After more than a decade of developing audio interfaces, controllers, and MIDI devices, Steinberg has officially discontinued its hardware division, shifting back to its software-only roots as part of a strategic reorganization under parent company Yamaha.
The move represents a significant pivot for the company, which first ventured into hardware production around 2008, following Yamaha’s acquisition of the renowned digital audio workstation (DAW) developer.
Steinberg’s hardware journey began as an effort to create integrated solutions that would complement its flagship software products like Cubase, WaveLab, and Nuendo. The company designed audio interfaces with low-latency performance optimized for its proprietary ASIO protocol, along with control surfaces that enhanced the user experience within Steinberg’s software ecosystem.
These products served professional audio users in music production, broadcast, and post-production industries, offering seamless compatibility with Steinberg’s DAW environments.
The decision to exit hardware manufacturing aligns with Yamaha’s broader strategy to consolidate audio interface development under its own brand name. This strategic realignment echoes Steinberg’s earlier transition when Yamaha acquired Steinberg in 2004, transforming the company’s direction after its previous acquisition by Pinnacle Systems. This reorganization eliminates potential product overlap, streamlines research and development resources, and creates clearer market positioning between the two entities.
Yamaha, with its extensive manufacturing infrastructure and global distribution network, now assumes full responsibility for hardware that works with Steinberg software.
Industry analysts note that this strategic shift allows Steinberg to refocus on its core software competencies while benefiting from Yamaha’s hardware expertise. The parent company continues to develop and manufacture audio interfaces that maintain compatibility with Cubase and other Steinberg applications, ensuring users experience minimal disruption despite the branding change.
For existing Steinberg hardware users, support will presumably continue through Yamaha’s customer service channels. Musicians with home studios may need to reconsider their studio setup options when looking to replace aging Steinberg interfaces.
Meanwhile, software users can expect continued innovation from Steinberg in its DAW and plugin offerings, with the reassurance that Yamaha’s hardware division will provide compatible devices engineered with the same attention to professional audio requirements that characterized Steinberg’s hardware products. This decision brings Steinberg full circle to its origins in 1984 when founders Karl Steinberg and Manfred Rürup focused on software sequencer development rather than hardware manufacturing.
The restructuring also allows music creators to concentrate on understanding their royalty management without worrying about hardware compatibility issues when working with Steinberg’s software ecosystem.
