inMusic gets ahold of Native Instruments….You read that right, I had to read this one twice myself.
inMusic is acquiring Native Instruments. That means the company behind Akai Professional, Moog, M-Audio, Denon DJ, Numark, Rane, Alesis, AIR Music Technology, and BFD (to name a few) is now bringing Native Instruments under the same roof.
Native Instruments confirmed that an agreement has been signed, and includes the larger NI family (iZotope, Plugin Alliance, and Brainworx).
Meaning, Kontakt, Komplete, Maschine, Traktor, Reaktor, Guitar Rig, iZotope, Plugin Alliance, and Brainworx, joining a company that has experience with music brands, and runs them well.
I believe inMusic is good at running each entity so that each can function independently. That’s how it looks on the outside, at least.
Why Music Producers Should Care
For most music producers, the first thought is probably Kontakt and Maschine.
Kontakt is everywhere. Film composers, Beat makers, Pop producers…A lot of us use Kontakt! People who swore they were “done buying libraries” still somehow have 14 new Kontakt libraries sitting on an external drive.
I have dedicated multiple externals for nothing but NI libraries. That’s how important Kontakt is in my workflow. Even though I’ve said, “Eh, I don’t really need it.”
But this deal reaches way past Kontakt.
If we look at the hardware , inMusic already has Akai, Alesis, and M-Audio controllers, etc. Native Instruments has NKS, Komplete Kontrol, Maschine, and a massive sound library ecosystem.
In 2025, the two companies worked together on NKS support for Akai MPK and M-Audio Oxygen controllers, as well as Native Instruments sounds for the MPC.
That makes this acquisition make a lot more sense in my eyes.
The MPC Angle Is Huge
Imagine loading more NI sounds directly inside the MPC without needing the computer to babysit the session. Or having Brainworx plugins available inside standalone hardware. All the pieces are on the table; it just has to be put together in a way that doesn’t make it feel bloated.
And then Maschine….Where does that stand? Maschine has been coming at AKAI’s neck for years.
Traktor And Reaktor Could Be The Surprise Winners
While Kontakt and MPC may get most of the attention, Traktor + Reaktor could matter a lot if inMusic gives them real support. Traktor strengthens the DJ side with Denon DJ, Numark, and Rane nearby, while Reaktor could bring back some of Native Instruments’ deeper sound design power, especially for producers who love building strange instruments, custom effects, and sounds that do not come from preset scrolling.
Questions We Have No Answers To Yet
Of course, we all as users have questions.
Will prices go up?
Will NI support improve?
Will Maschine survive next to MPC?
Will older tools get abandoned?
These are all fair and valid concerns. Cuts are inevitable, I just hope inMusic can see the benefit of keeping more on board rather than cutting this the support doesn’t further dip as it has over the years.
Final Thoughts On InMusic and Native Instruments Merger
All in all, I’m excited about the deal. I love the fact that it’s a company experienced with music brands, not a company with only eyes for money and little care or concern for the end users.
This could be a fresh start for Native Instruments, especially after its rough financial stretch. NI CEO Nick Williams said Native Instruments will continue with teams still building and supporting products.
If inMusic can connect Akai hardware and Native Instruments software in a clean way, It could change how a lot of us make music.
Let us know your thoughts. Does this merger make sense? What are your concerns and does this strengthen you hopes moving forward?
8 Responses
When big companies merge in any industry, the consumer ALWAYS loses. This will be no different.
I get where you’re coming from, but what was alternative with a company this size?
Well, perhaps others that don’t have the hardware conflicts. I’m not an industry expert, but maybe Universal, UVI, IK? But of course why would they want this behemoth?
All I’m really saying is that there is no spin to convince me there is any consumer benefit in this other than the software stays alive for a while.
You make a good point. I thought maybe Universal or IK at one point as well
“All I’m really saying is that there is no spin to convince me there is any consumer benefit in this other than the software stays alive for a while.”
I’m not disagreeing with you at all or trying to convince. I’m merely on the sideline hoping for the best.
I’m concerned because of what InMusic did to Moog immediately after acquisition. But I’m excited as an MPC owner about the potential new sounds and plugins we might see from NI.
I’m a little behind the times. What happened with the Moog situation, if you don’t mind diggin back a bit. Yea, I’m excited about the sounds as well. At least the possibilities. I just hope it isn’t a bloated look and tons of sub menus.
Hoping for more Compaibility- Komplete crashed my LIve 12 Suite more than I care to Reflect.
The good news is that NI isn’t going to disappear, and with inMusic, the prices of their products will probably stay the same and not increase, at least for now.
We’ll see what the future holds, but I do have hope that NI continues to work well with inMusic. But again, we’ll see what the future holds; only the owners know that, and we can only speculate and dream about what might happen, what could happen, or what we’d like it to be, nothing more.
Have a great weekend, everyone.