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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. 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 up being the Status Audio HD […]
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, no two microphone stands are alike. What's more, because these stands tend to look so similar since it's such an ultimate example of form following […]
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 top 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 subwoofer […]
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. 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. Does that mean software EQ's suck? Not by a long […]
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 […]
The Best Condenser Microphones for Pro & Home Studios
While nobody outright says that a dynamic mic or ribbon mic can't compete with a condenser, we all eventually cast our vote with our wallets. Condenser mics are clearly the most popular types period, whether we're talking about home recording or in a professional studio, or vocals versus instruments. It's hard to go wrong with any of the best of each budget range. It certainly […]
The Best Dynamic Microphones for Vocals & More
Our goal here then is to have a quick discussion about dynamic mics (as opposed to condensers) and what else is needed to use them and care for them. If you already know you want a dynamic then you may already know some of this preliminary info and can skip to our reviews using the link just above. After we cover the broad basics as […]
The Best Cheap Microphones for Home Studio Recording
Regardless of the inconsistencies in all of the advice out there, I'm here to tell you. There's a sweet spot between high-end professional microphones and consumer mics. You don't want some USB mic designed for some kid who wants to be a podcaster before putting the mic in the closet. You also don't need to commit to a $500 or $2,000 dollar purchase either. There's […]
The Best Vocal Microphones For Studio Quality Recording
The first thing to realize about a question such as "What's the best microphone for vocals?" is that there as many types of voices as there are mics. Beyond that, there are types of vocal performances that may fare better with a dynamic mic instead of a condenser, and vice-versa, even if the mic in the other camp is less good. With all these considerations, […]
The Best Studio Headphone Amplifiers for Distribution & Sub-Mixes
There are some despicable marketers out there building and selling single-channel headphone amps that cost more than a down payment on a house... zero exaggeration. It's tempting to get into how silly that is, especially since you can't find much honest information about headphone amps online. But that would make this post be another addition to the nonsense. The plan here is to dispel why […]
The Best Studio Headphones for Mixing & Recording
I don't know if you'd call it fortunate or not but I've had the pleasure of using lots of different studio headphones. Between them being stolen in high school to destroyed in my college backpack to my cat laying on them and puking in the ear holes… it's been quite the adventure. I can't count the number I've stepped on while climbing out of bed […]
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