Gearspace is a website and forum dedicated to audio engineering. Gearspace is one of the largest resources for pro audio information, with over 1.6 million monthly visitors from 218 countries.[1] Originally established in 2002 as Gearslutz, the site rebranded in March 2021.

Gearspace.com
Company typePrivate Company
IndustryMusic Production
Founded1 April 2002; 22 years ago (2002-04-01)
HeadquartersLondon, UK
Area served
Worldwide
Websitehttps://gearspace.com/

History

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In 2002, Julian Standen and Meg Lee Chin, both musicians and audio engineers, created the site, which is widely regarded as a top online resource for music production knowledge and discussion.[1] The site has been described as the "best place … for help with your interface, DAW, signal path, or just about anything else."[2]

In 2018, the website was ranked by Alexa.com as the 7,360th most popular website in the world.[3] In 2020, it had over 1.6 million monthly visitors from 218 countries.[1]

Behringer Lawsuit

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In mid-2017, Music Tribe, the parent company of music equipment manufacturer Behringer, pursued legal action against synthesizer manufacturer Dave Smith Instruments (DSI) and a number of the website's forum participants, including a DSI employee, for defamation over various statements made in forum discussions that alleged that Behringer copies other companies' products and exhibits other questionable business practices.[4]

Name change

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On January 6, 2021, a forum user started an online petition at Change.org encouraging the website to change its name from Gearslutz. Site co-founder Standen announced later the same month that the site would be undergoing a name change, stating "the word-play pun in the name has gotten old and it is now time to move forward".[5]

On March 29, 2021, Standen confirmed that the site would be renamed "Gearspace.com".

References

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  1. ^ a b c "Northern Vermont University Alum Takes On Offensive Company Name In Pro Audio Industry, And Wins!". northernvermont.edu. Northern Vermont University. 5 February 2021. Retrieved 17 January 2022.
  2. ^ "Reverb Picks: The Best Forums". reverb.com. Reverb.com LLC. 21 October 2013. Archived from the original on 4 November 2018. Retrieved 2018-09-17.
  3. ^ "Gearslutz.com Traffic, Demographics and Competitors". www.alexa.com. Archived from the original on 2018-09-16. Retrieved 2018-09-17.
  4. ^ "That Time Behringer Sued Dave Smith Instruments & 20 Gearslutz Users For A Quarter Of A Million Dollars". synthtopia.com. 20 June 2018. Retrieved 17 January 2022.
  5. ^ McGlynn, Declan (20 January 2021). "Popular Music Production Forum Gearslutz to Change Name Following Online Petition". DJ Mag. Thrust Publishing Ltd. Retrieved 31 May 2021.