NAMM 2023 SYNTH Wrap Up Report

Benjamin Ricci

While NAMM was certainly underwhelming again this year (the “big three” guitar brands seem to be done with the show altogether, as are heavy hitters like Zildjian were noticeably absent) there was still a fair amount of activity in the ever-evolving synth world. Big names and small modular creators alike showed up, and we wanted to share some of our favorite pieces from the show. See you next year…maybe?

Nords, Nords, Nords as far as the eye can see!

Verbos Electronics showed off a number of modules at NAMM, including the Real World Interface, an external processing module that packs a whole lot of features into a channel strip-like interface. Coming this August…

OK, it’s not technically a synth. But you’ve gotta love a good old electric piano, and no one’s ever done it better than Rhodes. If you’ve got the cash, their modern machines are heavenly.

The ‘Nina’ comes from Melbourne Electronics and is an incredibly cool hybrid polyphonic synth module. Offering 12 voices, we dug the retro Microsoft Model M keyboard aesthetic.

Robkoo demonstrated a very impressive wind synthesizer at NAMM. We’ve only had brief flirtations with some Roland units, but this knocked our socks off.

‘The Centre’ was another small-format module that offers wavetable capabilities from the folks at 1V/Oct. Seems like this was a Kickstarter project that actually came to life!

And finally, the super impressive C15 from Nonlinear Labs, a lovingly-crafted instrument for the serious performer. This small German company has built a flagship synth that features an amazing keybed and a bevy of sound-shaping options that’ll keep you tweaking knobs for hours on end.