In this review and rundown we’re looking at the Mitchell MS450. This guitar is a versatile and affordable instrument that delivers a wide range of tones, classic looks, and modern playability. Crafted with attention to detail, this single-cutaway beauty provides…
Room EQ Wizard | Free Acoustics Software
Room EQ Wizard (REW) is free room acoustics software for measuring and analyzing room and loudspeaker responses. The analysis helps you optimize your studio by finding the best spot for the speakers and listening position. Shooting the room gives you…
The 16 Best Chord Generator VST [Free and Paid]
A great chord progression is one of many factors that contributes to a quality piece of music. It forms a template, or the backbone, from which the rest of the song can be built. But finding chords that go together…
Toby Wright: The Interview – Unraveling the Sonic Alchemy of a ROCK Genius
Toby Wright is a highly regarded music producer and engineer known for his exceptional work in the rock and metal genres. With a career spanning several decades, he has left an indelible mark on the music industry through his innovative…
Martin Special D Review: A Perfect Mid-Level Acoustic?
Looking for a midrange instrument that plays like an ultra-expensive one? They aren’t always easy to find, but suitable guitars do exist, in which the quality and playability seems to greatly outweigh the price. The Martin Special D might be…
Which Free Autotune Plugin Really Works? (Our Top 9 Picks)
Antares Audio Technologies introduced their proprietary Auto-Tune software in 1997. The purpose was to correct off-key pitches in real-time for perfectly tuned vocals or instruments. Autotune is a colloquial term now, frequently understood by artists as a catch-all for heavily…
Harbinger S12 Subwoofer Review: A Roadworthy & Compact Sub
Big bass usually comes at a price (and size!) that’s impractical for regular gigging. Lugging a subwoofer around takes its toll after a while, and would typically discourage most people from even embarking on the endeavor to begin with. But…
Second Chances in the Folk-Rock Movement: Simon and Garfunkel’s “Sound of Silence”
By the start of 1965, Paul Simon and Art Garfunkel had already broken up twice. Their debut album Wednesday Morning 3 A.M. was a commercial failure. Simon had headed off to England to join their folk music scene, while Garfunkel…
Ableton vs Pro Tools | Choosing a DAW
In the current age of music production, we have virtually endless tools at our disposal. It’s overwhelming when you’re just starting out because you want to set foot on the so-called ‘correct’ path. In regards to DAWs, everybody has an…
How to Make DIY Acoustic Panels for Your Studio
Unless your home studio was specifically designed for recording and mixing music, it’s probably not an ideal tracking and monitoring environment. Professional studios are carefully planned out to eliminate acoustic issues in many ways that residences are not. But if…
Vital VST vs Serum: The Ultimate Wavetable Synth Showdown
Every virtual instrument collection deserves a good wavetable synthesizer. This type of sample-based synthesis uses pre-recorded sounds as oscillator sources. What makes it unique from a regular sampler is how much you can manipulate those samples, even so far as…
12 Incredible Songwriting Tips that Work
As musicians, we spend the bulk of our time improving on what we do. We’d probably all agree that every new project we start (and sometimes never finish!) is a step towards getting better at songwriting. While there isn’t a…
The 6 Best Shure Microphones for Your Home Studio
Shure microphones have a wonderful reputation in the recording industry as some of the best, most reliable, and most affordable mics around. Shure started as a one-man radio company back in 1925, and by the early 1930s were one of…
What Is Pitch in Music (& Why Does It Matter in the Studio?)
Understanding what pitch is in music is an invaluable and broad skill transferable to numerous tasks in music production. Not every engineer is a musician themselves, but many are. It’s good to have at least some foundational knowledge of music…
Cytomic The Glue: Best SSL Bus Compressors?
Cytomic The Glue is an affordable SSL-style bus compressor plugin. The plugins gets its name from the SSL hardware’s famous ability to ‘glue’ mixes together. Even though there are tons of SSL bus compression plugins on the market, Cytomic makes…
Alesis 3630 Review
The Alesis 3630 compressor is a polarizing piece of equipment. On one hand, it has achieved almost mythic status for its use in the house scene, popularized by groups like Daft Punk. And on the other, it’s just a beginner’s…
LUFS vs dB: What’s the Difference and Why Does It Matter?
With so many ways to measure loudness, you’re definitely not alone in wondering what the deal with LUFS vs dB is. What Are LUFS? LUFS stands for Loudness Units Full Scale. It provides a standardized means of measuring loudness. There…
Cardioid vs Condenser – What’s the Difference?
When you’re first learning about microphones, all of the various terms can be confusing. After reading this article, you’ll have a better grasp of the different kinds of microphones, and most importantly, why cardioid vs condenser is an invalid comparison!…
Understanding Guitar String Gauges: What Gauge Is Best for Me?
It’s easy to underestimate the importance of guitar string gauges, especially when you’re brand new to the instrument. There are a number of factors at play when choosing the right strings, not excluding your guitar’s scale length, the tuning you…
Seymour Duncan 59 Review: Modern Humbuckers with a Classic Flair
When you think of the “Mount Rushmore” of electric guitar, who comes to mind? Many names played huge roles in its development and refinement, including Leo Fender, Orville Gibson, Les Paul, Adolph Rickenbacker, and Jim Marshall, amongst others. Certainly deserving…
Desmond Child- The Interview: The Mastermind Behind Timeless Hits
In the world of music, there are certain individuals whose talent and creativity transcend the boundaries of time. Desmond Child, a legendary songwriter and producer, is undoubtedly one of those remarkable figures. With an impressive career spanning several decades, Child…
Apogee Digital: Changing Digital Recording Forever
During the nearly four decades of its existence, the Apogee Electronics Corporation has been leading from the front. Apogee Electronic was set up in 1985 to offer a solution for a problem with digital technology that was not widely recognized,…
Eventide PitchFactor Review: A Versatile Pitch-Shifting & Delay Pedal
Eventide effects need little introduction. For over 50 years, they’ve trail-blazed digital processing and algorithms, developing massively successful hardware that’s been heard on countless records and used by some of the greatest musicians of all time. The formidable PitchFactor pedal…
8 Best Sustain Pedal Options for Keyboard & Digital Piano
It’s a relatively niche piece of equipment, but having a good sustain pedal can make a big difference in the overall playability of keyboards, digital pianos, and MIDI controllers. Does Having a Good Sustain Pedal Really Matter? It does matter,…
How to Record Bass Guitar at Home
Believe it or not, bass is one of the easier instruments to record at home. There are at least several different approaches, most of which are light on fancy equipment and low on volume levels. Win-win! If you want to…
Barefoot Monitors: Footprint 01 vs Footprint 02
Barefoot monitors are known for their innovative design, clean sonics, and exceptionally high price tags. The Footprint line of powered nearfields offers the same outstanding quality as their larger speakers, for those with smaller rooms. The Barefoot Footprint 01 The…
The Legendary Grooves of James Gadson: A Drummer Extraordinair
In the realm of music, certain individuals possess an innate ability to shape the sound and rhythm of a song, transcending the role of a mere instrumentalist. James Gadson is undeniably one such individual—a legendary drummer who has left an…
What Is a Line Level Signal and Why Does It Matter?
One of the first things we learn about a recording system is the variety of audio signals that connect to it. It’s a concept that can initially be tough to grasp, but once you learn it you never forget it.…
The 10 Best Fuzz Pedals to Add Serious Crunch to Your Sound
Keen to learn more about the best fuzz pedals to use for meatier riffage? Look no further than this guide to some of the most popular pedals out there. What Is Fuzz, & How Does It Differ from Distortion? Fuzz…
Gullfoss EQ Plugin Review | Smart Software at Its Best
The Gullfoss EQ plugin by Soundtheory promises to be a better-maker. The adaptive EQ, which does not rely on AI but rather a new form of technology altogether, serves to balance your mixes in the most pleasing way possible. If…
Top 6 Plugins for Mixing Metal in 2022
Jordan Valeriote is a Canadian producer/mixer/engineer and the founder of Hardcore Music Studio. He has worked with bands like Silverstein, Neck Deep, Forevermore, Intervals, Counterparts, Nick Johnston, Auras, and many more. Today, he is here to share with us his…
Eventide Blackhole Plugin Review: Nail Your Spacey Reverb Sound
Eventide has a history of producing incredible digital multi-effects processors in a time well before plugins. Many of their algorithms have naturally found their way into plugin format, including classics from their older hardware and a handful of effects from…
What is Plate Reverb and How is It Used?
If you’ve spent any time playing around with reverb in-the-box, you’ve probably observed the common types that exist. Chamber, hall, and room are easy enough to imagine, but what about plate reverb? We most easily associate “echo” with real-world spaces,…
Mixing Guitars: 10 Helpful Tricks for Incredible Tone
Many of us are guitarists, and most of us probably love to geek out on gear and tone as much as we like to actually play. After all, finding our individual “holy grail” tone is half of what makes playing…
Seymour Duncan Vapor Trail Deluxe Review
Here to help you narrow your search for the optimal delay pedal is a review of the Seymour Duncan Vapor Trail Deluxe. The brand is synonymous with the finest pickups in the game since 1976, while the man himself started…
SSL Vocalstrip 2 Review: A Powerful All-Around Vocal Processor
Vocals have always been one of the most critical elements of a song. They’re meant to tell a story, convey emotion, and take listeners on a journey through melody. The greatest songwriters of all-time nail the storytelling aspect of music…
Working Class Metal: How Bon Jovi Changed the Hair-Metal Game with “Livin’ On a Prayer”
In the 1980s, harder rocking songs were dominating the airwaves and the newly premiered MTV. With their heavy drums, metallic guitar solos, and in-your-face riffs, these songs shared common themes of partying and girls. The glam-rock scene coming out of…
Output Substance Review: The Ultimate Bass Engine VST?
Substance is a comprehensive virtual instrument by the masters of ingenuity at Output. This low-end monster supersedes convention, generating bass material from multiple sources to shape an evolutionary sound. In this review, we’ll be discussing its key features and critical…
How to EQ Bass Guitar: Simple Steps for a Better Low End
Nailing the low end content in a mix is an important step for better-sounding material. Too much bottom can make a mix muddy and inarticulate; too little can make a track appear thin and lifeless. Learning how to EQ bass…
Get a HUGE Drum Sound from Auto-Align 2 by Sound Radix
Today, we're sharing a deep-dive demo into some of the tools the team at Sound Radix have produced over the years including the newly released Auto-Align 2. Phase alignment is incredible important when it comes to music production and audio…
Vocal EQ Tips for Beginning Mixers
Vocal EQ is one of the ways we get a recorded performance from “dry” to “radio-ready.” It has a huge influence on the overall quality of a vocal, and even just simple moves like filtering can change the sound completely.…
VU Meter: Just How Useful Are They?
Most of us have a rough idea of what a VU meter does. But unless we spend a lot of time around analogue outboard gear, we probably aren’t super familiar with them. And let’s face it, many of us are…
AU vs VST: What Are Audio Units?
Plugins come in various formats, with Audio Units being specially designed for Mac operating systems. Introduction: What Are Audio Units Audio Units (AU) are simply a type of plugin. They’re one of the most popular formats alongside VST2 (Virtual Studio…
Bass Trap Placement: Acoustic Treatment 101
Acoustic treatment is essential if you plan to make the most out of your home or project studio. The goal for treatment is to create a listening environment that you can trust; ideally, the room should have an even frequency…
How to Use a Compressor (Easy Beginner’s Guide)
Learning how to use a compressor is one of the most important mixing skills you can acquire. Compression is quite literally all over mixes, even becoming the sound we associate with loud, modern pop mixing. If there’s anything you want to…
EQ Cheat Sheet: Simple Guidelines for Effective Equalization
Understanding equalization–probably the most widely used signal processor available to engineers–is essential to making records sound their absolute best. Sometimes it’s as simple as high-passing an instrument in the proper spot, while other cases require a bit more attention and…
Black Hole Sun: How Chris Cornell and Michael Beinhorn Let Go of the Past to Find Soundgarden’s Future
What happens when lead singer Chris Cornell removes his self-imposed limitations on songwriting and embraces his own inspirations and desires? The world gets caught in the inescapable pull of 1994’s Black Hole Sun. The song is Soundgarden's greatest commercial success,…
Chord Progressions: Finding Chords That Go Together
Even though we only have 12 notes, there are hundreds of possible chord progressions. This can be overwhelming, especially when we’re not yet comfortable finding chords that go together right away. Luckily, the majority of progressions tend to follow established…
Gain Staging for Modern Recording
A gain stage is any point in the audio signal path where we can adjust the overall level of a track. For instance, this could be with a fader or with the output controls of plugins like compressors and EQs.…
RE20 vs SM7B: Battle of the Broadcast Mics
Today we’re looking at two competitors, the RE20 vs SM7B. Both are celebrated mics, often used similarly for radio, podcast, and voiceover. That’s not all they can handle, though, with the RE20 becoming a a favorite on low-end instruments like…