The runners and riders
2017 feels like it’s flown by in a crazy and slightly bewildering flash, but it can’t have escaped your notice that we’re into its final furlong.
Inevitably, that means it’s time to reflect on the year just passed. It’s been a good one for new music technology gear, and we’re ready to prime the party poppers and celebrate the best of it.
But wait, there’s more! For the first time, we are expanding our offering of categories to include the artists, DJs and producers that have made their mark on the past 12 months with epic releases and barnstorming performances.
We’ve also included a category for your favourite music tech personality, be that a show organiser, YouTuber, or just an all-round good egg.
You came, you voted and now we can finally reveal the results. So without further ado, here are 2017’s most impressive new products and most influential people.
The MusicRadar Best in music tech awards 2017 are brought to you in association with Softube - Tools for the Audio Professional
The best house DJ/producer of 2017
House music is a huge minefield of so many sub-genres it hurts the brain. Well, we’ve left that particular brain-hurt at the door. In a bid to keep things simple in such a convoluted world, we’ve split the genre into just two categories. First up is the best house DJ or producer.
It wasn't easy to draw up the long list. Imagine trying to choose your favourite house producer from a sea of what seems like hundreds of artists - impossible. So, without getting too bogged down with sub-genre after sub genre, hit up the the link below for who you voted as the best house artists of 2017...
The MusicRadar Best in music tech awards 2017 are brought to you in association with Softube - Tools for the Audio Professional
The top 5 house DJ/producers in the world right now
The best electro and tech house DJ/producer of 2017
House music isn’t all tropical, bouncy or tinged with reggaeton, of course. It’s got a deeper, more technical side, and that’s what we are celebrating right here.
If you’re more at home with the darker shade of the biggest genre in dance music today, then check out the top five electro, big room and tech house DJs of 2017, as voted for by you…
The MusicRadar Best in music tech awards 2017 are brought to you in association with Softube - Tools for the Audio Professional
The top 5 electro and tech house DJ/producers in the world right now
The best techno DJ/producer of 2017
Whether you’re into Detroit, dub, electro, industrial or the more melodic strains of techno, it is of no consequence here. We corralled the best names in techno this year for you and you voted in your droves for your favourite.
This list wasn’t quite as long as both our best house DJ/producer polls; however, there were still plenty of names to whet the most sparse and Germanic of musical appetites.
Click through the gallery to discover the best techno DJs and producers of 2017...
The MusicRadar Best in music tech awards 2017 are brought to you in association with Softube - Tools for the Audio Professional
The top 5 techno DJ/producers in the world right now
The best trance DJ/producer of 2017
You may have noticed the euphoric sounds of trance have been working there way back into the mainstream over the last twelve months or so, but what of the true denizens in the genre? Who would be your pick of the DJs and producers who have absolutely smashed it in the trance stakes this year?
Well look no further. We have the results of our reader poll to find out who you think is the best trance DJ/producer of 2017.
The MusicRadar Best in music tech awards 2017 are brought to you in association with Softube - Tools for the Audio Professional
The top 5 trance DJ/producers in the world right now
The best bass music DJ/producer of 2017
A wise man once said: “Bass! How low can you go?!” These words will have resonated with the artists included in the following list. Like a call to arms, the lower frequencies in the musical spectrum stir a creative force in these producers, compelling them to create music to test the most powerful of sound systems.
Whether it’s drum and bass, dubstep or bassline, this year has seen the release of a fair few stonkers, but which one has floated your boat the most? Well your votes have been casted and the numbers are. Roll on the best bass music DJs and producers 2017 has to offer.
The MusicRadar Best in music tech awards 2017 are brought to you in association with Softube - Tools for the Audio Professional
The top 5 bass music DJ/producers in the world right now
The best hip-hop and trap producer of 2017
Hip-hop has been getting a bad rap of late; some say the quality of rhyme has dropped off in recent years. Sure, the times they have a changed since hip-hop’s golden era, but let’s not focus on the artist and lyrics, but look to the brains behind the music instead.
We can’t let hip-hop take all the accolades here, though - we’ve also included the finest trap, grime and R&B producers to have made a mark on 2017.
The MusicRadar Best in music tech awards 2017 are brought to you in association with Softube - Tools for the Audio Professional
The top 5 hip-hop and trap artists/producers in the world right now
Who is the best electronica, downtempo or underground DJ/producer of 2017?
It would be all too easy to call this category ‘other electronic music', such is the stranglehold of the likes of house and techno on the charts. However, that would be doing such a diverse category a disservice.
From downtempo beats to lo-fi treats, there is plenty of electronic juiciness for you to tuck into, but which five artists got the most votes in this year’s poll?
The MusicRadar Best in music tech awards 2017 are brought to you in association with Softube - Tools for the Audio Professional
The top 5 downtempo, electronica and underground producers in the world right now
The best live electronic act of 2017
It’s all very well for the vast majority of us producers to crank out the tunes whilst sat in the comfort of our own studios, but to perform them live? That requires another set of skills altogether.
Here is the countdown to the artist that you feel possesses such a unique set of skills and deserves to be crowned best live electronic act of 2017!
The MusicRadar Best in music tech awards 2017 are brought to you in association with Softube - Tools for the Audio Professional
The top 5 electronic live acts in the world right now
The best record producer of 2017
Quite an easy one to explain, this: who are the best producers of some the year’s best-selling records? And it’s not just about what you might call generic pop music - our list covers producers in multiple genres.
There’s no ignoring the influence of house music on today’s hit-parade, so you won’t be surprised to find a few house producers on this list, but are they the ones responsible for crafting the year’s topper-most charting tracks? Here's who think deserves the accolades.
The MusicRadar Best in music tech awards 2017 are brought to you in association with Softube - Tools for the Audio Professional
The top 5 record producers in the world right now
The best music tech personality of 2017
Ah, YouTube, the biggest social video platform there is and home to many music tech personalities who spend their time reviewing tech and teaching production techniques.
Of course, that's what we do too, but the world of music tech is small and friendly, and we're happy to acknowledge some of the other people in it.
It goes without saying, that, if our name was on the list we know you’d vote for us, so you can think of it as the second-best music tech personality of 2017, if you like…
The MusicRadar Best in music tech awards 2017 are brought to you in association with Softube - Tools for the Audio Professional
The top 5 music tech personalities in the world today
The best new hardware synth of 2017
Even if common sense says that you don’t need one, you can always find a way of justifying the purchase of another hardware synth. In 2017, the temptation to add to your collection has been almost impossible to resist, with new models arriving to suit every taste and budget.
Which, though, is the finest hardware synth of the year? We put together a shortlist of the best new releases of the past 12 months and asked you to vote for your favourite.
Now it's time for the results; join as we count down to your number 1...
The MusicRadar Best in music tech awards 2017 are brought to you in association with Softube - Tools for the Audio Professional
The best new hardware synths of 2017
The best new drum machine and sampler of 2017
Electronic musicians know that there’s more than one way to skin the rhythmic cat, but using a drum machine is undeniably one of the most satisfying. Equally, while you can do your sampling in software, getting hands-on with a dedicated hardware box can take you down hitherto unexplored creative avenues.
When we’re judging the best new music tech gear of 2017, then (which we are, by the way) drum machines and samplers need to come into the equation. We asked you to vote for your favourite product that falls into this category, and with the numbers crunched, now it's time to bring you the results.
The MusicRadar Best in music tech awards 2017 are brought to you in association with Softube - Tools for the Audio Professional
The best new drum machines and samplers of 2017
The best new controller or sequencer of 2017
In 2017, there are more MIDI controllers and sequencers on the market than ever before. You’ll find keyboards, pads, and other devices that look more like they belong in a sci-fi show than a studio.
We drew up a list of the most high-profile controller and sequencer releases of the yea and asked you to vote for your favourite. The results of our poll are now in, so let's start the countdown...
The MusicRadar Best in music tech awards 2017 are brought to you in association with Softube - Tools for the Audio Professional
The best new controller and sequencers of 2017
The best new audio interface of 2017
Your audio interface is the forgotten hero of your studio. You might not think about it too much, but it sits there dutifully doing its essential job, never getting a word of thanks in return.
As such, we thought it only right and proper to invite audio interfaces to our gear of the year party. We gave you a list of some of the finest I/O boxes to have come to our attention in 2017; it was up to you to decide which one of them deserves to be crowned the best of the year. Let's see how you voted...
The MusicRadar Best in music tech awards 2017 are brought to you in association with Softube - Tools for the Audio Professional
The best new audio interfaces of 2017
The best new microphone of 2017
Microphones are like shoes: you might be able to get away with just having one, but it’s likely that you’ll want more than that. (Actually, you’d need a pair of shoes rather than just one, but you understand the point we’re trying to make.)
If you are looking for a new mic, the options open to you are vast. As you might expect, 2017 has heralded the arrival of a wide range of new products that can be used to record all manner of different material, and we asked you to vote for your pick of the bunch. Now it's time to bring you the results...
The MusicRadar Best in music tech awards 2017 are brought to you in association with Softube - Tools for the Audio Professional
The best new microphones of 2017
The best new monitor speaker of 2017
You’d think that monitor design would be pretty much set in stone by now, but manufacturers are still pushing the envelope and coming up with groundbreaking designs. More importantly, they’re making our speakers sound better than ever before.
Our shortlist of new monitors covered products at multiple price points, with some of the biggest names in the industry being represented. We asked you to browse it and vote for the best of 2017: it was a tough job, but you did it.
The MusicRadar Best in music tech awards 2017 are brought to you in association with Softube - Tools for the Audio Professional
The best new monitor speakers of 2017
The best new hardware effects unit of 2017
Doing all of your processing 'in the box' is fine, but taking your audio out for a trip into the real world can be extremely rewarding. Yep, hardware effects processing is alive and well, as evidenced by the wide range of products that are being released to do it.
We shortlisted our favourite processing boxes of 2017 and asked you to vote for your favourite. Now it's time for the results...
The MusicRadar Best in music tech awards 2017 are brought to you in association with Softube - Tools for the Audio Professional
The best new hardware effects units of 2017
The best new effect plugin of 2017
If you can think of something that you’d like to do to your audio, there’s a pretty good chance that there’s a plugin out there that will be able to help you out. And if such a plugin doesn’t already exist, someone somewhere is probably developing it.
Yep, the plugin market was already huge, and in 2017 it got even huger. We saw new takes on old favourites, and cutting-edge processors that sought to break new sonic ground.
We shortlisted our favourites from the past 12 months and asked you to vote for your best-of-the-year effect plugin. Now it's results time; click through the gallery and join us as we count down to the overall winner.
The MusicRadar Best in music tech awards 2017 are brought to you in association with Softube - Tools for the Audio Professional
The best new effect plugins of 2017
The best new virtual instrument plugin of 2017
Although synths tend to dominate the virtual instrument headlines, it’s worth remembering that plugins can be used to generate pretty much any kind of sound you want - whether ‘real’ or electronic.
You’ll realise this as you browse through our list of the year’s best new software instruments, which covers everything from classic keyboards to drums and electric bass. And, of course, there are some next-gen synths in there, too.
There can be only one winner, though: we asked you to vote, and now you can find out how your favourite fared.
The MusicRadar Best in music tech awards 2017 are brought to you in association with Softube - Tools for the Audio Professional.
The best new virtual instrument plugins of 2017
The best music tech innovation of 2017
Music technology was born out of innovation, and software developers and hardware manufacturers continue to push the boundaries of what’s possible. Some do this by creating products of the sort that we’ve never seen before, while others consider how we work and attempt to make our creative lives easier.
In recognition of those who’ve sought to break new ground this year, we put together a list of what we considered to be the best music tech innovations of 2017 and asked you to vote for the one that you considered to be the most game changing. Click through the gallery to discover your winner.
The MusicRadar Best in music tech awards 2017 are brought to you in association with Softube - Tools for the Audio Professional
The best music tech innovations of 2017
The best new keyboard of 2017
While some of us make all of our music in the studio, others spend their lives on the road as part of gigging bands. If you’re a keyboard player, that usually means getting a stage piano or another kind of performance ‘board, and we’ve seen the arrival of several such products this year.
We corralled our favourite new keyboards into a list and asked you to pick a winner. Before we get to that, though, let's count down the rest of the year's best.
The MusicRadar Best in music tech awards 2017 are brought to you in association with Softube - Tools for the Audio Professional
The best new keyboards of 2017
The best new Eurorack gear of 2017
The Eurorack bubble has shown no sign of bursting over the past 12 months. Indeed, we’ve started to see even more manufacturers vying for a slice of the modular pie.
The market is so diverse that it’s hard to say that one product is better than all others, but we invite you to take a look at the list and see you have voted as your favourite.
The MusicRadar Best in music tech awards 2017 are brought to you in association with Softube - Tools for the Audio Professional
The best new Eurorack gear of 2017
The best new DJ gear of 2017
There was a time when every DJ used a similar setup, but not any more. The technology is developing so fast, and in so many different directions, that it’s actually getting more and more difficult to say where DJing stops and music production starts.
2017’s crop of gear releases give DJs more creative options than ever before, no matter how they like to ply their performance trade. Booth hounds really have been spoilt for choice - here’s a guide to the products you rate most highly.
The MusicRadar Best in music tech awards 2017 are brought to you in association with Softube - Tools for the Audio Professional
The best new DJ gear of 2017
The best new iOS app or hardware of 2017
iOS devices are getting more powerful every year, and so are the music making apps that run on them. We might not quite be at the stage when an iPad (or possibly even an iPhone) could become your primary production platform, but we’re not too far away from it.
The products listed below have all played their part in making 2017 another great year for iOS musicians, but which one has had the greatest impact? Have a good think and then cast your vote.
The MusicRadar Best in music tech awards 2017 are brought to you in association with Softube - Tools for the Audio Professional
The best new iOS apps and hardware of 2017
