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…
The 12 Best Microphone Preamps for Every Budget in 2023
Microphone preamps are the next devices in the signal path right after the mic. We need preamps to amplify mic signals to line level, which is the standard operating level of recording equipment. Even when going direct with higher output…
The Best 11 Amp Simulator Hardware & Plugins [2023 Guide]
There are a lot of benefits to going the amp simulator route as a guitarist. Cost and versatility are both huge advantages over real amps, because modelers can give you access to hundreds of different heads, cabinets, and effects sims…
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…
11 Best Saturation VST Plugins Available 2023
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 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…
8 Best Bass Guitar VSTs in 2023 [Free & Paid]
Virtual Studio Technology (VST), developed by Steinberg in 1996, is a plugin format compatible with a majority of DAWs and operating systems. VSTs include both effects and software instruments, and it’s the closest thing we have to a universal plugin…
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.…
5 Best FREE VU Meter Plugins in 2023
Before people started working in-the-box, VU meters measured the average level of a signal. You’d see them on consoles and outboard gear for measuring input or output level as well as gain reduction on compressors. The default digital meter is…
How Much Does Spotify Pay Per Stream in 2023?
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…
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The Best Pitch Shifter VSTs in 2023 [Free & Paid]
A pitch shifter is a versatile tool for both fine pitch correction as well as heavy-handed effects. Auto-Tune is one of the most well known pitch shifters in history; it’s also a perfect example of how correction can be subtle…
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…
The 16 Best Piano VST Plugins in 2023 [Free & Paid]
Looking to add some indelible magic to your productions that nothing but a piano can provide? Well, we compiled a “best piano VST” shortlist that’s still ten entries strong. Take your pick of the best free and paid piano VST…
Understanding the Difference Between Gain and Volume
Many of us have wondered, what is the difference between gain vs. volume. Even though the terms sometimes seem to be used interchangeably, there are some fundamental difference. The most important distinction between gain and volume is how, or more…
Everything You Should Know About Booking Studio Time
Booking studio time isn’t the most complicated thing in the world, but there are lots of details that both clients and sometimes studios miss the mark on all the time. As an artist, you’ll need to answer several questions for…
The Ultimate List of Free Pro Tools Plugins 2023
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…
Digital Audio Basics: Aliasing Explained
If you record audio using too low a sample rate, a kind of sampling error called aliasing can occur. With regards to audio, aliasing is defined as the misidentification of a signal frequency, which can introduce distortion or other artifacts…
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The 6 Best Budget Synthesizer Options for Your Home Studio [2023 Guide]
A quality budget synthesizer can be one of the best ways to inject inspiration into your productions. With a host of brand-new sounds at your fingertips, you can start experimenting with new approaches to composition and arrangement. Synthesizers are amazing…
![Best Guitar Impulse Responses [Free and Paid]](https://producelikeapro.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2020/11/Best-Guitar-Impulse-Responses-Free-and-Paid-909x606.jpg)
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…
Fender Santa Ana Overdrive Pedal Review
Every guitarist deserves an inspiring overdrive pedal to push their tones into new territory. Whether you just want to boost a solo or push an amp into gritty distortion, overdrive is a mainstay effect that everyone should have. The Fender…
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…
Flanger vs. Phaser: What’s the Difference?
Two of the most common modulation effects are flanger vs. phaser. We’ve heard both all over various recordings, and they do have a similar sound. This lends itself to some confusion, but if you know the subtle differences between each,…
The 6 Best DJ Controller Stations for Any Budget [2023 Guide]
A DJ controller is the centerpiece of any mix-master’s club rig. But as more and more music is produced electronically, and in many cases by solo artists, controllers also offer a cool way to perform live — without just pressing…
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,…
4 Reasons to Buy a Power Conditioner for Your Home Studio
Surge protectors are a necessity for expensive electronics. They keep our valuable (and sometimes fragile) equipment safe in the event of an electrical surge. Most of the time a cheap power strip offers basic surge protection, but a power conditioner…
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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…
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 20 Best Virtual Amp Sims in 2023 [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…
Apollo Twin X vs MkII: What’s the Difference?
Universal Audio is one of the most famous names in all of recording. Founded by Bill Putnam in 1958, the company has been at the forefront of technological advances for more than 60 years. If you’re thinking about adding a…
Fishman Fluence Modern Review: Humbuckers Worth the Hype?
It isn’t often that a truly revolutionary new innovation shakes up the world of guitar — especially in the realm of pickups. Between the invention of single coils in the ’30s, to humbucker in the ’50s, and active pickups in…
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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…
What Is Audio Clipping and Why Is It Important?
We’ve all heard the dreaded term “audio clipping.” It often shows itself as an admonishing red light in our DAW, on our audio interface, or on our speakers. The result of which is, almost always, scrambling for knobs or faders…
8 Best FREE Guitar VST Instruments in 2023
Guitar is one of the toughest instruments to sample for a plugin. There’s so much detail and nuance that’s just too easy to lose in translation. Most of the time they end up sounding over-processed and fake—really far from the…
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…
Kaotica Eyeball Review: Is It Worth It?
The Kaotica Eyeball is a microphone isolation ball with an integrated pop filter. It’s a big foam sphere you slide over the microphone capsule to protect it from reflections. The Eyeball intends to keep untreated room sound out of your…
Fender Blues Deluxe Reissue Review: A Modern Classic Reinvented
We all know that Fender is one of most recognized and enduring brands in the history of electric guitar. Leo Fender’s innovations helped shape the landscape of music, providing musicians tools to reach new heights. The company’s greatest outputs are…
The Best Violin Microphones to Add Some Live Strings to Your Mix
The best violin microphone for stage or studio does a solid job of capturing the detail and nuance of the instrument. Violin can be incredibly intimate, so you’ll want to try and retain that delicateness with a microphone that captures…
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…
The 6 Best Neumann Mics for Vocals in 2023 (Live & Studio Sound)
Neumann has been synonymous with exceptional sound quality throughout the history of recorded music. Many, if not all, of these microphones are likely familiar to some degree both in part to Neumann’s longstanding reputation and the universality of many of…
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…
Secrets to Mixing Rap Vocals
It’s easy to underestimate the trickiness of mixing rap vocals. Some engineers will write the genre off thinking that it’s just a 2-track and a vocal, so it must be simple. But the intricacy lies in having leads, stacks of…
Motu M4 Review | ‘Premium’ Entry-Level Interface?
The M4 by Motu is an impressive interface at a super affordable price. In this Motu M4 review and spec breakdown, we’ll take a look at what sets this audio interface apart! Motu M4 Audio Interface The affordable desktop interface…
What Is a Preamp & Why Is It So Important?
People who are brand new to recording should ask the fundamental question, “What is a preamp?” They’re an indispensable, utilitarian part of the recording chain, though preamps can be colorful creative tools as well. If you’ve ever wondered what a…
The 8 Best Bass Practice Amps for Your Home Studio in 2023
It’s sometimes hard to justify the expense of a bass practice amp, especially when players already own a full-sized rig for band rehearsal, gigging, and recording. In order to make the most of playing time at home, however, the thunderous…
The Best Patch Cables for Your Guitar Pedalboard in 2023
When you’re trying to build out a neat and functional pedalboard, it’s the details that truly matter. Cables are definitely the least interesting part of the board, but choosing the right ones can make connecting everything — in an orderly…
The Audio Mixer: Key Features & Functions
At the most basic level, an audio mixer combines multiple signals and routes them to a common output for recording or amplification through a sound reinforcement system. “Signals” are those sounds captured by microphones or received from electric instruments. Also…
7 Studio Cable Management Ideas That Will Quickly Organize Your Space
Studio cable management gets out of hand. There seem to be a million cables plugged in everywhere for even small home studios — there’s just no way around it. Fortunately, you can invest a little bit of money to better…
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The 10 Best Overdrive Pedals for Guitar in 2023 [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…
The Best SSL Compressor Plugin Options in 2023
Having an SSL compressor plugin is like owning one of the world’s most famous dynamics processors, heard on thousands of hit records, inside your computer. It’s truly indispensable. We’re talking, of course, about the renowned bus compressor built right into…