Blog 28 | NAMM 2025: The Ultimate Music Conference



February 3, 2025 - Posted by Mash Maximus

Exploring the World's Largest Gathering of Music Industry Professionals

Every year, musicians, educators, and music industry professionals from all over the world converge in Anaheim, CA, for NAMM (the National Association of Music Merchants) – the world’s largest gathering of music equipment manufacturers, educators, service providers, and enthusiasts. This year, I had the privilege of attending, after a missing the last four years, and what an experience it was!

NAMM is where brands launch new products, share initiatives, and network with customers, distributors, dealers and each other. It's also a massive communal gathering where musicians can meet, support each other, and share their passion for music. The sheer energy and excitement in the air are palpable, making it a must-visit for anyone in the music industry.

Highlights from the Show

During my visit, I explored countless booths, attended several product demos, and had the chance to check out some incredible new gear. Here are a few standout products from some of the brands that Pro Audio LA works with:

API Audio – Consoles and Summing mixer

API Audio’s 2448. 2608 and The Box8 Consoles were on display, but what really got my attention was the AXS and Vision consoles. Both large format behemoths that are likely too big for most project studios but what a sight! There was also the new API summing mixer. We will do a deeper dive on this once I have had a chance to run some tracks through it.


MusicMax Distribution – Wes Audio and Elysia

We love both Wes Audio and Elysia for their unique and excellent products. While there were many of the stalwarts on display, what I personally really enjoyed was the Elysia XMax, a class A master buss stereo processor that give you multi-band compression, tone shaping and limiter functions in one unit. I also really liked the Elysia Xpector, which is a 2 channel headphone amp and 500-series format monitor controller.
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Genelec – 9320A SAM reference controller

Genelec had an entire dedicated room with an immersive setup where they hosted numerous seminars and demos. It was a nice respite from the cacophony and bustle of NAMMs open floor. Their new 9320a reference controller was available for demo. It’s a small desktop format monitor and headphone controller that allows you to store your room calibration presets as well as toggle between a range of outputs (both speakers and headphones). It takes all the functionality of the SAM ecosystem (with GLM integration) and consolidates it into one compact controller. It’s a must have for any Genelec fans, especially those looking for a tactile controller for their Genelec system. We will do a deep dive on this in another issue.

The NAMM Experience

Apart from the exciting new gear, NAMM offers an unparalleled opportunity to network with industry professionals, attend informative sessions, and enjoy live performances. I had the chance to meet with fellow enthusiasts, exchange ideas, and gain insights into the latest trends in the music industry.

Being a guitar player myself, roaming the guitar section floor gave me a chance to reconnect with old friends, touring buddies and bandmates. Here are some pictures of pretty guitars for no specific reason.