Any advertising on Gearspace.com or product affiliate linking does not constitute a guarantee or endorsement of the quality or value of any products or of the claims made for them by the manufacturer.

1. Please clearly identify yourself in your forum signature - your real name and/or company name is preferred. If you have an existing account you would like to “convert” please send an email to our manufacturer liaison graham at gearspace dot com who can help and advise. We would also strongly prefer it if you used a company logo as your avatar - this makes it even clearer for other members to identify manufacturer participation in threads.

2. You may not post solely to "push" your products/generate sales or drive traffic to your website. With the exception of posting press releases in the New Product Alert! subforum, starting threads elsewhere (for the purposes of selling, however masqueraded) - is forbidden. You may participate in user-generated discussions, obviously, and answer questions, this is encouraged - as long as you identify yourself. Reviewing your own products in our Reviews section is also not permitted - we remove low-quality/shill reviews.

3. You may not solicit/"fish" for business/sales via Private Messaging or the forum's 'email member' feature. Please let the community approach you first.

4. Do not “trash” or “slam” your competitor’s products. In general please also avoid posting in threads started by or about gear made or sold by your direct competitors. We do not approve of posts which recommend “not buying” something or speculate on how or where a competitor’s product is made.

5. Disputes between manufacturers/vendors, past or present, are unwelcome on the forum. We take a dim view of the “airing of dirty laundry”.

6. Dealers and manufacturers are very welcome to submit notices of 'gear shoot-out' evenings and or special product launch demonstrations at their showrooms or studios hosting their event. Please email details to thepressdesk AT gearspace DOT com and we will add these to our Events calendar.

7. Any “covert activity” - including shill posting, company “repping” under an ‘anonymous’ account, multiple account creation, etc - will result in a site-wide ban. Gearspace users are not interested in products that need to be promoted in an underhanded manner, please let the quality of your work speak for itself!

8. The posting of competitions, giveaways, group buys, surveys etc. is strictly regulated (and generally not permitted!) - please do not post these without checking in first. Please contact promotions AT gearspace DOT com for more information. If you have a genuine one-off “special deal” on you may post details in the Deal Zone - please visit and read the rules to see if your offer qualifies.

9. Please do not contact other GS members either publicly (i.e., in forum threads) or privately (i.e. via private messaging or email) offering gear (or gear to test) in exchange for reviews or forum posts. Reviews or forum posts we suspect to be generated in this manner will be deleted and members potentially suspended. If you would like to find ways to get your product into some GS members' hands or if you would like to arrange a free unbiased professional review, please contact us at reviews AT gearspace DOT com and we can help set things up through official channels.

Thanks for your cooperation! Could it be said there was one rule for some people and another for others? YES! With thousands of recording engineers registered, the bias must be towards them and not manufacturers or equipment vendors. The site's reputation, which is one of of genuine user opinion can thusly be preserved. We recognise that many equipment vendors are also engineers but in the case of rule violations as above the forum's hammer falls on the side of these individuals being vendors.

Note too that the standard forum rules still apply - vendors need to be polite in their interactions with the membership. Insults/personal attacks against other users and other companies as mentioned are not permitted.

Vendors and gear makers who participate in discussions, answer questions and who act in a generally helpful/friendly way tend to be viewed in a positive light by the GS community.

The site admins are VERY HAPPY to advise and answer any questions on how manufacturers, gear vendors & distributors can best participate in the forum and deal with situations that may arise. Please do NOT hesitate to contact us via email at graham AT gearspace DOT com, or send a PM to Grahamdwc (Gearspace Manufacturer Liaison) or Whitecat (Gearspace Community Manager).

Last updated: 18 Nov 2020

Red Cross - Unicef - DEC

In addition, we are collating a list of gear manufacturers who are doing special fundraising offers here. In line with our “no politics” policy we will be deleting any posts or threads about the conflict going forward, even if they are quasi-gear related. GS is simply not the place for it. Thank you for your cooperation and understanding.

The most important rule here is to treat all other members with respect and remain civil at all times. Personal attacks, ridicule of opinions, "goading" of others, generally rude behaviour and abuse will simply not be tolerated.

1. Only one user registration is permitted per person. The creation of multiple user IDs may cause ALL existing IDs to be suspended. In addition, you must be a human in order to use your account! The use of bots or scripts to operate accounts on Gearspace is strictly prohibited.

2. Please only start threads ONCE and in the correct forum. Threads or posts cross-posted in multiple sub forums may ALL be deleted. In addition, please do not 'bump' multiple threads with the same response - pick the most appropriate place for your post and post it in one place only.

3. Please take care as to which subforum you are starting your thread in. Posting a thread in a forum which is obviously the wrong place (e.g., asking for help with a DAW installation in the Studio Acoustic forum) may cause your thread to be deleted.

4. Please stick to the topic at hand - off-topic posts will be deleted and you may be banned from threads and/or entire forums for repeat offenses. It is OK to be critical of a product but if you go on and on and on about it, especially if the topic isn’t related to your criticism then this will be considered “off-topic.”

5. Please do not alter any text appearing within the ‘[QUOTE]’ markers when you quote someone else’s message in reply. Doing so may lead to your being banned from the thread. You may delete/remove text from a quote that may be irrelevant to what you are responding to, but inserting new text, changing existing text or in any way 'altering context' may lead to your being banned from the thread.

6. Politics and religion are prohibited topics on Gearspace. This is an area where we take a zero-tolerance stance - please take your political and religious discussions elsewhere. The same applies for "serious social issues" which may turn into political or religious discussion.

7. We do not permit “producer or engineer so-and-so sucks” type threads. “Slagging off” others in the industry, especially established veterans is forbidden. In addition, you are not permitted to “bash” (comment negatively) about any artist, producer, engineer, genre or musical style. We take a zero-tolerance stance on this. You may discuss music, positively and (politely) negatively in the ‘All About The Music’ subforum, but ‘name-calling’ others in the industry is not allowed.

8. Anything that can be construed as “pro-piracy” (software and/or music) is not permitted. This includes request for “cracked” software, request for support for obviously “cracked” software, suggestion to use “cracked” software, copy protection circumvention discussion, and even naming products which you know to be “cracked” or where to find said “cracks.” As a member of the anti-piracy trade group IMSTA, Gearspace takes this subject very seriously - posts will be deleted and no warnings will be issued - you WILL receive infractions.

9. “Mac vs PC,” “Native or CPU vs DSP,” “Dongle vs Serial Number” and similar threads are strictly forbidden. In addition, “trolling” ‘Mac’ or ‘PC’ specific threads will not be tolerated (for example, if someone posts “what is the best PC for Pro Tools” please do not post “A Mac!”)

10. Please do not offer or link to for-sale or for-trade items or services in the forums..

Please also note that at this time we are not allowing 'Kickstarter' or similar type 'crowd funding' links anywhere on the forum. This is because we do not have the resources to do 'due diligence' on projects and even successfully-funded projects are often not seen through to completion, leading to disappointment for investors.

11. If you are a dealer/distributor/manufacturer/company rep of any kind for a pro audio, music or post-production related firm, please familiarise yourself with the rules that apply to you in our FAQ. As a reminder, anything that can be construed as posts which only exist to generate clicks/links or sales are absolutely prohibited. Also, if you post any sort of inter-company bickering, call for ‘halt of trade’ or air any other “dirty laundry” between another dealer/manufacturer and your company then you risk exclusion from the forum.

12. There is a ‘Deal Zone’ area (in the 'Marketplace') in which both users and approved advertisers can post links to special offers/"bargains" or group buys. Please post relevant information there - but please note that we do not allow the publication of “deals,” discount offers, “group buys” or similar in any other forums (this goes for anything posted by companies OR end users). Similarly, asking where you can find “the best deals” or the best price on items is also not permitted anywhere on Gearspace due to the fact that it only encourages shilling/dealer price wars and all-round problems. If you are unsure about any of this or are interested in more information on how this works please PM Whitecat or email [email protected] for more information.

13. Do not harrass or insult other members via the Private Messaging system or via the “E-mail User” proxy service we offer. Doing so may get your account banned permanently. Note that this includes sending unsolicited PMs of any kind... please be sure that you are sure the recipient wants to hear from you!

14. You may post grievances you are having with companies, dealers, etc - but you may not “call out” companies or people by name in your thread title. Please note we may edit or remove these threads/posts without warning. Please only post this type of thread if all other avenues of resolution are exhausted and a suitable amount of time has passed. For example, national/bank holidays, trade shows etc can influence shipping and communication time - be sure that you’ve taken everything into account first. If you have any doubts please contact a moderator first.

15. The Gearspace.com user base is comprised of people from all different backgrounds and skill levels - from people who just bought their first audio interface today to seasoned award-winning professionals who have forgotten more about their craft than some of us will ever know. Please allow “newbies” find their way without pressure and ridicule - we were all “noobs” once - and give them the help that they need where you can. By the same token, please respect that some of our “senior” and well-respected forum members did not get where they are today by knowing nothing. Please show appropriate respect, even when you disagree with them. If you are seen to be “driving away” more senior members it is likely your access will be restricted! Additionally, although this is an English-speaking forum and we require posts to be in English, please tolerate imperfect spelling and grammar from our non-native speaking members.

16. You may not post any private correspondence on the forums (this includes e-mails and/or private messages, and especially details of legal disputes and/or court papers received via the forum or elsewhere).

17. You may not “fish” (recruit) for users/readers for any other pro audio forum or blog. If you are caught doing this you risk account suspension and the URL will be added to our “censor” list.

18. You may not “fish” for “work”/offer to mix or master for free (or request similar) or ask for/offer any similar services in the open forums.

19. Please do not post ‘check out this mix!’ or ‘advice requested on my song!’ type posts in the open forums. There is a Work-In-Progress / Advice Requested subforum for this purpose. Posts of this type outside of that subforum will be deleted and warnings/infractions issued.

20. Please do not criticise the forum moderators/leaders on the open forums. Our moderators are volunteers who are trying to make the forum a better place in their spare time. If you have a problem with any of the moderation team or a suggestion on how they can perform their moderation duties better then please send a Private Message to Whitecat (the Community Manager) who will look into it, or alternatively you can post questions or concerns in the Forum Help & Suggestions member's sub forum.

21. Threats, abusive language, ‘NSFW’/inappropriate content/links and general“trolling” will not be tolerated.

22. Spam posts - if you stumble across a post which is obviously spam/generated by a spambot, please do not reply to the thread. Simply use the 'report' button and a moderator will take care of it. Spambots don't care what kind of sarcasm you write back at them - their sole goal is to populate search engine results with their garbage, so by replying to those posts you are probably making the problem worse.

23. Please keep your forum “signature” tasteful and as subtle as possible. Posts from users with annoyingly large, “rude” or complex signatures are more likely to be ignored by other members. Please also refrain from including anything political or religious in your signature, you will be asked to change it and may lose your "signature" privileges.

24. By the same token, please ensure that if you choose to use an 'Avatar' (the picture under your username) that it is in good taste, "SFW" and adheres to forum guidelines - no profanity or adult content is permitted. The same applies for any images linked or uploaded to posts you make or uploaded to your User Profile page.

25. Please ensure that you have sought permission from copyright holders to post any material which you do not necessarily have rights to - it is good form to do so, although excerpts of material used for 'educational purposes' [i.e., discussion/criticism] are generally permitted under 'fair dealing' in the UK and 'fair use' in the USA).

26. The community works best when its members self-police - please use the ‘Report’ button on posts in order to bring them to a moderator’s attention. You can use this for everything from spam reporting to abusive member conduct to even reporting posts that are obviously in the wrong place. Please do not abuse the ‘Report’ function (and it's most certainly not to be used simply because you disagree with another user). We rely on reported posts to help police the site so thanks in advance for your help!

Please treat others like you would like to be treated - healthy arguments are absolutely welcome but if they get out of hand your forum access may be put at risk! Please note that you can “block” users via an ‘Ignore List’ - you can quickly do this via a drop-down menu under the user's name on any given post (click once and you'll see an 'Ignore User' function, and the list can be modified by clicking ‘User CP’ at the top and then ‘Edit Ignore List’ on the left side. Please use this feature if another user is causing you problems that cannot be solved by simply ignoring them yourself. Please also do not engage with anyone who is obviously "trolling" - any posts you make which 'quote' the "troll" may be permanently deleted without warning, even if they otherwise include valuable information. Use the Report button and the Ignore List instead!

Hopefully these rules are self-explanatory but if you are in doubt about anything, please contact a moderator first before posting and we’ll guide you down the right path.

Finally, please note these rules are subject to continual revision and update, and we recommend you check them out occasionally to stay up to date.

Thanks for hanging out at Gearspace!