Yamaha P45 vs P125: Which Keyboard Is Better for Your Studio?

Today we’ll be comparing the Yamaha P45 vs P125 “portable” digital pianos. Yamaha has been a premiere manufacturer of both digital and acoustic pianos for years, so the brand has decades’ worth of experience in crafting quality entry-level instruments. Both…

Fundamental Stereo Miking Techniques

Stereo miking techniques use two microphones at the same time to record one sound source. Each microphone is then panned to the left and to the right to mimic the way our ears perceive sound in the “real world.” This…

Mitchell MS450 Review: The Perfect Entry-Level Electric Guitar?

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…

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…

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…

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…

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!…

The 8 Best 500 Series Racks for Your Home Studio in 2023

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…

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…
The 9 Best Drum Mics for Live Sound & Recording (2023 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…

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…

The 10 Best Eventide Plugins for Your Studio [2023 Guide]

Eventide has been a preeminent name for decades thanks to its innovative approach to powerful digital effects hardware. Among their most significant achievements was development of the original H910 Harmonizer in 1974-75. It became the first commercially available pitch shifter…

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…

7 Best Laptops for Music Production in 2023

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 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.…

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…

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…

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…

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…

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…
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…

The Best Brass VST Plugin Collection [FREE & PAID]

Brass can be a tough section to imitate with a plugin. As with most real instruments these days, though, there are plenty of excellent quality brass VST plugins, both free and paid. We’d recommend sifting through the list in order…

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…

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…

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…

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…

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…

The Ultimate Channel Strip? – Rupert Neve Designs Newton Channel
Today we review the BRAND NEW Rupert Neve Designs Newton Channel, a powerful modern channel strip born from a legendary sonic lineage. Its intuitive design provides classic sound on demand, with all the instantly-recognizable character, musical tone-shaping abilities, and proven…
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…

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…

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,…

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…
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…

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 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…