The 2025 NAMM Show is over. Every year music gear manufacturers, ranging from iconic synth brands like Korg, to boutique guitar pedal makers like Walrus Audio, and even companies making fog machines and knobs descend on Anaheim to show off their latest wares. It is chaos in all the ways that youd expect a convention to be miles-long lines for coffee, hordes of strangers jockeying for position around new products, food options that range from barely edible to instant heart attack. But NAMM is also a special beast. If youve ever wondered what eight out-of-sync drummers, two finger tapping guitar solos, an acoustic slide blues riff and a simple ukulele ditty would all sound like simultaneously vying for your attention, well, this is the only place to experience that particular brand of hell. But, now that my legs and, more importantly, my eardrums have finally started to recover Ive had a chance to reflect on some of the best things I saw on the show floor. Here are the 10 things that grabbed my attention the most.Eternal Research Demon BoxTerrence O'Brien for EngadgetEternal Research launched a successfully funded Kickstarter campaign back in September, but this was the first time I was able to see the Demon Box in person. Think of it like a supercharged version of the Soma Labs Ether featured in a handful of our gift guides. The Demon Box doesnt make any sound on its own, instead it features three pickups that turn EMFs (electromagnetic fields) into music or at least audible noise. Run a cellphone, power drill or a tuning fork across the top and youll get unique whines, hisses, clicks and beeps that only that device could produce. But where the Ether is basically just a microphone, the Demon Box is an instrument designed for live interaction and controlling other devices. In addition to outputting audio, it can also convert those electro magnetic fields into CV (control voltage) for controlling eurorack synths or MIDI for triggering a visual synthesizer, or all three simultaneously. There are tons of options out there if you want a buzzy sawtooth bass, but if you want to turn the invisible radiation emitted by a TV remote into a centerpiece of a multimedia performance, this is basically your only option.Circle GuitarTerrence O'Brien for EngadgetThe Circle Guitar is impractical. It costs over $12,000 (insert grimacing emoji). But its also just insane fun. Instead of playing it with a pick or finger plucking the strings (though, you can do that if you want), the strings are strummed by movable plectrums you mount inside a spinning wheel. There are sixteen slots allowing you to design your own strumming rhythm, and then there are six sliders under the pickups for controlling the volume of each string individually. This allows you to create complex, robotic rhythms like a drum machine, but on your guitar. And, whats more, you can sync it to a DAW to make sure youre in lockstep with your backing track, even when it stutters and pauses. Its a completely unique creation that has already drawn the attention of artists like Ed OBrien of Radiohead.Akai + Native InstrumentsOne of the biggest announcements out of NAMM wasnt really a new product, but two titans of the industry joining forces. Several of Native Instruments (NI) Play Series synths and genre-specific Expansion Pack sound kits are being ported over to Akais new MPC 3.0 platform. While the availability of some existing soft synths on some existing hardware might not seem like a big deal at first, it greatly expands the sonic palette of the MPC and gives NI another foothold in the world of standalone music hardware after giving it go on its own with the Machine+. The selection of sounds is limited at the moment, with three synths (Analog Dreams, Cloud Supply, and Nacht) and just one expansion (Faded Reels) available. But two more synths and four more expansions will be added soon and, if all goes well, Im sure more will follow.Korg HandyTraxx PlayTerrence O'Brien for EngadgetThe HandyTraxx Play is the first and only portable turntable that I know of with built-in effects. It has a DJ filter, a delay and even a simple looper which can, in theory, negate the need for a separate mixer and even a second turntable in some cases. While I can not scratch, Ive always wanted to learn, and the all-in-one portable nature of the HandyTraxx Play, including a speaker and battery power, is pretty appealing to someone who just wants to dip their toe in and doesnt want invest a ton of money and space in a separate mixer and dual turntable setup. Plus, Korg designed the Play in conjunction with the late Toshihide Nakama, the founder of Vestax and builder of the original Handy Trax (two words, one x), an icon in the world of portablism.Donner Essential L1 SynthesizerTerrence O'Brien for EngadgetOver the last few years Chinese music gear maker Donner has started to really expand its offerings, going from mostly digital pianos and some bargain bin guitar pedals, to shockingly decent DSP effects, drum machines and even a pocketable groovebox. The L1 is the latest in its growing line of synths and it has a lot of promise. Its based in large part on the Roland SH-101, an iconic instrument from the 80s that found particular favor among artists like Aphex Twin, Orbital, Depeche Mode, KMFDM, and Boards of Canada.What makes the L1 particularly intriguing is that its the first entry in the companys new Snap2Connect (S2C) system. The keyboard attaches to the synth magnetically, allowing you to leave it behind if you want, or use it as a separate MIDI controller with your DAW or another synth. But Donner also says it plans on adding other instruments to the S2C system, so you could buy a module based on, say, a Juno-60 one day and just slap it on to the keyboard you already own.Enjoy Electronics DeFeelTerrence O'Brien for EngadgetThe DeFeel is hard to explain. The company calls it a modular monotony degenerator, which is both extremely accurate and extremely unhelpful. Basically, you stick this thing between your sequencer and your synthesizer and it mangles the incoming CV to generate fills, stutters, and all manner of barely controlled chaos. In short, it takes that rock-solid sequence youve programmed and makes it less monotonous. It can resequence your sequence or add modulation. You can draw modulation curves using the 4.3-inch touchscreen, or even turn it into an X/Y pad for live performance. Its designed mostly with eurorack synths in mind, but its also available as a standalone unit in a classy wooden case.Melbourne Instruments RotoControlTerrence O'Brien for EngadgetThe RotoControl might not seem like the most exciting device at first. Its a MIDI controller with eight knobs and keys on the right side, and a handful of other buttons on the left for navigating the device. But what makes it special is that those knobs are motorized if you change a parameter in your DAW or softsynth, that is reflected physically on the controller. That might sound a little gimmicky, but its actually incredibly useful.See, knobs on a controller or synth generally come in two flavors: pots and encoders. A pot, or potentiometer, has a beginning and end. So, if you change a preset or switch instruments, it may no longer reflect the actual setting in question. Encoders have no beginning or end. Since they dont point to a concrete position in space, theres no need to worry about a disagreement between knob position and an actual parameter value. But theyre also less than ideal for live performance. Judging how far you need to turn to get that filter sweep just right is difficult, and encoders generally have a less smooth response than a pot. Melbourne solves this by just moving the pots to where theyre supposed to be.Roli Piano & AirwaveTerrence O'Brien for EngadgetIve been saying for a few years that Im going to finally learn how to play piano. But, Im a busy dad of two, a part-time bartender and a full-time freelancer. I dont really have the time or disposable income, frankly, to treat myself to piano lessons. And the app-based or video options Ive tried have been a bit underwhelming. I dont know that the Roli Piano and Airwave are for sure more effective than Melodics or Duolingo at teaching how to play, but it seems like theres more potential there. Where most music education apps are basically glorified versions of Guitar Hero, Roli uses the Airwaves camera to track your whole hand, letting you know if youre out of position, if your wrists are at the wrong angle or if youre using the wrong fingers. Its probably not as good as having a real professional teaching you the ropes, but its probably better than a repurposed video game bolted on to some rudimentary music theory lesson.Oh, and once you feel comfortable enough with your playing, the Roli Piano and Airwave combine to create what is probably the most extensive MPE controller on the market.Entropy & Sons Recursion StudioTerrence O'Brien for EngadgetVideo synthesizers are not new, but theyre also not the most common things on the planet. And the Recursion Studio from Entropy & Sons is probably one of the most capable Ive ever seen. For one, this is not some simple visualizer where a basic clip of animation is manipulated, all of the visuals are generated live, algorithmically. In addition it can process incoming video, distort images and react to incoming audio, it even has multiple oscilloscope modes builtin.For those that like to get their hands dirty there are over 300 modules that can be combined to create custom visual patches. But there are also about a 1,000 presets on board so you can quickly get some visuals up immediately to go with your synth jam. And the company is constantly updating the device and adding new features.SoundToys SpaceBlenderTerrence O'Brien for EngadgetSoundToys is one of the biggest names in effect plugins out there. Theyre used by everyone from Radiolabs Jad Abumrad to Kenny Beats and Trent Reznor. The companys Decapitator saturation plugin is one of the best things to ever happen to drums and EchoBoy is a must have delay. But, it doesnt introduce new effects terribly often. SuperPlate was added to the roster in mid 2023, but that was the first new addition since Little Plate in November of 2017 the company takes its time.SpaceBlender is SoundToys take on an ambient granular reverb. Its not really a straight granular plugin, that chops up your audio and spits it back out in little bits, instead its a bunch of delays that get combined and smeared into something ethereal. It even has an interactive envelope designer that you can manipulate to not only hone the shape of your reverb, but even has potential as a live performance tool. SpaceBlender isnt quite ready for release just yet, but even in this early sneak peek it sounded phenomenal and seemed pretty stable.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/audio/the-10-best-things-i-saw-at-namm-140044601.html?src=rss