NAMM 2026: Casio previews a new portable standalone sampler with 16 pads, real-time recording, a sequencer, and more.
NAMM 2026 has officially begun. Many news items have already been released, while some will trickle in later through photos taken by visitors. One company that has somewhat faded from the spotlight in the electronic music industry these days is Casio.
However, they are always good for a surprise, and this year is no exception. Casio previews on its booth at NAMM 2026 a new, intriguing portable standalone sampler. It’s not yet a commercial product but soon.
Casio Sampler
The new Casio sampler doesn’t have a name yet, so it’s simply called “sampler”. It’s a portable, standalone sampler with 4×4 playable pads with selectable backlight colors.
The interface design is, for me, a mix of modern and retro, especially with the game controllers on top of the unit.
According to the specs paper, it features 16 voices and supports 16-bit linear 48kHz sampling in wav format. For now, you can save up to 16 samples in up to 10 banks, but this is not final.
You can sample into the device via the built-in microphone and external sources, including via the audio input and USB-C port. It will feature 64GB of internal memory and ship with preset sounds. They promise these are classic CASIO sounds.
Casio stated at their booth that there will likely be sample effects, but they didn’t yet specify which ones.
The samples are playable with a 4×4 grid (16 pads), with each pad able to have a different color. Alternatively, it features a built-in sequencer that invites you to make beats on the fly.
Menu navigation is done via two rotary dials and additional small buttons that give a slightly retro feel. It has a 1.3-inch OLED display that provides visual feedback for the menu system.
On the connection side, it features a headphone socket, a main output, an external input (hopefully stereo), USB-C for data, and USB-C for power/data.
The new Casio Sampler will also feature an internal battery that gives you 2 hours of mobile productivity, but these are not the final specs. Plus, it has a built-in speaker.
First Impression
The news from Casio is quite surprising. I imagine very few people were expecting a Casio sampler at NAMM. But at first glance, the sampler looks very unique, and I’m eager to see the final product.
The new Casio Sampler has no name, release date, or price. More information is TBA.
More information will follow here: Casio
I love Casio – started my life-long journey into music tech – but this does look a bit like ‘My First Sampler’, or the control panel for a talking robot toy. But it’s Casio, so good on ’em.
What an unusual looking product