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…
Finding the Best Pop Filter for Recording Vocals
If you’ve recorded vocals and wondered why you heard loud bursts of air when the singer hits certain consonants, then you already understand the use of a pop filter. While it isn’t the most earth-shattering piece of studio equipment we…
The 10 Best Drum Practice Pads in 2023
Drum practice pads are one of the best ways to develop sticking technique in a quiet and controlled manner. They allow drummers to really hone in on the more mechanical aspects of rudiments to perfect their approach when it’s time…
7 Best Desktop Computers for Music Production in 2023
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…
How to Sidechain in Ableton (Beginner’s Guide)
Sidechain compression in Ableton is a useful mixing technique that allows you to do things like separate the bass from the kick. For Ableton users working in EDM/hip-hop/pop, where there’s lots of competing low-end information, sidechain compression is indispensable! What…
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…
What is a Synthesizer? A Comprehensive Guide
Synthesizers have never been more popular than they are now. They currently play a dominant role in the production of the world’s most in-demand music. Synthesizers are the sound of pop, hip-hop, EDM, and more. But you certainly wouldn’t be…
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…
Best iPad/Tablet for Music Production
It’s hard to beat the convenience of a tablet for music production, whether you’re a frequent flyer or just enjoy the flexible workflow. Using a Tablet for Music Production in 2022 The most common use for a tablet in music…
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…
Audio-Technica AT2020 vs AT2035: Which Mic Is Better?
Audio-Technica has a long standing history as one of the most trusted sources for consumer and professional audio equipment. From turntables and cartridges to headphones and microphones, A-T’s product range is as diverse as it is high-quality. For those looking…
Arcade 2.0 by Output Review: Better Than Splice?
Subscriptions have taken over. For a monthly fee, you can access DAWs, plugin bundles, sample libraries, and other music production tools. In this Arcade by Output review, we’ll see how the ever-growing virtual instrument/sample library stacks up against the most…
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12 Best EQ Plugins in 2023 [Free & Paid]
Equalization is one of the most powerful tools we have as mixers. It can make instruments sound better, make instruments sound different, carve out space in a mix, add clarity, remove muddiness, and so much more. In that sense, the flexibility of…
Dexed VST | Free Yamaha DX7 Plugin
Dexed VST by Digital Suburban is a free software emulation of the coveted Yamaha DX7. The first successful digital synthesizer ever, the DX7 changed the course of modern synthesis. Free VST Plugins: Dexed Dexed VST is a multi-platform, multi-format plugin…
Near Field Monitors vs Far Field: What’s the Difference?
Much of the detailed work on a mix or master takes place on near field monitors. Far field monitors are an additional reference, and they’re also great for impressing clients and keeping a packed room engaged. For the majority of…
14 Songs with a LOT of Bass (Best Songs for Subs)
Bass is responsible for a lot of the visceral connection we have with music. Sub bass, especially, physically resonates with us if it’s loud enough at a concert or club, for instance; bass is a huge part of music and…
ORTF Mic Technique | Stereo Recording
ORTF is a common stereo mic technique. Stereo recording uses two microphones to capture a single sound source; each mic then gets panned to either side of the stereo field. Over the years, engineers have developed tried and true methods…
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The 15 Best Compressor Plugin VSTs in 2023 [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…
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Best Computer for Music Production in 2023 [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…
What is a Compressor Ratio?
Compression isn’t the easiest thing to understand at first. Wrapping your head around the controls and how they impact the sound is confusing—but you definitely aren’t alone. If you’re struggling to figure out just how to set your compressor ratio,…
How to Mix Background Vocals
We tend to mix background vocals differently than leads. Depending on the arrangement, they’re usually underneath the lead for support so they don’t steal the show. In some cases, background vocals will actually overtake the leads, such as in a…
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…
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…
The 8 Best Synthesizer Apps For iOS Mobile 2023 [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…
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6 Best Laptops for Podcasting [Any Budget]
The best laptop for podcasting sports enough horsepower for modest recording needs. Realistically, you’ll want a machine that’s stable above anything else, because you don’t want crashes to interrupt the flow of a monologue or conversation. Obviously, your needs will…
The Best Headphones for Digital Piano Players in 2023
There’s a lot of crossover between the best headphones for digital piano and those that excel for general audio work. In order to reproduce the most favored qualities of a top-notch digital piano, players are encouraged to use dependable headphones…
Recording Huge Drums with 4 Mics: The Glyn Johns Method
The famed Glyn Johns Method get its name from the man himself — an exceptional producer/engineer who’s worked with legendary artists like Led Zeppelin, The Rolling Stones, the Beatles (Get Back sessions), The Who, Eagles, Bob Dylan, Linda Ronstadt, the Band, Eric…
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9 Best Mellotron Plugins / 2023 [Free & Paid]
When the original Mellotron debuted in 1963, it was a groundbreaking new instrument. The range of sounds you could get from a keyboard were limited in the days before digital synthesizers, but the Mellotron introduced impressive new technology. Today, we’re…
The 7 Best Mics for Guitar Amps to Get Killer Tone
Every guitarist is on a personal quest for the greatest tone ever. That’s half the fun of playing guitar! But just when you’ve found the right pickups, pedals, the perfect string gauge, the ideal plectrum material and thickness, and of…
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The Best Modeling Amps to Elevate Your Guitar Sounds [2023 Guide]
Modeling amps are one of the easiest ways to inject a ton of tonal variety into your everyday playing. There’s something about the convenience of digital emulations that make these amps so fun to play, whether it’s just practicing on…
7 Best Reamp Boxes in 2023
Reamping takes place in two stages during both the recording and mixing phases. A reamp box is a specially designed device that allows you to send a clean guitar signal from your DAW to an amplifier, letting you tweak tones…
The 10 Best Flanger Pedals to Add Some Sweep to Your Sound
Guitarists have a lot of options when it comes to effects pedals. After the basics like overdrive, distortion, and reverb/delay, comes modulation. Flanger pedals are a type of modulation effect that leave a pretty profound mark on your tone. If…
The 11 Best Mastering Plugins in 2023
When it comes to mastering in-the-box, you’ll want a great compressor, a limiter, an EQ, and most of the stuff you’re already familiar with for mixing. Many of the best mastering plugins combine the parameters you’ll need into a single…
Ableton Hotkeys: 15 Shortcuts to Improve Workflow
Keyboard shortcuts are non-negotiable if you want to master your DAW. The better you know your software, the faster you can implement creative ideas. Any time wasted trying to figure out how to do something is a hindrance to creativity and staying…
Should I Be Using Sidechain Compression?
Sidechain compression is a common “advanced” mixing technique. If you’ve ever asked yourself, “Should I use sidechain compression here?,” the answer is “Give it a shot!” It uses are somewhat particular, but sidechaining generally creates more separation, more rhythm, or more…
The Best De-Esser Plugin for Your Vocals (Free & Paid)
Mixing professional sounding vocals isn’t easy. Before even getting to that stage, it starts with an amazing performance and an excellent recording. Covering those two bases is fundamental and certainly helps make the mix stage more creative and fun rather…
The 13 Best DAWs for Windows [2023 Complete Guide]
Most of today’s DAWs are cross-platform, making it easy to choose if you’re running PC. Some titles are Mac-only, like Apple’s own Logic Pro, but for the most part options won’t be limited if you’ve chosen Windows as your primary…
Best Vocoder Plugins 2023: Fun Vocal Effects
A vocoder is an effect we’ve heard in music from the ’70s to the present day. It’s frequently described as the ‘robot voice’ heard in songs like “Intergalactic” by Beastie Boys. Like everything else, vocoders have gone software in the…
The 5 Best Oscilloscope Plugins in 2023
Do you need an oscilloscope in your collection of plugins? It can be a majorly helpful tool for viewing waveforms in great detail. First, we’ll talk about what an oscilloscope is, and then we’ll list our top five favorite plugins.…
10 Best Limiter Plugins in 2023 [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…
AAC vs MP3 Files: What’s the Difference?
AAC and MP3 are popular lossy file formats which compress digital audio by removing “unimportant” bits of information. The result is a smaller file at the expense of sound quality. We’ll take a look at AAC vs MP3 files and…
What Is the Best 1176 Plugin? (Our Top 6 Favorite Compressors)
The best 1176 plugin will become a go-to on just about every mix. There’s good reason why it’s one of the most famous compressors of all time, and in plugin format, you can use it everywhere. What Is an 1176…
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The 10 Best XLR Cables for Microphones [2023 Guide]
It may not seem like it at first, but having quality cables is very important. You can spend thousands on a signal chain, but it’s often said that it’s only as good as the weakest component. Even though cheap cables…
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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…
How to Do Reverse Reverb in 3 Easy Steps
Reverse reverb, sometimes called reverse echo or reverse regeneration, simply takes the reverb tail of any instrument and reverses it. Creating it is a matter of printing the wet signal of a reversed audio track. Reverse reverb is typically accompanied…
Is Waves Vocal Rider the Solution to Levels?
Vocal levels are one of the most important things to get right. Even with all the compressors in the world, nothing compares to putting in the work and riding the fader — automating the levels in each part of the…
How to Add Drum Kits to FL Studio: Tutorial
Image-Line started off as a video game company in 1992. Eventually, one of the lead developers was drawn into music production applications. In 1998, FruityLoops debuted as a MIDI-only step sequencer inspired by early Propellerhead software. Four years later, FruityLoops became…
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 Best Portable PA System for Live Music [2023 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…
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 —…