Recording & Mixing Gear Of The Year 2025
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Nov 21, 2025 Paul and Hugh dive into their favorite gear from the past year, highlighting the Cranborne Brick Lane compressor's versatility. They rave about Soundtoys' SpaceBlender's unique reverb capabilities and the Braingasm Ocula's innovative design for classical recordings. The duo explores the ambient possibilities of Source Audio's Encounter and Electro-Harmonix's Oceans Abyss. Hugh details the cutting-edge Sound Devices Astral multi-channel RF system and RME's top-notch converter upgrades. Finally, they showcase the modular Grace Design m701 interface's flexible design.
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Unconventional Reverb For Long Ambient Tails
- Soundtoys SpaceBlender uses a unique and secret algorithm to create very long, evolving reverbs that can sustain for about a minute.
- Its simple GUI lets you drag a point to shape attack/release and density for creative, non‑natural reverb textures.
Ball Microphone Recreates Classic Orchestral Mics
- Hugh tested the Braingasm Ocula, an Italian spherical mic inspired by Neumann's M50, and made convincing recordings.
- He praises its engineering, built‑in acoustic sphere, balanced output and affordability versus classic alternatives.
Use DropPad 3 For Evolving, Non‑Repeating Pads
- Try the new DropPad 3 in the free Kontakt Player to blend and morph four samples for evolving pads.
- Import older DropPad libraries to combine with new content for flexible sound design.