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The holiday season may be over, but the unwrapping of what the year has in store for the music industry is just beginning at NAMM 2026 at the Anaheim Convention Center. If you’re sitting at the edge of your seat looking for the latest in workstations, synths and MIDI controllers to DJ gear, you’ve come to the right place.
Instead of throwing some spec analysis together and calling it a day, we want to give you a musician’s perspective on why we’d want this gear and why you would as well. Numbers are nice, but it’s ultimately about that connection you feel with your gear as you create. We’d like to focus on the factors that will make this gear an everyday player, as opposed to glorified decor gathering dust because it seemed cooler on paper.
This guide takes you through all your favorite brands in alphabetical order, so it’s easy to find your gear of choice. The Guitar Center team, myself included, will be on the convention floor gathering the latest info to update this article with all the details that matter most to players and producers. So, stay tuned and hit that refresh button as the convention goes on for our Notes From the Floor updates.
Table of Contents
New Keyboards, Synths, DJ Gear and More at NAMM 2026
Akai Professional
AlphaTheta
Arturia
KORG
Nord
RANE
Reloop
Yamaha
This Is Only the Beginning
New Keyboards, Synths, DJ Gear and More at NAMM 2026
Akai Professional
Akai’s sole contribution this year is a big one: the aptly named MPC XL. It’s huge in every conceivable way—extra-large storage, processing power, RAM, touchscreen and substantial presence with a comprehensive control surface that makes it that much quicker to get to what you need. Even if you’re totally new to the world of MPC, don’t be intimidated by the vast expanse of buttons, four-quadrant MPCe pads and knobs. Think of them as shortcuts, and the learning curve is actually less than previous models.
Shop Now: Akai Professional MPC XL Standalone Production Workstation
Say “good riddance” to the conventional limits of standalone production, and skirt past clunky menu-diving workflows—this is a thoughtfully designed, true studio centerpiece with a formidable DAW and plug-in selection that is ready to take on some epically massive projects. Oh, and did I mention the all-new Pro Stems functionality? Ready, set, sample!
AlphaTheta
AlphaTheta’s showing up to the party with a couple of intriguing pieces of DJ gear. Let’s start with the long-awaited sequel to the first-of-its-kind Pioneer DJ RMX-1000 effector, which launched in 2012. Enter the AlphaTheta RMX-IGNITE. It assumes you’ve got your baseline DJ rig—two CDJs plus a mixer, or a standalone unit—covered. RMX-INGITE is for pro and aspirational DJs who are serious about taking their effects workflow to the next level. Its signature 3-Band FX section lets you overdub samples and impart deep manipulation with either Level FX or Isolate FX, with some hefty DSP power under the hood.
Shop Now: AlphaTheta RMX-IGNITE Remix Station and DJ Effects Processor
Notes from the Floor:
"AlphaTheta was the first booth I checked out—I had to get my hands on the RMX-IGNITE, and wasn’t disappointed. As a drummer, when I saw the 808 Drums preset on the screen, Sample Triggers A–D were calling my name. I’m pleased to say I could easily treat it like a drum machine, and the pads felt great—Sample Roll let me throw in fills per the corresponding time signature button. And within a minute, I was intuitively applying Echo, Reverse and Stretch to the mix easier than ever before with the Lever FX paddles." - Drew Beaupré (Longform Copy Manager)
Next up is the DJM-V5 mixer, which comes in as the most advanced three-channel mixer on the market. “Why three channels?” you ask. Let’s say you’ve got a two-channel workflow, whether that be with a pair of turntables or CDJs. Now, you can add a mic, sampler, acapella deck, DVS loop deck or a drum machine into the mix—without the full-sized bulk and cost of a four-channel chassis. Add in a state-of-the-art effects section and ultralow-latency wireless SonicLink compatibility for immediate untethered monitoring, and you’ve got yourself a new industry-standard three-channel mixer platform.
Shop Now: AlphaTheta DJM-V5 3-Channel DJ Mixer
Arturia
The designers at Arturia have a knack for creating products that easily outperform their price tags. Purchasing their products almost feels wrong, given what you’re getting for your buck. Take the KeyLab Essential mk3 49- and 61-key models, for instance. The juxtaposition of beautifully, intuitively distilled controls and deep integration with the included Analog Lab V software, Native Instruments Komplete Select and custom scripts for major DAWs makes it a tempting option, whether you’re a beginner looking for your first studio centerpiece or you already have a flagship-level keyboard several times its value. Not to enable your GAS (Gear Acquisition Syndrome) or anything.
At NAMM 2026, you’ll find the unveiling of two lovely, limited-edition pastel colorways of this home studio staple: Rose Quartz and Aquamarine.
Shop Now: Arturia KeyLab Essential 49 mk3 MIDI Controller in Aquamarine
KORG
I’ll be honest—I needed to do a double-take on this curious little trinket. The phase8, KORG Berlin’s first release several years in the making under Tatsuya Takahashi’s tutelage, is particularly rousing because it’s a synth that marries the instrument categories of electronic and acoustic—as in mechanical components that create sound. It’s such a novelty that unabashedly dives headfirst into uncharted territory. In other words, I’ll have to get my hands on one as soon as possible. And, if you love making and manipulating sounds enough to read this, you’ll very likely want to do the same.
Shop Now: KORG phase8 8-voice Acoustic Synthesizer
Notes from the Floor:
"Just as I’d seen in the photos, the phase8 I stepped up to at the KORG booth had an array of curious items next to it—such as rocks, metal bolts and magnetic odds and ends—and a wood chip already on the resonators. Just as one would expect on an acoustic instrument, the sound became tighter and less resonant when there was something on it, and it behaved differently depending on the weight, density and shape of that object and where it was placed. When I set a rock on the edge of the resonators, the broken-up distortion was wild. But my favorite was pulling a magnetic object away from it. The “boing!” was trippy and endlessly addictive, and doing it on beat, playing with the Depth knob, got the creative juices flowing." - Drew Beaupré
This next one’s sure to be yet another crowd favorite among kinesthetic tinkerers of all kinds, no matter what your instrument of choice is. Equally at home on a DJ table, guitarist’s rig or vocalist’s studio desk, the much-anticipated KAOSS Pad V introduces a dual-touch tactile component to your slew of built-in effects: harmonizer, robotic vibes, pitch tools—virtually anything, really. That includes a curated collection of favorites from previous KAOSS generations. If you, ahem, dislike menu diving as much as I do, and prefer to express yourself with gestures, you’ll love adding a touch of KAOSS to your sound.
Shop Now: KORG KAOSS Pad V
Nord
On to those red keyboards that can make any pianist green with envy. Who other than Nord? The latest series from the coolly iconic Swedish manufacturer is the handmade Electro 7, which includes 61- and 73-key semi-weighted waterfall models, plus the HP (Hammer Action Portable 73) sporting—you guessed it—a 73-key Kawai hammer-action keybed. What makes the Nord Electro 7 series special is its mighty new Synth Section, per-section effects and ultrasleek design featuring a hi-res display. And with its embarrassment of wealth in instruments, like Organ and Rotary Speaker taken from the Nord Organ 3, I’d happily take any of these red sonic chameleons to the studio or stage any day.
Shop Now: Nord Electro 7 61-Key Digital Piano
Notes from the Floor:
"I spent some with the Nord Electro 7 61, and right from the get-go, its easy feel and vast expressiveness blew me away. Blending the piano, synth and organ together, while manipulating Rotary Speaker and Effects parameters—especially cycling through amp simulators—drew melodies out of my fingers like opening a tap. Instant inspiration." - Drew Beaupré
RANE
Let me let you in on some “insider” perspective that teeters on the edge of gossip. Last year, when I interviewed product design leads Chris Roman and Jason Stout on the development and feature set of the RANE ONE MKII Serato controller, which is a remarkable piece of gear in its own right, they couldn’t hold back some palpable excitement about another product in the pipeline: the SYSTEM ONE. Now we’re seeing why.
Shop Now: RANE SYSTEM ONE Standalone Motorized DJ System
Stout mentioned that when conceiving the SYSTEM ONE, RANE laid out their manifesto: “Let's give it a screen. Let's give it an internal system menu. Let's give it effects so that the DJ doesn't have to rely on software effects if they don't want to.” And that’s exactly what they did. The SYSTEM ONE is RANE’s first fully standalone piece of gear—boasting an impressive assortment of built-in effects, turntable-like motorized platters and Stems functionality. That alone makes it the ultimate modern scratch DJ’s playground. Oh, and it’s got Engine DJ on board, plus compatibility with Philips Hue and Nanoleaf smart lighting. As I’ve been saying a lot as of late, “What a time to be alive.”
Notes from the Floor:
"It “felt right” immediately. The SYSTEM ONE’s eerily true-to-vinyl feel on motorized platters aside, the control surface just made sense. The touchscreen with vertical colored waveforms scrolling up the display, intuitive Stems controls, pads and FX section with paddle manipulation made it easy to get the song elements I wanted and twist them into the sound I wanted. And, of course, it’s a RANE. It’s got a top-shelf feel to every component, from the MAG FOUR XF crossfader to ultraprecise track scrubbing on the touch display. In this case, what’s good on paper is great in practice." - Drew Beaupré
Reloop
It’s been suspiciously quiet on the turntable front for a while. Too quiet. Reloop is obliterating that silence with the direct-drive RP5000MK4, featuring a new brushless DC motor, industry-standard high torque and die-cast aluminum platters. And structurally, its new-and-improved chassis ups its damping and anti-vibration factors. I’d give this a serious look as either a turntablist DJ or simply a vinyl enthusiast who wants to indulge in an elevated experience without breaking the bank.
Shop Now: Reloop RP-5000 MK4 Direct-Drive DJ Turntable
Yamaha
Sometimes you need something purpose-built for learning, writing, practice and convenient, informal performance. Yamaha’s new PSR-E483 and PSR‑E583 keyboards—the latter having more voices, expression options and built-in speaker output—fit the bill perfectly. With their Auto Chord Play feature, beginning keyboardists can learn their way around the keybed, while the looper is great for both learning complex passages and recording chord progressions and rhythms.
What’s more, MIDI Song to Style converts MIDI song files into accompaniment played on the instrument while you play your own parts. If I had to learn all over again, I would love to have these features at my fingertips.
Shop Now: Yamaha PSR-E583 61-Key Portable Keyboard
This Is Only the Beginning
NAMM is the kickoff for a ton of exciting new gear, and we can’t wait to see what you do with it. We’ll continue to update this article, as well as ones for acoustic and electric guitars, guitar amps and pedals, pro audio, bass gear and drums throughout Winter NAMM 2026 in Southern California. As always, our helpful Gear Advisers are happy to answer any questions you may have about any gear that’s caught your eyes and ears.
Want the latest on NAMM 2026 releases? Don't miss out on the rest of our coverage: