Best of 2022: Yet another 12 months have zipped by and it’s once again time to take a look at some of the best synth and production content the web has to offer and pay tribute to the madly creative geniuses that create it.
These are the people that take to YouTube, Instagram, TikTok and the rest to help us all squeeze a little bit more out of the gear that we love and the music we make, whether it’s reviewing new products, showing us new production tips, or just entertaining us with their music tech and video-edit wizardry.
We asked you to choose your music tech personality of 2022, and it's been a tight contest from the off, with seasoned veterans battling it out with the hottest newcomers. Most of these folks earn a living from the likes of YouTube and Patreon, so we urge you to subscribe, like, and pledge where you can.
1. The Midlife Synthesist
Talk about relatable. Journeying 'beyond the spec sheet' the Midlife Synthesist's mission is to share what our favourite synths, samplers and other tech gear is like IRL, sharing a few choice jams along the way.
Check out The Midlife Synthesist on YouTube.
2. AudioPilz
AudioPilz - aka Florian Pilz - mines a rich seam of 'bad gear', uncompromisingly slating what he sees as the anti-cream of the music tech crop. Get ready for fast-paced, always entertaining take-downs of shonky samplers, synths and more, many of which - but by no means all - are so bad they're good.
Check out AudioPilz on youtube.
3. BoBeats
Now a regular in our tech personalities poll, Bobeats provides a never-ending torrent of straight-up informative synth demos, round-ups and reviews, alongside a stream of tips and tricks for knob-twiddlers of all levels, from beginners to the fully wired-up synth cyborgs amongst us.
Check out BoBeats' youtube channel.
4. Hainbach
An accomplished artist as well as a gifted video creator, Hainbach hails from Berlin, and it shows. His YouTube channel is a chin-stroking home for serious tech-heads, showcasing alluringly obscure vintage recording and synth gear and techniques, alongside the instruments he creates with developers like Spitfire and AudioThing and some choice cuts from his own musical journey.
Check out Hainbach on YouTube.
5. Nick Batt
Head editorial honcho at Sonicstate, Nick Batt is an established, much-loved stalwart of the music tech scene, most often sighted in the wild in his natural habitat of the music tradeshow floor. But that's far from all he and Sonicstate have to offer. Check out their YouTube channel today, for gear demos and reviews, artist, producer and developer interviews, solid tech jams and much more.
6. Look Mum No Computer
We've described him as "a cross between Thomas Dolby and synth DIY expert Ray Wilson" and we stand by that. This year mad inventor/musician Look Mum No Computer continued to plow his own idiosyncratic furrow, amongst other things hacking a theremin and a car together, and restoring a decrepit church organ.
Check out Look Mum No Computer's YouTube channel today.
7. Rachel K Collier
"A one-woman electronic production machine", Collier is a supremely gifted multi-instrumentalist and producer, and her YouTube channel features a selection of astonishing live looping jams and Ableton Live tips, plus gear and software demos and tuition.
Check out Rachel K Collier's YouTube channel.
8. Loopop
Another repeat offender on your top tech personalities list, Loopop continues to be a great resource, furnishing us with gear deep-dives, synth tips, fancy tech tricks and most of all in 2022 a steady stream of insightful reviews.
Checkout Loopop's YouTube channel today.
9. Cuckoo
"That bearded synth dude with the mirror on YouTube", Cuckoo, real name Andreas Paleologos, a Norwegian artist working across media, including animation and - obvs - music. His True Cuckoo YouTube channel is home to a heady mix of his own tracks and quirky gear demos.
Check out True Cuckoo on YouTube now.
10. LNA
LNA's YouTube channel, LNA Does Audio Stuff is a fantastic resource for bite-sized, but granular rather than dumbed-down production tips, with a heavy Ableton LIve skew.
