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…
Audio Engineering
- Artists That Changed Music
- Audio Engineer
- Audio Engineering
- Drum Mixing
- FAQ Friday
- Gear
- Gear Review
- Giveaways
- History
- Inside The Song
- Interviews
- Mastering
- Mix Breakdown
- Mixing
- Multitracks
- New Course
- News
- Podcast
- Producing A Song
- Production
- Quick Mixing Tricks
- Recording
- Recording Guitar
- Songs That Changed Music
- Songwriting
- Studio Tours
- More
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]](https://producelikeapro.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2022/06/The-Best-Brass-VST-Plugin-Collection-FREE-PAID-909x606.jpg)
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 2024 [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 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…
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]](https://producelikeapro.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2023/02/The-6-Best-Budget-Synthesizer-Options-for-Your-Home-Studio-2023-Guide-909x606.jpg)
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…
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]](https://producelikeapro.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2023/05/The-Best-Pedal-Board-Options-for-Guitarists-Any-Budget-909x606.jpg)
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…
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…
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…
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…
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…
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…
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…
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…
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…
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…
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…
![Best Computer for Music Production in 2022 [Any Budget]](https://producelikeapro.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2022/05/Best-Computer-for-Music-Production-in-2022-Any-Budget-909x606.jpg)
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,…
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…
![6 Best Laptops for Podcasting [Any Budget]](https://producelikeapro.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2022/07/6-Best-Laptops-for-Podcasting-Any-Budget-909x606.jpg)
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…
![The Best Modeling Amps to Elevate Your Guitar Sounds [2023 Guide]](https://producelikeapro.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2022/12/The-Best-Modeling-Amps-to-Elevate-Your-Guitar-Sounds-2023-Guide-808x606.jpg)
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…
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…
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…