Dear forum folks,

I know many are very keen to know what we are working on and why there hasn't been any major features added to S-GEAR since Jan 2015.

Whilst it is great business to provide a continual flow of new features, it is also important to take a pause from time to time and review the core technology that underpins the product. This is where my focus has been for the last 18 months.

Prior to launching S-GEAR in 2011, I spent nearly two years developing the S-GEAR tube modelling technology which provides the foundation of all existing amps in S-GEAR. These amps are still going strong and there is a growing user base of which a significant proportion constitutes professional musicians and producers. This continued growth is vitally important.

My mission is to keep producing the very best software based amps that I possibly can. This requires a commitment to continual research and experimentation, but also a commitment to quality, however long that takes to achieve.

To everyone here on the forum, I am very grateful for all the good will, support, ideas and enthusiasm shown - I read the forum every day. I am also very grateful for all the new customers who contact me post-purchase with their enthusiasm for the product. I'm also very happy when I hear from existing customers for whom S-GEAR has become an integral part of their musical production process.

Regarding product releases, for obvious reasons I don't wish to set release date expectations until we are right on top of a release. There are however some new maintenance updates of S-GEAR ready for imminent release later this month.

Best wishes,
Mike

Hi Mike,

Thanks for the update - much appreciated. I'd just like to say that S-Gear provides me with a huge amount of joy and inspiration. I love it in the same way that I love my favourite guitars. It helps me create better music.

I'd also like to echo Lt Kojak's various statements on this forum that S-Gear is fabulous as it is right now. While updates will of course be exciting when they appear, there is just so much to enjoy with what the product already gives us.

Much respect and appreciation, Mike.

Chris

I agree. I'm quite happy with things the way they are now. ( well, except for the US election results)

S-Gear is an inspiring amp sim. I love it and plan to be a customer for a long time.

Thanks for the update! we all are expectating and I guess the only reason we insist so much on having news is because we love the product so much we don't want to see it stalled.

Thank you for the update Mike, its so great to hear from you.

I cannot rave enough about Sgear and would recommend to anyone around me.

Thank you for the fantastic product.

All the best,
Min

Mike, great news. And with some medical problems last week, and the US election results this week, I really needed some good news. Looking forward to your new offerings.

Hope all is well with you.

We can't all be wrong....I'm thrilled with S-Gear and the election results!!!
Good luck with the progress.

Many thanks for the update Mike,

I think anyone who has been in the music/music technology industry for a while knows that there are some companies who release product after product simply for the sake of sales, and sadly these are often riddled with bugs and performance issues etc.

On the other hand there are companies like yours who CARE deeply about both their products and their customers.

I'll happily wait for as long as it takes for the next episode in S Gear, because I know it will be worth it.

All the very best to you.

Pete

I love the S-Gear !! This is great news that will be updated.
I was afraid that this will never happen, but the S-Gear version 2.5 is very inspiring rewarding.
Thank you Mike for S-Gear
Greetings.

I am eagerly awaiting the release of 3.0, as everyone else. However, I try to remind myself that I have access to some great boutique amps, which I couldn't otherwise if they weren't digital. Same goes for the effects and cabinets. In other words, with S-Gear, I own way more and better gear than I could afford in the material world. Thanks for pursuing excellence with an already excellent and inspiring instrument.

Thanks for the update, Mike. I look forward to your next creations and, in the meantime, more power to your arm!

I know I'm not the only one here that owns a Helix, and I'm also not the only one who keeps on going back to S-Gear because, well, it's GREAT! I have no problem waiting for the next version, because I know you won't release it until it's even better! Take your time and do it right, we'll be here waiting!

Same here, Mike!

I am excited about releasing my first solo EP soon, which has S-gear on every track (mostly combined with a real amp + IR, but in some songs, S-Gear exclusively!), and honestly, your product made it so much easier for me!

I am very grateful for an excellent and reliable software, and you have in me a customer for a long time. I haven't looked at anything else since I purchased S-Gear because I don't need anything else... well, maybe a S-Gear AC30 added to the set, but that's it...

Mike,

Thank you so much for focusing on quality. Never before have I had an amp sim that sounds soo good that I just turn it on and play for hours on end. With the Line 6 stuff I would tweak and tweak and spend more time futzing around than actually playing. With S-Gear, I fire it up (usually with the Plexmonster preset) and just jam and learn more about the fretboard for hours on end. S-Gear has improved my playing by sounding so damn good that I am inspired to stop screwing around and just play.

Please keep up the good work and never let anyone try to take away your focus on QUALITY!

Lots of love,
JAshlock

Thanks for the update! It's really encouraging to hear about the ongoing development of S-Gear.

And I agree with the others, I'd rather you focus on the quality of the updates than quantity. It's such great sounding, and inspiring software to use. Other have mentioned that they can plugin in, click a preset and just play. I have the same experience.

Wish you the best!

I was going to write a long reply but the first response pretty much sums up my feelings!

qryss wrote:

Hi Mike,

Thanks for the update - much appreciated. I'd just like to say that S-Gear provides me with a huge amount of joy and inspiration. I love it in the same way that I love my favourite guitars. It helps me create better music.

I'd also like to echo Lt Kojak's various statements on this forum that S-Gear is fabulous as it is right now. While updates will of course be exciting when they appear, there is just so much to enjoy with what the product already gives us.

Much respect and appreciation, Mike.

Chris

I hope the I/O module setting gets saved in presets soon.

I learned a lot with S-Gear which I can use now with my little Ironball. Especially for me as a beginner, and the way haptic way I like work I never could stand with modelling hardware amps, with sub and sub menu.

This smart application helped me a lot to understand tube amp, and I regular coming back to S-Gear, not that often anymore since I have an Ironball still regular. Especially the Pro-Convoler I do use very often.

With that said, since the last release of S-Gear a lot of dynamic I recordnized in the modelling market. From apps for iPads, iOS in general, thinks from Positive Grid and reason approach from others to put the original software into hardware, like in a head version or combo version.

So I'm wondering about the answer of Mike to all what happen today, and I wish you a wise hand to make right decision in development and research. I still think that S-Gear is one of the best software out there.

Good Luck Mike and I really looking forward what you will bring to live.

Merry X-Mess and a happy new year ave

Happy Christmas everyone and many thanks for all the great replies to this topic!

As I mentioned in the opening post, the last 18 months has been a time to focus on core technology and techniques so that we are well positioned to develop great product for the next five years.

Amongst other activities this year, I decided to full acoustically treat my studio room with a mixture of absorbent panels and wooden diffusers along with large Hofa bass traps in the corners. The design of the acoustic treatments was geared towards listening to guitar amps and making accurate and clean cabinet measurements with a near neutral room (but not totally damped). I'm delighted with the results, to the point that all the amps and equipment I have in the studio now sound so much better. Well worth the effort and investment.

This year I also acquired two vintage Vox AC30 amps for the purpose of analysis, R&D and inspiration! Both amps have all original electronics, transformers and speakers. One is a '62 fawn AC30 with Haddon transfomers, the other is a black tolex '63 with Woden transformers. With a little bit of TLC, both amps sound fantastic and great inspiration for a Scuffham design of this type of amp.



I recently took some AC30 impulse measurements in the new studio room using the best of the four original vintage Celestion blues. Interestingly all four of the speakers sounded a little different in isolation, all very good, so it was difficult to choose the best. Anyhow, look out for a New Year newsletter with an S-GEAR update to include this new cabinet. The cab sounds brilliant with all existing S-GEAR amps and gives you a great palette of new sounds to play with.

Once again Happy Christmas!

Mike