A monthly hardware selection curated by Matthew S, exploring standout gear across listening, production, and performance—pairing iconic staples with under-the-radar picks from across the music tech world.
Whether you’re refining your setup, discovering new tools, or simply staying inspired by the latest in music hardware, Gear Radar is our monthly curated roundup of standout equipment for listeners, DJs, and producers. Each edition, Matthew S selects ten categories and highlights one timeless essential alongside one hidden gem worth adding to your radar.
Headphones
The Classic: Audeze MM-500
Designed in collaboration with Grammy-winning mixing engineer Manny Marroquin, these are the headphones he relies on as a primary reference at Larrabee Studios—and increasingly, a go-to for professionals worldwide.
- Type: Open-back Planar Magnetic Headphones
- Price: ~€1,550–1,700
- Best for: Mixing, mastering, long-session monitoring
- Why it stands out: Lightweight planar drivers deliver the kind of mix translation usually reserved for high-end nearfield monitors
The Gem: Dan Clark Audio Noire X
A closed-back planar with flagship-level technology at an honest price—and still flying under the radar in production circles.
- Type: Closed-back Planar Magnetic Headphones
- Price: ~€900–1,000
- Best for: Tracking, mixing in untreated rooms, focused listening
- Why it stands out: AMTS acoustic metamaterial tuning inherited from DCA’s multi-kilobuck flagships, in a sub-€1,000 package
Monitor
The Classic: Amphion Two18
Handmade in Finland and trusted by some of the world’s top mixing engineers—a passive two-way monitor whose phase coherence and pinpoint imaging set the standard for translation.
- Type: Passive 2-way Studio Monitor (pair)
- Price: ~€3,000–3,500 (each)
- Best for: Professional mixing, mastering, critical listening
- Why it stands out: Crossover point at 1,600Hz (below the critical hearing range) and dual 6.5″ SEAS woofers deliver imaging depth and phase accuracy that active monitors rarely match
The Gem: HEDD Type 07 MK2
A Berlin-built two-way monitor with an AMT tweeter that extends to 40kHz and switchable ported/sealed operation for flexible room placement.
- Type: Active 2-way Nearfield Monitor
- Price: ~€800–900 (each)
- Best for: Mixing, tracking, versatile room setups
- Why it stands out: AMT tweeter delivers extraordinary transient speed and high-frequency detail, with the Lineariser DSP ensuring phase-accurate playback
Audio Interface
The Classic: RME Fireface UCX II
Impeccable drivers, vanishingly low latency, and the kind of long-term reliability that makes it a fixture in professional studios on every continent.
- Type: USB 2.0 Audio Interface (40-channel)
- Price: ~€1,550–1,700
- Best for: Studio recording, live rigs, demanding low-latency workflows
- Why it stands out: SteadyClock FS jitter elimination and RME’s legendary driver stability make it the benchmark for professional USB interfaces
The Gem: Merging Anubis
Far more than an interface—a mastering-grade converter, professional monitor controller, and networked audio hub in a single compact unit.
- Type: Networked Audio Interface / Monitor Controller
- Price: ~€2,100–2,400
- Best for: Mastering, immersive audio, high-resolution studio work
- Why it stands out: Ravenna/AES67 network audio with conversion quality that competes with dedicated standalone converters costing significantly more
Synth
The Classic: Moog Muse
Moog’s return to polyphonic analog synthesis—eight voices, bi-timbral architecture, and the unmistakable warmth that only ladder filters deliver.
- Type: 8-voice Bi-timbral Analog Polysynth
- Price: ~€3,200–3,500
- Best for: Rich pads, expressive performance, classic analog textures
- Why it stands out: Dual per-voice ladder filters inspired by Moog Voyager circuitry, with a 64-step sequencer and onboard Diffusion Delay
The Gem: Melbourne Instruments NINA
An Australian-built 12-voice analog polysynth with motorized knobs that physically snap to the correct position every time you recall a preset—redefining what hands-on analog control can be.
- Type: 12-voice Analog Polysynth (motorized controls)
- Price: ~€2,200–2,500
- Best for: Deep sound design, live performance, preset-heavy workflows
- Why it stands out: Motorized faders eliminate the classic knob-mismatch problem—every recall is exactly what you see and what you hear
Groovebox
The Classic: Ableton Move
Ableton’s most portable instrument yet—a self-contained groovebox that captures ideas anywhere and slots seamlessly back into Live.
- Type: Standalone Groovebox / Ableton Live Hardware
- Price: ~€420–450
- Best for: Mobile production, sketching ideas, integration with Ableton Live
- Why it stands out: Drift and Wavetable engines onboard, with ARM architecture that makes it Ableton’s most powerful portable platform to date
The Gem: Dirtywave M8 Tracker
A handheld cult object for electronic producers—a full tracker workstation with 8 tracks, multiple synthesis engines, and up to 12 hours of battery life.
- Type: Portable Tracker Sequencer / Synthesizer
- Price: ~€500–600
- Best for: Electronic composition, pattern-based sequencing, mobile production
- Why it stands out: FM, wavetable, virtual analog, and sampler engines in a device that fits in a jacket pocket
MIDI Controllers
The Classic: Ableton Push 3
The definitive surface for producing and performing with Ableton Live—and in standalone mode, a complete instrument that works without a computer.
- Type: Performance Controller / Standalone Instrument
- Price: ~€1,800–2,000
- Best for: Ableton Live production, live performance, standalone composition
- Why it stands out: Intel NUC processor inside enables a fully standalone mode that runs the complete Ableton Live engine independently
The Gem: Yaeltex Custom Controllers
Controllers built to your exact specification—layout, knob count, fader placement, color scheme—all assembled by hand in Buenos Aires.
- Type: Custom MIDI Controller (bespoke)
- Price: ~€300–800 (depending on configuration)
- Best for: Bespoke live performance rigs, studio mixing, any workflow that no off-the-shelf controller fits
- Why it stands out: The only controller on the market where the entire layout is designed by you—not adapted from someone else’s template
Microphones
The Classic: Shure SM7dB
The SM7B with an integrated preamp that finally makes it usable with any interface—and a design that’s becoming the standard for modern broadcast and podcast setups.
- Type: Dynamic Cardioid Microphone with Built-in Preamp
- Price: ~€450–500
- Best for: Podcasting, streaming, vocal recording, broadcast
- Why it stands out: Up to +28dB of clean built-in gain eliminates the need for a separate preamp or cloudlifter
The Gem: Soyuz 017 FET
A hand-assembled condenser from Tula, Russia with a genuinely musical character—not a clinical tool, but a mic that makes voices and acoustic instruments come alive.
- Type: Large-diaphragm FET Condenser Microphone
- Price: ~€2,300–2,600
- Best for: Vocals, acoustic instruments, studio recording
- Why it stands out: Hand-built 34mm gold-sputtered capsule delivers a warmth and three-dimensionality that modern FET condensers rarely achieve
FX Hardware
The Classic: Chase Bliss Onward
A sampler pedal that responds to your playing in real time—capturing what you just played and weaving it into textures, drones, and dreamscapes automatically.
- Type: Dynamic Sampler / Ambient Effects Pedal
- Price: ~€330–370
- Best for: Ambient processing, generative textures, experimental sound design
- Why it stands out: Two independent engines (freeze and glitch) respond dynamically to your input level—the effect evolves with your performance, not against it
The Gem: OTO Machines BOUM
An analog compressor, saturator, and filter in one compact unit that has quietly become one of the most beloved secret weapons in electronic production.
- Type: Analog Compressor / Saturator / Filter
- Price: ~€500–570
- Best for: Bus processing, drum glue, synthesizer warming, electronic production
- Why it stands out: The combination of compression, harmonic saturation, and a resonant filter in series produces a density and cohesion that’s nearly impossible to replicate in-the-box
Experimental Gear
The Classic: Making Sound Machines Plinky+
An expressive eight-voice polyphonic touch synthesizer that specializes in fragile, evolving sounds—the flagship version of an open-source instrument now embraced by ambient composers worldwide.
- Type: Polyphonic Touch Synthesizer / Eurorack Module
- Price: ~€400–500 (assembled)
- Best for: Generative composition, ambient performance, Eurorack integration
- Why it stands out: Eight capacitive touch strips with full MPE-style expression per voice, in a design that bridges desktop synth and modular worlds
The Gem: Critter & Guitari Organelle M
An open-source instrument that can become anything—synthesizer, sampler, effects processor, sequencer—depending on which patch you load, with thousands available from a thriving community.
- Type: Open-source Synthesizer / Sound Computer
- Price: ~€550–600
- Best for: Experimental sound design, generative music, live performance
- Why it stands out: Pure Data-based engine runs an ever-growing library of community patches covering everything from granular synthesis to physical modeling to generative sequencers
Secret Weapon
The Classic: Rupert Neve Designs 5059 Satellite
A 16-channel summing mixer built around the same class-A topology and custom transformers as Neve’s flagship 5088 console—the summing mixer that professional studios use to add depth and dimension to their mixes.
- Type: 16×2+2 Analog Summing Mixer
- Price: ~€3,200–3,500
- Best for: Hybrid mixing, analog summing, stem mixing
- Why it stands out: Custom Neve transformers and ±24V class-A topology deliver the warmth, stereo width, and three-dimensionality of a full analog console without the footprint
The Gem: TK Audio BC1-S THD
A boutique bus compressor from Sweden that combines SSL-style VCA glue with a THD function that adds musicall even-order harmonics at the flip of a switch.
- Type: Stereo Bus Compressor
- Price: ~€700–800
- Best for: Mix bus, master bus, parallel compression
- Why it stands out: The THD mode adds a subtle but unmistakable harmonic density to any mix bus—coherence and color in the same box, with stepped controls for perfect recall
That wraps up this month’s edition of Gear Radar—our curated look at the hardware shaping modern listening, performance, and music creation. From timeless essentials to overlooked innovations, the goal remains simple: spotlight the gear that deserves your attention. See you next month for another handpicked selection curated by Matthew S.
