Max McAllister
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Max is a Los Angeles-based writer, musician, and engineer at the Brewery Recording Studio.

The 8 Best Wavetable Synthesizers 2024

Wavetable synthesis is a technique used in certain digital music synthesizers to produce natural, note-like sounds. An existing instrument’s note can be sampled and parsed into a sequence of wavetables. Wavetable synthesizers differ from subtractive, additive, and FM/AM synths. In wavetable…

The 20 Best Virtual Amp Sims in 2024 [Free & Paid]

A great amp sim can take your guitar recordings to the next level since not many of us can record a 100-watt tube head at home. There are attenuators, sure, and lots of modern amps are being built with direct…

The 5 Best DJ Software Options in 2024 (Which One Is Right for Me?)

The modern DJ requires software to help them manage a vast digital music library as well as mimic the classic two-turntable setup for mixing songs. While many of the same elements of “analog” DJing are still present (i.e., controllers and…

The 18 Best Home Studio Mics in 2024 [Any Budget]

What differentiates a “home studio” mic from a “pro studio” mic is generally the budget of whoever’s purchasing it. Aside from that, the best mics are the best mics! We usually recommend starting out with the highest quality microphone you…

The 14 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…

The 13 Best Studio Subwoofer Options for Music Production

Most of us work on two-way active speakers which include a tweeter and a low/midrange driver anywhere between 5″ and 8″ in size. Many of the larger popular speakers have impressive low-end extension, but even then, they lack the power…

The 8 Best 500 Series Racks for Your Home Studio in 2024

A 500 series rack is one of the best ways to add a bunch of outboard firepower to your studio in a compact form factor. It’s possible to keep a variety of processors like preamps, compressors, EQs, and more all…

The 10 Best Overdrive Pedals for Guitar in 2024 [Any Budget]

An overdrive pedal is one of the best essentials for guitarists of all genres. It’s a versatile enough effect to make varied use of it, whether you need a bit of a boost for leads, or you want to completely…

Apogee Quartet Review: Is This Interface Worth the Price?

Apogee audio interfaces, a cornerstone of the brand, are revered for their exceptional audio fidelity and pristine sound reproduction. Whether capturing the delicate nuances of a vocal performance or the raw power of live instruments, Apogee interfaces ensure that every…

9 Best Desktop Computers for Music Production in 2024

We’ve checked out tablets and laptops, and now it’s time to have a look at the best desktop computers for music production. Understanding Music Production Computers As tech gets better and better, even budget computers are reasonably powerful. What that…

The 10 Best Telecaster Pickups [2024 Guide]

The iconic sound of a Telecaster is known for its distinctive and timeless character. Developed by Leo Fender and introduced in the ’50s, the Tele is one of the most influential electric guitars in history, shaping the sound of numerous…

9 Best Laptops for Music Production in 2024

The good news for beginners is that there’s a solid chance you can start recording with whatever laptop you already own. In the event you’re looking for a new laptop for music production, we’ll check out some of the most…

The Best Condenser Mics for Your Studio in 2024 [Any Budget]

The best condenser mic will see constant use in your studio. There’s so much variety out there that it can be a bit overwhelming trying to sort the good from the bad, so we’ve put together a shortlist of some…

ASM Hydrasynth Review: Powerful Synth Sounds Catered to Your Needs

Ashun Sound Machines consists of a small and dedicated team of diverse talent and background. Their primary goal is to bring high-quality creative tools to musicians that seamlessly blend iconic sounds we’ve come to know and love with all of…

Lauten Audio LA-120 Review: The Ultimate Small-Diaphragm Condenser Mic Pair?

Lauten Audio is a family-owned and operated company introducing innovative designs into the world of traditional microphones. Their inspiring lineup of mics marries classic sonics with modern utility, resulting in versatile, multi-purpose tools for any project. Today, we’re breaking down…

How To Remix a Song (8 Essential Tips in 2024)

Remixing is hugely popular in the electronic music world. And yet, like most artistic aspects of making music, there isn’t a clear-cut path to pulling it off well. If you’re wondering how to remix a song, here are eight of…

Lauten Audio Eden LT-386 Review: The Ultimate Vacuum Tube Mic?

The Lauten Audio Eden LT-386 represents the apex of the brand’s design prowess, and in this review we’ll break down why this high-end tube condenser deserves the title. Lauten Brings Professional Quality Sound to Your Studio From the premium Signature…

The 15 Best Compressor Plugin VSTs in 2024 [Free & Paid]

A compressor is one of the most fundamental processors an engineer has at their disposal. We know them to be great at tightening up the dynamic range of a signal—in other words, making a signal more even and consistent in…

Best Computer for Music Production in 2024 [Any Budget]

The computer is the hub of the digital recording studio, so you’ll want to make sure you get the appropriate one for the job. Luckily, there isn’t a single best computer for music production, but rather a number of choices…

Cockos Reaper DAW Review – The Best Value DAW in 2024?

Reaper DAW, developed by a small company called Cockos, originally came out in 2006. The software immediately gained traction from its professional feature set and affordable price, and shows no signs of slowing down in 2022. Could Reaper be the…

The 7 Best Chorus Pedals for Your Pedalboard [2024 Guide]

Our top selections of the best chorus pedals will help you narrow down just the right effect for your pedalboard. What Is a Chorus Pedal & What Do They Sound Like? Chorus is a type of effect that falls into…

13 Home Studio Essentials for Beginners

An efficient home studio set-up is essential for producers, engineers, and musicians of any level. And luckily, the time has never been better to get into the game. Rapid advances in digital technology over the past decade have made home…

The 12 Best UAD Plugins in 2024

Universal Audio has a decades-long reputation as one of the premier manufacturers of pro audio equipment. Bill Putnam started the company in 1958 and was a pioneer his entire life. Putnam designed many products under different companies throughout the course…

The 8 Best Electric Guitar Strings (For Any Skill Level)

Which electric guitar strings are best for you? Consider firstly the gauge, as well as the make, model, and occasionally a few other variables, to determine what sounds and feels right for your playing. Your Strings Help Shape Your Sound…

The 8 Best Synthesizer Apps For iOS Mobile 2024 [FREE & PAID]

Making music on the go has never been easier! We’ve already covered some of the best DAWs for iOS and Android, and now it’s time to take a look at best synthesizer apps to go along with them. Mobile synthesis…

Talkbox vs. Vocoder: What’s the Difference?

Talking effects have had prominent places in music, especially throughout the ’70s and beyond. What is, then, the difference between a talkbox vs vocoder? Talkbox vs. Vocoder: Are They the Same Thing? If you’ve never used one before, you’re probably…

11 Best Saturation VST Plugins Available 2024

Saturation is the secret weapon for adding some grit back to pristine digital recordings. Whether you just want to add a bit of body and richness to an instrument, or make it unrecognizable with blazing distortion, saturation is one of…

The 15 Best Small Tube Amp Options for Home Use in 2024

Being a guitar player sets you on a path of tone chasing — there’s no way around it! There are so many ways to tweak the sound of our instrument, from the guitar itself, to pickups, pedals, strings, plectrums, and…

6 Best Studio Monitor Stands for Your Studio [2024 Guide]

Studio monitor stands can substantially improve your working environment. They’re not the most glamorous of upgrades in the grand scheme of things—considering all of the “fun” studio stuff we could buy—but speaker stands are an easy, effective way to make…

10 Best Limiter Plugins in 2024 [FREE & PAID]

Limiters are awesome plugins for catching a signal’s highest peaks in a way that doesn’t ruin the overall tonality and balance of an instrument, group, or mix. Here is a modest sample of 10 of the best limiter plugins out…

How Much Does Spotify Pay Per Stream in 2024?

Streaming platforms have revolutionized music sales. There’s just no way around it—if you’re an artist, you have to upload your music for streaming. In 2019, digital streams accounted for nearly 80% of total music sales globally, and the number continues…

The Best Wireless Microphone for Singers [2024 Guide]

The best wireless microphone sounds great, is reliable, and most importantly, lets a performer roam the stage without restriction. Historically, there’ve been reservations about wireless systems, namely due to questions about interference, sound quality, and overall reliability. The truth is,…

The Ultimate List of Free Pro Tools Plugins 2024

If you’re looking for third-party plugins to expand your growing collection, look no further than The Ultimate List of Free Pro Tools plugins. Whether you need a Pultec-style EQ or a trigger gate for electronic music stutter effects, this list…

Apogee Duet 3 Review: Ultimate Portable Interface?

Fourteen years ago, Apogee revolutionized audio interfaces. The original Duet combined professional quality with portability in a never-before-seen way which changed the digital recording landscape. Over the years, they’ve consistently improved the original design, and in 2021, the Apogee Duet…

The 20 Best Guitar Impulse Responses in 2024 [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…

The Best Portable PA System for Live Music [2024 Guide]

A public address (PA) system is a must for any sort of performance. It amplifies and projects your sound so you can be heard over a crowd and throughout a venue. For many years, PA systems have been multiple component…

The 10 Best Mixing Plugins in 2024 (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…

The 8 Best Headphone Amplifiers for Any Budget [2024 Guide]

If you want to get the best sound quality out of a pair of high-end headphones, you may need an external amplifier to drive them. Headphone amplifiers deliver power to the drivers, just as an amplifier does with a pair…

The 7 Best Electronic Drum Sets for Your Home Studio [2024 Guide]

There was once a time when an electronic drum set sounded and felt nothing like the real thing. The earliest electric drums, like the Pollard Syndrum, didn’t simulate acoustic kits at all. They could create a variety of different sounds,…

The 15 Best Analog Summing Mixers for Your Studio in 2024

A summing mixer is a very interesting, if not often overlooked or misunderstood, piece of gear. Like most pieces of hardware, summing mixers vary in mileage; some have no more than a few knobs, while others have a slew of…

Jamulus Review: The ‘Zoom’ for Musicians

Jamulus isn’t the first of its kind, but it’s definitely gotten more traction the past several months. As the need for remote collaboration skyrocketed this last year, we’ve seen dormant technology like Jamulus emerge stronger than ever. We’ll strive to…

The 9 Best Drum Mics for Live Sound & Recording (2024 Guide)

We talk about the best microphones for vocals and various instruments all the time, but what about the best mics for drums? As with any quality microphone, there’s always some overlap. You probably already own at least one transducer that…

The 9 Best Rhodes VSTs [Free & Paid]

The Rhodes electric piano was an incredibly popular instrument throughout the ’60s and ’70s. Doors keyboardist Ray Manzarek was one of the first prominent musicians to start playing the Rhodes, picking up one of the earliest models in 1965. Its…

The 7 Best Wah Pedals for Your Pedalboard in 2024

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…

FM Synthesis: The Classic Synthesizer Sound

Lots of classic keyboards like the Yamaha DX7 use FM synthesis to generate sounds. If it seems daunting at first, that’s because FM synthesis really is more complex than other types of synthesis. FM is much more theory-driven, so trying…

10 Music Blogs to Submit To | Marketing Tips

The hardest thing an artist can do these days is have their music played. That’s partly because the democratization of the music industry has made the market overwhelmingly saturated. However, there are still ways to get yourself out there in…

21 Best FREE VST in 2024 [with Links!]

Steinberg developed Virtual Studio Technology in 1996 to bring synthesizers and effects into digital audio workstations. It’s a plugin format that numerous major DAWs host, like Ableton, Logic, FL Studio, Digital Performer, and Reaper, amongst others. VST instruments are a…

The 11 Best Headphones for Music Production 2024

Finding the right pair of headphones for music production can be tough. There are so many choices that if you ask engineers what their favorite headphones are, you’ll probably get different answers from each one. We’ve done our diligence to…

11 Best Orchestral Strings VST in 2024

Using string samples instead of real ones offers a lot of obvious advantages for the average home producer or songwriter. Just from a logistical standpoint, booking studio time and hiring musicians is costly and time consuming. But with samples, you…

Pro Tools Shortcuts for Faster Session Navigation

Keyboard shortcuts are the quickest way around your DAW. They let you do in one keystroke what would normally take extra time sifting through menus. If you hope to become a proficient engineer, then key commands are indispensable! Here are…