WE’RE LIVING the gear geek’s dream over here at Electronic Musician: Hundreds of amazing new music production products debut each year, and most of them end up crossing our desks at some point for us to check out. So when it comes to selecting the best of the best for our annual Editors’ Choice Awards, we have our work cut out for us. (Cue the world’s tiniest violin. . . .)

We know that musicians recording at home have to make tough choices with limited dollars, so when we evaluate gear, we are looking for true innovation, whether that means bringing functionality or fidelity to a new price point, or turning a creative process upside down. So to that end, we do awards a little bit differently. Rather than imposing strict rules and rigid categories on our selection process, we seek out the shining stars first, and then create awards that acknowledge whatever makes that gear truly unique—from an app that makes you rethink an iPad’s DAW capabilities, to a guitar that offers endless automatic tuning options, to a pair of earplugs that just might save your career. Ultimately, though, we celebrate them because they are all designed to help you make better music.

We know that awards are subjective, so we’d love to hear your take. Do you agree with our picks? What are your favorite new tools? Email us at ElectronicMusician@musicplayer.com.

Sarah Jones
Editor
sjones@musicplayer.com