NAMM 2026: Molten Music Technology Drops the Gear Gauntlet

January means one thing: NAMM, with a side of Buchla & Friends. Molten Music Technology’s Robin Vincent kicks off with a nod to the chaos of the world, then dives straight into the synth action. NAMM isn’t the wild west it once was, but there’s still enough new kit to keep the bunker buzzing. Meanwhile, Buchla & Friends delivers the modular weirdness we crave, serving up oddball circuits and leftfield inspiration.

Robin’s coverage is a blend of dry British wit and genuine synth enthusiasm. He’s not afraid to call out the lack of UK presence—apparently, America’s a bit too spicy for some—but he’s here to keep the monthly ritual alive. If you’re after stability in a world gone mad, you can at least count on Molten Music Monthly to drop the gear news, no matter what apocalypse is trending.

The big shocker: Native Instruments is in preliminary insolvency. Don’t panic—Robin’s quick to clarify this isn’t a total meltdown. It’s more like a financial pit stop, with hopes of a leaner, meaner NI emerging on the other side. He’s got no time for private equity vultures draining the soul from music tech, and he’s brutally honest about the industry’s tendency to chase cash over creativity.

Robin’s take? Music tech companies should build tools for musicians, not yachts for investors. He draws parallels to Rollie’s repeated stumbles and calls for a return to basics: make cool gear, support your users, and keep the suits out of the patch bay. If you want the full rant—and trust me, it’s worth it—hit play on the video. This is the kind of reality check the synth world needs.

Korg’s microAUDIO722 is what happens when someone spikes the water cooler at HQ. It’s an audio interface with a built-in analog filter ripped from the Mini Korg 700. Sounds daft? Maybe, but Robin’s actually into it. You can slap that filter on your input, your output, or just run tracks through it for some vintage grit. There’s a whole hour-long deep dive if you want to see it get weird in action.

Not content with hardware, Korg also throws in the Filter Ark plugin—a lo-fi looking, sonically savage beast that comes bundled with the interface. Then there’s the Kaoss Pad V, back from the dead and now with dual-touch, XY sampling, and real-time looping. Robin admits it’s out of his usual lane, but he’s keen to give it a proper thrashing. If you want to see the Kaoss Pad get slapped around, the video’s where the fun is.

Behringer’s back at NAMM, showing off more gear than ever actually ships. The JT2 (a Jupiter-8 in a shoebox) and JN80 (Juno-inspired, but with extra voices) look the part, but Robin’s sceptical we’ll ever see them in the wild. He’s not sold on shrinking iconic polysynths into stunted desktop boxes, but hey, if they ever materialise, maybe they’ll scratch that Roland itch.

Meanwhile, Bastl Instruments keeps things spicy with the Citadel Alchemist. It’s a DSP-driven modular monster with five hybrid synthesis types, four oscillators, and a heap of modulation. Robin’s had a quick play and reckons it’s a proper sound-mangling playground. If you want affordable synth chaos, Bastl’s got your back—just don’t expect a bedtime story, this thing’s all teeth.