The biggest music technology convention on the planet is fast arriving. The NAMM Show 2025 will promise — as it does every year — thousands of product demos, a plethora of performances from acclaimed artists, more talks and panels than you can possibly attend, and a healthy dose of sensory overload.

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At the Anaheim Convention Centre in California, you’ll see guitars, synths, drum machines, brass instruments, audio interfaces, monitors, metronomes and more. There are 3,500 music companies exhibiting this year, so there’s plenty of exciting news for all kinds of musicians, DJs, and producers.

The NAMM Show is officially exhibiting on 23 January 2025, with a press preview day on 22 January, but there will be tons of product announcements in the weeks and days leading up to the big day.

MusicTech will be on the show floor when it kicks off, but here’s a glimmer of the major moments we expect to see.

Behringer’s back

Uli Behringer’s audio brand has been a famous absence at previous NAMMs, even parodying the conference with a mock BAMM Show in ‘Banaheim’ in 2020. Now, after 10 years, the company, and other companies in its Music Tribe group, will return to showcase “groundbreaking new products”, plus the chance to chat with founder Uli Behringer and his team.

Behringer’s synth launches are often hot news in the studio world. The German company has become notorious for releasing budget-friendly synthesizers that are heavily inspired by vintage synths that are expensive to pick up second-hand. Though its practices have been touted as controversial, many customers have praised Behringer for offering iterations of coveted synths at a lower price. We’re expecting Behringer to show off a few of its recent synths and perhaps announce some new ones.

“We are back at NAMM after ten years!” said the brand on social media. “Don’t miss the chance to meet Uli and the team, and be among the first to experience our groundbreaking new products!”

Aston Microphones, TC Electronic, Midas, Tannoy and more Music Tribe brands will be exhibiting, too.

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And Fender, too…

Fender took a four-year leave of absence from NAMM, having last exhibited in 2020’s edition. Much has happened since that time — including an acquisition of music tech brand PreSonus. Fender’s CEO Andy Mooney has promised some exciting new drops at NAMM, so we’ll be eager to see whether we’ll see some updates to PreSonus’ gear lineup and its beloved DAW, Studio One.

Stevie Wonder

Almost every year, Stevie Wonder heads to The NAMM Show (and occasionally the AES Show in New York), to scope out the latest innovations in music. Of course, as Mayor of the NAMM Show, it’s only fitting that he checks in to see how his tinker town of music gear is keeping.

Last year, we spotted him checking out new products by Beyerdynamic and Teenage Engineering. We wonder what will pique the music icon’s interest this year?

Artificial Intelligence

The most exhausting and exciting innovation in music production over the past couple of years has been Artificial Intelligence. For better or worse, AI has been cropping up in plugins, DAWs, music distribution services, vocal processing platforms and more. Though hailed by some as a creative boon and by others a creative nuisance, it appears that AI is here to stay, which leaves music makers and manufacturers in the precarious position of navigating this new landscape.

At NAMM 2025, various events challenge the topic of AI, from panels with the likes of Jordan Rudess on Exploring the Potential of AI in Live Music Performances, to workshops with Chris and Tom Lord-Alge on Commanding Your Career in the Age of Atmos, AI and Beyond.

It’s inevitable, too, that you’ll see a whole bunch of new plugins and hardware that come equipped with AI algorithms to enhance whatever task they’re designed to do. And who knows what else? Hell, there was even a smart BBQ with generative AI announced at CES.

Synths, synths and more synths

From bespoke modular synths to futuristic software synths, you can definitely expect a plethora of synth drops at NAMM. We’re yet to hear any rumours from legendary names in the space like Oberheim and Moog — who have previously shown off flagship synths at the show — but we have no doubt that there’ll be some pretty noteworthy unveilings nonetheless.

One area that’s always a blast is the Korg booth; the brand often displays prototypes, reissues of classics, and more wacky designs. We’ll definitely be passing through there.

Spatial audio events

Yep, people are still talking about spatial audio. Dolby Atmos and Sony 360 Reality Audio are still the leading formats in the space (pun intended) and we’ve seen a lot of home audio devices integrate the tech for a novel listening experience. It’s still an area in development and perhaps hasn’t convinced everyone of its prowess yet, but we’re certain that there’ll be a ton of workshops, some new spatial audio plugins, and more audio devices that support the format.

Last year, this writer sat in an egg-shaped chair that had spatial audio… It was actually pretty cool.

Innovations in the live sound space

Touring and gigging have always been crucial components of an artist’s success. But with the decline in physical music sales, many artists are relying on live show revenue more than ever. That means more extravagant shows and listening experiences, which consequently puts pressure on live sound teams to build, produce and engineer shows with more precision and versatility. We wager that a few live sound brands will have some slick resolutions to these modern challenges.

Speaking to TPi Magazine, NAMM President and CEO John Mlynczak says: “People want the highest quality at the lowest weight because of the associated cost increases with trucking equipment from gig to gig. There is also a push for safer rigging systems. As a result of these trends, we are seeing a lot more companies showing the innovation that is driving their technology… One of the other aspects we’ve seen in the live industry is the increased pressure professionals are facing to create a perfect listening space. Increasingly, audiences are demanding flawless audio environments in venues that were never designed for live music.”

A-list artist performances

NAMM is always rife with talented artist performances, whether it’s at the Hilton Hotel nearby, at a random gear booth, or on many of the surrounding stages at the Anaheim Convention Center. This year’s show will have over 170 acts play on the stages around the Center, with three particular noteworthy performances.

Jack White, who has been announced as the winner of the NAMM TEC Award, will headline the awards show on 23 January. Meanwhile, Jacob Collier will perform onstage at NAMM’s Grand Rally for Music Education on 25 January, and Peter Frampton will be an integral part of the NAMM Global Media Day.

More focus on music marketing than usual

This year, NAMM has expanded to a five-day event rather than its usual four-day format. The first two days (21 and 22 January) will play host to the NAMM Marketing Summit. Here, musicians, manufacturers and other industry professionals can attend workshops on digital marketing, business development and content creation.

Keep up to date with NAMM news and more on MusicTech.

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