NAMM 2019 News & Videos

BPB is at the 2019 NAMM Show, all geared up and ready to share the latest music technology news with you boys and girls. Read the article below to stay up to date with this year’s biggest highlights and subscribe to our YouTube channel to see all the freshest videos from this year’s show. By the way, not subscribed yet? What the hell, dude?

As always, I’ll be bringing my trusty camera to every last corner of the Anaheim Convention Center in search of cool new products. Whether it’s a couple of brand new Korg Volcas (hint #1), an affordable modular system from Teenage Engineering (hint #2), or a super-secret analog synthesizer from Yamaha (that’s just a bluff), you’ll find a demo of it on our YouTube channel. So check out some of the highlights below and proceed to YouTube for more 2019 NAMM Show goodness.

Thanks to our sponsors at Pluginboutique and Loopcloud for their continued support.

AKAI Force

The standalone sampler/sequencer by AKAI was announced a few days before the 2019 NAMM Show, but it was still exciting to see and hear this music production powerhouse in action. Enjoy the excellent AKAI Force presentation and performance by Andy Mac in the video above.

Teenage Engineering Pocket Operator Modular 400

We got an exclusive look at the new Pocket Operator Modular 400 by Teenage Engineering, far away from the hustle and bustle of the Anaheim Convention Center. If you’re a fan of modular synthesis, DIY kits, and instruments that can almost fit a pocket (or at least a backpack in this case), you will love the Modular 400. Thanks to Teenage Engineering for the fun demo, these guys are doing it right.

Arturia MicroFreak

Arturia expands their range of affordable hardware synthesizers with the MicroFreak, a digital synthesizer with an analog filter. It is a super compact hardware synth with a wide sonic range and plenty of performance features to play around with. Enjoy another great presentation by Sébastien Rochard in the video above.

Korg Volca Modular

The most exciting product in Korg’s lineup of portable synthesizer boxes is the new Volca Modular. When the first rumors about a modular Volca started a couple of months before NAMM everyone thought they’re nothing more than a joke. As it turns out, Korg was busy working on a versatile modular synthesizer that shares the same footprint as the other Volcas. It’s tiny yet super fun to use. Impressive!

Waldorf Kyra

Another new product that was announced ahead of NAMM but unveiled at the show. Kyra is a desktop synthesizer with advanced wavetable oscillators which are oversampled to prevent aliasing. It also comes with a versatile modulation section and numerous built-in effects. Not to mention that it looks absolutely gorgeous!

Elektron Model:Samples

Quite a few people at the show told me that they’re underwhelmed with Elektron’s latest offering. I guess everyone was expecting something that aimed the higher tier of the market. On the other hand, I was rather impressed by Model:Samples. An affordable sampler with all the sequencing goodness we’re used to seeing in Elektron machines. What’s not to like? This one is surely becoming a part of my hardware setup.