The Best & Weirdest Gear I Tried at NAMM 2026

NAMM 2026 has come and gone, and after spending three full days on the show floor, these were the synths, samplers, and genuinely weird experiments that stood out to me the most.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LCNabTRL4vQ

Casio SX-C1 Sampler

One of the most requested things for me to check out at NAMM this year was the new Casio sampler, so I made sure to spend some time with it.

This is a small, portable sampler with a retro, almost Game Boy–style design, paired with a surprisingly powerful sequencer under the hood. What really surprised me was how samples behaved during live playback. Instead of triggering immediately, samples launch in sync with the BPM, almost like clip launching in Ableton Live. You’re not technically in a pattern mode, but everything still snaps to the grid. That made it feel very musical and performance-friendly right away.

The UI was simple but functional. There are two circular controls dedicated to effects and a powerful sequencer you can program using the pads and screen. There were a few missing sampler features, like chromatic sample playback, making this feel more like a work in progress then final design. To Casio’s credit, they were very upfront about that. This unit is still being tested with the market. There’s no confirmed price yet, and they did mention the OS isn’t finished.

As for who this is for, I could see it working well as a beginner-friendly sampler with strong live performance potential. At the same time, the sequencer feels deep enough to interest more advanced beatmakers. It sits somewhere in the same conversation as devices like the Roland P-6 or Teenage Engineering EP-133, depending on where the final feature set and price land.

I enjoyed my time with it, but I walked away with more questions than answers. If this gets fully fleshed out, it could be something special. Right now, it feels like potential more than a finished product.

Akai MPC Live 3

I originally went to the Akai booth planning to check out the MPC XL, but they only had two on display with a massive line to try it, so I went over the the Live 3's to try them out.

The first thing that surprised me was how good the pads felt. I also really liked the new pad layout, where each pad can be divided into four zones. That opens up a lot of creative programming options. The updated step sequencer was another highlight and felt very immediate.

What also stood out was just how much is packed into this thing. Between the synth engines, effects, and third-party plugins, it really feels like a full DAW in a sampler format. That’s part of why I’d avoided modern MPCs in the past, but seeing it in person made me rethink that a bit.

In terms of who this is for, it’s kind of for everyone. Beatmakers, sound designers, live performers. Where it fits for me is as a potential brain for a DAWless setup or a grab-and-go music station. The built-in speaker is genuinely useful, especially as a busy parent. Being able to sketch ideas on the couch for five minutes and expand them later in the studio is really appealing.

I can't help but feel after the 5 minute demo that I barely scratched the surface of what it can do. Five minutes on a noisy show floor isn’t enough to understand something this deep. But it left me more curious than skeptical, which surprised me.

Stylophone VOICE

Another piece of gear that really surprised me was the Stylophone VOICE.

This is a very budget-friendly sampler coming in around fifty dollars, and for that price, it’s doing some genuinely fun things. I stopped by because Stylophone announced they were working on a sampler, and after checking out a few of their instruments last year, I was curious where they’d take it.

The workflow is intentionally limited. It feels a bit like a PO-33 in spirit, but with built-in effects and a more performance-focused approach. You’ve got effects you can play live, plus effects baked directly into the sound.

Right now, you can sample onto three pads that play chromatically across the keyboard. There’s also a fourth pad dedicated to drums. You can’t chop samples yet, and resampling isn’t really a thing, but it feels like something that’s still actively evolving.

Sonically, it was a lot of fun. The distortion was gritty in a good way, and the filter sounded great. There’s a lo-fi character that really leans into old-school sampler territory.

At this price, the limitations make sense. If they add resampling or basic slicing later, this could become an insanely fun little box.

ASM Leviasynth

One of the most impressive instruments I played at NAMM this year was the Ashun Sound Machines Leviasynth. This is a massive hybrid synthesizer that blends digital and analog elements into a deep sound design instrument.

What stood out immediately was the keyboard. The keybed felt incredible, easily one of the best I played at the show. The aftertouch and pressure response are extremely expressive, and depending on the patch, the sound continues evolving as you play.

Sonically, it sounded huge. I loved the string-style patches, especially the PWM-style strings, and I was surprised by how good the piano and electric piano sounds were. That’s an area my current setup lacks, so that really stood out.

This is not a beginner synth. It’s expensive, deep, and aimed squarely at sound designers, composers, and performers. I couldn’t realistically swing the price, but paired with a sampler, this could easily be a complete sonic centerpiece.

My only real caveat is price and complexity. That said, it’s an incredible instrument.

Erica Synths: Hexdrums & Steampipe

On the other end of the complexity spectrum, I spent time with two instruments from Erica Synths that emphasized simplicity and hands-on design.

The Hexdrum is a fully analog drum machine, and it felt immediately intuitive. After coming straight from the MPC booth, this felt refreshingly direct. What you see is what you get, and within minutes I was making patterns without thinking about the interface.

Steam Pipe was equally impressive. It replaces traditional oscillators with a physical modeling engine, and the presets covered a wide range of plucks, pads, and wind-like textures. It felt like a sound design playground.

These feel like instruments first, not computers in boxes. Paired with a sampler, either would be a powerhouse.

Roland Project LYDIA

One of the more experimental things I checked out was Roland Project LYDIA.

This is an AI-based sound modeling pedal that turns live performance into entirely different instruments. Right now, it’s very much a proof of concept.

I tried the Taiko drum models using guitar as the input, as well as aggressive vocal-style sounds. What’s interesting is that your playing dynamics matter. Bends, pressure, and articulation all change how the sound behaves.

In its current form, this is more idea than instrument. But the potential is huge. As a guitarist, the idea of playing drums, pianos, or synths without touching MIDI is incredibly exciting. This one isn’t about what it does today, but where this kind of technology could go.

Yamaha SEQTRAK 2.0 & AI Sampling

Last up was the Yamaha SEQTRAK, which received a substantial update.

The biggest improvement is that synth engines can now be used on drum tracks, dramatically expanding the number of synth parts you can run. Another smart addition is a new drum kit track type that puts a full set of drum tracks onto a single physical track on the device. My biggest critique remains the sampler. There’s still no chopping or slicing, which makes it feel limited for sample-based workflows.

Where things got interesting was seeing early experiments with AI-based sample generation inside the SEQTRAK app using Boomy. You can generate kits via text prompts and send them directly into the hardware. I still have questions about how deep that goes, but it’s clearly part of where music tech is heading.

NAMM 2026 Thoughts

Those were my favorite pieces of gear from NAMM 2026.

It was great seeing innovation outside traditional synth and sampler formats, but it also reinforced something important: new gear only matters if it fits your workflow.

There’s always a balance between chasing what’s next and getting the most out of what you already have.

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