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Desmond Child- The Interview: The Mastermind Behind Timeless Hits
Apogee Digital: Changing Digital Recording Forever
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…
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…
The Legendary Grooves of James Gadson: A Drummer Extraordinair
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
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
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…
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…
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
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
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 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…
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…
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…
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…
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…
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…
![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 [2024 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…
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…
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…
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 —…
Choosing the Best Pickup for Classical Guitar
In order to amplify your nylon-string acoustic guitar for live performance, you’ll probably want to invest in the best pickup for classical guitar. It’s theoretically possible to just mike the instrument on stage, but you run the risk of bleed…
MXR Duke of Tone Review: The Last Overdrive Pedal You’ll Ever Need?
The MXR Duke of Tone is a fun one to review, as it’s a highly versatile and affordable addition to a pedalboard in need of some grit. As part of Analog Man’s elusive King of Tone lineage, the MXR Duke…
Primacoustic VoxGuard Review: An Affordable Nearfield Absorber Mic Shield
Acoustic treatment is one of the first steps in achieving quality sound. Primacoustic is a trusted name for solutions to everyday problems associated with poor room acoustics. In this review, we’re looking at the Primacoustic VoxGuard: an affordable means of…
Expressive E Osmose Review: A Powerhouse of Futuristic Synth Sounds
The Osmose synthesizer by Expressive E is one of the most innovative instruments we’ve seen in recent review. It makes full use of all the latest tech to deliver a synth that’s uniquely expressive, playable, and unlike any other. The…
Eventide H90 Review: A Modern Take on Classic Harmonizer Sounds
For over 50 years, producers and engineers have relied on Eventide for both bread-and-butter and cutting-edge experimental effects. The Eventide H90 is a multi-effects pedal capable of producing everything from “always on” effects like overdrive to completely unconventional sounds. In…
8 Best LED Lights That Sync with Music for Your Home Studio
LED lights that sync with music are the recording industry’s best-kept secret behind multi-platinum hits. Okay, that isn’t true, but colorful lighting is definitely a great way to step up your studio’s aesthetics. And when you’re working late into the…
Quilter Mach 3 Review: Powerful Tube Tones from a Compact Combo
Many guitarists will love the Quilter Aviator Mach 3 after even a cursory review of its features, its portability, and its quality of sound. This flexible solid-state combo dishes out a wide array of tones in a compact, lightweight package,…