Skip to main content
MusicRadar MusicRadar The No.1 website for musicians
UK EditionUK US EditionUS AU EditionAustralia SG EditionSingapore
Sign in
  • View Profile
  • Sign out
  • Artist news
  • Recording Week 25
  • Music Gear Reviews
  • Synths
  • Guitars
  • Controllers
  • Drums
  • Keyboards & Pianos
  • Guitar Amps
  • Software & Apps
  • More
    • Recording
    • DJ Gear
    • Acoustic Guitars
    • Bass Guitars
    • Tech
    • Tutorials
    • Reviews
    • Buying Guides
    • About Us
More
  • "That spark... gone"
  • Leonard Skinner
  • Prince and The Beatles
  • 95k+ free music samples
Don't miss these
Man sits behind a Roland digital piano in a white room
Keyboards & Pianos Best Roland digital pianos
iZotope FXEQ
Fx Software “Allows you to do away with stacks of insert or return effects and potential high processor loads”: iZotope FXEQ review
TC Electronic Polytune clip-on tuner on a Martin acoustic guitar headstock
Guitar Tuners Best clip-on guitar tuners 2025: Top headstock and soundhole tuners to buy right now
Cose up of external hard drive sitting on a laptop
Tech Best external hard drives for music production 2025: Back up your music and boost your computer's performance
Man in orange shirt playing drums with a guitar player
Drum Gear Best drum thrones 2025: my pick of budget-spanning stools for comfort behind the kit
Drummer sat at an e-kit places a pair of headphones over his head
Drummers Best headphones for drummers 2025: sound isolation for the studio, rehearsal room and stage
Man plays Alesis Nitro Max drum kit with black sticks
Electronic Drums Best beginner electronic drum sets 2025: top-rated entry-level e-drums, reviewed by experts
The t.bone RB 500 ribbon microphone in front of a guitar amp
Microphones Best cheap microphones for recording 2025: Budget microphones for the home studio
Kids hands on a beginner keyboard
Keyboards & Pianos Best keyboards for beginners 2025: Get started with our expert pick of beginner keyboards for all ages
EVE Audio EXO
Studio Monitors Why EVE Audio’s all-new EXO Series is the ultimate modern monitoring solution
Earplugs being tested at a loud band rehearsal
Tech Best earplugs for musicians 2025: protect your hearing with these essential audio attenuators, for the practice room to your next gig
A selection of IK Multimedia plugins for music production on a purple background
Plugins Buy one $49.99 IK Multimedia plugin and get a whopping 38 free with the best plugin deal of the year so far
Bitwig
Digital Audio Workstation With version 6, Bitwig Studio becomes an automation powerhouse
An Apple MacBook Air M4 on a desk with audio interface, headphones, and MIDI controller
Computers Best laptop for music production 2025: For home studios and mobile music-making - tested by experts
Apple MacBook Air M4
Computers “Enough power to keep you in business for at least the next 10 years”: Apple MacBook Air M4 review
  1. Tech
  2. Software & Apps
  3. Digital Audio Workstation

MIA Awards 2015: Computer Music Software of the Year award

News
By The MusicRadar Team ( Computer Music ) published 5 October 2015

Your shortlist of the year's best DAWs, synths and effects

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

FabFilter Pro-Q 2

FabFilter Pro-Q 2

On 12 November, members of the UK's Music Industries Association and other assorted luminaries will convene at the Hilton London Metropole hotel for the annual MIA Awards ceremony, at which the very finest new gear releases of the past year will be celebrated.

Quite rightly, music software is being recognised in its own category, which is sponsored by our sister magazine Computer Music. For the past month, we've been asking you to vote for a winner, and now, based on your votes, we can present the final shortlist.

Browse through the gallery for an alphabetically ordered rundown of the products that have made the top 10. We'll reveal the winner on Friday 13 November.

First up, an awesome EQ plugin from FabFilter...

Our verdict

“Possibly the best EQ plugin on the market. Even without Spectrum Grab, Pro-Q 2 is amazing, but with it, it's unstoppable.

5 out of 5

FULL REVIEW: FabFilter Pro-Q 2

(Reviewed in Computer Music)

Page 1 of 10
Page 1 of 10
Image-Line FL Studio 12

Image-Line FL Studio 12

Our verdict

“Feature-packed and gorgeous, FL Studio 12 sees a leap forward in the design and usability of this hugely popular PC DAW.”

4.5 out of 5

FULL REVIEW: Image-Line FL Studio 12

(Reviewed in Computer Music)

Page 2 of 10
Page 2 of 10
iZotope Ozone 6

iZotope Ozone 6

Our verdict

“Yup, Ozone's still the greatest software mastering system money can buy. The Advanced version rules, and the standard version is an absolute bargain.”

5 out of 5

FULL REVIEW: iZotope Ozone 6

(Reviewed in Computer Music)

Page 3 of 10
Page 3 of 10
Plogue Chipspeech

Plogue Chipspeech

Our verdict

“Clearly a labour of love, chipspeech is a powerful and polished product that's practically impossible to fault.”

5 out of 5

FULL REVIEW: Plogue Chipspeech

(Reviewed in Computer Music)

Page 4 of 10
Page 4 of 10
PreSonus Studio One 3

PreSonus Studio One 3

Our verdict

“V3 of this impressively mature DAW proves well worth the wait, with a raft of clever new features and plenty of usable soundware.”

4.5 out of 5

FULL REVIEW: PreSonus Studio One 3

(Reviewed in Computer Music)

Page 5 of 10
Page 5 of 10
Renoise Redux

Renoise Redux

Our verdict

“In bringing the essence of Renoise to your DAW, Redux opens up a new world of audio software - its tracker workflow is something you'll either love or hate, though.”

5 out of 5

FULL REVIEW: Renoise Redux

(Reviewed in Computer Music)

Page 6 of 10
Page 6 of 10
Slate Digital Virtual Mix Rack

Slate Digital Virtual Mix Rack

Our verdict

“With superlative signal processing in an intuitive interface, VMR is one of the finest classic hardware emulation setups to date.”

4.5 out of 5

FULL REVIEW: Slate Digital Virtual Mix Rack

(Reviewed in Computer Music)

Page 7 of 10
Page 7 of 10
Spectrasonics Omnisphere 2

Spectrasonics Omnisphere 2

Our verdict

“Omnisphere 2 is an absolute triumph of virtual instrument design, perfect for those looking to create exciting new sounds.

5 out of 5

FULL REVIEW: Spectrasonics Omnisphere 2

(Reviewed in Computer Music)

Page 8 of 10
Page 8 of 10
Steinberg Cubase Pro 8

Steinberg Cubase Pro 8

Our verdict

“Cubase Pro 8's innovative new features and smoother performance represent a further step forward for this superb DAW.”

4.5 out of 5

FULL REVIEW: Steinberg Cubase Pro 8

(Reviewed in Computer Music)

Page 9 of 10
Page 9 of 10
Xfer Records Serum

Xfer Records Serum

Our verdict

“Serum needs to be immediately put at the very top of any synthesist's shopping list. It's insanely powerful and sounds phenomenal.”

5 out of 5

FULL REVIEW: Xfer Records Serum

(Reviewed in Computer Music)

Page 10 of 10
Page 10 of 10
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.

Get over 70 FREE plugin instruments and effects… image
Get over 70 FREE plugin instruments and effects…
…with the latest issue of Computer Music magazine
More Info
Read more
Bitwig
With version 6, Bitwig Studio becomes an automation powerhouse
 
 
An Apple MacBook Air M4 on a desk with audio interface, headphones, and MIDI controller
Best laptop for music production 2025: For home studios and mobile music-making - tested by experts
 
 
Apple MacBook Air M4
“Enough power to keep you in business for at least the next 10 years”: Apple MacBook Air M4 review
 
 
auxy
Auxy launches macOS version of its mobile music-making app and teases forthcoming hardware instrument
 
 
A selection of IK Multimedia plugins for music production on a purple background
Buy one $49.99 IK Multimedia plugin and get a whopping 38 free with the best plugin deal of the year so far
 
 
A laptop displaying a software synthesizer
Black Friday plugin deals 2025: Get the lowdown ahead of the biggest sale of the year
 
 
Latest in Digital Audio Workstation
Creating chord progressions in Ableton Live
Creating chords for electronic music: 3 ways to generate more interesting progressions in Ableton Live 12
 
 
Ableton Move
One year on, I’ve finally clicked with Ableton Move – all because I’ve stopped trying to make music with it
 
 
Prince at a press conference where he officially changed his name from the Artist back to Prince. 5/16/00 Photo by Scott Gries/ImageDirect
Back in 1999, Prince offered his opinion on the new generation of DAW-based musicians and producers
 
 
Bitwig
With version 6, Bitwig Studio becomes an automation powerhouse
 
 
verses gt
Jacques Greene and Nosaj Thing on the making of their new collaborative project, Verses GT
 
 
Ableton Move
You can now access the full version of Ableton’s Drift synth in Note and Move
 
 
Latest in News
LONDON, ENGLAND - MAY 17: Lily Allen joins Olivia Rodrigo on stage to duet her song 'Smile' at The O2 Arena on May 17, 2024 in London, England. (Photo by Nicky J Sims/Getty Images for Live Nation)
Lily Allen says that being invited on stage by a Gen-Z star played a big part in her musical comeback
 
 
MUNICH, GERMANY - AUGUST 30: Raye performs onstage during Superbloom Festival on August 30, 2025 in Munich, Bavaria. (Photo by Joseph Okpako/WireImage)
"I'm a maximalist": Raye breaks down the head-spinning vocal arrangement in Where Is My Husband!
 
 
Steve Morse plays his signature Ernie Ball Music Man electric guitar live with Dixie Dregs
Steve Morse on playing through the pain barrier and how arthritis is forcing him to change the way he plays guitar
 
 
eric asynths hexdrums
"The iconic essence of analogue electronic drums in a practical form factor": HexDrums, Erica Synths' "mutant" analogue drum machine, is available for pre-order
 
 
Gibson and Epiphone's new Back to the Future ES-345s are photographed against the DeLorean as used by Dr Emmett Brown in the movie
Gibson unveils Custom Shop Back To The Future ES-345 Collector’s Edition – and there’s a limited edition Epiphone too
 
 
OneAlphaTheta Library
With OneLibrary DJs can finally use their track libraries across different software applications
 
 

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

Add as a preferred source on Google
  • 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...