The Best Audio Interface Options in 2023

The makings of a home studio begin with an audio interface. This essential piece of equipment provides the inputs and outputs we need to connect audio components like microphones and instruments to our computer. With so many audio interfaces available,…

Tubular Bells by Mike Oldfield – Celebrating 50 Years Of Innovation
Tubular Bells is one of the most recognizable, innovative and influential albums that has ever been released. With almost 20 million copies sold it was a huge commercial success, and it has captivated and fascinated audiences the world over.  The…
The 12 Best In-Ear Monitors for Any Budget [2023 Guide]

The best in-ear monitors (IEM) can completely revolutionize a band’s live performance, isolating them from the noisy stage for clear monitoring. Some musicians who are already accustomed to IEM also prefer them in the studio over headphones — usually for…

The 5 Best Drum Shield Options for Your Home Studio in 2023

It goes without saying that acoustic drums are a loud instrument. There’s little we can do to offset that volume, and asking a player to soften their touch isn’t practical. One thing live sound engineers can do is install a…

The 13 Best ASMR Microphones for Any Budget

ASMR is one of the most popular, if not slightly unusual, entertainment trends of the last several years. ASMR creators attempt to trigger the listener’s “autonomous sensory meridian response”—a tingling sensation that begins at the scalp and moves down through…

25 Best Waves Plugins for Mixing in 2023

Waves plugins have been around since 1992 when the company first introduced its Q10 Paragraphic EQ. The Q10 broke new technological ground as the first audio plugin ever, with sound quality comparable to, or better than, its hardware equivalents. Over…

The Best Pedal Board Options for Guitarists [Any Budget]

Musicians, professional and hobbyist alike, who are enthusiastic about effects pedals understand how collecting them can become a passion within a passion. There’s so much variation out there: you have mass-produced effects, boutique, hand-wired ones, those that produce straightforward and…

The 8 Best Drum Machines for Creating Your Beats [2023 Guide]

One common trend we see more and more these days is electronic producers gravitating back towards hardware as opposed to working strictly in the box. Many artists find that tactile control is hugely beneficial to the overall creative process, since…

Korg Drumlogue Review: Analog Meets Digital

Korg’s Drumlogue bridges the gap between fully analog and fully digital drum machines and synthesizers, offering up a hybrid instrument that makes the best of both sound-generating technologies. Overall, the Korg Drumlogue is a vast and feature-rich drum programming device…

Yamaha MG10XU Review: A Versatile Compact Mixer We Love

Every decent studio, live sound, or broadcast system begins with the right hardware. In many instances, the mixer is the brain of the entire operation, collecting, amplifying, tone-shaping, volume balancing, and outputting various audio signals. The Yamaha MG series of…

3 Steps To Add FUNK Back To Your Bass | Marc Daniel Nelson
Introduction: In the world of music production, exploring different techniques and experimenting with instruments can bring a fresh and exciting dimension to your tracks. One such technique involves doubling parts with a clavinet, a keyboard instrument known for its funky…
MXR DC Brick Power Supply Review: Does It Deserve a Spot on Your Board?

Pedals need power. For those that still run on 9-volt batteries, or at least provide the option, nothing could be more of a hassle for a gigging guitarist or bassist than maintaining fresh batteries for every performance. The simple solution…

Exploring the Musical Genius of Rob Moose: An Interview
In the vast world of music, there are artists who possess an exceptional talent for creating transformative and mesmerizing compositions. One such musician is Rob Moose. With his diverse skill set as a violinist, guitarist, and arranger, Moose has made…
Turning Drum Samples In To Breakbeat Fills
In today's video, we'll dive into the world of breakbeats and learn how to unleash our creativity by chopping them up. Download the Cheatsheet here so you can always return to it! Part 1: Chopping Break Beats To begin our…
Behringer BC1200 Professional 7-Piece Drum Microphone Set Review

Behringer’s BC1200 professional 7-piece drum microphone set has to be one of the greatest values we’ve ever reviewed, providing engineers a means of close-miking an entire drum kit for less than the cost of a single microphone. The set is…

The 7 Best Wah Pedals for Your Pedalboard in 2023

Rarely is an effect quite as recognizable to the masses as the venerated wah. From Frank Zappa to Jimi Hendrix to Eric Clapton, and from Tony Iommi to Tom Morello to Kirk Hammett, many of the world’s most famous guitarists…

Peter Gabriel: Artists Who Changed Music
Peter Gabriel is a living legend who barely needs an introduction. He became well-known as the lead singer of Genesis, and after that went on to have a successful solo career, gaining fame for using new music technology in innovative…
5 Powerful Tips For Mixing Hip-hop Vocals
You want your Rap vocals to sound raw and in-your-face, so the rapper’s flow and delivery can dominate the track. However, if you leave your vocals too dry (without any effects), they’ll stick out like a sore thumb and won’t…
Yamaha APX600 Review: Is This Thinbody Acoustic Worth the Price?

Rarely does a guitar come along that boasts as many features for the price as this one in today’s review. The Yamaha APX600 is an acoustic guitar designed with electric players in mind, and upon review, is one of the…

The Trooper – Iron Maiden: Songs That Changed Music
The early eighties saw the rise of Iron Maiden. One of the most successful groups to emerge from the new wave of British heavy metal, by the beginning of 1983 Maiden had already released three classic albums: Iron Maiden, Killers,…
Line 6 Catalyst Review: A Versatile Line of Affordable Amps

Line 6 has always been at the forefront of amp and effects modeling. The early Line 6 PODs were, for many, an introduction to amp simulation, allowing guitarists to write and record at home without blowing down the house with…

JZ Microphones Announces New Mic: The BT202. Read More Here
JZ Microphones is excited to announce the launch of its latest product, the JZ BT202 microphone. This versatile premium-level microphone delivers exceptional sound quality, detail, and low noise for any studio recording or live sound setup. The JZ BT202 is…
Factory Tour: Making Speakers From Start To Finish with Bowers & Wilkins
Bowers & Wilkins (B&W) is a British company that has been at the forefront of audio technology for more than 50 years. Founded in 1966, B&W has become one of the most respected and recognized names in the audio industry,…
Budget vs Expensive Microphones: A Chat With With Rob Mayzes & Adam Steel at NAMM 2023
In this video, Adam Steele and Rob from mastering.com are at the Cloud Booth discussing the affordable equipment that is available today. They are using the new Cloud lifter X, which is a transformer-based Cloud lifter, and they are impressed…
Let’s talk about Thrash Metal
In this blog post, we’ll dive into the world of thrash metal, a genre that emerged in the 1980s and has since become a cornerstone of heavy metal music. We'll be joined by Kai Stahlenberg, a German musician, and producer,…
Budget vs Expensive Microphones: A Chat With With Rob Mayzes & Adam Steel at NAMM 2023
In this video, Adam Steele and Rob from mastering.com are at the Cloud Booth discussing the affordable equipment that is available today. They are using the new Cloud lifter X, which is a transformer-based Cloud lifter, and they are impressed…
Exploring Tim O’Sullivan LA Studio: Fun guitars & Affordable Consoles
It's my pleasure to share with you a studio tour with producer, Tim O'Sullivan (Yeah, Yeah, Yeahs; Rayland Baxter & Grace Potter)Having been Bearfoot Studio's previous Studio Manager, Tim sought his own personal recording studio when friend, musicians and Beastie Boys…
The 7 Best Bass Synth Pedals for Live & Studio Sound [2023 Guide]

A synth pedal for bass (or guitar) is one of the best and most colorful effects you can add to your board. Built to emulate the sound of synthesizer, a synth pedal lets you use a fretted instrument as the…

David Bottrill Interview Part 2: Talking Silverchair, Mudvayne, Muse, Placebo & More
David Botrill is a Grammy award-winning music producer and engineer who has made a significant impact on the music industry over the past few decades. He has worked with some of the most influential and iconic artists of our time,…
The 15 Best Mics for Acoustic Guitar in 2023 [Any Budget]

Recording acoustic instruments can be a ton of fun. There’s intimacy in having an artist simply sit down with their acoustic guitar and play. Because there aren’t many moving parts from a technical perspective, you have more energy to focus…

The 20 Best Guitar Impulse Responses in 2023 [Free and Paid]

Collecting impulse responses isn’t necessarily new tech. But it is becoming increasingly popular for capturing the sound of a unique speaker cabinet, microphone, and room for guitar. Beyond your amp settings, there’s a whole lot more that affects your recorded…

The 10 Best Mixing Plugins in 2023 (Free & Paid)

Mixing is one of the most satisfying parts of music production. It’s so much fun polishing raw recordings, adding creative effects, and putting the finishing touches on a song for listeners. There are literally thousands of plugins out there that…

Peavey Vypyr X2 Review: An All-in-One Combo for Bass & Guitar Alike

Peavey is an innovator in the modeling space. Their first Vypyr amp came out in 2008, and contained many industry-firsts, including built-in USB, emulated effects, and analogy/digital hybrid modeling. We’re looking at the Peavey Viper X2 in this review —…