Brutally Honest Thoughts on Every Piece of Gear I Got in 2025 // What was the Best Music Gear of 2025
- Sunwarper
- 1 day ago
- 6 min read
I tried a lot of gear in 2025. Some of it completely changed my workflow, while others didn’t even last a week in the studio.
So in this post, I’m breaking down every piece of gear I picked up this year. What surprised me, what stuck, and what totally flopped. If you're on the lookout for some new gear, here's some of the best music gear of 2025, and a few that just didn't fit my workflow but might for you.
Watch along or read on below:
What Surprised Me in 2025
Yamaha SEQTRAK
I first checked out the Yamaha SEQTRAK at NAMM earlier this year. I was hoping it would be the missing link between the Circuit Tracks and Digitakt, the performative sequencer of the Circuit, with the per-step control of the Digitakt.
The SEQTRAK has multiple synth tracks and seven drum tracks that use one-shots. What intrigued me most was the sampler. I was hoping for true sample chopping, but instead you get seven sample tracks that can each hold one sample. There’s no waveform editor, so adjusting start and end points means doing it manually, and usually using up all seven sample slots if you want variations or slices.
Still, I found something incredibly useful: an ideation station.
As a busy parent, I don’t always have long stretches in the studio. The SEQTRAK workflow is perfect for quickly sketching ideas, getting a beat down fast and building from there. 7 Drum tracks that all have a powerful step sequencer (with per step parameter locks) and 3 synth tracks with similar power. It also comes loaded with TONS of great drum and synth sounds for plenty of sound design possibilities. That said actual sound design tweaking isnt that easy, but itf you’re on the lookout for a quick idea station to quickly create great sounding loops, this is the one. After I create these start points on the SEQTRAK, I can resample those sketches into the SP404 MK2 or other samplers for deeper sound design.
After a few months of use, the battery life has been great. The free companion app is surprisingly helpful for learning. My biggest tip: treat the screen or app like training wheels. Once you get comfortable, learn the button combos directly on the device. It’s much faster that way.
Despite my gripes with the sampler, the rest of the device is fantastic. Each track has its own effect, from amp sims to distortion, phasers, and delays, plus a master effect for performance. It’s an excellent groovebox for getting ideas down quickly... even if arranging is where it starts to fall short.
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Roland S-1 Tweak Synth
Another pleasant surprise this year came from Roland’s Compact line. I’ve always been a fan of the SH-101 sound, I even have a Behringer MS-1 clone of that classic synth, so when I saw the Roland S-1, I had to check it out.
Built on Roland’s ACB (Analog Circuit Behavior) tech, it nails that SH-101 tone. And even though the mini keyboard isn’t the most fun to play, this synth has become my go-to portable sound design tool.
There’s a solid step sequencer, per-step parameter locks, built-in effects, and an excellent filter. It’s compact enough to toss in a bag with the P-6 for an ultra portable setup.
My only gripe? The keyboard starts on B, not C, which always throws me off. Otherwise, it’s an awesome little synth with great sound, great features, and tons of fun for sampling.
Roland S-1: https://amzn.to/3RnR1c2
What Stuck in My Workflow
Roland P-6
The Roland P-6 became one of my most used samplers this year. When it launched, I bought it immediately for three reasons: the sample rates, the lo-fi button, and the built-in microphone… all things I missed after moving from the SP404 SX to the SP404 MK2.
The P6 isn’t just a mini-SP though. It’s a deep sampler with an intuitive sequencer and a workflow that feels closer to an Elektron device. One issue that comes up is there’s no manual sample slicing. While the P6 has an incredibly intuitive “auto chop” function, you can’t adjust those chop points. A workaround I use is to parameter lock start and end points to create your own slice points per step. It’s not true manual chopping, but it’s a clever workaround that works surprisingly well.
The effects are lifted straight from the SP series, though you can only use one at a time. My main issue is that the bus effects and send effects run in parallel, which means filtered sounds still feed into the sends unaffected. It’s not a dealbreaker, but it’s definitely something to know.
Despite that, it’s incredibly powerful for its size. The internal battery, smaller footprint, and strong sequencing power make it one of the best portable samplers around.
Roland P6: https://amzn.to/3zrsei1
Polyend Tracker+
This was my first time checking out a tracker workflow and it’s definitely one of the most unique ways to make music I’ve ever tried.
If you’re not familiar with this kind of workflow, trackers use a vertical, sample based workflow where every step can trigger a different sound or instrument. It sounds strange at first, but once it clicks, it’s incredibly powerful.
The Polyend Tracker+ has a granular synth engine, a wavetable synth, an FM radio sampler, and even built-in drum synthesis. You also get multitrack USB audio output, which makes it easy to export all your stems.
The biggest mental shift was realizing that each track isn’t tied to one sound or sample. You can load a kick on step one, a snare on step five, and a chord sample on step nine, all on the same track.
Once it made sense, I fell in love with how fast and creative it is. You can make entire tracks quickly or dive deep with per-step automation. It’s a wonderfully weird workflow that’s not for everyone, but if it clicks with you, it’s hard to stop using it.
Polyend Tracker+: https://amzn.to/3Lx0vSN
For maximum portability, there’s also the Polyend Tracker Mini: https://amzn.to/3LzXn8C
Dr. Vibe (Sketch Audio)
Not technically “gear,” but this iOS app has become an essential tool in my setup.
Dr. Vibe is basically an in-the-box SP404. It has three sections:
Mix Slammer, a compressor modeled after the SP303’s classic punchy sound.
Vinyl, which emulates that SP-style grit, complete with adjustable noise and warble.
ADC/DAC, where you can lower sample rates and bit depth to mimic vintage samplers like the SP202 and SP303.
For me, it’s perfect when I’m working in a DAW or hybrid setup and want that SP flavor without the hardware. I often throw Dr. Vibe on drums or even entire mixes to get that lofi texture.
If you don’t have your SP404 handy, this app is the next best thing.
What Flopped (For Now)
Polyend Synth
When I bought the Polyend Synth, I was hoping for a compact, flexible sound source to pair with my samplers. It offers three synth engines, all of which sound great and most of them are also in the Tracker+.
That overlap is exactly why it hasn’t stuck. The sound design workflow also didn’t fully click with me. You use three buttons to select synth engines, and each section (filter, envelope, LFO, etc.) has dedicated encoders. It’s well designed, but I found myself gravitating back to samplers with built-in synths instead.
That said, I’m rebuilding my DAWless desk into a “synth station” soon, basically a mixer-fed table of synths running into one sampler. I think the Polyend Synth will have a rebirth in that setup as a multi-synth performance tool I can sample from in one take.
Polyend Synth: https://amzn.to/3LJphit
Drambo App
The last “flop” isn’t a failure, just something I haven’t had time for yet.
Drambo is a modular-style groovebox app for iOS that a student recommended as a Digitakt alternative. It’s incredibly deep, offering per-step automation, parameter locks, and modular routing, but it demands time to learn.
For now, it hasn’t made its way into my workflow simply because I haven’t had the hours to dedicate to it. But I do plan to revisit it soon. If you use Drambo, let me know your favorite starting points, I’d love to hear how you use it.
That’s all the gear I tried in 2025. Some stuck, some surprised me, and a few just didn’t fit… at least not yet.
But that’s part of the process. Experimenting, refining, and figuring out what fits your workflow right now.
What about you?What gear surprised or flopped in your setup this year? Let me know in the comments.
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