About us

GEARNEWS.com is the go-to blog with red-hot, up-to-the-second news for musicians, producers and engineers.

We work with well-informed sources, and constantly scan the worldwide web for leaks, rumours and exciting news. We have high editorial standards for content creation and use the utmost care. We won’t publish the typical soulless industry press releases or boring advertorial. That’s not our thing.

Who are we?

We are proper gear nerds. We’re into anything that’s got to do with music and studio equipment. That’s why you won’t find just news here, but also the latest buzz and rumours, columns and tips for musicians. GEARNEWS.com is always highly topical and transparent. Our authors work independently. Manufacturer’s opinions will be labelled accordingly.

A word about the business side of things: GEARNEWS is part of Musikernetzwerk, a network of websites for musicians, producers, DJs, audio and live engineers owned by Remise 3 Medienservice GmbH, a daughter company of Thomann. Other sites in the Musikernetzwerk (which translates into English as ‘musicians’ network’) include our sister GEARNEWS sites in German and Spanish, as well as other German-language sites like bonedo.de and looprituals.de. We link to affiliate partner pages – including Thomann and Plugin Boutique – and receive income from our readers’ purchases there. This income helps finance our site.

While we have strong links to Thomann, we’re editorially independent from the company. That includes Thomann’s own inhouse brands like Harley Benton and t.akustik. We’re committed to reporting on and reviewing Thomann’s products objectively and fairly, just as we do with any product from any other manufacturer. Your trust in our objectivity and transparency about what we do is incredibly important to us. If you have any questions, please contact the editorial team here.

So, Now That’s Out of the Way, Here’s the Team

Marcus Schmahl

All articles by Marcus – Synthesizers, Software, Recording, DJ, Tech | Editor-in-chief GEARNEWS.com/GEARNEWS.de | mail: marcus (at) gearnews (de)

Marcus feels at home in software, recording gear, and synthesizers. Beyond his work as an author, he’s a music producer, mix and mastering engineer, sound designer, live performer, DJ, and lecturer (including at SAE). At GEARNEWS.de & GEARNEWS.com he’s Editor-in-Chief, and he has also written for bonedo, DJ Mag and other magazines.

Based in Mainz, Germany, he’s worked across strikingly different projects over the decades: touring as Broombeck and Guardner (including a live show at Berghain), as 2pole with the Beatport number one hit “Alone feat. Ursula Rucker”, and under his own name as Marcus Schmahl. He’s released on a wide range of respected labels, produced music for film, broadcast and advertising across genres from pop to techno to ambient, and holds two gold records.

His technical background as a graduate electrical engineer shows in his productions just as much as his musical instinct. And even though his catalog already runs to more than 2,000 releases, the story of Marcus Schmahl is far from over. More information can be found here.

Jef Stone

All articles by Jef – Guitars, Bass | mail: jef (at) gearnews (com)

Jef grew up with a luthier father, so an obsession with tone was never really optional — it came with the house. That early start led to a career as a sound engineer and pro-audio specialist, running his own recording studio in London — the kind of room where you learn quickly which pedals survive a session and which ones get quietly unplugged.

He has written 1,000+ articles on guitars and gear. Off the clock he’s a fairly hopeless gear hoarder — pedals, valve amps, and guitars ranging from Klon Centaurs to Parker Flys, and some of which he’s built himself. He also collects synths and has been working with MIDI and CV since the 1980s.

His taste in music includes everything from Dinosaur Jr to Squarepusher.

Stefan Wyeth

All articles by Stefan – Studio, Tech, Live | mail: stefan (at) gearnews (com)

I grew up around music and the entertainment business studying several instruments at school, but it was computers and software that had the greatest impact on me. I learned early on that it could allow me to mimic some of the sounds I heard on my favorite records, and thus began the obsession. With my writing, it has always been a lifelong passion for me and I try my best to use my experience to breakdown barriers for readers and demystify different aspects of the music industry and make it easier for musicians to navigate and earn a living in the ever-changing tech-driven world in which we find ourselves.

Lasse Eilers

All articles by Lasse – Keyboards, Synthesizers | mail: lasse (at) gearnews (com)

Lasse Eilers studied at the Berklee College of Music in Boston and worked for many years as a composer for advertising and film. The GEARNEWS editor has a distinct fondness for synthesizers and electronic music and is also involved with GEARNEWS.de and bonedo.

Rob Puricelli

All articles by Rob – Synthesizers, Drums | mail: rob (at) gearnews (com)

Once I’d heard ‘Are Friends’ Electric?” by Tubeway Army, I knew synthesizers would be a huge part of my life. Despite drums becoming my main instrument for many years, I dabbled and lusted after countless pieces of gear and started using computers to help me make my own music with a Commodore 64 and a copy of Electrosound.

Over the years, I eventually progressed to more professional tools and began to truly indulge my love of electronic music making, slowly building a collection of gear that covered most synthesis methods, from sampling to physical modelling and beyond. However, my love of the gear that soundtracked my formative years was strong and I was fortunate enough to be asked to work with the inventor of the Fairlight CMI on their more recent projects. This then led to me restoring Fairlight CMI’s, something I still do to this day.

My home studio is now filled with classic vintage gear of the 80s and 90s, as well as modern classics. In recent years, I have been producing podcasts for Sound On Sound, as well as writing articles for them and I also present a weekly live stream for the Pro Synth Network. I still drum, albeit now on e-Drum kits, which are far easier to move around and a lot quieter when practising! You can often find me delivering seminars & lectures and at various synth shows around the world, talking about and demonstrating iconic synths.

Julian Schmauch

All articles by Julian – Guitars, Bass, Drums | mail: julian (at) gearnews (de)

Julian Schmauch has been teaching music production and writing tutorials, workshops, and reviews for more than ten years. While his initial focus was writing for Bonedo, Germany’s biggest music production and music industry blog, he has also written for Sound on Sound, Production Expert, and a variety of music magazines. On Gearnews.com his main areas of expertise are all things Tech, with a focus on Apple, music streaming and electronic gadgets.

Adam Douglas

All articles by Adam – DJ, Keyboards, Synthesizers | mail: adam (at) gearnews (com)

I’d always loved music but it was hearing Prince – and more importantly seeing his video for “1999” with the prominent placement of Oberheims – that I fell in love with synthesizers. My first was a Korg Poly-800 and I haven’t looked back since. These days my studio is full of mostly Japanese synths from the 1980s (I live in Japan, after all) but really, I love all kinds. Analog, digital, whatever.

My musical tastes tend towards the electronic. The first record I released was a Chicago acid throwback in 1993. Since then, I’ve done techno, breaks, drum and bass, dubstep and even Krautrock but the genre I keep coming back to is ambient. Leave me alone with a droning synth and I’m endlessly happy.

George Loveridge

All articles by George – Guitar, Bass | mail: george (at) gearnews (com)

Having grown up surrounded by 1980s cassettes, Beach Boys CD’s and everything in between, it was only right I’d end up into music. I started learning the guitar aged 7 and since then, I’ve been hooked. I’ll listen to anything from 1939-1989, that’s my go to. Being born after the millennium, I suppose that’s quite unusual. Putting my playing to good measure, I’ve been a gigging guitarist in bands and duos for 5 years. Moreover, I have been teaching guitar since 2021 to a variety of students.

With students from age 7-70, I cover many styles and abilities. When I’m not writing for Gearnews, teaching or gigging, I’ll be writing for my own outlet, Driving Around as a motoring journalist. Being a motoring journalist and photographer allows me to review new cars, go on some pretty cool adventures and blag plenty of free days out.