Skip to main content
Music Radar MusicRadar The No.1 website for musicians
Sign in
  • View Profile
  • Sign out
  • Guitar Amps
  • Guitar Pedals
  • Synths
  • Guitars
  • Artist news
  • Keyboards & Pianos
  • Controllers
  • Software & Apps
  • Drums
  • More
    • Recording
    • DJ Gear
    • Acoustic Guitars
    • Bass Guitars
    • Tech
    • Tutorials
    • Reviews
    • Buying Guides
    • About Us
More
  • You Oughta Know
  • Fake AI band
  • 95k+ free music samples
  • Wrecking Crew
Recommended reading
Superbooth 2025
Synths 12 new instruments and effects you need to know about from Superbooth 2025
te
Tech Teenage Engineering's TX-6, TP-7 and CM-15 are back in black
Zoom H1 Essential
Recording Best field recorders 2025: Top portable recorders for capturing sound on-the-go
Superbooth live
Synths Superbooth 2025: all the latest synth news from Berlin, as it happened
Pluginweek logo
Plugins Plugin Week 2025: Exhibitor A-Z
Line 6 Helix Stadium XL: The new flagship amp modeller and multi-effects unit is a dramatic expansion of the Helix framework with a suite of state-of-the-art features
Guitars Line 6 debuts all-new AI tech as it supercharges its amp modelling platform with the Helix Stadium
Behringer Model D
Soft Synths 10 producers share the studio gear they can’t live without
  1. Tech
  2. Gear & Gadgets

In pictures: the best hi-tech gear of 2009

News
By The MusicRadar Team published 18 December 2009

When you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission. Here’s how it works.

Control surface of the year

Control surface of the year

With the global economic downturn affecting pretty much every business on the planet, it’s probably safe to say that music technology developers and manufacturers have had a pretty tough year. God bless them, then, for still managing to give us such an impressive range of new products, the best of which we’re celebrating here.

Our awards are based both on the reviews from our sister magazines - Computer Music and Future Music – and our own experiences. Kicking things off, 2009’s best control surface.

It was a straight fight between the two first ‘official’ Ableton Live controllers here: Akai’s APC40 and Novation’s Launchpad. Though each is designed for a slightly different type of user, both do their jobs superbly, but in the end, the Launchpad’s fun factor and affordability won the day. It certainly owes a debt to the monome, but in the value-for-money stakes, you just can’t beat it.

Read Novation Launchpad review

Page 1 of 12
Page 1 of 12
Audio interface of the year

Audio interface of the year

It might not scream ‘look at me!’, but for outright usefulness, few of 2009’s releases can come close to matching this one. More than just a very capable audio interface, it’s also a controller and standalone recorder (with support for SD and SDHC flash memory cards). A generous software bundle (this includes a special version of Sonar) completes a very comprehensive package, and one that any mobile-minded producer should consider.

Read Cakewalk V-Studio 100 review

Page 2 of 12
Page 2 of 12
Controller keyboard of the year

Controller keyboard of the year

2009 was the year in which Novation cemented its position as the king of MIDI controller hardware: with the SL Mk II and the Launchpad (not to mention the Nocturn Keyboard), it covers the bases like no other manufacturer. The revised SL keyboard tweaks rather than reinvents what came before but, when the original was so good anyway, it didn’t need to do anything else.

Read Novation SL Mk II review

Page 3 of 12
Page 3 of 12
Software synth of the year

Software synth of the year

Remarkably, this was FXpansion’s first full-on foray into the world of synth development, but the company hit the jackpot straight away. Featuring three separate synths (Amber, Cypher and Strobe) and a ‘shell’ instrument that enables you to layer them up, this bundle might not do anything groundbreaking, but it does enable you to produce an extraordinary range of high-quality sounds.

Read FXpansion DCAM: Synth Squad review

Page 4 of 12
Page 4 of 12
DAW of the year

DAW of the year

Given its reluctance to refer to Record as a DAW, Propellerhead might not want this award, but it’s getting it anyway. In a year that saw Pro Tools, Cubase, Live, Logic and Sonar receive substantial updates, the company managed to produce a package that, for those who simply want an easy way to make music, arguably trumps the lot of them, while finally giving Reason users the seamless audio recording functionality they’ve craved for so long.

Read Propellerhead Record review

Page 5 of 12
Page 5 of 12
Computer of the year

Computer of the year

Sure, you can get better performance for less money elsewhere, but if you simply want to order one piece of computer hardware on which to make music, this beautiful machine is hard to beat. The iMac has been ignored by musicians in the past because of its relatively small display, but this 27-incher gives plenty of room, and 1TB of storage comes as standard. The entry-level model contains a 3.06GHz Intel Core 2 Duo processor, though you can up the ante with a 2.66GHz Intel Core i5 (quad-core) powered model.

Find out more about the Apple iMac

Page 6 of 12
Page 6 of 12
Compact synth of the year

Compact synth of the year

Dave Smith’s Mopho claimed this award last year, so when you consider that the Tetra effectively gives you the power of four of these, its victory here should come as no great surprise. The synth’s sonic character is practically identical to that of Smith’s Prophet 08 (another MusicRadar favourite) though, like the Mopho, you also get additional sub oscillators and feedback routing. At this price, it’s hard to fault.

Read Dave Smith Tetra review

Page 7 of 12
Page 7 of 12
Synth of the year

Synth of the year

2009 probably won’t go down as a vintage year for new synth hardware, but with the AX-Synth, Roland managed not only to release a highly playable and expressive instrument, but also to reignite a whole genre. They might not have wanted anyone to call it a keytar (it’s a ‘shoulder synthesizer’, thank you very much), but that’s what it is, and a very fine one at that. Just ask Brett Domino.

Read Roland AX-Synth review

Page 8 of 12
Page 8 of 12
Monitor of the year

Monitor of the year

When our sister magazine Future Music pitted a selection of monitors head-to-head in blind listening tests, this was the one that stood out. Yes, it’s expensive, but the frequency accuracy, transient response, stereo imaging and construction/design are all incredible. This is a speaker that you can trust completely and won’t fatigue your ears even during mammoth listening sessions.

Find out more about the Event Opal

Page 9 of 12
Page 9 of 12
Plug-in effect of the year

Plug-in effect of the year

It feels like software effects have taken a generational leap forward this year, with an unprecedented number of them scoring full marks in our tests. It’s to Ozone 4’s credit, then, that it still managed to stand out: this one-stop mastering solution contains six modules, all of which sound stunning. There are other mastering options, but the bottom line is that this one works better and is easier to use than all of them.

Read iZotope Ozone 4 review

Page 10 of 12
Page 10 of 12
All-new product of the year

All-new product of the year

Fans of Akai’s MPC range of grooveboxes are famously loyal, so releasing a hybrid software/hardware rival was a brave move on NI’s part. Fortunately, it’s a stunner, being suitable not just for creating beats, but also complete productions. That said, the fact that it integrates seamlessly with your existing DAW setup is another major plus point, as is the inclusion of 5GB worth of samples and loops.

Read Native Instruments Maschine review

Page 11 of 12
Page 11 of 12
Hi-tech hero of the year

Hi-tech hero of the year

For lying about losing his laptop to buy more time to finish his second album, raging against the NME and the BPI, creating a human synth, helping Dizzee Rascal to create another number 1 single (Holiday) and scoring one of his own (trance ballad I’m Not Alone), annoying those who deem that all dance music should be ‘intelligent’ (not to mention Simon Cowell) and - most importantly - releasing one of 2009’s finest pop albums, Calvin Harris is our hero of the year.

Page 12 of 12
Page 12 of 12
The MusicRadar Team
The MusicRadar Team
Social Links Navigation

MusicRadar is the internet's most popular website for music-makers of all kinds, be they guitarists, drummers, keyboard players, DJs or producers.

GEAR: We help musicians find the best gear with top-ranking gear round-ups and high-quality, authoritative reviews by a wide team of highly experienced experts.

TIPS: We also provide tuition, from bite-sized tips to advanced work-outs and guidance from recognised musicians and stars.

STARS: We talk to artists and musicians about their creative processes, digging deep into the nuts and bolts of their gear and technique. We give fans an insight into the actual craft of music-making that no other music website can.

Read more
Superbooth 2025
12 new instruments and effects you need to know about from Superbooth 2025
te
Teenage Engineering's TX-6, TP-7 and CM-15 are back in black
Zoom H1 Essential
Best field recorders 2025: Top portable recorders for capturing sound on-the-go
Superbooth live
Superbooth 2025: all the latest synth news from Berlin, as it happened
Pluginweek logo
Plugin Week 2025: Exhibitor A-Z
Line 6 Helix Stadium XL: The new flagship amp modeller and multi-effects unit is a dramatic expansion of the Helix framework with a suite of state-of-the-art features
Line 6 debuts all-new AI tech as it supercharges its amp modelling platform with the Helix Stadium
Latest in Gear & Gadgets
Deals of the week
MusicRadar deals of the week: It's your last chance to grab a Prime Day deal on gear from Fender, Roland, Casio, Yamaha, Toontrack & more - but you'll have to be quick
Thomann Music Days Sale
Why wait for Prime Day when Thomann's massive Music Days sale will save you up to 65% off big brands right now?
4th of July Sweetwater
$1,200 off one of the best guitar synths on the market is a deal too good to ignore in Sweetwater's epic 4th of July sale
Musician's Friend 4th of July sale
Start your Independence Day weekend with a bang, as the Musician's Friend 4th of July sale lands early - score up to $850 off Music Man, $200 off Elektron and more
Audio Technica ATH-R70xa
“Quite neutral sounding and one of the more comfortable over-ear open-back designs we’ve tried”: Audio-Technica ATH-R70xa review
Camtronome
Tick, tick, tick, tick, boom! Camtronome is the essential musical metronome app that you didn’t know you needed
Latest in News
Daron Malakian of System of a Down performs live in a wide-brimmed had with a custom Flying V with an open-book Gibson headstock.
Daron Malakian on how synth leads the guitar on his new album and why he doesn’t stick to one style
Spinal Tap, with David Kaff, centre
“He always had a kind word and a quick wit”: Bandmates pay tribute to Spinal Tap’s David Kaff
Fred Armisen
Fred Armisen says that the late Steve Albini was “instrumental” in the creation of his new album
Damon Albarn performs with Africa Express at Pohoda Festival on July 10, 2025 in Trencin, Slovakia
“I’ve been incredibly busy making music...”: Damon Albarn teases a new Gorillaz album
Mesa/Boogie Mark IIC++: the super-rare holy grail metal amp used by the likes of Vivian Campbell and Metallica has been officially released by the Gibson-own amp brand.
‘Crunch Berries’ are on the menu! Mesa/Boogie releases holy grail Mark IIC++ Metallica amp
Stevie Wonder speaks onstage at the BET Awards 2025 held at the Peacock Theater on June 09, 2025 in Los Angeles, California
“But seriously, you know the truth”: Stevie Wonder addresses conspiracy theory that he isn’t actually blind

MusicRadar is part of Future plc, an international media group and leading digital publisher. Visit our corporate site.

  • About Us
  • Contact Future's experts
  • Terms and conditions
  • Privacy policy
  • Cookies policy
  • Advertise with us
  • Accessibility Statement
  • Careers

© Future Publishing Limited Quay House, The Ambury, Bath BA1 1UA. All rights reserved. England and Wales company registration number 2008885.

Please login or signup to comment

Please wait...