This year's best selling gear was a great mix of hot new releases and old favourites. Check out our customers' most in-demand studio equipment from 2024...

 

UK manufacturer Cranborne Audio had a real hit on their hands with the release of the new CARNABY HE2 Harmonic EQ at this year’s NAMM.

CARNABY HE2 is built around Cranborne’s novel Saturation Core analogue harmonic saturation technology. Controls are presented in a familiar parametric 3-band format, but unlike conventional equalizers, as the circuits are driven harder for each band so is the level of harmonic saturation. This results in an unprecedented tonal palette from one EQ processor – from pristine surgical sculpting with dialled-back controls to harmonically rich broadband shaping. Its ability to bring out textural colour is really quite different from other EQs.

Operation in stereo, dual-mono and mid-side modes combined with additional HF/LF filters and balanced inserts makes Carnaby equally effective for tracking, mixing and mastering duties. Another headline feature is comprehensive digital control via a dedicated DAW plug-in, making automation and recall a breeze.

Cranborne deserve kudos for having the foresight (and commercial bravery!) to introduce something genuinely fresh to the market. A great product.

In another NAMM release, Barefoot expanded their Footprint range of compact monitors with the new FOOTPRINT03 - offering an even more compact design at a more affordable price.

As with all Barefoot monitors, Footprint03 is packed with innovative features. Their proprietary MEME technology is retained in this smaller model, offering multiple voicings (like having several A/B monitors in a single cabinet) and introduces new SPOC technology (Spectrally Optimized Conversion). SPOC utilises an analogue crossover section prior to the A/D conversion, allowing high frequencies to pass into the converter unattenuated, yielding 5-bit higher resolution or a 15dB signal-to-noise ratio.

Footprint03 uses a side-firing ported speaker design. This fast transient bass reflex system allows Barefoot to achieve their remarkable low-end extension. Also introduced is a new 1″ ring radiator tweeter based around a more powerful magnet and motor system. This results in longer excursion capabilities, increased volume output, and reduced compression for exceptionally dynamic audio performance.

These new monitors are powered by three Class D amplifier modules, each dedicated to a specific driver. The tweeter channel has a 60W amplifier, while midrange and woofer drivers utilise separate 100W amps. The amplifiers maintain a super-low total harmonic distortion of less than 0.005% when delivering maximum power. This configuration ensures well-balanced, powerful audio performance, optimizing signal levels for each driver and facilitating optimal sound reproduction.

At £1995 inc. VAT, Footprint03 puts Barefoot performance within reach of even more users – it’s no surprise these have been our best-selling monitor in 2024.

After its announcement in September 2023,  the large number of pre-orders we received made it immediately clear that this would be one of the year’s hottest products. MASTER BUS TRANSFORMER (MBT) was designed to lift your tracks and mixes with all the characteristically refined sonics you expect from Rupert Neve's hallmark Class A transformer-coupled circuits.

MBT offers a carefully selected palette of independently switchable colouration stages to precisely sculpt your sound without destroying the integrity of the original source.

An INPUT stage with HPF is followed by a new EQUALIZER section based on a 2-band Shelf EQ design with three-octave range, gentle slopes and minimal phase shifts. The LF band (30-240Hz, +/- 9dB) adds weight and power while the HF band (3-24kHz, +/- 9dB) is tuned for shine and clarity.

COLOUR COMP uses an opto-compressor design to deliver musical non-linear distortion characteristics, enhanced by a variable high pass sidechain filter and Blend control for parallel processing.

Next is the WIDTH section, based on the Stereo Field Editor found in RND’s Master Bus Processor for stereo width enhancement. This uses a variable HPF to ensure low frequencies remain focused while mids and highs are expanded to open up mixes with a beautifully natural sound.

Our favourite section is probably the SUPER SILK stage – a major upgrade to RND’s much-loved Silk circuit. In essence, Silk Red accentuates harmonics in the mid and high frequencies, adding sparkle and sheen. Silk Blue enhances harmonics in the low and low-mid frequencies, adding depth and weight. The Harmonics control saturates the MBT's custom interstage transformers, increasing overall musical harmonic content. The switchable Zener Drive control is a diode-based asymmetrical soft clip circuit that introduces odd-order harmonic content as the signal approaches the MBT's headroom limit, resulting in a more aggressive tonal character. It’s a hugely powerful processing stage that sounds simply wonderful in use.

Designed to be the ultimate one-box “finishing tool”, Master Bus Transformer effortlessly achieves its aims. A great bit of kit.

Moog aren’t the kind of company who bring out a major new synth every year, so when they announced this year’s Muse it was always going to be big news – it's only their fifth commercial polyphonic synth release in the last 50 years! MOOG MUSE is an 8-voice bi-timbral analogue polysynth with digital controls, patch memory and advanced sequencing, and its intuitive knob-per-function panel makes it as much a stage synth as it is a creative studio tool. Headline features include vintage oscillators (based on Minimoog Voyager), dual classic filters, stereo amplifiers, a powerful arpeggiator, independent sequences, chord memory, diffusion delay FX and the whole thing is built like a tank.

Moog’s forerunner, ONE, introduced in 2018 but now discontinued and effectively replaced by Muse was over twice the price. Muse isn’t as fully featured as Moog One, but you’re still very much getting a “proper” Moog polysynth that can easily summon the classic big, rich Moog sound and offers plenty of scope for experimental programming. Many synths attempt to offer “Moog-esque” tones, but more often than not they fall short of the real deal. But that’s exactly what you’re getting with Muse.

Manufacturers often have to tread a line between features and cost and Moog seem to have got the balance just right with Muse. In a nutshell, this is a glorious-sounding polysynth and the friendlier price tag should make it available to a lot more Moog aficionados.

Since appearing in 2020, Gainlab Audio have introduced a rapidly growing range of well-conceived, high-quality products onto the market. Their gear is typically based on proven design concepts, but with the addition of a novel and useful twist – built to a very high standard and supplied at a competitive price. We’ve been consistently impressed with their offerings and this year’s GOVERNOR was no exception. Governor is a valve opto-compressor using a dual slope design that offers a whole other level of dynamics processing compared to more traditional designs.

If you’re not familiar with dual slope compression, in essence you set an initial threshold point with lower ratio and softer knee, followed by a second threshold point with a steeper release curve at a higher compression ratio. This provides multi-stage dynamic control from a single processor that results in a huge range of sonic possibilities – from gentle vintage LA2-style compression to a more modern compression sound and beyond into aggressive dynamics not usually associated with optical designs.

Gainlab’s Tube Boost circuit adds further colouration and the exemplary metering clearly shows how much compression you’re achieving from each stage for easy set-up. If you only had space in your rack for one opto compressor, this would be one of our first recommendations – you get so much mileage from this single box, it’s very well priced and, more importantly, it sounds excellent!

Marshall Terry has a decade’s experience as chief technician for Texas-based manufacturer Shadow Hills, where he was heavily involved in designing and building their products. His own skills as an independent designer saw the launch of the formidable CEQ Mastering Equalizer at AES in 2019 - a unique design, incorporating vintage circuits from some of Terry’s favourite inductor-based EQs including Lang, Pultec and Neumann. It proved a huge hit with our mastering customers and remains one of our best-selling high-end equalizers.

However, with a price tag of over £6500 it’s not the kind of purchase that most engineers can easily justify – unless you have a spare kidney lying around! So it was great to see the release of Terry’s latest SEQ 6-band stereo equalizer/line amp at a much more affordable price point. SEQ is essentially a “greatest hits” of the flagship CEQ’s frequency bands, with stacked stereo controls for simple operation, housed in a more rack-friendly 2U format.

It's a fully discrete, through-hole design with no surface mount components – design-specific capacitors are used throughout including heritage paper-in-foil and metallized foil caps and “lo perm” toroidal inductors. A no-compromise build ethos that is aimed at achieving the absolute best audio quality from these circuits.

Terry maintains his uncompromising “no legending” approach to the fascia which forces you to use your ears rather than rely on numbers. Something that can be a little daunting when starting out with the larger CEQ, but is actually a real pleasure with the simpler SEQ – sometimes less is more. A fantastic sounding equalizer and a CEQ for the masses.

BeesNeez are an Australian company who have been making microphones for over 20 years. Alongside their own original designs, they also make reproductions of classic mics under their “Classic” and “Tribute” ranges – B67-269 being their take on the much-loved U67.

If you thought this was just another budget “me-too” microphone, you’d be wrong. BeesNeez make all the key components of their microphones in-house including the capsules and transformers. Company owner, Ben Sneesby personally creates each individual capsule and is rightfully proud of the care and attention that goes into his product.

B67-269 takes the fundamental U67 design, based around a K6 capsule and  Brimar/Mullard 86 designated valve. BeesNeez have used their own transformer design – a huge toroidal unit which offers excellent impedance conversion with a tertiary winding – something present in the BV12 UI30 used in the original U67 but often omitted in budget clones. They have then added switchable “Old” and “New” voicings for both 67 and 269 modes. In 67 mode, the “Old” voice captures the sonics of the vintage U67, with the “New” voice providing more air and a gentle lift in the high mids.

And how does it sound? In a word – great. It has all the body and smooth, airy top-end detail you expect from this type of microphone.

If you’re looking for a 67-style mic and don’t have the budget for a Neumann or Flea, we can’t think of a better alternative. B67-269 is very popular for good reason – it’s a great mic at a very affordable price.

It’s been 20 years since EMPIRICAL LABS DISTRESSOR was introduced back in the early 1990s and it’s as popular today as it has ever been. Based on a VCA soft-knee design, designer Dave Derr has added some intelligent twists resulting in a wide range of flavours from smooth opto compressor tones to the distorted “smacky” FET settings of the ubiquitous “1176-all-buttons-in” Brit mode. There’s very little the EL8-X can’t do and it’s almost impossible to make this thing sound bad – a true “Swiss Army Knife” compressor that covers a lot of ground. Available as a single-channel processor or stereo pair. It’s a hands-down modern classic.

Unless you’re fortunate enough to work in a professional studio or acoustically-tuned purpose-built room, the chances are your workspace has some frequency issues. Excessive reflections and standing waves mean that all that hard work you put into making your mixes sound great, simply doesn’t translate when heard elsewhere. If that problem resonates with you (ouch), Trinnov has the answer.

Trinnov’s earlier ST2 Pro room optimiser was generally regarded as the best “bolt-on” acoustic room correction system for pro audio users. In 2023, and after 4 years of development, Trinnov superceded this with their NOVA optimiser. Where the previous system was based on custom PC’s running Linux, NOVA uses an ARM processor and is housed in a compact 1U chassis. NOVA can process and optimise up to 6 channels (perfect for 5.1 surround) including bass management, is a powerful monitor controller in its own right and can be used as an audio interface for direct DAW-to-monitor integration via Audinate’s Dante Virtual Soundcard software.

At £3995 inc VAT It’s still not pocket change, but it remains a truly transformative product for correcting room sonics. At the end of the day, there’s little point blowing your budget on high-end monitors if your room is fundamentally flawed.

An inherent problem in dynamics processing is the introduction of unwanted audio artefacts. We purchase a limiter to control overshoots – the kind of thing that causes clicks and pops in our mixes - but the faster the transients, the faster the attack time we need to catch these spikes and the higher the risk of transient reshaping and distortion. Digital limiters easily solve this by splitting the audio and introducing a very short delay to create enough time for the detection circuit to analyse the signal and introduce the required level of gain reduction in advance, rather than constantly playing catch-up in real time. Problem solved.

However, in the analogue domain, this is not straightforward - and this is where the HUM AUDIO LAAL (Look Ahead Analogue Limiter) comes in.  With some very clever electronics, LAAL is able to introduce a 200 microsecond delay with a dynamic transient function that restores transients proportionally to the limiting level - effectively  preserving the integrity of very fast transient peaks at high gain reduction settings. This results in loud, very natural sounding masters – exactly what mastering engineers are looking for.

Of course, other than an increase in perceived loudness you don’t “hear” any tonal processing – that’s almost the whole point. But LAAL does include additional transformer circuitry for a touch of richness and a useful Stereo Width control that opens up a mix very nicely. As you would expect in a processor at this level, controls are detented for easy recall and 40-segment meters provide extremely accurate visual feedback.

This is a highly innovative product, an engineering triumph and represents the pinnacle of what is currently possible in analogue limiting. However, the £8790 inc VAT price tag is not for the faint hearted – very much a tool for audio professionals.

API Audio’s 550A 500 Series EQ continues to be a big hit with our customers. A simple 3-Band design with selectable shelving on the high and low bands and a proportional Q that gradually narrows as gain is increased – resulting in smooth transitions between the three bands. This processor is all about the sound – a punchy, forward-sounding EQ with a tonal sweetness that is unmistakably API. If this is the sound you want, this – along with API’s 525/527 compressors - is what you need to get it.

Flea’s meticulous recreation of the legendary ELA M 251 is a work of art. Until a few year’s ago, Telefunken’s 251 was pretty much the only game in town with (arguably) only Dave Bock/Soundelux offering a more reasonably priced alternative at this premium level. Flea’s obsessive attention to detail uses a Tim Campbell CT12 capsule (a painstaking replica of the original CK12), selected 6072A valve, Flea’s identical T14/I transformer, gold-plated terminals and upgraded wiring from Andreas Grossner. Flea’s offering really hits the sweet spot for us in terms of maintaining genuine top-tier quality without emptying out your bank account. A smart choice if you’re after this type of microphone.

If you’re familiar with Kii Audio, you’ll know to expect a highly technical product in these latest SEVEN monitors. Each cabinet utilises two 6.5” bass drivers, a 5” midrange driver and 1” tweeter with a custom waveguide driven by 600W of amplification. SEVEN offers two listening modes – “minimum latency” for recording applications where low roundtrip latency is essential, and “minimum phase” mode for optimized accuracy while mixing. Sophisticated DSP creates Kii’s signature advanced cardioid dispersion pattern – not just a gimmick, this effectively minimises interference from room reflections and allows these monitors to perform well in otherwise acoustically challenging rooms.

Connectivity is very comprehensive with analogue XLR/TRS, digital connectivity over AES/EBU, Dante and Wireless/Bluetooth for playback from consumer devices such as Apple iPhone. Compared to the earlier Three model, the new Sevens are a smaller cabinet at a friendlier price point of £7785 inc. remote. Like the Threes, it’s hard not be impressed by the large soundstage and flat, effortlessly detailed sound coming out of these relatively diminutive cabinets. One of the most exciting new monitors from 2024.

Hats off to Soma Laboratory for creating one of the most quirky electronic instruments of the year. Soma describe the TERRA as “a sanctuary for a natural soul right in the middle of the rumbling plastic world” – possibly a little flowery for some, but it starts to make sense when you take the rather lovely slab of wood, adorned with brass and steel controllers out of its packaging, plug it in and start to play with the thing. You should probably read the manual first, but there’s an overwhelming temptation to just start playing around and see what happens.

Controls are split into two zones – one for “Control”, the other for “Play”.  The keyboard comprises 12 note sensors with velocity and pressure sensitivity, enabling the manual creation of slow attack and vibrato effects. Four pitch shift buttons allow the keyboard to cover the full range of a grand piano while offering precision tuning at a remarkable 125 steps per semitone. Additionally, four dynamic sensors provide timbre modification and control.

Despite the delightfully organic experience of using Terra, this is very much a digital synth with 32 intricate synthesis algorithms split into four groups - Polyphonic, Experimental, Bass and Solo. The vast range of available tones means it's easy to get lost in long periods of meandering performance rather than hours of deep analytic programming. It’s a real pleasure to use and the responsive controls keep you very much in the driving seat while encouraging experimentation.

Incidentally, the manual is very good and worth a read - once you’ve finished having a lot of fun first, of course.

The original Mellotron was a large electro-mechanical keyboard instrument created in 1963, an evolution from the earlier Chamberlin first developed in 1949. It used pre-recorded magnetic tapes under the keys of a piano-style keyboard that were engaged using a capstan and pulled against a playback head to create the sound. When the key was released, the sound stopped, and the tape rewound. A very early sampler if you will. It’s an iconic sound, possibly most famously used on the wobbly flute intro of The Beatles’ “Strawberry Fields Forever”.

60 years later, MELLOTRON M4000D MINI replaces the notoriously unreliable tapes with digital samples - all painstakingly recreated from original vintage tapes to give the most authentic sounding and feeling experience possible. M4000D Mini is the mid-sized model in the range, with a 3-octave keyboard, around 100 Mellotron and Chamberlin sounds (more sounds can be added with expansion cards), a pristine 24-bit playback audio engine, monophonic aftertouch and dual hi-resolution TFT displays. This is a somewhat singular instrument for a particular type of player – but from the numbers that have sold this year, there seems to be a lot of you out there!

It’s not that long ago that mixing on headphones was considered a definite no-no, but technology has improved so much in the last 10 years that it’s now become an established part of the mixing process. These days, it’s remarkable how far a high-end pair of cans can get you in the mixing process – especially if you’re focussing in on individual tracks like vocals.  Audeze remains our single most popular high-end headphone brand and while LCD-X is still a bestseller, our customers now seem to prefer the more recent MM-500 model.

Designed in collaboration with producer/mixer Manny Marroquin) MM-500 takes things in a more specifically studio-oriented direction with their excellent build quality, neutral sonics and stunning detail/resolution. Bass is fast, solid and tightly controlled. Mids are rich, detailed and neutral. HF is incredibly detailed without ever getting abrasive. MM-500 will get you right inside your mix without distracting you with hi-fi flattery. If you found the LCD-X's a little too warm or lush sounding, MM-500 will fix this for you. A class-leading set of headphones.