The Best and Worst of NAMM 2025 in Synths: Tops and Flops
The biggest hits and misses of a frenetic week in California
4,1 / 5,0 | 
With NAMM 2025 behind us, I take a look at the synth-related high and low points of another momentous week in Anaheim and beyond!
My colleague Lasse has already covered the post-NAMM synth-specific event, “Buchla & Friends”, so I will be looking at NAMM specifically, just in case any of you were about to leave a comment scalding me for leaving that excellent event out!
The Best and Worst of NAMM 2025
Behringer
For the first time in a decade, Behringer, or more to the point Music Tribe, the parent company, returned to the main NAMM show, and they did so with some aplomb! They had a giant, two-level stand with sections dedicated to all of Music Tribe’s main brands.
As far as synths go, it is fair to say that they stole the show, if not just the headlines in all the music tech press (including ourselves), with the surprise debut of their BX-1 synthesizer. This recreation of Yamaha’s former FM flagship, the DX1, came completely out of left field and got the place buzzing.
Many of us half suspected they would do this, given that they’d bought Tears For Fears old DX1 in an auction, but there had been no leaks, so it really made an impact. Also on show were two non-functioning upcoming synths, the JT-16 and Pro-16, respectively.
It was a shame they weren’t playable, but it was nice to see them in the flesh. Working versions of all the latest gear were there, such as the Wave and LM Drum. A lot of people also missed the fact that they had their CZ-1 Mini synth on show, too! The main man, Uli, didn’t seem to be around the main show floor much, but he was there. One assumes he was wheeling and dealing in the background.
So, there were some highs and lows on the stand, but what was most disappointing, or maybe predictable, was the apparent media blindness to their stand. Countless videos and articles on NAMM 25 and barely any of the synth-related ones even acknowledged Music Tribe’s existence.
Maybe this is a reaction to the fact that Music Tribe, and the Behringer brand specifically, refuse to engage with the media in the normal way. They repeatedly accuse the press of unfair practices when it comes to reviews and therefore don’t supply the press with review units.
Could this be the music press sticking two fingers up at Behringer now that they deem it favourable to attend the world’s largest music trade show? Or could it be that beyond the BX-1, there was nothing else new to show and hear? It remains to be seen if Behringer will attend Superbooth, but I hope they’re considering it. Maybe it’s time for us all to call a truce? Let me know in the comments.
The Big Guns
NAMM used to be the place where all the manufacturers would debut their stunning new gear at the start of the year and have us all salivating in anticipation. Not so much these days, as Superbooth has really stolen the crown in that regard. And the lack of anything interesting from the likes of Roland, Yamaha & KORG that we weren’t already aware of was somewhat deflating.
Roland was showing off their marvellous new V-Stage keyboards, KORG had their new KRONOS, the miniKORG 700Sm and multi/poly module, and Yamaha had… well, they had… Montage M again? Business as usual from the Big Three from Japan, it would seem.
Ashun Sound Machines made it nearly six years without anything new other than an alternative Hydrasynth form factor and I did tease their reps about the fabled Leviasynth which, thankfully, they took in good spirits!
Companies like Arturia were only present for private, scheduled meetings with dealers and retailers, so one might assume they got a sneak peek at their roadmap for 2025. After a very busy 2024, celebrating their silver jubilee, I guess things in Grenoble are plodding on at a much slower pace this year.
Moog Music, and the rest of the inMusic collective trotted out their latest trinkets, but again, nothing new and exciting, although their Mariana plugin did win a TEC Award. All in all, it just seemed that as far as synths went from the big brands, it was purely more of the same. Let’s hope Superbooth is the antidote to this apparent apathy.
The Fact NAMM Went Ahead At All!
We can’t ignore the fact that weeks before NAMM started, L.A. and the surrounding area had suffered the worst wildfires in their history and hundreds of thousands of people lost everything or were displaced because of them.
The music community rallied around, and NAMM got the green light because of its location in Anaheim, some way away from the affected areas. Many people reconsidered their plans, but luckily, most, if not all, attended and almost certainly gave the local economy a much-needed boost.
Our thoughts went out to the locals during the fires, and still do as many people look to rebuild and get back to work. Many studios and many pieces of gear were lost, but on the upside, many were saved or spared, so there is much to be thankful for.
The Return of Modal Electronics
I say “the return” but it may well be more accurate to say “The Continued Presence of…”. Credit where credit is due. Those behind the rebuilding of Modal Electronics as a viable operation deserve gold medals. There were too many good people and some brilliant products that needed to continue and they have finally turned the corner.
The brand was back at NAMM with their latest synth, the CARBON8, both in keyboard and module form, and the reviews have been incredibly favourable. When we are seeing companies disappear with alarming rapidity, Modal’s survival is a story that should be celebrated. Long live Modal!
In Conclusion
Well, that’s NAMM done for another year and it’s great to see it back to its big, bad self after the pandemic years. Here’s to NAMM 2026 and let’s not forget that show season is just getting started. We’ve got Synth East in the U.K. in February, run by Robin Vincent, formerly of this parish.
Then we have the mighty Superbooth in Berlin in May, and other events will be happening on an almost monthly basis right up until the winter months approach us again. I hope to see some of you at these events, so do come and say hi! I’ll be in Norwich for Synth East, Berlin for Superbooth, Cambridge for Synthesized and Sheffield for SynthFest U.K.
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One response to “The Best and Worst of NAMM 2025 in Synths: Tops and Flops”
Eh, nothing from Yamaha… So sad…