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The Best Distortion Pedals to Growl the Crunchy Harmonics
Newcomers to the guitar and bass world often ask the obvious question about the difference between the distortion effect and that of overdrive and fuzz. Even experienced musicians tend to think the last two are sub-types of distortion, but that's not correct when it comes to pedal nomenclature. It's easier to explain the difference, and attractiveness of distortion in general, by describing the sounds of […]
The Best Overdrive Pedals to Push Your Gain Into Warm Tube Paradise
Guitar players have been praising and taking advantage of the subtle sounds of the overdrive effect for half a century now. Although overdriving your amplifier was considered a mistake before, by the early 1960's rock bands were purposefully creating this effect with their amps as engineers scrambled to create ways to achieve this without altering your overall volume levels. Eventually the overdrive pedal hit the […]
Roadie 2 Review - Does the Automatic Guitar Tuner Stack Up?
Whether you're a professional guitar player, a beginner still in the learning stages, or even a guitar technician looking for a faster and accurate way to get through those million restrings you have to do, the Roadie 2 has something to offer you. There's a lot to be said for automatic guitar tuning. Not all of us have perfect pitch, and being relatively in tune […]
The 6 Best Monitor Isolation Pads for Pristine Audio Quality
We do all kinds of research to make sure we invest in the highest quality studio monitors we can in our price range. We value a flat frequency response so we can make accurate decisions when working and can hear the intricacies of our favorite music and movies when not working. But eventually the realization sets in that sound doesn't exist in a vacuum. Our […]
The Best Guitar Tuners to Get You Back in Key Fast & Reliably
If there is one tool you will absolutely need as a guitar player, it's the best guitar tuner you can get your hands on. The importance of having your instrument in the right key can't be emphasized enough. Additionally, guitars going out of tune during use is something everyone has to deal with. So it's a non-negotiable skill; you will have to learn to tune […]
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. Selecting the right amp can be pretty tricky. There are so many models available and […]
The Best Acoustic Electric Guitars: Loud & Refined
Even though acoustic guitars haven't really changed much in the past century, modern technology did have an impact on these instruments. When the first guitar pickups were invented, it didn't take long before someone tried to find applications for this technology in the world of acoustic guitars. The result we have at the present moment is a market full of acoustic electric models that bring […]
The Best Classical Guitars: Our Fave Nylon String Beauties
In this day and age, classical guitars have taken the back seat to electric and steel string acoustic guitars. However, there are indications that this old instrument is rising again in popularity. For anyone who truly appreciates guitars, that's good news because a classical generates some of the most beautiful tones you'll find on any instrument ever. Going for a classical as your next or […]
The Best Beginner Guitars For Easy Learning
Learning to play guitar is a pretty intimidating concept. In most cases, the person thinking about getting into guitars has never really had extended or informed contact with musical instruments before. Which is fine, that's how we all start. Although understanding the basics of a guitar is complicated enough as it is, let alone trying to play with some semblance of skill, the real confusion […]
The Best Guitar For Metal & A Guide To Amps, Strings, & Pickups
Metal music has become among the most popular genres in the past few decades. On top of that, we have seen all kinds of new variations and sub-genres hitting the scene, offering a much more diverse selection. If you are just starting to play guitar and you are absolutely sure that you want to play metal, you are probably wondering what kind of gear to […]
The Best Electric Guitar to Keep Beginners Learning & Excited
Compared to acoustic guitars, electric ones have been around for a fairly short period of time. We are talking 60 to 70 years of active use. Even so, this instrument has completely changed the way we understand music. The electric guitar's almost unlimited flexibility is exactly why so many people start their journey of learning how to play it each year. If this is you […]
The Best Acoustic Guitar for Gentle Weeps & Blazing Solos
Starting to learn how to play guitar is one of the most exciting, but also most frustrating adventures you will encounter. There's so much stuff you need to pay attention to, techniques to learn, and theory to memorize. However, before you can even get to any of that, you will need to get yourself a guitar. Most experienced guitar players will tell you that an […]
Status Audio CB-1 Headphones Used & Reviewed
I don't want to become one of these crusty old dudes who swears by the tried and true and never gives anything else a chance. I'd seen some talk growing around Status Audio and their Status Audio CB-1 headphones. They came up again when a buddy began ranting about Beats By Dre due to some comparison video he saw on YouTube. The comparison headphones ended […]
The Best Patchbay for Studio & Live Audio
There's two types of people on this planet when it comes to patchbays: "Grab a cheap one, they're all the same!" "Forget it, I'll just make one!" Both types are crazy to me (no offense to the people with the DIY skills). My plan today is to explain why you don't want to buy a cheap patchbay or better one in used condition. The reasons […]
The Best Mic Stands for Every Budget
Everyone knows what this contraption is, what it looks like, and what its purpose and function are for a vocalist or recording engineer. However, just as it is with pretty much everything that you can fork over hard-earned money for, a cheap stands pales in comparison to the best mic stands. What's more, because these stands tend to look so similar since it's such an […]
The Best Music Stands - Folding, Portable, Collapsible, & Accessories
The fact is even the best cheap music stands don't cut it. Thankfully cheap is a relative word. As long as you don't venture into the realm of custom lathe woodworking and diamond-encrusted nonsense, all sheet music stands are cheap. You just don't want to mess around with the bottom rung because they'll break on you thanks to the plastic threading and hinges. So what […]
The Best Studio Subwoofers For Work & Enjoyment
Bass is a huge part of audio for the audience and the studio engineers. They work with the best studio subwoofers in order to produce the tightest, most well-balanced low-end frequencies possible. This way, every time that movie monster destroys another building or the dubstep producer drops the bass, you get the maximum emotional impact. Except when you don't, because you either don't own a […]
The Best Equalizers - The Top Hardware EQ's for Mixing & Mastering
Emulation is simply that... a game of pretend... a simulation of the real thing. Not the real thing.... Software can pretend to replicate the circuitry of hardware, but they'll never actually be one of the best equalizers. It can even filter itself to act as if it's producing the subtle, pleasing artifacts of analog recording equipment. In the end it's still, relatively, cold and lifeless. […]
The Best Studio Monitors & Speakers for Home & Pro Audio
We should clarify immediately that if you are reading this post, then you're looking for studio monitors and not speakers. People still trying to find their footing in this topic will use all kinds of phrases when talking about it, such as "monitor speakers"and "studio speakers," but this is just a matter of nomenclature and the reason we all hate industry-specific jargon. The correct term […]
The Best Power Conditioners for Superior Safety & Protection
What are these two purposes I'm talking about that are so immensely important that they outshine all other features? Condition your electric power quality Being awesome surge protectors with lots of power outlets That's all you're looking for. Although some can even provide continuity of service by being uninterruptible power supplies (big batteries!), those don't typically have a ton of outlets nor are rackmounted. There […]
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