The Best Studio Gear 2025 for Recording and Mixing
The biggest studio gear releases this year
3,7 / 5,0 | 
We look at the most exciting preamps, processors, DAW controllers, and converters released this year. Here’s the Best Studio Gear of 2025.
In this Article:
Even though we do most of our work in DAW systems these days, adding even a single innovative piece of studio hardware to your setup can really transform your home studio.
The Best Studio Gear Of 2025
Whether you need a routing solution for plugging in all your synths, samplers, and drum machines or a dedicated DAW controller to streamline your mixing workflow, we’ve lined up some interesting options.
The Best Studio Gear Of 2025: Novation Launch Control XL 3
The Launch Control XL 3 is the latest version of Novation’s entry-level fader-based DAW controller, which has been redesigned with more precise faders, buttons, and encoders, and improved build quality. For controlling your favourite DAW or plugins, the XL 3 has eight 60mm faders and 24 RGB endless encoders, as well as 16 assignable buttons.
Besides USB-C connectivity, which is used to power the device, the XL 3 has 5-pin MIDI in, out, and out/through ports, which allow you to easily incorporate it into a DAW-less hardware setup for electronic music. Faders can add a new dimension when combined with multitimbral instruments like an Octatrack or a Virus TI, but it’s also the perfect way to complete your Novation Circuit system.
The OLED display may be small, but it provides vital parameter info when you need it. What’s more, the Novation lets you store and load your own custom mappings or download mappings for a range of Novation hardware and software. Overall, the XL 3 is an affordable and essential part of your studio or live setup. Get it at Thomann.*
The Best Studio Gear Of 2025: Behringer 73
This year, Behringer entered the world of 500-series modules with one of the most affordable Neve-style preamps currently available. Built with Class A discrete circuitry, Midas transformers on the input and output stages, and a sturdy steel chassis, the 73 provides precise gain control for microphones and instruments.
With its familiar red rotary gain switch, you can move between the 80 dB gain range, and its electronically controlled resistor-stepped design provides precise performance. Once you’ve found the sweet spot for your input gain, you can use the trim control to fine-tune the output level, so you get the exact level you want in your DAW.
Besides the convenient XLR combo input on the front panel, there is a polarity inverter switch, as well as an impedance switch for dealing with different classes of input signals. Overall, the Behringer 73 is a great recording tool, especially if you require multiple 500-series preamp modules. Get it at Thomann.*
The Best Studio Gear Of 2025: Ferrofish Pulse AE
The Pulse AE series is a new range of 32-bit 192 kHz digital ADAT converters from Ferrofish with 8×8 and 16×16 options, with very competitive pricing. Now, you can easily expand your I/O for sending signals out of your DAW to be processed with your outboard gear. The Pulse AE series offers word clock I/O and a dedicated headphone preamp output for monitoring.
With the RemoteFish software app for macOS and Windows, you can manage your signals and I/O assignments easily, with access to all functions via USB-C, and there is also MIDI I/O. The converters are high-quality, +20 dBu headroom rated with temperature-compensated clocking, so you can expect great results when working with any industry standard setups in studios or live sound.
The ADAT I/O supports SMUX, so you can use higher sample rates. The Pulse 16 AE, for example, provides ADAT I/O for up to 32 channels at 48 kHz, 16 channels at 96 kHz, and 8 channels at 192 kHz. Overall, the Pulse AE provides a combination of high-quality conversion, reliable clocking, and flexibility for a great price. Get it at Thomann.*
The Best Studio Gear Of 2025: SSL Revival 4000 and Super 9000 Channel Strips
One of the audio highlights of the year, by far, was the release of the new SSL Oracle mixing console with instant digital recall and rackmountable analogue electronics that allow you to expand the channel count at any stage. However, for those of us who aren’t thinking of dropping $150K on a console, SSL also brought out a series of channel strips for recording and mixing.
If you prefer the classic SSL console sound, the Revival 4000 offers the legendary preamp stage used on so many famous recordings, with a de-esser, compressor, gate, and EQ stage with black or brown knob modes. Meanwhile, if you’re after the more modern SSL sound, the Super 9000 is inspired by the 9000 and Duality consoles with SuperAnalogue circuitry and VHD gain control.
Both of these extensive channel strips can be linked for stereo processing, and they offer various routing configurations. This means you get the same flexible processing platform as you’d expect from a high-end SSL console in a 1U rackmount format for your studio or FOH rig. Get it at Thomann.*
The Best Studio Gear Of 2025: elysia xmax
The elysia xmax is the ultimate bus finalizer for the modern music production workflow. Whether you use it in mixing or mastering applications, you can achieve a cohesively glued sound across any style of music. The xmax is a uniquely designed multiband compressor with separate low, mid, and side bands, which lets you target different areas of the mix.
To adjust the processing for different types of sonic material, there is a variable crossover between the low and mid bands, as well as a global release time control, and a variable link control that lets you prioritize one band over the others. Then, to increase the compression ratio, you can activate the Punch mode while the soft clip limiter shapes any pronounced transients.
Finally, to increase or decrease the high frequencies, the tone control uses a natural-sounding high-shelf filter, which you can use to tame a slammed EDM mix or add a sheen to a sparse acoustic mix. Overall, the xmax provides a specialized selection of tools, and it’s available in rackmount, desktop, and 500-series module formats. Get it at Thomann.*
The Best Studio Gear Of 2025: WesAudio ngTubeComp
This year, WesAudio blessed us with three new compressors, including the _MIMAS GEMINI dual FET compressor 500-series module, the ng78 dual-channel FET compressor, and the ngTubeComp, all with the sought-after digital recall system for controlling the parameters from your DAW.
As it offers something new in its class, the WesAudio ngTubeComp stands out with its coveted Fairchild-style vari-mu compression, but with full digital recall and automation. On a basic level, the ngTubeComp functions in dual-mono, stereo, or mid-side channel modes with either modern feedforward or classic feedback compression characteristics. What’s more, the limit mode controls the dynamics more tightly.
The ngTubeComp is packed with six tubes and four transformers, so besides the separate THD circuit, you can blend the tube/transformer/iron pad circuit or use the clean electronically balanced output for different applications. Meanwhile, there is also a range of different sidechain filter settings to tackle specific corrective and creative tasks. Get it at Thomann.*
More about the Best Studio Gear of 2024:
- All about Studio Gear
- The Best of 2025
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One response to “The Best Studio Gear 2025 for Recording and Mixing”
So, still waiting on the best studio gear list. All I’ve seen so far is budget gear for a home studio.