As GearFest 2012 drew near, thousands of musicians, engineers, and performers made their way to Fort Wayne, Indiana, for the largest gathering of music technology and pro audio gear the Midwest has ever seen — or heard! Every GearFest we’ve held here at Sweetwater headquarters has seemed like the best ever, and each of them really was. On June 22nd and 23rd, GearFest 2012 continued the trend with even more free seminars and workshops, more amazing musical performances, and more gear than ever for everyone to get their hands on.
Every year we’re honored by how many people make the trip to visit us, and how far some of you travel to get here — both customers and manufacturers! GearFest simply wouldn’t be the event it is without the support we get from all of you. We hope you were able to join us this year, but if you weren’t, here’s a recap of some of the more notable moments. And check out our YouTube and Facebook pages to see video highlights, performances, and interviews!
GearFest 2012 played host to more manufacturers, products, workshops, and performances than any previous GearFest. Guitarists jammed, bassists shook the ground, drummers tried out new kits, and keyboardists had a smorgasbord of sounds to experiment with. Vocalists tried out mics, engineers tweaked knobs and faders, and DJs checked out the latest live performance equipment. If you’re involved in music or audio in any way, there was more than enough to keep you interested at GearFest 2012.
The best part of this mass gathering of audio enthusiasts was how the whole event flowed together. Customers were able to try out all the products, but they also got the rare opportunity to personally talk with the manufacturers that created those products. Musicians not only gave outstanding performances, but many also held seminars and workshops to show our guests what goes on behind the music they create. Producers networked, recording engineers got to talk gear with their peers, and our customers were able to meet their Sweetwater Sales Engineers in person — everyone had a great time!
GearFest 2012 was guitar heaven. An incredible array of instruments from Fender, Wechter, PRS, Martin, Taylor, Gibson, and many more were on display and ready to play. So it was a good thing that we also had a ridiculous amount of amplifier power, provided by our friends at Blackstar, Mesa/Boogie, Budda, Marshall, Fender, and Orange, to name just a few. And for those looking to create their own signature tone, plenty of effects pedals from Electro-Harmonix, BOSS, Rivera Amplification, Keeley Electronics, and many more were lined up and waiting for players to try them out.
Our free seminars and workshops have always been a hit at GearFest, and this year we were honored to bring in musicians and engineers such as Marcus Miller, Jeff Loomis, Thomas Dolby, George Massenburg, and Fab Dupont, as well as many others. Returning GearFest guests were especially excited to see Fab Dupont once again record, mix, and master a live band in his three-part workshop. This rare opportunity to see an acclaimed producer take a song from performance to completion was a huge hit at GearFest ’11, and this year’s workshop motivated everyone with new ideas and fresh inspiration.
Of course, GearFest wouldn’t be the same without dozens of outstanding musical performances. Guests enjoyed the sounds of guitar virtuosos Paul Pigat and Lee Roy Parnell. They also took in the amazing bass playing of Marcus Miller and the electronic music stylings of Asher Fulero — the list goes on and on. Being able to share all this incredible music with our guests, plus the opportunity to learn from some of the biggest names in the music industry, is one of the biggest rewards of holding GearFest every year.
Our guests had plenty of opportunities to expand their skill sets at GearFest 2012, with workshops about how to get the most out of your productions. Award-winning singer/songwriter Brandon Heath discussed the techniques and technology he uses to write his hit songs. Sweetwater’s Editorial Director Mitch Gallagher gave an in-depth presentation on re-creating the tones of your favorite guitar heroes and developing your own personal tone.
In the Sweetwater Academy of Music, GearFest 2012 guests were able to learn tips and tricks on all things audio, from the manufacturers that create the gear. Cakewalk gave visitors a slew of techniques to get the most out of Cakewalk audio software. Matt Hines from iZotope discussed how to approach restoration of even severely degraded audio, with iZotope’s acclaimed RX 2 audio-restoration software. And for Pro Tools users, Avid was here to show engineers how to get the most out of their Pro Tools systems.
With so many great people and so much to experience, we could easily fill an entire SweetNotes with just highlights from day one of GearFest 2012! We’re always humbled by the amazing turnout and feedback we get. If you were able to attend this year, thank you for joining us! We hope you had as much fun as we did. If you weren’t able to make it out this year, don’t worry — we already have our sights set on GearFest 2013!