NAMM 2020: News, rumours and previews
All you need to know about January’s huge musical instrument exhibition.
What is The NAMM Show?
NAMM 2020: When it comes to new musical instruments and pro audio, there’s no more important trade show than The NAMM Show, or Winter NAMM. With huge product launches from the biggest names in music-making, it’s an event that attracts over 100,000 visitors each year.
Like last year, we’ll be reporting live from the event posting demo videos, news and photos of the most exciting new gear. So follow us on YouTube, Instagram, Facebook and our website!
When and where is Winter NAMM 2020?
Winter NAMM 2020 will be happening from 16 to 19 January 2020 at the Anaheim Convention Center in Orange County, California.
Who can attend NAMM?
Winter NAMM 2020 is a trade show, so it’s only open to:
- NAMM members and guests
- K-12 music educators and administrators
- College music and pro audio students
- Music non-profits
- Buyers and professionals from companies interested in purchasing music, sound and entertainment technology products, solutions and services
If any of those apply, you can register for a badge here. Note that there are discounts if you apply before 6 January.
News and rumours
We will be updating this page regularly in the run-up to NAMM 2020, so please keep checking back for the latest news. Here’s what we (think we) know so far:
Aston ramps up its rock ‘n’ roll cred with the limited-edition Origin Black bundle, with only 2,000 unfits available for sale.
Warm Audio‘s BUS-COMP features the renowned SSL VCA bus compressors and a selectable Hi-pass filter.
Teisco introduces its first utility pedal, Interface, featuring DAW-like capabilities, twin stereo TRX outputs and USB-C connectivity.
Austrian Audio makes waves with its HI-X55 and HI-X50 headphones, designed with producers and sound engineers in mind.
Krotos unveils Concept, its very first software synth. Designed with a user-friendly UI, the Concept comes with deep modulation and sidechaining options, allowing users to modulate other modulators.
Behringer drops the bomb with an announcement of a Korg ARP 2600 clone, barely a week after the latter sold out.
ASM brings a brand-new ‘polytouch’ technology to bear with the Hydrasynth, designed to add “life and dynamics”.
Nektar has unveiled Aura, a highly comprehensive controller/sequencer which features Nektar’s latest Nektarine 2.0 software.
Mammoth Audio‘s Density is aptly-named, offering a vast collection of over 1,500 organic one-shot samples. The instrument library also offers three playable instruments, along with the unique ability to layer playables and one-shots.
Spitfire Audio has updated its Albion collection with the Albion Neo, featuring an entire suite of orchestral and steam synth samples.
Sonicware has announced funding for the super-affordable and ultra-lightweight Liven 8bit Warps.
Neve’s iconic RMX16 is back, this time in a hardware format. The RMX16 500 has all the bells and whistles of its predecessor but comes with a few new features too.
Artiphon‘s Orba is a portable synth, looper and MIDI controller that’s no bigger than an orange, and uses haptic feedback as a means of creating music.
Evo by Audient has announced a pair of audio interfaces – Evo 4 and Evo 8 – that are able to automatically peg the input gain to their environment.
Waves‘ OVox comes with the novelty of being a voice-controlled synth, but it can also double as a vocal effects processor.
Pioneer has unveiled the six-channel DJM-V10 with true connoisseurs in mind, bringing features such as filters on each channel that can be either low-pass or high-pass.
PreSonus has announced the ioStation 24c, an interface/controller hybrid designed for home studio use.
The Quantum 2626 is also new, aptly named so due to its 26 inputs and outputs, complete with Thunderbolt 3 connectivity.
AKAI‘s MPC One is now a standalone device that combines features from both legacy and modern models.
Behringer has created the ultimate bargain hunter’s dream by cloning over 20 Moog module into the comprehensive System 55.
IK Multimedia has delivered part two of its 10th anniversary release for NAMM, including a new reverb module and a two-channel recording interface.
Drawmer has announced the super-adaptable and ultra-clean 1970 Dual FET Compressor and Pre-amp.
EarthQuaker Devices‘s Afterneath Eurorack reverb module features a Drag control that allows users to change the entire feel of the effect.
Universal Audio has released a full-fledged recording system – the Luna – as a free download.
Behringer has unveiled the System 100, which happens to bear many similarities to Roland’s System 100M.
Moog‘s Subsequent 25 looks all set to replace its older sibling, the Sub Phatty.
Eventide Audio‘s newest reverb plug-in just might beat the physical reverb tank at its own game.
IK Multimedia celebrates its 10th anniversary with a trio of releases aimed at budget-minded guitarists.
UDO brings the Super 6 to NAMM to show off once again, this time inviting us to listen to the new features it boasts, including new waveforms and an LFO that can function as a third oscillator.
RME has updated its Babyface Pro FS for lower noise and higher sound quality, but the changes don’t stop there.
With 18 drivers in total, 64 Audio proves it’s not kidding around when it says the A18 excels in performance and audiophile environments.
Mono has taken the rock-solid durability of its pedalboards and fashioned it into artsy studio monitor stands.
Apogee has announced its most affordable interface ever – the Symphony Desktop. Don’t let its small size deceive you: there’s still a slew of premium plug-ins and vintage preamp emulations on tap.
Nord has revealed its ambition with a quad-layered keyboard which is quite frankly, a beast to behold.
Arturia‘s latest KeyLab Essential sports an impressive array of features, including an 88-note, velocity-sensitive keyboard.
Korg has an array of new products to showcase this month. The first major announcement was the Wavestate, a successor to the 1990 vector synth, Wavestation. A selection of newly announced keyboards will be on show too, including the SV-2, XE-20, i3 and EK-50L.
A limited-edition, one-time production run of the legendary ARP 2600 has been announced by Korg, which will be on show next week.
New Korg headphones will also be exhibited at NAMM: NC-Q1 over-ear headphones designed for use by DJs, front-of-house engineers and musicians
Two new Nu:Tekt kits will be debuted, the HA-S and OD-S.
The MS-20 has also been re-issued in four colours, but full-size and with USB and 5-pin DIN MIDI, and also pre-built so you don’t have to crack out any tools.
AKG is exhibiting the Bluetooth 5.0 versions of the K361 and K371 headphones: K361-BT and K371-BT, which are designed for both studio referencing environments and day-to-day listening.
Myburgh is ready to unveil the finished version of its long-awaited Myburgh M1 microphone, an high-end German-made mic that was first revealed at Musikmesse 2018.
Behringer has announced the CAT synthesiser, the company’s take on the classic Octave CAT.
Elsewhere, it’s been a busy week for the company that claim to “chase analogue ghosts”. It’s gone modular with the System 100 and System 55 rigs, with a price tag that might appeal to synth heads of all levels.
Stepping back in the realm of drum machines, Behringer has reinvented Roland’s TR-606 with the aptly named RD-6.
Roland has a few things to show us this year, namely Roland Go: Livecast, a miniature plug-and-play broadcast studio for live streaming using a smartphone. A new keyboard is to be previewed along with a new piano concept, the A-88 MkII and GPX-F1 Facet Grand Piano.
JBL‘s new IRX Series Portable PA Loudspeakers will be at NAMM 2020, designed for musicians and performers playing regular gigs and don’t wish to rely on a dedicated in-house PA system.
RME is set to showcase the new Babyface Pro FS, the latest addition to its line of compact audio interfaces. Upgrades to the Babyface interface include newly designed analogue and digital circuits, two digitally controlled preamps and USB-C compatibility.
Numark has a new mini DJ controller, the DJ2GO2 Touch, featuring touch-capacitive jog wheels and streaming capabilities via TIDAL and SoundCloud.
PreSonus has three new mixers from its ARc series, combining a multi-channel 24-bit/92kHz, USB-C compatible, USB 2.0 audio interface with an analogue mixer front-end. No doubt the brand will also be familiarising attendees with the latest version of Studio One.
The brand is also expanding on its Thunderbolt 3 equipped Quantum audio interface range with the Quantum 2626.
Denon DJ will be debuting its new DJ equipment, the wifi and HDD equipped SC6000 and SC600M Prime media players, plus a new mixer, the X1850.
EVE Audio has a new studio monitoring solution on show this year in the SC3070, a compact, three-way near/mid field monitor.
Novation expands on its legendary controller series with the Launchpad Pro Mk3, featuring a built-in sequencer and MIDI outs, potentially being an ideal hybrid controller for performers and producers alike.
Nord has a new keyboard to show off, Wave 2, featuring four synthesis engines and continuing to sport the iconic red finish that Nord has become synonymous with.
Arturia adds a new player to its Step line up with the KeyStep Pro. The hybrid controller boasts an impressive amount of connectivity options to link up entire rigs of synths and instruments.
Sequential’s paraphonic monster, the Pro 3, is touted as being a worthy successor to both the classic Pro-One and the modern Pro 2 by Sequential founder Dave Smith.
Yamaha makes a move on Nord’s keyboard range with the YC61, a performance keyboard with a variety of sounds, most notably a patch that meticulously reproduces tonewheels to create an authentic organ.
