Music Production Forum

The first big surprise of NAMM is the Casio SAMPLER, an SP-404-like machine with a built-in microphone, 64GB of memory and retro Casio sounds. Casio is such a perplexing company. It goes along, releasing wave after wave of home keyboards, and then suddenly drops something completely out of left field. There was the CT-S1000V vocal synthesis keyboard (which I still really want), the Millennium Falcon groovebox thing, and now this, the Casio SAMPLER... The post Casio SAMPLER: Future Retro Handheld Beat Maker – Is This the SK-1 Reborn? appeared first on gearnews.com. View the full article

The D Mini is finally here with three analog oscillators, a sequencer, and that lovely filter, all in a very tiny package. Back in 2022, Behringer announced the Model D Soul, a tiny, Volca-like take on its excellent Model D analog synth. Our Robin wrote about it and mused on how much of a synth’s functionality you could lose before it became not really a synth anymore. Behringer said the mini synth was ready to go at the time, and they were just waiting for chips. And then… nothing... The post Behringer D Mini: Fancy a Tiny Model D With a Sequencer for $99? appeared first on gearnews.com. View the full article

We all know the drill by now with DAWJunkie: we get a nice freebie, with the option to upgrade to a fully-featured big brother for just $1. Their latest freebie is LeadOff Jr, a free wavetable synth for macOS and Windows. We’ve had Lil Miss Doubler, Lil Bottom Jr, and more recently, Craze. This time [...] View post: DAWJunkie releases LeadOff Jr, a FREE wavetable synth for macOS and Windows View the full article

Developer Beyerdynamic presented us with Headphone Lab, a free plugin that brings the studio to your DT headphones. We all know the pitfalls of mixing in headphones and untreated spaces, but, as bedroom producers, most of us are used to making the best of imperfect situations. Besides the fatigue and the fact that even the [...] View post: Beyerdynamic releases Headphone Lab, a FREE plugin bringing the studio to your DT headphones View the full article

The new Kurzweil SP8 is more than a stage piano: Boasting the powerful V.A.S.T. synthesis engine, organ modeling, and even a 6-operator FM synth, it could be the only keyboard you’ll ever need on stage. Kurzweil has announced the SP8 at NAMM 2026. The successor to the SP7 series sports a fresh new look similar to the K2061/2088 synths. But that’s not all: The stage piano has grown into an all-in-one stage keyboard that contains all the sounds typically required for a gig... The post Kurzweil SP8: The Only Keyboard You’ll Ever Need on Stage? appeared first on gearnews.com. View the full article

The Serendipity D-Thing+ and L-Thing offer new ways to play the Moog DFAM & Labryinth synths.… Read More Serendipity L-Thing vs D-Thing+ Give You New Ways To Play Moog DFAM & LabyrinthView the full article

Behringer’s JUNO 6/60 remake makes an appearance at NAMM 2026 with a new name, JN-80, fuelling expectations for an imminent release! Just like the BMX and JT-2, which were spied on the Behringer stand at NAMM 2026 yesterday, their JUNO 6/60 homage has finally surfaced publicly but is now sporting a new name, the JN-80, leaving us in no doubt what this synth claims to be... The post Behringer JN-80 – Their JUNO6/60 Clone Edges Closer appeared first on gearnews.com. View the full article

Key features include mixer setup memories, MIDI support, a tripod mount and dedicated apps for iOS, Mac & Windows. … Read More Roland GO:Mixer Studio For Social Media Content CreationView the full article

Anaheim, Calif. – The exhibition portion of 2026 NAMM Show launches at the Anaheim Convention Center today with its showfloor open through Saturday, Jan. 24. Over 3,500 brands from the music-making world are expected to present their latest products, including those from a variety of DJ-related categories (playback, accessories, content creation, pro audio, lighting, and [...] The post NAMM ’26: Debuts for DJs Abound in Anaheim appeared first on DJ LIFE Magazine. View the full article

Polyend has released Synth 2.0, a major firmware update that expands the sound design depth, performance workflow, and creative potential of the Polyend Synth.… Read More Polyend Synth 2.0 Update Adds Dirt Synth Engine & MoreView the full article

Roland has announced Zenology GX for iPad, bringing the same advanced engine behind Roland’s flagship instruments, like FANTOM and JUPITER-X, to Apple's popular tablet platform.… Read More Roland Brings Flagship Zenology GX Synthesizer To iPadView the full article

Reason Studios has announced new purchase and licensing options for Reason DAW and Reason Rack.… Read More Reason Studios Announces New Pricing For Reason Rack & DAWView the full article

Here's an in-depth review and demo of the Korg phase8, an electro-acoustic instrument, based on the concept of acoustic synthesis.… Read More Korg Phase8 Review & DemoView the full article

The MPC XL Akai's next-generation large-format MPC, replacing the previous-generation MPC X and X SE.… Read More Akai MPC XL Review & DemoView the full article

Casio has introduced the Dimension Shifter - a wearable wireless controller that translates your motions into control over any effects that have an Expression In jack.… Read More Casio Intros Dimension Shifter Wireless Expressive ControllerView the full article

Polaris is designed to let you create sequences quickly, using a 16-step grid, using both samples and synthesis. … Read More Meteaure Polaris Now Available In App StoreView the full article

At the 2026 NAMM Show, held Jan 22–24 in Anaheim, California, Korg has officially introduced the phase8, an electro-acoustic instrument, based on the concept of acoustic synthesis.… Read More Korg Phase8 Acoustic Synthesizer Debuts At 2026 NAMM ShowView the full article

Another Behringer prototype breaks cover and appears at NAMM 2026. This time it’s the long-awaited Behringer BMX drum machine. It seems Behringer are continuing their tradition of bringing physical examples of their long-awaited prototypes to NAMM 2026. Alongside the JT-2, their BMX Sampling Drum Machine is also on display at their stand in Anaheim, CA... The post Behringer BMX Finally On Display at NAMM 2026 appeared first on gearnews.com. View the full article

Spied at NAMM 2026 on Press Day yesterday, it appears that Behringer’s JT-2 is about to go on sale! Our sources on the ground in Anaheim, CA at NAMM 2026, have told us that Behringer has an actual JT-2 on their stand. You may recall that the JT-2 is a two-voice desktop/Eurorack module that delivers a two voice recreation of the Jupiter 8... The post Behringer JT-2 Now On Display at NAMM 2026 appeared first on gearnews.com. View the full article

Solid State Logic and IK Multimedia have two heavily discounted offers that are well worth your attention if you’re looking to upgrade your creative effects toolkit or guitar setup. I’ll cover both below, but please note that the one from SSL expires very soon (probably a matter of hours at this point). SSL X-Delay & [...] View post: My two favorite deals this week come from Solid State Logic and IK Multimedia View the full article

Matt Johnson’s (Jamiroquai keyboard player) most used keyboards Of 2025 ...

From @synthandsoftware - An exclusive Synth and Software Interview Every man needs a cave. So does every woman, but Chris Meyer happens be a man. He also happens to be a musician with a very interesting new man-cave synth studio and a new album recorded in it; a synth performer; a bona fide expert who lectures about modular […] The post Chris Meyer Builds The Ultimate Man-Cave Synth Studio appeared first on Synth and Software. View the full article

If you've been looking for sound design demos for the new Ashun Sound Machines Leviasynth, look no further. … Read More Shut Up & Play: Sounds Of The ASM LeviasynthView the full article

Roland has introduced the CR-78 Software Rhythm Composer, a plugin emulation of their CR-78 drum machine.… Read More Roland CR-78 Software Rhythm Composer Brings The Sound Of ‘In The Air Tonight’ To Your DAWView the full article

Headless guitar maker Strandberg has teamed up with Jamstik on a new MIDI-infused guitar, allowing players to control software instruments and hardware synths, while assisting in producing, transcribing and other areas of modern digital music production. Strandberg makes some of the most forward-thinking electric guitars around right now, so it’s not all that surprising that it would be the next brand to tinker with adding MIDI to its instruments... The post This headless guitar has MIDI and can control your software instruments and hardware synths appeared first on MusicTech. View the full article

If you're going to NAMM, make sure to stop by the Bob Moog Foundation booth to check it out.… Read More Moog Emerson Modular System Prototype Hands-On DemoView the full article

Electronic musician Sarah Belle Reid shared a new video, exploring an extremely rare electronic instrument called the Touché, created by Buchla and Associates in 1980. Filmed at the Buchla Archives in Vancouver – an organization dedicated to the preservation of Donald Buchla’s work – the video offers a rare opportunity to hear and see an… Read More Exploring The Touché, Don Buchla’s Rare Polyphonic Keyboard InstrumentView the full article

Ahead of the 2026 NAMM Show, iConnectivity has introduced PlayAUDIO2U, an all-in-one live performance interface that features 24 balanced XLR output configuration and four low noise microphone preamps.… Read More iConnectivity Intros PlayAUDIO2U All-In-One Live Performance Audio & MIDI InterfaceView the full article

Melbourne Instruments has availability of Logic Pro integration for its ROTO-CONTROL motorized software and hardware MIDI controller.… Read More Melbourne Instruments Roto-Control Gets Logic Pro IntegrationView the full article

FabFilter has announced the immediate availability of Pro-C 3 and a free update to their Pro-Q 4 equalizer.… Read More FabFilter Releases FabFilter Pro-C 3 Compressor Plug-InView the full article