NAMM 2025 Live: Latest rumours, news and products from the biggest music technology show in the worldThe NAMM Show 2025 is taking place on 21 -25 January in Anaheim, California, despite speculation that the tragic Los Angeles Wildfires might impact the world’s biggest music technology trade show. And, judging by the schedule and exhibitors, it’s certainly set to be an action-packed edition of the 123-year-old convention.
Held annually at the Anaheim Convention Centre, the National Association of Music Merchants (NAMM) Show brings together over 3,500 music brands, over 150 performing acts, and 75,000 attendees. This year, the show is spread across five days rather than the usual four, bursting with even more music workshops, panels, performances and products. Plus, a handful of music technology’s most notable brands are returning after being MIA from the show for several years, including Behringer, Fender, Marshall, Gibson and more — presumably with a load of new gear to show off.
MusicTech will be on the show floor across the entire exhibit, keeping you in the loop about all the cool gear we find, from synths, plugins and samplers to headphones, audio interfaces, MIDI controllers, and all the other wacky stuff we find along the way.
We’re updating this page with all the latest music technology rumours, news and products from the NAMM Show. We’ve also published a rundown of what to expect at NAMM 2025, with insights from NAMM CEO John Mlynczak, who also reassures the team is “closely monitoring LA wildfires”.
Let’s go.
Reloop’s new Keypad MIDI controller and RMX-30 Bluetooth DJ mixer
Reloop is an often overlooked brand that specialises in affordable DJ and studio gear. At NAMM 2025, it’ll demo the new Keypad MIDI controller and the RMX-30 Bluetooth DJ mixer, among other products.
The Keypad — which, admittedly, looks cluttered and jam-packed at first glance — is a MIDI controller for Bitwig, but can be used with any other DAW. It sports 25 velocity-sensitive keys, pitch and modulation wheels, and 16 velocity-sensitive, aftertouch-equipped RGB pads. Eight full channel strips feature line faders, an endless encoder (pan), two potentiometers (send/return), and three illuminated function buttons (Channel, Solo, Rec). A DAW section is where you can find transport controls and an OLED display to check parameters. This is shipping now for $249/£219/€249  Read the full article.
Image: Reloop
Reloop’s RMX-30 BT is a three-channel DJ mixer designed for small events or home DJing. Theres’ nothing fancy going on here, with Reloop’s focus being convenience and connectivity. With eight inputs and four outputs, you should be able to hook up everything you need for a basic DJ setup, with control over your mix with a 3-band EQ and gain control on each channel strip, plus a dedicated mic channel with 2-band EQ and gain control. Naturally, with BT in the name, you’ll be able to stream music over Bluetooth from your smartphone or other wireless device. This is also shipping now for €230/$250/£200.
DPA Microphones acquires Austrian Audio

We didn’t see this one coming. Both exhibiting at this year’s show are Austrian Audio and DPA Microphones. These two mic brands are revered in their respective fields, with DPA being a powerful force in broadcasting solutions and miniature mic categories, with a respectable offering of studio mics. Austrian Audio, meanwhile, was founded by ex-AKG engineers and has made strides in home recording, streaming and headphone monitoring. Now, Austrian Audio will operate under DPA Microphones as the brands develop “a broader product range” and continue to “address the high end of the market”.
Read the full article. 
 
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Roger Linn on the ethics of gear remakes: “Asking my permission would be appreciated”In light of his essay about Behringer’s reinterpretation of his LinnDrum, Roger Linn has further spoken out about the importance of consent when it comes to gear emulations.
Roger Linn’s LinnDrum launched in 1982 via his Linn Electronics brand following its predecessor, the Linn LM-1, and marked the first drum machine to use samples of real drums. Behringer’s LM Drum landed back in December for $399, and was branded as a modern reinterpretation with extra features including MIDI support.

READ MORE: “No other company delivers as many innovative and affordable products as we do”: Behringer hits back at “vapourware” critics following NAMM 2025 announcement

Following Behringer’s emulation of the iconic drum machine, Linn penned an essay which he shared on his official website. Within it, Linn claimed that CEO Uli Behringer “never asked permission” to “copy my visual design or my drum sounds”, and went on to add, “I’d have preferred for Uli to ask my permission. Even if he thinks it is legal, I question whether it is ethical.”
Now, speaking to Attack Magazine, Linn says that getting involved with legal battles “doesn’t interest” him, and he’d rather put his passion into making instruments. He later adds, “One issue is whether it’s legal to copy any digital information that is copyrighted. The other issue is whether I have any interest in chasing down people who copy my sounds, which I haven’t so far because it’s not fun. My essay explains my thoughts on this.”
Asked what would be an ethical way for a company to remake another company’s product in his opinion, he simply responds, “Asking my permission would be appreciated.”

Back in September 2023, Linn’s LM-1 was revived as the Luma1 by Joe Britt, CEO of Afero in Silicon Valley. It was built with the approval of Linn himself, and fully recreates the original design of the LM-1. Speaking about this recreation with Attack, Linn says Britt “makes no money on it but rather created it just for fun” and that he is “happy to let them use the sounds.”
Behringer has run into similar predicament before in regards to its UB-Xa synth, which took inspiration from Oberheim’s OB-Xa. Tom Oberheim himself also released a response to the synth (similar to that of Linn), in which he clarified there was “no collaboration” between himself and the brand after Behringer alleged it had gotten consent from him. Behringer then stated the UB-Xa was “not a clone” and said it “clearly shared the plan for the UB-Xa synthesiser and received consent to use the trademark”.
In a Facebook post made four days ago (11 January), Behringer, without mentioning any of the synth makers it’s had recent disputes with, commented on the “misunderstanding about intellectual property and what it means”.
“IP refers to legally protected rights over creations, such as trademarks or patents,” the company wrote. “Unless these protections are registered, the content is typically in the public domain and free to use.
“This system is intentional. Society thrives on progress, and limiting rights to a few individuals or companies would stifle creativity. Imagine if only one company could produce cars or guitars – innovation would stall, and access would be restricted.
“If companies want to protect their IP, they must file for trademarks, patents, or other legal measures. At Music Tribe, we’ve done this with around 100 patents to safeguard our innovations.”
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CEO of AI music generation firm Suno claims majority of people don’t “enjoy” making musicSuno CEO Mikey Shulman has claimed that most people don’t actually “enjoy the majority of the time they spend making music”.
The AI music generation startup executive shares his controversial take on the creative process in a recent interview on the 20VC podcast, during which he asserts that music-making is “not really enjoyable” due to the amount of time and practice it demands.

READ MORE: Suno claims using copyrighted songs to train its AI model constitutes “fair use” 

Expounding on his vision for the future of music — one he believes Suno is poised to help realise — Shulman explains: “We didn’t just want to build a company that makes the current crop of creators 10 percent faster or makes it 10 percent easier to make music. If you want to impact the way a billion people experience music you have to build something for a billion people.”
“And so that is first and foremost giving everybody the joys of creating music and this is a huge departure from how it is now.”
According to Schulman, “It’s not really enjoyable to make music now… It takes a lot of time, it takes a lot of practice, you need to get really good at an instrument or really good at a piece of production software. I think the majority of people don’t enjoy the majority of the time they spend making music.”
Host Henry Stebbings then interjects, likening the music-making process to running, whereby things aren’t enjoyable at the start but ultimately become rewarding as people get better at it over time.
To this, the CEO counters, “Most people drop out of that pursuit because it was hard. And so I think that the people that you know that run, this is a highly biased selection of the population that fell in love with it.”
For many, Shulman’s comments underscore a fundamental misunderstanding of the creative process — where fulfilment is found not solely in the result, but in the very act of creation itself.
Describing Shulman’s interview as “very revealing”, one user on Twitter/ X wrote: “The solutionist language just doesn’t make sense for art, or for other things where the work is the enjoyment, but the tech companies seem stuck in their story”.

Oof. The founder of Suno really thinks this. It's very revealing. The solutionist language just doesn't make sense for art, or for other things where the work is the enjoyment, but the tech companies seem stuck in their story. https://t.co/6s3Zm9A2Kf
— Jack Stilgoe (@Jackstilgoe) January 12, 2025

Shulman’s provocative statements come at a time when Suno is facing significant legal challenges. The company, along with rival AI music generative platform Udio, is being sued by major record labels for alleged mass copyright infringement. The Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) has accused Suno of using copyrighted recordings without permission to train its AI models.
In response, Shulman claimed that Suno’s technology is “transformative” and “designed to generate completely new outputs, not to memorise and regurgitate pre-existing content”.
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Reloop’s new Keypad Pro is a compact DAW workstation with wireless MIDI and full Bitwig integrationReloop has announced the Keypad Pro, the brand’s latest compact DAW workstation with wireless MIDI capabilities and full plug-and-play Bitwig integration.
Billed as an “all-in-one solution for project studios and mobile use”, Keypad Pro features a 25-key velocity-sensitive mini keypad with integrated pitch bend and modulation wheels, and 16 velocity-sensitive, aftertouch-equipped RGB pads that can be used to trigger drum sounds or launch clips (play and stop).

READ MORE: “A collection of the greatest reverbs in recorded history”: Softube launches Dimensions reverb plugin

Eight full channel strips can be found in the control section, together with dedicated line faders, an endless encoder (pan), two potentiometers (send/return), and three illuminated function buttons (Channel, Solo, Rec).
The DAW section, meanwhile, features dedicated buttons for transport and key recording functions like Loop and Metronome. There’s also an OLED display for the real-time reference of parameters and settings, and a shift button for activating secondary functions.
As mentioned, the Keypad Pro is fully integrated into Bitwig Studio and works with the popular DAW via plug and-play. The controller is also MIDI-compatible with all major DAWs.
Image: Reloop
Connectivity wise, the Keypad Pro can be powered by batteries or USB, and connects to computers via a USB or wirelessly through Bluetooth MIDI. The device also features a Sustain pedal input and a 3.5mm MIDI out jack. Additional recording peripherals can be connected via the integrated passive USB hub (2x USB-A).
Users who purchase the Keypad Pro will also receive a comprehensive software package of plugins and samples as well: Bitwig Studio 8-Track DAW recording software, Loopcloud Studio with 4 million royalty-free samples in all popular genres (access for two months), Excite Audio Lifeline Expanse Lite multi-effects plugin, Melodics (40 free lessons) and a three-months free Serato Studio license.
The Keypad Pro is priced at $249/£219/€249.

Learn more at Reloop.
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IK Multimedia unveil the Tonex Cab The latest addition to the Tonex range introduces a FRFR cabinet that pairs with IK's hardware pedals — or indeed any amp-modelling hardware — and promises to deliver the most authentic-sounding amp tones available. 

“Not an instrument for the impatient and unforgiving”: Soma Laboratory’s Lyra-4 is a feral, affordable, drone monster£362 / $450 / €360, somasynths.com 
Who doesn’t love a good drone?
It’s incredible how much can be contained in the simple ringing-out of a few notes, or even just one. The exact timbre, gentle movement or how much dissonance there is between notes can communicate so much about the emotion, intention and style of a composition. Arguably, the company at the forefront of drone instruments is Soma Laboratory. You may have even spotted the company’s Lyra-8 in an Apple promo video a few years back.

READ MORE: These are the 10 best synthesizers of 2024, according to MusicTech’s reviewers

But niche, bespoke instruments like this can be pricey, with Lyra-8 clocking in at $800. Now, Soma has introduced a little sibling, Lyra-4 which, as you might have guessed, has half the voices, but also only costs $450.
Lyra-4 has four voices but, unlike your typical synthesizer, there’s no traditional keyboard. In fact, it’s not even pre-tuned to the Western equal temperament scale you’re probably accustomed to. Each voice is tuned manually using an unquantised knob, allowing you to explore microtonality and dissonance. But you can also just tune everything to octaves and fifths and play it safe, too.
The trick here is, of course, that you have to tune it yourself and it can be pretty fickle. If you plan to use Lyra-4 in combination with other melodic instruments, you’re gonna need a precise ear to ensure they’re in tune with each other. And even then, you’ll want to be aware that the oscillators on the Lyra can interact in unpredictable ways and have a tendency to drift. This is not an instrument for the impatient and unforgiving.
Our audio demos below should give you a strong idea of how gnarly this synth can get within a matter of seconds.

Taming the untamable
The raw sound of the oscillators is rich, but not in a way that might feel familiar. It has more in common with the unstable tones of early electronic music experiments than it does with the thick analogue titans we’re used to. Almost everything about this instrument feels like it was inspired more by the test equipment-equipped studios of the 50s and 60s, like the BBC Radiophonic Workshop, rather than a Moog or a Buchla.
Most modern synth conventions are simply thrown out the window. There’s no ADSR envelope (only a fast and slow switch), no filter cutoff, and even familiar modules like the LFO are presented in near-inscrutable ways. There are countless opportunities for feedback loops and self-oscillation, and the entire sound design philosophy here is about exploring the unpredictable results of smashing two barely-contained analogue signals into each other. The Lyra series is Soma Laboratory fully embracing the ‘labs’ part of its name.
What elevates Lyra from a simple noise maker to a future classic space drone machine is how all the individual pieces come together. It’s the way the effects of the modulator decrease in FM mode as the envelope decays. It’s the way two voices rub against each other creating new harmonic (and inharmonic) tones due to the inability for them to be accurately in tune with each other. It’s the tortured howls you get from cranking the distortion and delay. And it’s the sci-fi sound effects you get from pitting the various modulation sources against each other.
Image: Terrence O’Brien
All of these parts are meant to be played, to be interactive. Lyra isn’t the sort of instrument where you dial in a patch, pick your modulation settings, set your delay levels and play a melody. The movement and musicality come as much from turning the knobs and flipping the switches as it does from triggering notes.
With multiple modulation sources, a brutal distortion circuit and lo-fi delay, Lyra-4 has an ample array of sound shaping processes built in. But if you want to try and tame some of its more barbed qualities, external effects are a must. On its own Lyra doesn’t really do gentle particularly well, but with some fully-wet reverb and creamy chorus you can create atmospheres that are destined for the next instalment in the Alien franchise.
Visceral hardware
The hardware is also an integral part of the Lyra-4 experience. For one, it is a substantial instrument that matches its heavyweight sound. It’s all metal, with sturdy knobs and switches that deliver a satisfying thunk when flipped. But just as important are the four sensors for triggering the voices. They consist of a pair of contacts and you have to physically close the circuit between them by touching them (or laying something conductive on top of them like a coin). Because you’re literally closing an electrical circuit, the way you touch those contacts, and even the moisture on your skin, impacts how the note sounds. This is the closest a synthesizer gets to recreating the interaction you get with a stringed instrument like a guitar or violin.
Image: Terrence O’Brien
Add to this the fact that Lyra-4 is a noisy beast and you have one of the most visceral instruments available today. It crackles with life even when you’re not touching it. Lower voices bleed in when you trigger the higher-pitched ones. Soma Labs describes both Lyras as ‘organismic’ synthesizers, their design inspired by the nervous systems of living things. Inside is a chaotic network of interconnected parts that, on their own, might seem familiar to your average synth enthusiast, but the final product is something uncontrollable.
Sure, you can try to shepherd the Lyra-4 to where you want it, but ultimately it’s going to do what it wants to do. You can’t even use the CV input on the back to play specific notes, and instead, it simply replaces the LFO as a modulation source for your voices.
For some of you, this will sound like an absolute nightmare. Less like an instrument, and more like a failed assemblage of components that has aspirations to synthdom. Lyra undoubtedly won’t be for everyone, and if it’s not for you there’s no shame in that. For others, though, the allure will be undeniable.
Lyra-4 is feral and physical in a way that other synths can only dream of being. And, unlike its bigger sibling, it’s priced so that even drone fiends on a budget can indulge their wild side.

Key features

4 freely-tunable analogue oscillators
Organ and FM synthesis modes
Complex dual LFO
Hold / drone mode
Digital delay with modulation
Analogue distortion
Vibrato
2 CV inputs
Dimensions: 241 х 203 х 62 mm
Weight: 1.2 kg

The post “Not an instrument for the impatient and unforgiving”: Soma Laboratory’s Lyra-4 is a feral, affordable, drone monster appeared first on MusicTech.

How YouTube Works for MusicThis week, Ari is joined by George Karalexis & Donna Budica, the co-founders of TEN2 Media, to discuss YouTube growth and monetization.

Biden admin’s final rule banning Chinese connected cars also bars robotaxi testing on U.S. roadsThe U.S. Department of Commerce announced a final rule Tuesday that would ban the sale or import of connected vehicles from China and Russia due to national security concerns. The rule would also bar Chinese car companies, such as WeRide and Pony AI, from testing self-driving cars on U.S. roads.  “China is trying to dominate […]
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Ripple execs lash out at SEC’s refusal to postpone appeal filingAccording to Ripple’s chief legal officer, the SEC will continue with its appeal of a judgment in the civil case despite Chair Gary Gensler stepping down in six days.

Audio on a Shoestring: DIY Your Own Studio-Grade MicWhen it comes to DIY projects, nothing beats the thrill of crafting something that rivals expensive commercial products. In the microphone build video below, [Electronoobs] found himself inspired by DIY Perks earlier efforts. He took on the challenge of building a $20 high-quality microphone—a budget-friendly alternative to models priced at $500. The result: an engaging and educational journey that has it’s moments of triumph, it’s challenges, and of course, opportunities for improvement.
The core of the build lies in the JLI-2555 capsule, identical to those found in premium microphones. The process involves assembling a custom PCB for the amplifier, a selection of high-quality capacitors, and designing lightweight yet shielded wiring to minimize noise. [Electronoobs] also demonstrates the importance of a well-constructed metal mesh enclosure to eliminate interference, borrowing techniques like shaping mesh over a wooden template and insulating wires with ultra-thin enamel copper. While the final build does not quite reach the studio-quality level and looks of the referenced DIY Perks’ build, it is an impressive attempt to watch and learn from.
The project’s key challenge here would be achieving consistent audio quality. The microphone struggled with noise, low volume, and single-channel audio, until [Electronoobs] made smart modifications to the shielded wiring and amplification stages. Despite the hurdles, the build stands as an affordable alternative with significant potential for refinement in future iterations.

Ditto hails ‘extraordinary growth’ amid global expansion as firm surpasses 2m registered artistsDitto hit the 1 million user mark in July 2023
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Hackaday Europe 2025 Tickets on Sale, and CFP Extended Until FridayWe’re opening up shop for Hackaday Europe, so get your tickets now! We’ve managed to get the ticket price down a bit this year, so you can join in all the fun for $145. And if you’re reading this right now, snap up one of the $75 early bird tickets as fast as you can.
Hackaday Europe is going down again in Berlin this year, on March 15th and 16th at MotionLab. It’s going to be a day and a half of presentations, lightning talks, badge hacking, workshops, and more. This is where Hackaday hangs out in person, and it’s honestly just a great time – if your idea of a great time is trading favorite PCB design tricks, crafting crufty code, and generally trading tales of hardware derring-do.
In short, it’s the best of Hackaday, live and in person. Throughout the weekend, all the meals are catered, we’ve got live music at night, and the soldering irons will be warmed up for you. It’s going to be great!
If you’re in town on Friday the 14th, we’ll be meeting up in the evening to get together over some pre-event food and drink, sponsored by Crowd Supply. It’s a nice opportunity to break the ice, get to know the people you’re going to be spending the next 48 hours with, and just mingle without missing that great talk or wonderful workshop.
The Badge
The badge is a showpiece of SAOs – the simple add-ons that we were cheekily calling “Supercon Add Ons” a couple months ago. For Supercon, we just exposed the I2C busses and GPIOs, flashed Micropython on the thing, and let you go wild. For Europe, the badge is going to have re-vamped firmware, and the range of SAOs that we’re including in the bag has gone bonkers.
You see, we held this Supercon Add-On Contest, and the winners were insane. Plus, we’ve got the Supercon-issue touch wheel, LED spiral, and CH32V003 prototyping boards. Did we mention that the badge can flash them through the SAO port?

And we would be remiss if we didn’t encourage you to take the step into making your own SAO to bring and trade with others. An SAO doesn’t have to be complicated to be cool. Just a good idea, and some time spent designing a PCB, getting it fabricated, assembling it, programming it, maybe debugging it, perhaps making a jig and some tooling to help you with the short production run… OK, who are we kidding? It’s a low-stakes, lighthearted look at the full-stack of hardware creation. Pick a meme, or do something unique, and get a small batch made. The experience is worth even more than the smiles you’ll put on all of our faces.
CFP Extended
Procrastineers, rejoice! Today marks the official end of the call for proposals, but since we always do, we’re extending it a bit. If you’ve been thinking about giving a talk, and just never reached activation energy, it’s now or never! Draft up an abstract and get it in before the clock strikes metaphorical midnight on Friday.
Everyone Can Participate
But it’s not just speakers who can bring something to show off at Hackaday Europe 2025. We’ve got lightning talks going on Sunday morning after brunch and before the badge hack showcase. The whole event is an informal show-and-tell anyway, because people always bring whatever they’re working on, or have just finished, to demo to a like-minded crowd. And on that note, if you want to bring something that’s cool but takes up more space than a breadbox, let us know by sending an e-mail to editor@Hackaday.com with [Hackaday Europe] in the subject line. We’ll try to find space for you.
But to join in, you’ve got to be there. Get your tickets now and we’ll see you in Berlin!

Sony Music cancels all Grammy Week events, redirects efforts and funds to wildfire relief efforts in Los AngelesSony Music is canceling all of its events during Grammy Week and redirecting its efforts and funds to wildfire relief efforts in Los Angeles. The major becomes the latest to confirm that its Grammy-related events will not be going ahead this year amid the devastating wildfires that continue to burn in Los Angeles County. The … Continued
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Vintage launch Retro Series amps Vintage have announced the launch of a new collection of modelling amps that recreate a range of sought-after classic sounds and include a set of built-in effects.

Chartmetric 2024 Report: new Superstars, Glocalization, MoreDiscover the highlights from the Chartmetric 2024 Report including new superstars, trigger cities, glocalization and more: One of several shockers: of the 11 million Spotify profiles tracked by Chartmetric, only 1.58 million (14%) have more than 10 listeners per month.
The post Chartmetric 2024 Report: new Superstars, Glocalization, More appeared first on Hypebot.