inMusic has officially signed an agreement to acquire Native Instruments. This brings two of the biggest names in music technology under one roof, placing brands like Traktor, Maschine, and Kontakt alongside inMusic’s massive roster that includes Denon DJ, Rane, Akai Professional, and Numark.
For DJs and producers, this could be a major moment. Native Instruments has spent decades building some of the most important software tools in music production and DJing, while inMusic has a huge presence in hardware, from MPCs and MIDI controllers to DJ gear and synths.
Here’s what this deal actually means for you.
What has been announced?
inMusic and Native Instruments have confirmed the acquisition, which is expected to wrap up in the coming weeks, subject to the usual closing conditions.
Native Instruments is best known for platforms like Kontakt, Maschine and Traktor, as well as its wider family of production and mixing tools through iZotope, Plugin Alliance and Brainworx. According to the announcement, Native Instruments has a direct relationship with over 25 million registered users worldwide.
inMusic is already home to a huge range of music technology brands, including Akai Professional, Denon DJ, Numark, Rane, M-Audio and Moog. Its official website describes the company as a global leader in DJ equipment, musical instruments, professional audio and music technology products.
Will Native Instruments products keep working?
Yes. At least, that’s the clear message from both companies right now.
The announcement states that business will continue normally across all Native Instruments brands and territories. Products, services, platforms and customer support are also set to remain fully available.
That means there’s no immediate sign of Traktor, Maschine, Kontakt, iZotope, Plugin Alliance or Brainworx products disappearing. inMusic CEO Jack O’Donnell also said the company’s commitment is to continue investing across all brands and product lines.
For anyone relying on Native Instruments tools in the studio or booth, that’s the key takeaway for now: nothing changes overnight.
Why does this deal make sense?
This acquisition hasn’t come completely out of nowhere.
In 2025, inMusic and Native Instruments had already started working together on deeper integration between their products. That included NKS integration for Akai Pro MPK controllers and M-Audio Oxygen controllers, plus Native Instruments sounds arriving on the MPC standalone platform for the first time.
That partnership gave us the first real glimpse of how these two ecosystems could work together. Akai’s MPC platform is already one of the most powerful standalone production setups around, and adding Native Instruments sounds into that world makes a lot of sense.
Now, with both companies under one roof, we could see that kind of integration go much further.
What could this mean for DJs?
For DJs, the most interesting name here is Traktor.
Traktor has been one of the biggest DJ software platforms for years, but it’s also been operating in a market dominated by rekordbox, Serato and increasingly more hardware-led ecosystems like Engine DJ.
inMusic already owns Denon DJ, Numark and Rane, which gives it a serious footprint in DJ hardware. Denon DJ’s Engine platform powers standalone players and controllers, while Rane has a strong reputation with battle DJs and Serato users.
There are no confirmed plans yet for how Traktor might connect with Denon DJ, Rane or Engine DJ hardware. However, the deal does open the door to some very interesting possibilities.
Could we eventually see tighter Traktor hardware integration? Could Native Instruments software become more closely linked with standalone DJ gear? Could inMusic use Traktor to strengthen its software offering across its DJ brands?
At this stage, those are still questions rather than confirmed product plans. But they’re definitely the areas to watch.
What could this mean for producers?
For producers, the biggest opportunities are how these two brands will bring together their existing hardware and software.
Native Instruments has Kontakt, Maschine, Komplete, Massive, Reaktor, iZotope and Plugin Alliance. inMusic has Akai Professional, MPC, MPK controllers, M-Audio keyboards, Moog synths and AIR Music Technology. If we can start to see more of their software working Natively on this new hardware, that will be really exciting.
We’ve already seen Native Instruments sounds arrive on MPC. If inMusic continues down that path, we could see more NI instruments, effects and expansions become easier to access from Akai hardware. That could make standalone production setups even more flexible, especially for producers who want to work away from a laptop.
What about Maschine and MPC?
This is probably one of the biggest questions for producers. Maschine and MPC both cover similar ground. They’re both beat-making and production ecosystems built around pads, samples, sequencing and performance workflows.
That doesn’t automatically mean one has to replace the other. In the announcement, inMusic says products and platforms will continue, and that the teams behind them will continue too.
The more likely short-term outcome is continued support while the companies work out how these platforms can sit alongside each other. Long term, it will be interesting to see whether Maschine and MPC become more connected, or whether they remain separate tools for different types of producer.
For now, Maschine users shouldn’t panic. There has been no announcement that Maschine hardware or software is being discontinued.
Why now?
Native Instruments has been going through a restructuring process in 2026. In March, Native Instruments CEO Nick Williams said business was continuing as usual across Native Instruments, iZotope, Plugin Alliance and Brainworx, with products, platforms, services, downloads and customer service remaining available. He also said the company was in an active process to find new shareholders.
This new agreement with inMusic appears to be the next major step in that process.
Williams described inMusic as a partner whose beliefs and ambitions align with Native Instruments, adding that the company understands what these brands mean to musicians and producers.
Should Native Instruments users be worried?
Right now, the message is pretty reassuring.
The companies are saying support continues, development continues and the products people rely on will keep working. That’s exactly what users of Kontakt, Traktor, Maschine, iZotope and Plugin Alliance will want to hear.
Of course, acquisitions can bring changes over time. Product lines can shift, teams can be reorganised and long-term strategies can evolve. But based on the announcement, there are no immediate changes to products, support or availability.
The biggest thing to look out for next will be the integration plans. The companies have said more information will be shared as the process progresses.
The Crossfader take
This is a big move.
For DJs, producers and live performers, inMusic acquiring Native Instruments could create one of the most complete hardware and software ecosystems in music technology. We’re talking DJ gear, production hardware, synths, controllers, samplers, instruments, effects, mastering tools and software platforms all under one wider group.
The immediate impact should be minimal. Your Traktor setup, Kontakt libraries, Maschine projects and iZotope plugins aren’t suddenly going anywhere.
The exciting part is what could come next.
If inMusic can bring Native Instruments’ software knowledge together with its hardware brands in a way that actually improves workflows, this could be a win for creators. Better controller integration, more standalone production options and a more connected DJ and producer ecosystem would all make sense.
For now, though, the sensible answer is this: keep using your gear as normal, keep an eye on future announcements, and expect this story to develop over the coming weeks and months.
Quick FAQ
Has inMusic bought Native Instruments?
inMusic has signed a definitive agreement to acquire Native Instruments. The deal is expected to complete in the coming weeks, subject to customary closing conditions.
Will Traktor be discontinued?
There has been no announcement that Traktor is being discontinued. The companies say products, services, platforms and customer support will remain available.
Will Maschine be replaced by MPC?
There is no announcement suggesting Maschine will be replaced by MPC. inMusic says Native Instruments products and platforms will continue.
What brands does inMusic own?
inMusic owns brands including Akai Professional, Denon DJ, Numark, Rane, M-Audio, Moog, Alesis and more.
What brands are part of Native Instruments?
Native Instruments includes products and platforms such as Kontakt, Maschine and Traktor, as well as iZotope, Plugin Alliance and Brainworx.
What does this mean for DJs?
In the short term, not much changes. Long term, the deal could lead to deeper integration between Native Instruments software and inMusic DJ hardware brands like Denon DJ, Numark and Rane.