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Ahead of the 2026 NAMM Show, Electro-Harmonix has introduced Effects Interface Hardware Plugin.

As recording technology has become cheaper and more accessible, the line between guitarists and producers has become increasingly blurred. With its new Effects Interface Hardware Plugin, Electro-Harmonix is aiming to make bridging that gap easier than ever.

The Electro-Harmonix Effects Interface Hardware Plugin® is a first-of-its-kind piece of equipment purpose-built for making use of pedals and other physical guitar equipment with your DAW easy and seamless.

Additionally, the Effects Interface breaks your favorite plugins out of your computer for use in your full guitar rig. No need for special converters or direct boxes, the Effects Interface handles your signal and delivers it with care between your hardware and software via a simple USB-C connection

This can be done in one of two ways. In its Hardware Plugin mode, the Effects Interface acts as an external effect loop, routed via its associate plugin that sits in a DAW’s insert chain.

Alternatively, in Pedalboard mode the Effects Interface can be used to incorporate software effects into a hardware chain. Here audio is sent into a DAW through the input plugin, processed using any software effects, and then sent back out to an amp or pedalboard.

The inputs and outputs are designed to operate at pedalboard-friendly levels, allowing audio to travel to and from a chain of effects pedals without the need for additional converters or DI boxes.

According to EHX, “Effects Interface handles your signal and delivers it with care between your hardware and software via a simple USB-C connection.”

In either mode, the device’s foot switch can be used to bypass the effect like a traditional stompbox.

The Effects Interface has stereo inputs and outputs, but can also operate in dual-mono mode, allowing users to set up two different effects routings simultaneously.

The level of its inputs and outputs can be controlled via both the hardware and software UI. The device also has a headphone output with its own volume control allowing for direct monitoring.

As well as being used as part of a stompbox effects chain, the Effects Interface can also function as a traditional audio interface for recording and monitoring via its ins and outs.

While the device is primarily aimed at guitarists, it’s not hard to imagine how it might also appeal to synthesists and bedroom producers looking for an easy way to take sounds out-of-the-box for a little hardware processing.

The Effects Interface Hardware Plugin operates in 3 distinct modes:

• Hardware Plugin Mode: Send tracks/signal from your DAW through you pedals/hardware just like you were using a plugin.
• Pedalboard Mode: Run your instrument into your DAW, through your plugins, and back out to your signal chain, effectively turning your plugins into a pedal.
• Audio Interface Mode: use the Effects Interface as a traditional 2-in/2-out USB audio interface

The Electro-Harmonix Effects Interface is out now, with a US street price of $359. Visit the EHX site for more information.

Ahead of the 2026 NAMM Show, the Bob Moog Foundation (BMF) has announced that it will honor the late Keith Emerson at the event, which runs from Thursday January 22, 2026 to Saturday January 24, 2026.

At the Show, you’ll be able to see one of five Keith Emerson Moog Modular System (KEMMS) reissues at the BMF booth.

Keyboardist Andrew Colyer (Circuline) and synthesists Erik Norlander, Rachel Flowers, and Lisa Bella Donna will be demonstrating the modular in the BMF booth. In addition, two educational and historical presentations about the modular will be given by one of its co-designers, Brian Kehew.

Visitors to the booth will be able to learn about Keith Emerson and the story behind the creation of the KEMMS with an informative display, which is being created specifically for this year’s NAMM Show. So, if you can’t make one of the scheduled demonstrations, you’ll still be able to immerse yourself in the history of Emerson and his massive modular system.

TEC Tracks panel – Celebrating Keith Emerson

The Foundation will also present a TEC Tracks panel, Celebrating the Legacy of Keith Emerson, on Friday at 4 pm.

Panelists for this discussion include Emerson’s fiancée Mari Kawaguchi, Brian Kehew, Rachel Flowers, Steve Porcaro of Toto, and Rich Walborn, former Moog Music engineer and Emerson’s modular tech on the 1973-1974 Brain Salad Surgery tour.

The BMF’s Michelle Moog-Koussa will moderate the panel.

The panel takes place from 4 pm – 5pm on Friday, January 23rd in the Hilton’s California B room.

“As we enter the tenth year since Keith’s passing, having the replica of his modular Moog synthesizer on display at the Bob Moog Foundation’s NAMM booth feels profoundly meaningful – a tribute to Keith’s unique bond with Dr. Robert Moog and the ongoing work of the Bob Moog Foundation. What moves me most is that people will be able experience the instrument up close, standing before the very creation that shaped Keith’s voice and forever changed modern music.” – Mari Kawaguchi

The Bob Moog Foundation is an independent non-profit, dedicated to preserving the legacy of synth pioneer Dr Robert Moog. Key projects include The Moogseum, preserving Bob Moog’s archives, and STEM programs on the Science of Sound and Synthesis.