Passive PA Speakers are designed to work in conjunction with an external power amplifier.

Since the amplifier is not included in the speaker cabinet, passive speakers are generally lighter, and are easy to maintain and troubleshoot. This setup also allows for easier expansion as long as you stay within the limits of your amplifier.

Guitar cables can't make you sound better, but bad ones can make you sound bad, if not totally cut off your sound. This results in uninspiring and often awkward experiences that musicians try to forget. To avoid this we present the best guitar and instrument cables, covering a wide price range so you can choose one that fits your preference and budget.

 
Delay is a unique effect in that it has a place in every genre. Whether you’re looking for dry country slapback chunk or the smooth “filling out” effect you hear in metal. Essentially, if you play guitar you will want to pick up a delay pedal at some point.

A capo is a must-have accessory for any guitarist. The ability to play different chords in a variety of positions (for example, playing a C chord with a capo on the second fret makes it a D chord) is an invaluable asset to any vocalist or finger-style musician.

When you don’t really know anything about the guitar, finding an instrument that will make learning fun is a pretty tall order - so we've put this guide together for anyone buying their first acoustic guitar or for those buying a beginner guitar for someone else.

Powered Speakers, also known as active speakers, are loudspeakers with amplifiers built into their enclosures. This combination results in improved versatility, making powered speakers more and more popular among musicians, sound engineers, and DJs.

Here we feature the best guitar straps for electric and acoustic guitars. We also include top rated strap button adapters and classical guitar straps, to better accommodate different guitar types.

For this 2019 update, we have analyzed nearly 10,000 review and rating sources to bring you the highest rated pop filters available on the market today. This includes new entries and consistent favorites with high reviews.

Stage monitors allow performers to hear themselves and others on stage. Without stage or floor monitors it can be very difficult to stay in time and sing in tune.

This guide features the highest rated powered and passive options currently on the market.

A battery powered guitar amp gives you the freedom to play on the go. Inspiration can also hit you from the most unexpected of times so an amp that is ready to play anywhere is a valuable tool for guitarists. Instead of taking time to fire up your entire rig just to get ideas down, a portable battery powered guitar amp can get you going right away.

Guitar amps are an integral part to your sound, but a lot of musicians just can’t justify dropping hundreds (or even thousands!) of dollars on a guitar amp. If you’re looking to get a great tone for as cheap as possible, check out our list of this guide.

This guide is designed to help anyone who is currently looking for a good inexpensive guitar amplifier. We have only included combo amps which you can take out of the box and start using immediately without having to buy an additional speaker cabinet.

We have decided to sift through what's available to present you with the best modeling amps for guitar, divided into price brackets that fit the average budget. In addition, we've included important features and noteworthy feedback from both experts and users, to give you a good overview of how well each one is received.

The quality of your electric guitar will greatly affect your overall playing experience. Bad ones will make practice painful, boring or both - ultimately leading to disinterest. On the other hand, good guitars will make playing more enjoyable, resulting in more productive practice and fun jamming.

This guide is primarily meant to help beginner guitarists in getting good affordable guitars. And it is also a good resource for experienced players who want a cheap guitar to modify and experiment with.

For solidbody electric guitars, the $200 to $500 price range is where things start to get serious - quality is good enough for mid to advanced level players, while the prices remain beginner friendly. This guide aims to help you narrow down the options to only the most popular and top rated ones, so you can confidently and conveniently pick what suits your playing style.

While good guitar cases are not cheap, investing in them will save you more in the long run, especially when considering the cost of repair or replacement. More importantly, you can't put a price on peace of mind, so please heed our advice - do not skimp on your acoustic guitar's protection and storage.

Here we look at top rated 4-string bass guitars in the sub $300 price range, great for students of the instrument and for guitarists who want to have an affordable bass on hand for recording. Be it for yourself, or for a special someone who's learning the ropes, these bass guitars are market proven to provide satisfactory sound, performance and value.

As you take your home recording to the next level, you will outgrow your 2-channel audio interface. This guide is designed to help you with this expansion, featuring the best stand-alone audio interfaces that have 4 to 18 channels.

NB: We have separate guides devoted to 2-Channel and iPad audio interfaces.

If you have an acoustic guitar with pickups you need a specialized acoustic amp if you want to bring out the natural tone of your instrument.

These amps aim to be transparent so they are also good at amplifying vocals - this means that many of these amps are also designed to work well as small PA systems.

Channel strips provide a high degree of control over the input signal before it reaches your audio interface by providing better mic preamps and more control such as compressor / limiters to prevent exceeding the input limits on your interface.

Preamps for acoustic guitars and other acoustic instruments are great for bringing out a more natural and clear sound. Every kind of acoustic pickup has it's trade-offs and good preamps help emphasize the acoustic tone, add warmth and make the sound more realistic as well as reducing any unwanted frequencies.

Demand for multi-effects continue to rise, thanks to their ever improving quality and practicality. In line with this, we present you with what the market considers as the best guitar multi effects pedals, covering everything from beginner friendly compact units, to advanced flagship models

Keyboard amplifiers tend to be quite versatile with many able to amplify a wide range of input sources from keyboards and synths to vocals, electronic drums, acoustic guitars, bass, drum machines and backing machines. Some of the multi-channel options can even be used as small PA systems ideal for practice sessions or performing in small venues.

The ukulele has experienced a resurgence in popularity, and with that has come a huge wave of people trying to figure out which ukulele is right for them. If this sounds like you, check out our recommendations,

This gear guide is focused on the best microphones for singing and rapping live as opposed to mics best suited to speaking conferences or making announcements over PA systems.

All of these mics are great for vocals, but some can also be used on instruments, and some are also handy studio mics.

Over a century after it was first introduced, the Condenser Mic continues to be an indispensable tool for music production, be it in studios or live performance settings.

Here we look at market favorites, divided into four popular price ranges, to better help you find a good quality condenser mic that fits your budget.

This gear guide will help you find the right studio recording microphones for your budget and needs.

The focus is on top rated condenser and dynamic mics that are currently being used to record vocals in home recording and professional studios.

MIDI controllers have been fundamental tools for producing music due to their versatility and portability. They provide control over a computer software sequencers and virtual synthesizers, as well as external sound modules. This guide covers highly rated affordable keyboard controllers, with options ranging from 25 to 49 keys.

The great thing about 25 key MIDI controllers is their portability and the small amount of space they take up. They're not designed to replace a full size keyboard, but rather to offer convenience - that said some of the higher-end options are packed with an impressive range of features these days.

Here we look at the best travel guitars on the market today, covering both acoustic and electric models, all of which are smaller and lighter to make your journey more comfortable.

65 combo bass amps analyzed for this guide covering all of the information that you’ll need in order to make an informed purchase, and we’ve recommended some great amps in case you don’t feel like scrolling through scores of different options trying to figure out which one will work best for your situation.

Compressor pedals are the unsung heroes of many musicians’ rigs. This type of pedal is used to remove a portion of a signal’s dynamic range. Depending on how you set the pedal, it either makes quiet notes louder or loud notes quieter (or both).

Anyone who has ever gigged with an acoustic guitar can tell you what a lifesaver acoustic pickups are. The days where guitarists had to carefully position their instrument in front of a microphone are long gone, because acoustic guitars have become plug and play instruments.

Open-back headphones are commonly identified by their vented or mesh-covered enclosed earcups. This design promotes a more natural sound that minimizes internal reflection and standing waves making them much better suited to mixing and mastering compared to closed-back headphones.

You can get some surprisingly good studio headphones for less than $100 these days, however not all types of headphones are available in this price range so we explain what the different types of headphones are and provide you with the information you need to get the best option for your situation.

We have examined over 2,300 review and rating sources in order to present you with the highest rated acoustic-electric guitars that you can buy with a budget ranging from $100 to $200.

Unlike standard MIDI keyboards, a portable keyboard has built-in speakers so you can play anytime without having to plug in additional equipment. The keyboards included in this guide have built-in speakers plus they have MIDI so you can also use them with your computer.

Gearing up for recording has never been easier, all you need is your computer, instrument, microphone, and a good audio interface. With so many cheap audio interfaces available, we taken it upon ourselves to present you with a reliable list of current market favorites, updated for 2018.

61-Key MIDI keyboard controllers are big enough for complex two hand playing, while still retaining compact and portable profiles. As such, they are ideal instruments for Keyboardists who are looking for a controller that can be used both in the studio and for live performances.

Getting a wireless system for your guitar can free you up from being tied to your amplifier and reduce cable clutter on stage.

We short-listed the 23 most popular systems at major online American music gear stores and examined over 4,300 sources to bring you the highest rated options on the market.

As the title suggests, this list features the best of what the sub $1000 market has to offer, divided into three popular price brackets for your convenience, the sub $200, sub $500 and sub $1000. This way, you can narrow down your selection to the best ones that you can actually afford.

Portable audio recorders are versatile devices that are used for recording rehearsals, live shows, and field recordings.

This guide is for you if you want to purchase a recorder to capture better quality audio than you can with a phone app.

When you need to work on your recorded music you need to hear exactly how it sounds, warts and all.

Generally speaking, multimedia and hi-fi speakers are not suitable for the task because they tend to color the sound. This is where good studio monitors come in...

Wireless systems are great because they free you up from being stuck in one spot.

Today's wireless systems are relatively free from interference and drop outs, so if the fear of these things happening has been holding you back then there's no longer any need to worry - just ensure you get a system with the range you need.

If you're looking for an amplifier to use with your electronic drum set then this guide will help you decide which one is best to get for your situation.

Note that there are other types of amps which can also be used with electronic drums, so read the "Things To Consider" section if you would like to know about the alternatives.

Keyboard workstations are versatile electronic instruments that integrate a keyboard with a sound module and sequencers. They are pretty much a "studio in a box" since they let you play and record ideas right away, practical and convenient for those who perform or create original music.

We sought to make this the most comprehensive guide to electronic drums by conducting a detailed survey of the most popular and highly rated electronic kits at major online American music gear stores, which led to us short-listing 34 kits for detailed analysis for which we examined over 3,100 reviews, ratings, videos, and forum posts.

To enjoy your instrument without testing the limits of people's noise tolerance, you'll want a good guitar headphone amplifier.

Stand alone mic preamps are a great way to enhance the quality and character of your microphone recordings as well as allowing you to add extra mic enabled channels to your setup. Ordinary preamps built into audio interfaces and mixing desks are usually solid performers but dedicated preamps can add that extra warmth and clarity.

A great pair of headphones can make all the difference in producing quality studio recordings and overall listening satisfaction. This goes especially for home recording environments where proper acoustically treated rooms are less common, often limiting the accuracy of open air speaker systems.

Stage pianos are great instruments built for live use by piano players. They tend to have the necessary components that a travelling musician needs. Given that they have a slimmer and more compact build, transporting and setting them up is easy.

If you're a DJ, musician or live sound engineer, the first thing you will have noticed when looking for professional PA subwoofers is that the market is extremely crowded with an almost endless number of options - this guide will help you decide which subwoofer to get by showing you the highest rated ones currently available.

Because distortion is such a widely used effect, most guitarists’ first pedal ends up being a distortion box. Most guitarists start out with something simple, like the famed Boss DS-1, but over time invest in a pedal with more controls and flexibility (and a higher cost).

Guitar pickups impact your sound in a big way, and this is why many who are looking to improve their tone choose to replace their pickups. Here we present you with the best guitar pickups that you can get for under $200, covering both single coil and humbucker size.

Humidifying your guitar is an important part of maintaining your instrument. So to protect your precious instrument from damage, you’re going to want to find the best guitar humidifier for your situation. Check out our recommendations to see which will work best for you!

Finding the best drum sticks can be a challenge. There’s so much that goes into how they’re designed, and if you don’t get the right type for your needs and skill level you’re not going to get the tone or response you want.

When it comes to acoustic instruments, a huge part of your tone is decided by the strings you use. The gauge, the material they’re made from, and their design can all transform your tone; for better or worse. Make the most out of your instrument, equip it with the best sounding acoustic guitar strings - check out our recommendations!

Harmonicas have gained various nicknames, including blues harp, tin sandwich, pocket piano and mouth harp. Its handheld and rectangular design, along with its ability to produce a range of tones, are the reasons for why the harmonica has earned these names