Gear Of The Year 2020: The best DAWs, hardware instruments, monitors and accessories
We asked you to vote in 13 categories, and our experts have since deliberated on the results. Here are the winners for our Gear of the Year roundup of the ’20s.
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This year has given us more time than ever to spend in our studios. And, despite the challenges across the music industry, the pace of new tech releases didn’t slow, with stacks of new software, hardware and instruments now in the world.
For our Gear of the Year awards, we asked you to vote in 13 categories online, with the results solidified by an evenly split combination of reader votes and expert opinion from the MusicTech team. The list collates 2020’s big-hitters and draws attention to those products that flew under the radar. Above all, it’s with the Gear of The Year awards that we pay homage to the pinnacle of the past year’s music technology. Check out all the winners below.
Best Hardware Instrument
Winner: UDO Super 6
Highly commended: Native Instruments Maschine+
Also nominated:
- Moog Matriarch
- Waldorf Iridium
- Korg WaveState
- Roland Jupiter X
- Erica Synths Bassline DB-01
- Akai MPC Live II
- Ashun Sound Machines Hydrasynth
- Dreadbox Typhon
Best Interface/Mixer
Winner: Universal Audio Apollo X4
Highly commended: Audient Evo 4
Also nominated:
- RME Babyface Pro FS
- Arturia AudioFuse Studio
- SSL 2+
- Steinberg UR24C
- AMS Neve 1073 OPX
- Presonus Quantum 2626
Best Accessory
Winner: Plugin Boutique Scaler 2
Highly commended: Soyuz Launcher
Also nominated:
- GIK Acoustics VISO Booth
- IK Multimedia ARC System 3
- Producertech Advanced Bass Music Production Techniques 2
- FaderPro Drum Grooves and Vocal Production with Eddie Thoneick
- Musicforincome: An Introduction to Writing Music For Television
Best Monitoring/Headphones
Winner: Adam Audio T8V
Highly commended: Austrian Audio Hi-X55
Our nominees are:
- AKG K371
- Dynaudio Core 7
- Presonus Eris E8XT
- Kali Audio IN-8
- HEDD Audio HEDDPhones
Best Microphone
Winner: Aston Microphones Element
Highly commended: Sonotronics Podcast Pro
Our nominees are:
- Austrian Audio OC818
- Neumann BCM 705
- Golden Age GA-800G
- Telefunken TF-11
- Rode PodMic
Best Software Effect/Utility
Winner: Oeksound Soothe 2
Highly commended: iZotope RX 8
Our nominees are:
- Sonnox Oxford Drum Gate
- Cableguys CrushShaper
- Leapwing Audio DynOne 3
- Celemony Melodyne 5
- Heavyocity Damage 2
- Mastering the Mix Mixroom
- FabFilter Saturn 2
- Denise Audio Perfect Room
- Waves OVox
Best Modular Gear
Winner: Dreadbox Hysteria
Highly commended: Studio Electronics MiniMidi V30
Our nominees are:
- Qu-Bit Bloom
- ALM Busy Circuits System Coupe
- Endorphines Milky Way
- 4ms Ensemble Oscillator
- Erica Synths Black Stereo Delay
Best Outboard
Winner: Warm Audio Bus Comp
Highly commended: Black Lion Audio Eighteen
Our nominees are:
- AMS Neve RMX16 500 Series
- Peach Audio Savannah M196sx
- Arturia AudioFuse 8pre
- Thermionic Culture Snow Petrel
- Erica Synths/Ninja Tune Zen Delay
- Dreadbox Hypnosis
Best Controller
Winner: Arturia KeyStep Pro
Highly commended: Sensel Morph Controller
Our nominees are:
- Arturia MicroLab
- Roland A-88 MK II
- Novation Launchkey MK3
- Presonus Atom SQ
- ROLI LUMI Keys 1
- OSC/Pilot
- Akai MPK Mini MK3
Best Innovation
Winner: Ashun Sound Machines Hydrasynth
Highly commended: Endlesss
Also nominated:
- iZotope RX 8
- Aston Microphones Element
- VirtualDJ 2021
- Audio Design Desk
- Celemony Melodyne 5
- UDO Super 6
- Roland Zenology
- Audio Test Kitchen
Best Software Synth
Winner: Arturia Pigments 2
Highly commended: Slate and Ash Cycles
Also nominated:
- UVI Vintage Vault 3
- Roland Zenology
- Rob Papen Quad
- Krotos Audio Concept
- Imaginando FRMS
- Tracktion Collective
- Audio Damage Continua
- Audiaire Zenith
Best Virtual Instrument
Winner: Spitfire Audio BBC Symphony Orchestra
Highly commended: EastWest Hollywood Backup Singers
Also nominated:
- Orchestral Tools Time Micro
- VSL Big Bang Orchestra
- Toontrack EZBass
- Sonokinetic Ibrido Cinematic
- Cinesamples Randy’s Prepared Piano
- UVI Key Suite
- Native Instruments Straylight
- Heavyocity Vento
Best DAW
Winner: PreSonus Studio One
Highly commended: Cakewalk by BandLab
Also nominated:
- Apple Logic Pro
- Avid Pro Tools
- Ableton Live
- Steinberg Cubase
- Image-Line FL Studio
- Reason Studios Reason
- Cockos Reaper
- Universal Audio Luna
- Bitwig Studio
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