Wt. NAMM 2026?

[DCrown]

The whole world goes itb, ai is conquering music production and they still mainly present hardware???
What is wrong with NAMM 2026?
Who needs instruments, microphones or speakers or ..in 2026? You need a computer or smartphone and just tell ai what to do!

The only new software that was NAMM related that I could find
Roland CR-78
Waves Curves Resolve
LANDR Blueprints
KORG Filter Ark
Celemony Tonalic

Is there anything more?
In 2026 one would expect 100 new plugin releases there.

Zebra 3 will be released soon, looks like it's the only plugin I will buy this years and it was announced a hundred years ago anyway and there is Farbfilter upgrade of compressor.
But all the plugins listed I wouldn't even take for free...maybe Korg, but don't really need it. And Yamaha still not releasing plugins! This fact makes my mixes sound completely Korg, not bad, but some original Yamaha flavor would be nice.

[ChamomileShark]

Soundtoys Space Blender2

https://www.gearnews.com/soundtoys-spac ... rb-studio/

[sin night]

Selling software is different than selling hardware, most of the marketing is done online, the sales and the delivery are completely online (I think it's extremely rare to find anything new delivered on a physical format)... probably an exhibition like NAMM doesn't bring much return to software companies. They may meet journalists and influencers and industry professionals, but I think they'll spend more time with hardware (because they will have to wait for demo units to be delivered, if they want to try/review them) than with software, which they can test later. Music store owners / distributors aren't going to be interested, because software is not sold through them nowadays...

So, unless a company has something great/revolutionary to show, what's the point in NAMM (or similar exhibitions)? Participating is a cost and there's the chance for the announcement to get lost in the middle of all the product announcements coming out in just a few days.
It still makes sense for some software companies to be there, but there are probably good reasons to avoid announcing new products right now.


Speaking of hardware, there's a lot more than the studio. There's live sound (you need instruments for the stage), there's broadcasting... you can't use software anywhere (and there's also people like me who loves hardware in the studio to write / record / mix). A forum like KVR covers only a specific niche of the music instruments market...


Speaking of software releases, if I recall correctly Steinberg did some seminars about Wavelab (new version is coming soon) at NAMM. Acustica Audio released Stone Pro. Beyerdynamics released a free plugin called Headphone Lab...
Not much for me (both hardware and software), so my bank account is happy so far...

[BBFG#]

NAMM is first and foremost for the music store owners.
And I have played with bands that demanded that no computer or synthesizers be used.

[getyourgrooveon]

Its still fun to walk around and see all the new gear

[ksandvik]

Yes, it's really a HW demo place, if so, so far I have not been impressed from the reports. Seems audio HW business is not really booming.

[metalifuxx]

What are you talking about? Some very cool guitar and ampsim/NAM related stuff

New Boss pedals added to Roland pedal suite (DM-2, OD-2, DC-3)

Couple new ampsim and NAM related products:

New Aurora DSP ampsim coming


Blackstar Unveils Beam Mini, Powered by TONE3000
Today, we’re excited to announce Blackstar’s flagship Beam Mini, the world’s first amplifier to natively support Neural Amp Modeler (NAM) via direct integration with TONE3000.

https://www.tone3000.com/blog/blackstar ... A-Tr9eGvFQ

Friedman IR-Load box


Wampler Pedalhead (NAM powered Power amp modeler)
https://www.instagram.com/p/DTwsCK9FRAE ... J6rfpq-sEg

[DCrown]

Soundtoys Space Blender2

https://www.gearnews.com/soundtoys-spac ... rb-studio/

Soundtoys plugins are one of my most used plugins, didn't know about Space Blender
Thanks for posting
NAMM is definetely behind time, who will still care about hardware in 10 years?! Don't forget that the young generation is the future.

[sin night]

Well, hopefully the slightly less young generations will still be around in 10 years

Elder people probably have enough gear (both hardware and software) collected through the years, so maybe they’ll buy less… or maybe they’ll just keep buying things.

Speaking of young people, I’d wait for the moment they have a job and some disposable money. Maybe they won’t buy gear, maybe they will.

I started making music around year 2000 when I was a kid, I had a Soundblaster and a Casio keyboard and I did everything ITB, hardware wasn’t an option for me. And the software revolution felt great. It took me about 10 years, maybe a little more, to start adding hardware and shifting my setup toward OTB/mixed.
If someone told me when I was a kid that I would have a decent studio with quite a few hardware instruments and that I would have bought it with my money (sadly not coming from music), I would have laughed.
So, who knows in 10 years?

[VariKusBrainZ]

There will always be specialist hardware. Stroking an iPad just isnt the same as twisting a nob or striking a surface

[kritikon]

NAMM is definetely behind time, who will still care about hardware in 10 years?! Don't forget that the young generation is the future.

Yet almost every young'un ends up getting hw once they become successful and/or start earning enough money to be able to afford them. TBH I can't think of a single electronic music whizkid that started out with a laptop who doesn't end up up with a wizzbang studio full of toys. It's almost a rule. So, actually NAMM is bang on cue as always. I once thought I'd never own a house, or a flash car, or be settled down and married, or travel the world and not have to stay in shitty backpacker hostels. And one day you'll also grow up and things will be different/better...that's not a put- down by the way, it's a proven statement of fact. When you can afford to own toys, then you will. Twiddling on a laptop/iPad/phone is only done because it has to be. Not because it is enjoyed.

[Tubeman]

NAMM is definetely behind time, who will still care about hardware in 10 years?! Don't forget that the young generation is the future.

You can't produce sound without hardware.

[DCrown]

NAMM is definetely behind time, who will still care about hardware in 10 years?! Don't forget that the young generation is the future.

You can't produce sound without hardware.

a computer or smartphone, yes , that's all,
the rest will be tasks of AI
oh, maybe buy some earbuds, too!

[DCrown]

NAMM is definetely behind time, who will still care about hardware in 10 years?! Don't forget that the young generation is the future.

Yet almost every young'un ends up getting hw once they become successful and/or start earning enough money to be able to afford them. TBH I can't think of a single electronic music whizkid that started out with a laptop who doesn't end up up with a wizzbang studio full of toys. It's almost a rule. So, actually NAMM is bang on cue as always. I once thought I'd never own a house, or a flash car, or be settled down and married, or travel the world and not have to stay in shitty backpacker hostels. And one day you'll also grow up and things will be different/better...that's not a put- down by the way, it's a proven statement of fact. When you can afford to own toys, then you will. Twiddling on a laptop/iPad/phone is only done because it has to be. Not because it is enjoyed.

ok, that's an example.
just the opposite here.
Why would I need a real synth, drums or console ?
I have Reaper + plugins. Not a question whether I can afford. It wouldn't make sense.
Imagine some young guy, why would he spend time on learning an instrument, ai can do it all, he needs his precious time for things like swiping on TikTok or starting a career as influencer etc.
Wondering what my three guitars are good for in 2026?!
I think my point of view is not important, if you are 35+ your opinion is irrelevant, the next generations will decide. I can still listen to music I like and discover new music, even though most music is before 1995.