What was the single best audio gear item you bought / acquired in 2022?

For me it was this Alesis Nitro Kit Mesh Kit Bundle

https://www.thomann.de/gb/alesis_nit...kit_bundle.htm

My son loves it and is really progressing with his playing

I would love to have a real kit but in the inner city its just not practical

Tough decision. It's between the last round of repairs on my Jupiter-8 making it the crown jewel of my synth setup again, the ART Pro Channel to help my vocals not sound like trash, or the KeyStep Pro on clearance at a Guitar Center pulling my Eurorack together and paving the way for me to go DAWless or play live.

Favorite might be my AML 52F50 comp but mainly as I built it myself from the kit and was my first kit build with more to come.

RE50 N/D-B for exploring dynamic omni sound capture especially on small string instruments/vocals.

i bought two* rather fancy toys in '22 (see pics)!



* well, actually four: three studer stageboxes (one is missing in the first pic due to constant use) and the small but beautiful steinway o (second pic) - none of this was exactly cheap but imo one can spend money much more stupidly than on excellent "gear"...

I'm still a huge fan of Grado headphones and have a pair of PS2000E's on order so while they might not arrive before the end of 2022 they will be my favourite purchase regardless

Oh and a new fully maxed out Macbook Pro has proved to be very timely in order to get the most out of Pro Tools Flex which is really impressing me

Pro Tools Flex is now Pro Tools Ultimate. Again.

Alice 828 MK3.

a Soma Cosmos "Drifting Memory Station"

The BAE 1073D has been quite a find for me, and it's my favorite vocal preamp (at least for my voice) It's a great sounding preamp without the EQ engaged, and I leave it out when there is any doubt. But when dialing in some tone with the EQ... the thing is just another level of fun for me. It's probably the piece I bought this year that it would be the hardest for me to go without.

Those are dreamy

Emax 1 rack & S2400 combo.

Old school mixed with modern retro...

Juno X. I’ve wanted a Juno for decades and, while this isn’t an OG from the 80s, it’s absolutely scratched my Juno itch. A lifer for me.

Audeze LCD-XC!

Hairball rev f 1176

My GIK order (purchased in 2021 but arrived in 2022).

I purchased an Audient 4816SE console about a month ago. I have always produced in the box (with outboard gear also) but wanted to try something new.

It is remarkable and wonderful in every way.

A console will not improve the sound. It is not as practical as producing in the box. It is a lot of fun.

DAV Broadhurst Gardens Preamp

Cdlt

Two guitar pedals this year - a Chase Bliss Generation Loss MkII and a Catalinbread Soft Focus. Both are suuuuuper fun - lo-fi is definitely "in" at the moment.

On the software purchase side, digging my purchase of Softube's 'Model 84' Juno emulation a LOT - and noodling around with all three of these things with their Amp Room.

Sennheiser MD419 in top condition.
My new go-to for guitar cabs.

Korg OPSIX. I ruined my credit probably to get it home. And lately I’ve kept it in it’s original box. But I’m getting a Mac book air so I should be able to update it and use the VST for easier patch creation. It can be sequenced from my TD3MO/TD3 which is really fun.

Purchased my first two hardware compressors: a pair of Distressors. On their own or daisy-chained, they're kind of game changing coming from an otherwise ITB experience!

Well, I've done a little bit of shopping this year. But it's difficult to pick just one. This one - no introductions needed:

These two little 10 inch beasts can beat the ѕhit out of most bigger speakers in terms of quality and power. And they weigh merely 11 kg a piece.

Rebuilt my 2011 MacBookPro Quad i7
Removed both drives & installed two single 1TB SSDs

Bought a pair of EV Audio SC208s & 48 inch stands.

Went a bit crazy on guitars this year after orthopedic docs got my hands working pain free again.

Gretsch Double Jet with TV Jones Magna’Tron (neck) Classic (bridge)
Then…. The George Harrison Rosewood, a beautiful figured Iced Tea Gibson ES-335 and then broke down and bought a Gibson SG Junior. So I’m broke again. ☺️

Audeze LCD-X phones

A flock of 3U mics.

(see what I did there?)

So many stuff to choose from (very thankful for this year's opportunities) but I gotta give it to these:

- Universal Audio Dream 65: I've mostly stopped recording my amp because of how good this sounds.

- Focal Alpha 50 Evo: My monitoring situation used to be... not good, so it's nice to have a decent pair of monitors for my small set-up.

- Audio Technica ATH-M50X: I've been a Beyer DT770 user for years and I've always found them to be very bass-starved, and even though the ATs are very hyped in the lower frequencies, they're just better tracking headphones and never ever harsh to listen to.

- AKG C414 B-ULS: Love this mic to pieces.

- Shure SM7B with Soyuz Launcher: I avoided getting one for ages but it's just so convenient in so many ways and it fits my vocals much better than most LDCs. The Soyuz Launcher also gives the signal a little something before going into my Apollo which I appreciate since I don't currently own any outboard pres.

- Fender Precision: I mostly work on my own music with the occasional mixing work and even though I'm a decent bass player, I never really thought about getting my own bass and mainly borrowed from friends or had friends play on my recordings. Getting a nice bass and finding out it is one my favorite instruments to play was a revelation.

Huge shout-out to GIK acoustics as well, the panels I bought for treating my room have done wonders.

Absolutely best purchase of 2022 was this Yamaha YAS62 silver alto. It's injecting new energy into my appreciation of writing, learning, recording and producing.

Ever pick up the second hand on that clock on a hot mic?