Ahead of the 2025 NAMM Show, Roland has released GALAXIAS 1.5, the latest update to their software “Super Instrument”.
GALAXIAS packs over 23,000 sounds, from dozens of instruments and effects, into a single creative environment. GALAXIAS runs as a standalone app or DAW plug-in and is included with Roland Cloud Ultimate membership.
GALAXIAS 1.5 expands on a host of recently released features such as in-app Sound Pack downloading, enhanced Macro Controls (including Instrument Macro Control presets), Scene View for creative control over vital parameters, and the CHORDS sequencer.
Ahead of the 2025 NAMM Show, being held Jan 21–25 in Anaheim, CA, RAD Distribution has announced a new partnership with Music Tribe – the Philippines-based holding company that owns Behringer, Midas, TC Electronic, TC Helicon, and other brands – to expand distribution in the US.
In recent years, Music Tribe has focused its distribution efforts on online retail ‘super partners’, like Sweetwater & Amazon.
Industry watchers may have anticipated that a change was coming, though, because Behringer had announced plans to return to the NAMM Show this year. The NAMM Show is an industry event that’s designed to help music retailers and manufacturers connect, so Behringer’s return signaled interest in expanding distribution.
“This partnership ensures all retailers – big and small – can access Music Tribe’s innovative products,” said CEO Uli Behringer. With this collaboration, Music Tribe will now be making its products available to every retailer across the country.
In the last few years, Behringer has disrupted the synth market, introducing dozens of inexpensive synths, drum machines and Eurorack modules. Most musicians have not been able to try these instruments at local retailers, though, or to try gear from Music Tribe’s many other brands.
This barrier to purchase may be reduced by the fact that the majority of Behringer’s products are designed and marketed as affordable copies of well-known gear. The company’s plans for expanding distribution, though, should make it easier for musicians to ‘try before you buy’.
Will ‘bricks and mortar’ distribution expand the company’s focus beyond copying established products? Let us know what you think in the comments!
Feel the rhythm in your feet with Polyend Step, “the first fully programmable drum machine in guitar pedal form”
Ahead of the 2025 NAMM Show, being held Jan 21–25 in Anaheim, CA, Polyend has introduced the Step, a fully programmable drum machine in pedal format.
Billed as “the first fully programmable drum machine in guitar pedal form,” Polyend’s Step is the beatmaking box that you can control with your feet.
Already known for its grooveboxes – the likes of Play+, Tracker+ and Tracker Mini – Polyend says that Step takes a fresh approach to rhythm creation. It’s designed to be used both for live performances and as a practice tool, with the simple controls ensuring that musicians – and guitarists in particular – can focus on their playing.
The Polyend Step offers over 350 preset rhythms, 200 drum kits, and the ability to create intricate beats, Users can loop 16-step patterns for instant jamming or combine patterns into 16-pattern songs, for more structured compositions.
If you want to really take the creative load off, you can make use of the 350 preset rhythms, but there’s far more to Step than these. You can also design your own beats from scratch, making use of the 200 built-in drumkits. Your 16-step patterns can be looped or combined into 16-pattern songs, and up to 1,000 songs can be stored on the hardware.
You have four tracks to work with, each of which has controllable swing, speed, step probability and more. Other humanisation features include velocity control and micro-move, but you can also lock things to the grid if you want machine-like rhythmic precision.
You can use up to 16 effects per song – delays, repeaters, rearrangers and more – selectable from a palette of more than 50, and these can be punched in with your foot. Other stomp switches enable you to change patterns and adjust the tempo.
Polyend Step Intro Video:
Polyend has also added plenty of connectivity to ensure that Step plays nice with all your other gear. This includes MIDI I/O for easy syncing.
Features:
4-Track Drum Machine
Customizable Parameters: Control swing, speed, step probability, and more for each track.
Punch-in FX: Choose from over 50 effects and assign up to 16 unique effects per song.
Foot Controllable: Switch patterns, adjust tempo, and activate effects with the push of a stompswitch
Save and lock up to 1000 songs.
Live Performance Control: Stomp-switches provide easy access to punch-in effects, song changes, and pattern switches. Assignable FX include delays, repeaters, and rearrangers, empowering you to elevate your performance with smooth transitions or bold moments.
Seamless Integration: Use Step’s MIDI input/output to sync with delay pedals, loopers, or Polyend grooveboxes, or send and receive PC changes to keep a pedalboard fully synchronized
Humanized and Expressive Beats: Add natural dynamics with features like velocity control, step probability, micro-move, and instant humanization—or lock in precision for machine-perfect rhythms.
The Polyend Step is expected to start shipping January 21, 2025, priced at $499/€499. Visit the Polyend site for details.
