ARC ON·EAR 1.5 adds support for 50 IEM models

Version 1.5 introduces support for 50 widely used IEM models, enabling accurate mixing and monitoring in an even more portable form factor. For touring musicians, live engineers, and mobile producers, this means the same in-ears used on stage or on the road can now serve as a trusted mixing reference, without the need to carry separate studio headphones.

Why in-ear monitors are easier to calibrate than you’d think

Here’s the counterintuitive part: for correction purposes, in-ears might actually be easier to work with than traditional headphones. Because they seal directly into the ear canal, they bypass the outer ear (pinna) entirely — removing one of the key variables that makes headphone correction tricky. Their sealed fit also eliminates the positioning-shift problem that plagues over-ear designs, where moving the cans even slightly can change the sound.

The result is a more controlled, repeatable baseline for ARC’s algorithms to work with, and IK says that translates into correction precision that can actually exceed what’s possible with conventional headphones.

Audiophile-grade hardware at its core

Powered by a 32-bit ESS SABRE converter, a high-damping-factor, ultra-low-distortion power amplifier, and a digitally controlled analog volume stage, ARC ON·EAR delivers a truly audiophile-grade listening experience – which again, fantastic if you’re doing some granular audio work.

The unit stores up to five switchable profiles so you can have your touring IEMs, your studio cans, and a couple of custom tonal curves all loaded and ready to flip between instantly. The companion control software handles preset management, tonal shaping, and firmware updates.

Virtual studio monitor simulation beyond basic EQ correction

Then there’s the virtual monitoring side of things, which is where ARC ON·EAR has always set itself apart from simpler EQ-based correction tools. Rather than just flattening the frequency response of your headphones and calling it a day, it uses physical modeling to simulate how real studio monitors behave in a real control room — depth, width, and imaging included; without the reverb artifacts.

Over 20 virtual studio monitors and 15-plus multimedia playback systems are on board, so you can check how a mix translates to everything from a NS-10 substitute to a laptop speaker sim.

Price and availability

ARC ON·EAR version 1.5 is available now as a free update for all registered users via IK Product Manager. ARC ON·EAR hardware is available from the IK Multimedia online store and IK authorized dealers worldwide. Get the ARC ON·EAR from IK Multimedia themselves right here for $249.99.

The post IK Multimedia ARC ON·EAR 1.5 Turns In-Ear Monitors Into Pro Mixing Headphones appeared first on Gear Gods.

Pre-order Eventide H9 Harmonizer Gen 2 for $599: Sweetwater | Guitar Center | Musician’s Friend

The biggest selling point of the Eventide H9 Harmonizer Gen 2 is its massive effects library. The pedal includes all 74 algorithms from the H90 and H9 Max platforms (and over 1,000 presents), which means you’re gonna spend a lot of time digging through some cool sounds.

Pitch processing remains at the core of the H9 Harmonizer Gen 2 – this time with Eventide’s advanced SIFT polyphonic pitch-shifting technology. Unlike traditional pitch shifters that primarily track single notes, SIFT accurately follows entire chords, enabling more natural harmonies and complex pitch effects.

Eventide has also redesigned the user interface. A new 2.5″ display sits at the center of the pedal, accompanied by dedicated Quick Knobs, button pads, and customizable HotSwitch macros. New Select, Bank, and Perform modes make navigating presets and controlling effects easier during rehearsals and live performances.

For deeper editing and preset management, the H9 Harmonizer Gen 2 supports wireless connectivity with Mac and iPad devices. Users can organize presets, manage effect libraries, and fine-tune parameters from a larger screen without trying to find some cables around the house.

Connectivity has also been expanded to support virtually any rig. The pedal features instrument- and line-level inputs and outputs, making it equally at home on a pedalboard, in an amplifier effects loop, or in a studio environment. Additional I/O includes USB-C, MIDI, expression pedal support, and auxiliary switch connectivity for expanded control options.

Live players will appreciate built-in effects spillover, allowing delay repeats and reverb tails to continue naturally when changing presets. A built-in tuner further streamlines pedalboard setups by eliminating the need for a separate tuning pedal.

Beyond guitar and instrument processing, Eventide has expanded the platform’s vocal capabilities. When paired with the company’s MixingLink preamp (sold separately), users can unlock the optional Harmonizer+ suite, adding vocal harmonies, pitch effects, and additional vocal processing tools.

Pre-order the Eventide H9 Harmonizer Gen 2 for $599 at the links below:

• Sweetwater
• Guitar Center
• Musician’s Friend

The post Eventide Expands Its Flagship Multi-FX Platform with New H9 Harmonizer appeared first on Gear Gods.

According to Sabian, the series was the result of a two-year development process involving extensive collaboration with artists, dealers, distributors, and industry professionals. So it’s literally what y’all want. The Stratus ride lineup consists of:

Get the Sabian STRATUS Dry Cymbals: Sweetwater | Guitar Center | Musician’s Friend

Ride Cymbals

The Stratus ride lineup offers 20″ and 22″ models. Both rides feature a medium-light weight construction that delivers clear stick definition alongside a warm underlying wash.

As the cymbals open up, they develop a controlled spread while maintaining a strong, articulate bell sound. The crashability of both rides also adds an extra layer of versatility for drummers who prefer a more expressive playing experience.

Crash Cymbals

Available in 16″, 18″, and 20″ sizes, the Stratus crashes are built with thinner profiles designed to provide quick response and controlled decay.

According to Sabian, the crashes offer a lower-pitched voice with an explosive initial attack, followed by a fast fade that prevents them from dominating a mix. The combination of deep tonality and controlled sustain makes them well suited to contemporary musical styles where clarity and balance are key.

Hi-Hats

The Stratus series includes both 14″ and 15″ hi-hat options. Each pair combines a medium-light top cymbal with a medium-heavy bottom cymbal, resulting in a crisp, articulate attack complemented by a warm, semi-dark spread. The design delivers enough definition for detailed playing while retaining a touch of airy openness when played partially open.

Effects Cymbals

One of the standout models during the development process, the 18″ Stratus China delivers a sharp, biting attack with a fast decay. Unlike some China cymbals that can quickly overpower a mix, Sabian says the Stratus China was designed to remain controlled and musical while still providing the aggressive accents players expect.

And then there’s the 18″ Stratus Zero, which introduces a completely new design to the lineup.

Combining the darker tonal characteristics associated with Sabian’s O-Zone concepts with the added high-end presence of its Aero designs, the Zero produces a fast, trashy attack with plenty of cut. The result is a distinctive effects cymbal designed to deliver modern accent sounds without sacrificing projection.

Shop the entire line at the links below, which start at $294.99:

• Sweetwater
• Guitar Center
• Musician’s Friend

The post Sabian Introduces Stratus Dry Cymbals After Two Years of Development appeared first on Gear Gods.

To call this impressive is still an understatement. Not only did Brewer have to come up with all the music and then parse out where exactly all the melodic and percussive content fell on the EQ, but he had to automate the whole thing. Absolute insanity, and it sounds amazing!

On how he came up with the idea, Brewer explained: “The truth is, I watched a sound design short from the @Cableguys channel about using EQ to pull tones out of white noise, and I just couldn’t get my brain off the idea.

“I had the feeling it would be possible to make a song using just EQ. After all, I’m essentially working with a 24-voice poly sine synth. The real challenge, however, was making something that actually sounded good. And I guess I’ll let you guys be the judge of that.”

And if you want just the song itself, here it is. As for mixing a song this complex, Brewer said it was pretty much exactly as hard as you’d think it is.

“How about the mixing? Well, trickier than you might think. Usually you’d have faders to control the levels of each individual element, but everything you are hearing is only one track of pink noise with an EQ on it. A mixer’s nightmare…

“Any mixing adjustment had to be manually automated on the plugin parameters but thankfully some [Xfer Records OTT], [Devil-Loc from Soundtoys], and [Gullfoss from Soundtheory] came to the rescue. They turned this whole song from a resonant disaster into a properly balanced mess instead. I can’t stress how helpful Devil-Loc was. Its saturation effect really filled in a lot of gaps in the frequency spectrum. Oh, and some delay and reverb helped too.”

The post This Is Insane: Producer Uses EQ Alone to Turn Pink Noise into Music appeared first on Gear Gods.

Get JHS’ The Fumble: Sweetwater | Guitar Center | Musician’s Friend

While it may appear to be a simple clean boost on the surface, The Fumble is based on the clean channel circuit found in the JHS NOTADÜMBLË V1, itself inspired by a lineage of highly coveted amplifier designs that can trace their roots back to a 1970s acoustic preamp.

According to JHS, The Fumble recreates the exact clean section of the NOTADÜMBLË V1 preamp, delivering the dynamic response and tonal character associated with some of the most desirable boutique amplifier circuits ever produced: “The JHS Fumble is the Dumble BBC-1 JFET clean boost — the circuit that accidentally ended up in the NOTADÜMBLË V1,” wrote JHS.

“If you bought V1 and loved the clean section, this is what was actually inside it. It’s a clone of the BBC-1 Howard Dumble built, which was itself a clone of a 1970s Barcus Berry acoustic preamp, which lives inside some of the most expensive amplifiers ever built. Use it as an always-on buffer, a front-end sweetener before your overdrives, or to slam the front of a dirty amp.”

Rather than offering multiple gain stages, switches, or EQ controls, JHS has opted for a minimalist layout centered around two controls: Input and Output. The Output knob functions as a master volume control, while the Input control adjusts both gain and low-end response at the front end of the circuit. This allows players to move from full-range clean boosts to tighter, more focused tones with a single adjustment.

Although The Fumble is marketed as a clean boost, its flexible gain structure makes it suitable for several applications throughout a signal chain.

Placed at the front of a pedalboard, it can function as a buffer-like tone shaper, helping tighten and strengthen the signal before it reaches other effects. It can also be used to push overdrive pedals harder, effectively creating an additional gain stage without significantly altering the core character of the existing drive sound.

Like the rest of the company’s lineup, The Fumble is hand-assembled and tested by JHS Pedals in Kansas City, Missouri. Get The Fumble at the links below for $89:

• Here via Sweetwater
• Here via Guitar Center
• Here via Musician’s Friend

The post Under $100: JHS Took a NOTADÜMBLË Mistake and Made It Into a New Pedal appeared first on Gear Gods.

For many vocalists, hearing tuning artifacts or monitoring delays during a performance can be distracting. Universal Audio knocks that off, as the Topline is designed to keep latency to a minimum, making it possible to track through the plug-in without disrupting the recording process.

Topline covers a wide range of tuning styles within a single interface. Users can apply subtle pitch correction to tighten performances while maintaining a natural sound, or dial in the aggressive hard-tuned effects commonly heard in modern hip-hop, trap, and pop productions.

For more experimental applications, Topline Vocal Tune also includes dedicated Pitch and Formant controls, allowing users to reshape vocal character and create dramatically altered vocal textures.

One of the ongoing challenges with pitch correction software is maintaining the nuances that make a performance feel human. To address this, Topline Vocal Tune includes dedicated Elastic, Expressive, and Sustain controls that allow users to retain elements such as vibrato, pitch slides, and natural vocal movement while still correcting intonation issues.

Beyond traditional pitch correction, Topline Vocal Tune includes MIDI Repitch functionality, allowing users to control vocal pitches from a MIDI keyboard. This effectively turns the voice into a playable instrument, opening the door to creating harmonies, layered vocal arrangements, and entirely new melodic ideas.

The plug-in also supports MIDI Scale Define, enabling producers to create custom scales and constrain vocal performances to those notes during recording.

To streamline workflow, Universal Audio has included a Topline Key Finder feature that automatically detects the key and scale of a session. Users can quickly load the plug-in, identify the song’s key, and begin tracking vocals immediately.

Unlike many of Universal Audio’s earlier plug-ins, Topline Vocal Tune runs natively on macOS and Windows computers without requiring Apollo interfaces or DSP hardware. The plug-in is also included as part of the company’s UAD Spark subscription service, alongside the broader collection of UAD Native plug-ins.

Topline Vocal Tune is available now for $79, reduced from its standard $99 price. Get it at the links below:

• Here at Sweetwater
• Here at Guitar Center
• Here at American Musical Supply
• Here at Musician’s Friend

The post Real-Time Pitch Correction: Universal Audio Launches Topline Vocal Tune appeared first on Gear Gods.

According to DW, feedback from touring professionals played a major role in shaping the 9000X Series. One of the headline features is AutoLock, a patent-pending boom angle adjustment system that automatically secures itself when positioned, eliminating the need for excessive tightening while ensuring a solid hold.

DW has also introduced InnerLock, an internal cable-based height memory system that removes the need for traditional external memory locks. This allows boom stands to collapse completely for transport while still retaining repeatable height settings, potentially saving valuable time during load-ins and stage changeovers.

As expected from DW’s flagship hardware line, stability remains a central focus. The 9000X Series is constructed from heavy-gauge seamless steel tubing and features a new Ultra-Rigid tripod base designed to minimize flex under heavy playing conditions. For drummers requiring additional support, optional stackable MOD weights can be attached to either the tripod base or individual stand legs.

Beyond the structural redesign, DW has introduced several new features throughout the lineup. New drop-in AirLift cartridges make it easier to adjust the height of heavier drums and hardware components, including snare drums and rack toms. The company has also developed a quick-release hi-hat rod system intended to simplify transport and setup.

Snare stands got some attention as well, with newly designed asymmetrical baskets specifically optimized for 10-lug snare drums.

The complete line of 9000X Series hardware includes three Cymbal Stands (9700XIL, 9701XIL, and 9710XIL); four Hi-Hat Stands (9500X, 9500TX, 9500XFX, and 9500XFTX); two Snare Stands (9300X and 9339X); and three Tom Stand models (991X, 992X, and 9791x).

Shop the entire DW 9000X Series hardware below:

• Here at American Musical Supply
• Here at Guitar Center
• Here at Musician’s Friend
• Here at Sweetwater

The post DW Unveils 9000X Series Hardware, the Biggest Evolution of Its Flagship Drum Stands in Decades appeared first on Gear Gods.

The Reactor lineup launches with two models: the Reactor 50 and Reactor 100. Both amps share the same feature set and control layout, with the main difference being output power.Each combo is housed in a wooden cabinet and features a custom-voiced 12-inch speaker, which should provide pretty much all you need when it comes to tone.

At the core of both Reactor models are 24 amp models and 27 onboard effects. Players can run up to eight effects simultaneously, allowing for complex signal chains without additional hardware. The front panel provides immediate access to six primary amp styles, alongside familiar controls for gain, EQ, master volume, and effects.

Additional tone-shaping options include the Heat and Push/Smooth switches, which adjust harmonic response, presence, and high-frequency character.

The headline feature of the Reactor series is Positive Grid’s proprietary Amp Intelligence engine. Rather than focusing solely on EQ curves or gain structures, Amp Intelligence analyzes elements such as transformers, gain stages, bias points, and harmonic response to recreate the feel and dynamics of the original amplifiers.

Deep editing is handled through the Reactor mobile app. Users can build and modify signal chains using a drag-and-drop interface, access additional amp and effect parameters, and generate tones using AI-powered tools.

Though one of the most ambitious features (albeit something we’ve seen before) is Creator Hub’s Tone Capture system. Users can upload an audio clip, and the software attempts to recreate the guitar tone heard in the recording. The system also supports image-based tone generation, allowing players to upload photos of amplifiers or pedalboards and generate a corresponding preset.

Text prompts are also supported. Users can describe a tone using keywords, musical styles, or artist references, and the software will generate a matching sound profile.

Another AI-assisted feature is Tone Memory. The system learns a player’s preferred amp settings and EQ adjustments over time, using that information to personalize future tone recommendations and refinements.

Positive Grid is also offering the optional Reactor Control Footswitch, sold separately. The six-button controller provides access to presets, effects, and performance functions, and can connect to the amp either wirelessly or via a wired connection. An expression pedal input is also included, making the footswitch a potentially essential addition.

Get the Reactor at the links below for $349 or $449, depending on if you’re going for the 50W or 100W models:

• Here through Positive Grid’s website
• Here via Sweetwater
• Here via American Musical Supply
• Here via Guitar Center
• Here via Musician’s Friend

The post Small Amp, Endless Possibilities: Positive Grid Launches Reactor Combo Amp Series with AI-Powered Tone Creation appeared first on Gear Gods.

The LTD Deluxe MH-1000NT offers up a set-thru construction at 25.5″ scale, Mahogany body, a three-piece extra-thin U-shaped Maple neck, and a Macassar ebony fingerboard with compound radius and 24 extra-jumbo stainless steel frets.

Components on the LTD Deluxe MH-1000NT include LTD locking tuners, a TonePros locking TOM-style bridge with string-thru-body, and a set of direct-mounted Fishman Fluence Modern 3-Voice Direct-Mount Humbucker pickups – ceramic in the bridge, and alnico in the neck – with Black Nickel covers.

Get the LTD Deluxe MH-1000NT for $1,499:

• Here via Musician’s Friend
• Here via Sweetwater
• Here via American Musical Supply
• Here via Guitar Center

The post Sparkly Shred: Kazuki Tokaji Demos the LTD Deluxe MH-1000NT appeared first on Gear Gods.

The UJAM Symphonic Elements CHOOIR is a dedicated choir instrument built using samples from the orchestral library of Zimmer himself. Unlike traditional choir sample libraries that require voice-by-voice arrangement, CHOOIR follows UJAM’s Symphonic Elements approach, offering pre-arranged textures that sit naturally within an arrangement.

“A choir has been the number one request from our users, to a degree that it became an in-joke. I’m so happy we could finally close this gap,” said Peter Gorges, Co-Founder of UJAM. “Since this is based on Hans’s own material, users will quickly hear that familiar cinematic palette he’s known for come through in their own work.”

Key Features include:

• Choir ensembles from Hans Zimmer’s orchestral library, including male, female, and boys sections
• Multiple articulations across vowel sounds and consonants
• Phrase-based engine for generating cohesive choir performances
• Signature Motion, Character, and Finisher controls for sound shaping
• 100 presets across 9 categories, including basic, epic, and atmospheric textures
• 70 styles in 9 categories

Symphonic Elements CHOOIR supports VST2, VST3, AU2, and AAX formats and is compatible with macOS and Windows operating systems.

Get the UJAM Symphonic Elements CHOOIR here for $189 from Sweetwater before it goes up to $249 in late June.

The post Get Your Hans Zimmer On With UJAM’s New Symphonic Elements CHOOIR VST appeared first on Gear Gods.