Reviews
With so much quality recording equipment out there, how can one person ever test it all and make a decision? Dodge the rest and get the best, thanks to our meticulous reviews below. After you snag what you need, apply the tips and tricks in our columns to make the most out of your new gear.
The Best EQ Pedals to Dial Your Tone Into the Sonic Sweet Spot
The best EQ pedal solves the main problem that have plagued guitarists since day one. You can be the best guitar player since Pat Metheny or Steve Vai, but none of that matters if the crowd can't hear you. Cut through the mix with a high quality equalizer. It can be the difference between a record deal and being stuck at open mic night for […]
The Best Chorus Pedals to Satisfy Your Tone's Thick & Dreamy Wishes
The best chorus pedal gives you direct access to the classic effect used by all of the great guitarists to achieve that thick and dreamy tone. It's the difference between a plain and boring tone and one with character that captures the inquisitive ears and mind of the crowd. There's no context in which the chorus effect won't enhance the level of your performance… Sometimes, […]
The Best Power Conditioners for Superior Safety & Protection in 2023
The best power conditioners perform two jobs fantastically. You don't want a conditioner that shines at one of these tasks and not the other. Each and every power conditioner you own should take care of both for you without fail… What are these two purposes I'm talking about that are so immensely important that they outshine all other features? That's all you're looking for. Although […]
The Best Tremolo Pedals to Modulate Your Volume into LFO Heaven in 2023
The best tremolo pedals let you vary every aspect of the volume oscillator from the shape of the curve to the depth and rate of the effect. From Punk and Surf to Rock and even Folk, you'll find the tremolo effect used everywhere due to its versatility and pleasantness… Any time you've heard a certain effect and thought "Wow, that's cool, they sound like they're […]
The Best Volume Pedals in 2023
The best volume pedals reliably let you alter the amplitude of your signal. Where you place it determines if it's more like moving your volume knob on your guitar to your feet to act as a gain controller or if it's more like a manually controlled tremolo for swells and dips. How you use it is up to you, but being able to trust the […]
The Best Delay Pedals to Launch Your Tone Into Echo Heaven
The best delay pedal is the difference between a boring, single melody guitar solo and a lush, polyrhythmic soundscape that captures the ears of your listeners, sending them into a dreamy mind state where they wonder what kind of magic you're casting out into the crowd. Delay is a tool that is non-negotiable. Every guitarist should have it on their pedalboard… Every musician is familiar […]
The Best Guitar For Metal & A Guide To Amps, Strings, & Pickups
The best guitar for metal is never the guitar alone, but a combination of the pickup, strings, and of course the amp and effects used as well. Today we explore all of these topics, explaining their importance in achieving your aggressive tone, and offering our recommendations for the best in each category and each budget range… Metal music has become among the most popular genres […]
The Best Phaser Pedals in 2023
The best phaser pedal can transport your listeners into another realm where magic still exists and frequencies slide back and forth in a psychedelically musical fashion. If you play rock guitar and don't have one of these effects pedals in your pedalboard, you're missing out on a classic way of captivating your listener's and holding their attention… The phaser is among the earliest effects invented. […]
The Best Distortion Pedals to Growl the Crunchy Harmonics
The best distortion pedal will take your wimpy tone from cowering in the corner to baring its monstrous teeth, transforming it into a snarling beast with the singular goal of melting the brains of your eager listeners. It's not that they'll be scared… it's what they desire and expect. You either bring a thick, driven tone full of harmonics or get left in the dust… […]
The Best Reverb Pedals in 2023
The best reverb pedal can turn a dry mono performance into a spacious stereophonic experience that transports your listeners to another time and place, all determined by how you choose to dial in the effect. Whether you're playing lead or rhythm guitar, supporting during the verses or rocking a solo, reverb is a must-have guitar effect that fleshes out your tone so it fills the […]
The Best Beginner Guitars For Easy Learning in 2023
The best beginner guitar is rarely the one you want, but the one you need. Fantasies about customizing that top-tier Fender with scalloped frets and a Floyd Rose bridge are great for a professional. Starters shouldn't even have preferences yet because they don't have experience yet. The ground-breaking signature axe by your favorite rock star is not the best guitar to learn on. Let's find […]
The Best Compressor Pedals to Polish and Sustain your Tone in 2023
The best compressor pedal polishes your tone and increases your sustain while reducing the variances in dynamics so you always cut through the mix while matching the tone of the top guitarists. In the present age of music, a compressor isn't an option but an expectation. We're here to help you understand which best serve your needs… If there's any audio effect that's used the […]
The Best Dynamic Microphones for Vocals & More in 2023
The best dynamic microphone for vocals or any other recording application can't be determined by price or opinion. Sometimes we need a cheap option when constrained by budget and need to look at which shine for our particular sound source. At other times, money isn't a problem. But when you get to the top range they can all be deemed the best and it depends […]
The Best Guitar Amps: 6 Hot Rockin' Face-Melters!
If you've just bought yourself your first electric guitar, you're probably in that state of excitement that's hard to describe. The truth is, that's only the beginning. Now it's time to find yourself a good amp that'll really show you the sounds your brand new six-string is capable of producing. The models listed are by far some of the best you can find. Keep in […]
The Best Fuzz Pedals in 2023 - Get That High-Gain, Girthy, Vintage Distortion
The best fuzz pedal offers a sense of playability, along with its own knobs, where you can affect the high-gain distortion through your picking methods, varying the amount of the fuzz while maintaining the girth and bite of the effect. If you want the sound of a 10,000 pound, hair-covered bee buzzing through your busted amp, look no further than our top picks… Distortion and […]
The Best Flanger Pedals in 2023 - for that Thick, Other-Worldly, Wooshing Effect
The best flanger pedal can take your standard, vanilla tone and turn it into a thick, otherworldly sound that contains within it a captivating wooshing effect guaranteed to keep the audiences attention glued to your guitar. Whether used in a subtle or obvious fashion, this is a classic rock effect that immediately adds some spice and variation to your playing… We modern guitarists are lucky. […]
The Best Studio Subwoofers For Work & Enjoyment in 2023
Whether you're trying to monitor your bass sound and levels while making music or an audiophile wanting to get the most out of their favorite albums and movies, the best studio subwoofers are the solution you're looking for. They are designed with accuracy in mind. Bass is a huge part of audio for the audience and the studio engineers. They work with the best studio […]
The Best Condenser Microphones for Pro & Home Studios in 2023
The best condenser microphones are the same you see among the top of almost all of the best mic lists in general, regardless of the type. The large diaphragms, the sensitivity across the entire frequency spectrum, and the added flavor of vacuum tubes truly does set condenser mics apart into a class of their own. While nobody outright says that a dynamic mic or ribbon […]
The Best Noise Gate Pedals to Suppress Hum & Keep the Cleanest Tone
The best noise gate pedal has one and only one job to do, but does it perfectly, and that is to suppress as much hum and hiss out of your guitar's signal as possible. If you still hear a problem after using one of these noise-busters, you have bigger issues somewhere else, because these are the top of the line… Electrical problems can plague guitar […]
The Best Vibrato Pedals to Warble Your Pitch & Supply a Strong Rich Tone in 2023
The best vibrato pedal can transform a plain tone into a rich experience. It's the difference between someone remarking "Oh, your guitar sounds nice" and exclaiming "Wow, I don't know how you did that but that rocked." It's all in the subtle enchantment of warbling your pitch with the vibrato effect… Everyone has heard vibrato even if they don't realize it. Almost every vocalist uses […]
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