For goodness knows how long we've been all been locked up, or down, there's been one thing that's gotten most of us here at MusicRadar towers through the darkest moments of 2020 - some of the best studio-based synth content that the web has to offer- and here we are honouring all those who created it.
We asked you to choose your favourite music tech personality of 2020 in our recent poll and it has been a thoroughly tight contest from the off, with plenty of seasoned favourites battling it out with some of the hottest newcomers.
Most of these folks earn a living from the likes of YouTube and Patreon, so we urge to pledge where you can.
So, without further ado, here are the top 10 music tech personalities of 2020 as voted for by you...
1. AudioPilz
A relative newcomer to the scene is Florian Pilz aka AudioPilz, who has beguiled us with a slew of "bad gear" videos where he gets to pick apart the real bad eggs in recent music tech history.
To celebrate reaching 10k subscribers we were treated to a roof-top jam featuring some of the best/worst synths and grooveboxes money can/shouldn't buy.
2. Loopop
Coming in a very close second is the venerable Loopop. If you want to get a deep dive of some of the latest gear to hit the shelves, this is the guy you need to see. His gear reviews and demos are thoroughly engaging and informative.
2020 highlight has to be the divisive 15 mix mistakes in The Beatles' Let It Be. Not only is this a clever way to circumvent the copyright issues on YouTube but there are some excellent mix tips to be had too.
3. Hainbach
Ah, the dulcet tones of Berlin's Hainbach soothing the ears whilst simultaneously expanding the auditory canal with vintage test equipment. Basically, if it makes a noise and was never intended to be a musical instrument, you can bet your bottom-dollar that Hainbach has found one in a yard sale or a skip somewhere and brought it back to life. If you're yet to explore this wondrous world of sonic exploration you'll be sure to also relish in some of history's lesser-known instruments too, it's all there.
4. Look Mum No Computer
Sam Battle aka LMNC seems to have gone into building overdrive this year, with the creation of some very big machines. Highlights of 2020 include the Sega Mega Drive synth, but our favourite has to be a huge, handbuilt 1K oscillator machine, the Kilodrone. The result of four months worth of soldering produced an absolute sonic marvel.
It's not all good news though, as a low point to Sam's year must've been having to agonisingly part with his beloved '89 VW Scirroco, only to see reposted on eBay a few days later. We wish him all the best for his automotive future and hope he ends up buying an old Ford Consul/Granada instead.
5. Andrew Huang
Last year's winner, Andrew Haung, has slipped to 5th this year, but only by a few votes, such was the tight tussle at the top of this poll. We are forever entertained by such regulars as 4 Producers 1 Sample and Song Challenge features.
On top of all that he's also managed to release his own sampling app, Flip, with the help of collaborators Oliver Greschke (Elastic Drums and Elastic FX) and Christian Blomert (TouchAble, Studiomux).
6. Cuckoo
Fans of Cuckoo will, no doubt, be familiar with his penchant for getting the most out of such machines as the OP-1 and other diminutive music-making devices, but the Swedish polymath is also a dab hand at the visual arts too, with some very nice animation skills at work. The ardent Cuckoo fan might also be aware of his Skateboarding acumen with him rehoning his kickflips also being documented on his channel.
7. Nick Batt
Our good neighbour, Nick Batt, has been at the helm of Sonicstate for as long as we can remember and despite our relatively close geographical proximity, it's not very often we bump into him at the local supermarket. In fact we're more likely to share a drink with him all the way over in California at the NAMM show.
What with the current state of the world, we're not likely to be supping a cold one at the Marriot pool bar for some time either. So if you're reading this, Nick, we hope to see you soon and the same goes for everyone else on this list.
8. BoBeats
Another regular on our watchlist is BoBeats, who like his fellow YouTubing compatriots, has had a fine 12-months of content creation with much of his time taken up with the move into not one, but two new spaces which comprise of both studio and office work areas. If you're anywhere near looking at acoustic treatment in your home or pro studios, these videos are well worth checking out.
9. DivKid
Ben Wilson aka DivKid is another YouTuber who has been enjoying some collaborative time of late. Following on from the launch of his Mutes module, with the help of Befaco, Ben has also released øchd, an octuplet of analogue LFOs with Instruo and more recently, RND STEP, six sample and holds split across three channels, collaborating with Steady State Fate.
10. Mylar Melodies
Last but not least, we welcome Mylar Melodies into the top 10 of the best music technology persons of 2020. A former regular to the Future Music pages and an ardent modularist, Mr Theakston has been known to flex his phalanges in the direction of some very useful Eurorack setups.
If you've not had the pleasure of tuning in to one of his Why We Bleep podcasts, then you must do so now and subscribe while you're at it.
