As the famed music instrument show marked its 125th birthday, we hit the Anaheim show floor once again to find out what’s hot, what’s not, and whether it’s possible to escape the constant AI chatter.
Korg Phase8
Announced in fall of 2025, the Phase8 captured the imagination of synth enthusiasts worldwide. Korg finally unveiled this exotic animal to the public at NAMM 2026 and we got some answers.
The Phase8 is truly unique. It bridges the physical and electronic worlds in a way as compelling as GameChanger’s Motorsynth or the rare Moog guitar, but it boasts an interface perfect for the electronic music producer, as one would expect from venerated manufacturer Korg, creator of the addictive Volca series and the legendary Kaoss Pad.
It’s impossible to sufficiently explain the Phase8 with words; you have to touch it. It’s not analog and it’s not digital; it’s haptic. The synthesizer literally moves, vibrating steel tines that serve as your oscillators. With a sound all its own, a unique polymetric step sequencer, and a one-of-a-kind user interface, we expect it to be the secret sauce behind many tracks in 2026 and beyond.
Launch priced at $1149 - target ship date of April 2026.
Eventide Music Mouse
Invented by electronic music pioneer Laurie Spiegel (whose compositions appear everywhere from the Voyager Golden Record to the soundtrack for The Hunger Games) and released to the public originally in 1986, Music Mouse was an algorithmic musical composition software that ran on Macintosh, Amiga, and Atari computers.
Eventide teased us with this mysterious (and when we at the booth, unattended) retro display which was devoid of any real details. Light internet sleuthing led us to this URL which went live on 1/20/26, revealing that Eventide is planning a special re-release of this legendary electronic music composition tool 40 years after its original launch.
Hot on the heels of the Fall 2025 release of their gorgeous and musical Temperance Pro reverb and the December release of the Cosmic Web, Glitch, GrainMod, and Stutter granular effects for the H90, Music Mouse helped make Eventide’s booth a true playground for the electronic musician.
ASM - Leviasynth
The sound generation wizards at Ashun Sound Machines unveiled their Leviasynth to the world, and the name fits. Sixteen voices with up to eight oscillators each, seven oscillator types to choose from, and a litany of rich analog and digital filters make this a fitting studio centerpiece and a serious step up in flexibility from the brand’s legendary Hydrasynth series.
Boasting many of users’ favorite features of the Hydrasynth including their unique Polytouch engine, MPE support, and ASM’s famous vowel formant filter, the Leviasynth builds on ASM’s admirable legacy and goes - and sounds - even bigger.
Available in both a desktop module and a 61-note keyboard, the Leviasynth was one of the best feeling and sounding pieces at the show. We recommend going for the keyboard so you can enjoy the massive ribbon controller and the creative avenues it opens up.
Desktop and Keyboard priced at $1799 and $249