.

Stylophone drops DF-8 stereo analogue filter

The name ‘Stylophone’ might be most commonly associated with stylus-controlled synths, but recent years have seen creator Dubreq broaden its horizons considerably. Following the launch of an excellent compact drone synth at last year’s NAMM, 2025 sees the company debuting a semi-modular dual analogue filter. This thing is right up our street; it’s cheap (with a promised price around $300), sounds fittingly gritty, and has some neat tricks up its sleeve, including stereo filtering, a built-in delay, controllable envelopes and a variety of triggering options.

Behringer is making Waves

Our early impressions are that both Wave and LM Drum sound on the money, and feel authentically vintage - for better and worse. Those looking for an authentic old school experience will likely be happy, but despite a few modern niceties, both designs feel decidedly old school.

Making a Grand entrance

Over at Nord's booth, we got a little lost in the music playing the company's new Grand 2 digital piano. The headline here is the Grand's newly-developed hammer action keybed, cooked up in partnership with acoustic piano giant Kawai, and we can confirm that it delivers the highly responsive and authentic feel that we'd expect from an instrument at a $4k+ price point.

Featuring a stunning collection of grands, uprights and electrics that can be dual-layered, three keyboard touch settings, along with adjustable string resonance and pedal noise, the Grand 2 has everything a pianist could ask for - and much more, thanks to its sample synth section and comprehensive selection of effects.

SSL launches its first rackmount interface

We kicked our day off at SSL's booth, as the venerated British brand makes its first foray into the world of rackmount audio interfaces. Unveiled today, SSL 18 is billed as introducing "a new era of SSL rackmount technology", distilling the world-class tech from the company's large-format consoles into a more approachable form factor for smaller studios.

SSL says that the number one request they've had from customers enamoured with their popular line of desktop audio interfaces has been to give them more I/O, more power and more flexibility in a rackmount unit. Their response is SSL 18: a 19" 1U 26-in/28-out USB audio interface equipped with 8 high-performance mic pres, 32-bit/192 kHz converters, smart workflow features and MIDI I/O, designed to be "the ultimate studio centrepiece" and priced at $1199.

Also on show was Alpha 8, an 8-in/8-out audio interface expander that can add some of the signature "SSL flavour" to your existing interface along with its additional I/O via ADAT or S/PDIF.

“The approachable playability and inspiring tone that made Fender an icon of rock and roll” – Strats and Teles at $599? Fender's budget-friendly Standard series is its most affordable yet

Five classic models, sweet finishes like Candy Cola and O.G. Butterscotch Blonde... These are going to be popular...

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“The highly anticipated Sterling version of the original EBMM Kaizen has arrived”: Sterling By Music Man adds Tosin Abasi’s Kaizen, Rabea Massaad’s Sabre and Ryan “Fluff” Bruce’s StingRay to artist lineup

Three creatively spec'd classics from the Ernie Ball Music Man signature series remixed for a more affordable price point – and you can get the Kaizen with six or seven strings...

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Native Instruments' open border

In a move that might surprise some longtime users, Maschine creator Native Instruments has partnered up with the brand behind one of the beat-making platform’s closest competitors – MPC creator Akai – to bring NI’s NKS plugin formats to Akai hardware. We got our first look at NKS instruments running on MPC hardware at NAMM 2025, and have to admit it makes for a good pairing.

NI is also opening up NKS access to other brands including Korg and Novation. We spoke to both NI and Akai about the move - watch this space...

“These pedals bring the sounds of the great Marshall amps of history onto the pedalboard” – Classic sounds, classy aesthetic – meet Marshall's new overdrive pedals series

Get Plexi, JCM800, DSL drive and more at sensible volumes from a range of pedals that look like Marshall amps and sound like 'em, too...

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Fender Custom Shop sweep

The Fender Custom Shop event sees dealers entering a raffle to buy unique guitars by submitting their business cards. A fair system but sometimes not great for photography here.

"The Alan Parsons Plugin Project" - PSP Audioware helps the legendary engineer to recreate the famous Wobbler effect that he used on Pink Floyd's The Dark Side Of The Moon

“It’s a much more controllable and deeper effect than any phaser I’ve ever heard,” says Parsons...

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“A more versatile and professional instrument for those looking for the unique rubber bridge sound”: Orangewood unveils Seymour Duncan-equipped Juniper II acoustic and baritone rubber bridge acoustics

For all your indie-folk needs, the new and improved Juniper II: now with a splittable Seymour Duncan Hot Rails pickup and a baritone option for low-end plunk...

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Beyerdynamic amps up the individuality with new in-ear monitor range and pro studio headphones

Beyerdynamic seem to have something for everyone at this year’s NAMM show. The popular studio brand is going all out with not only a duo of new studio headphones, but also an extensive line-up of four all-new in-ear headphone models, each designed to satisfy the needs of a different kind of user.

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Korg teases a pair of ‘concept’ audio interfaces, and one of them has a MiniKorg 700S analogue filter in it

Here’s what we know about the MicroAudio 22 and 722, which may or may not be going into production

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The Young Ones - Yvette, Yamaha, Fender and more

There was a change of venue for this year’s Global Media Day event. The NAMM organisation decided to ramp-up the pre-show show, moving it to the 3rd floor ballroom for an hour and a half of presentations from key brands. First up was the return of Fender, unveiling the new Standard series, bridging the gap between the Player IIs and Squier range - much more on that soon. We were also treated to a performance from Yvette Young who was showcasing the latest Yamaha Transacoustic model.

Martin at NAMM

It feels like only yesterday that Martin Guitars was honouring 2.5 million guitars made and now that number has risen to 3 million. Chris Martin took to the stage at his brand’s customary pre-show presser to unveil the D-3 Millionth model. The luxuriously finished instrument celebrates Martin’s past with a tree cross-section design and lots of diamond, gold and sycamore detailing. This priceless one-off was also joined on stage by a more “affordable” version, the D-300, with only 30 made and one entering into the Martin museum, you’re looking at around the $300k mark to own one.

Various new models were showcased at the event including the Grand J-28E DN, a new member of the Standard Series, which took several years to perfect. The 6/12-stringer will set you back a cool $7999. Also on show was the announcement of not one but two Billy Strings signature models, the D-28 and D-X2E, with the latter being the more affordable model, coming in at $899.

Perhaps saving the best till last, was a chat with newly inducted Hall of Famer, Peter Frampton. Despite his ill health, Peter revealed that he will be going back on the road this year for two 10-date tours and that he has been in the studio working on new material. He also spoke of how suffering from the rare condition, IBM (inclusion body myositis), has required him to adapt his playing style, but has in no way dampened his love of playing and performing.

Look, ma, no wires: Roland teases its WT-10 wireless drum trigger and DH-10 receiver

Roland Corp, a long-term enabler of the hybrid acoustic/electronic drum set community, is showcasing the next generation of its highly-respected drum triggers at NAMM 2025, and look, ma, no wires.

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“With hardware this tough, you have a companion for life”: Bitwig enters the hardware world with the Bitwig Connect 4/12

Speculated on for some time, and finally confirmed to us a few days ago, German DAW-maker Bitwig has today revealed its very first hardware product - Bitwig Connect 4/12. Ostensibly a 4-in and 12-out CV and MIDI-enabled audio interface, Bitwig states that its debut hardware product is 'far more than just an audio interface'…

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"This is the beginning of a really long journey": Native Instruments teams up with Akai, Korg, Novation and more to "empower millions of music creators"

Native Instruments is expanding NKS integration to its competitors' controllers and making its software and sounds available on the Akai MPC platform

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Here's what we already know...

NAMM 2025: Confirmed product news

• Joe Satriani teams up with IK Multimedia for Tonex One preloaded with 20 of his presets
• Come for the organs, stay for the pianos and synths - Viscount unveils its Legend One stage keyboard
• Orange launches Baby series, solid-state amp heads that weigh 3kg but pack a 100W punch

• Polyend Step is “the first fully programmable drum machine in guitar pedal form”
• AmpRx launches Brownie, a “voltage optimising” power supply for tube amps
• “An outstanding selection of chorus tones” – Nobels unveils $99 CHO-mini stereo chorus
• Novation collaborates with GForce Software on the ultimate software version of the Bass Station