Feature: Gear of the Year

The FutureMusic guide to this year’s essential hardware, software and studio gear

OK, although it seemingly goes against everything we stand for here at FM, we’ll admit it – you don’t need to spend thousands of pounds on new gear to make great music. It’s 2018 after all, and plenty of musicians out there are making incredible tracks with little more than a laptop, a DAW and maybe a few bits of budget hardware.

That being said, getting your hands on the right gear can make all the difference. Whether it’s an instrument to inspire a new way of working, a reliable plugin to help sort out your mixdowns, the perfect monitors for your studio, or just a DAW to suit your workflow, making sure you’re working with the best gear for you can transform your creativity. That’s precisely what we want to help you with through our annual

Gear Of The Year rundown. It doesn’t matter whether you’re looking to spend £100 on your bedroom setup or drop tens of thousands on kitting out a full studio, we’re here to guide you through 2018’s essential instruments, effects and studio tools.

We’ve put our heads together, consulted our expert reviewers and revisited the gear that landed on our test bench over the past 12 months to bring you this guide. Not everything included is perfect, but each product has impressed us in some way, be it through innovation, value, build quality or – most importantly – killer sound.

Readers’ Choice

Alongside FM’s own Gear Of The Year selections, you’ve been voting for your favourite hardware, software, producers and personalities in

MusicRadar’s annual Best In Tech polls. Jump over to the website now to check out the winners: bit.ly/besttech2018