The main job of a DI Box or is to convert your instrument lead (1/4" TS) signal 'directly' into the microphone (balanced 3-pin XLR) inputs that a mixing console typically has. Unlike a simple headphone adapter (1/4" to 1/8") it has to convert the differences in impedance and voltage between the two sides of the connection.

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 audio interfaces. Ordinary preamps built into audio interfaces and mixing desks are usually solid performers but dedicated preamps can add that extra warmth and clarity.

Loopers have become indispensable thanks to their ability to create clones which you can use as virtual backup musicians and singers. Here we look at what the market considers as the best loopers, divided into three categories: Compact, Multiswitch and Tabletop.

A guitar rig is only as strong as its weakest link, so it pays to get the right patch cables and/or couplers for the job. Here we present you with what the market considers to be the best, covering a variety of price ranges and bundles, along with advice to help you get the best for your rig.

Audio engineer Raphael Pulgar presents this rundown on the highest rated powered mixers along with detailed advice to help you select the most appropriate one for your live performances.

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.

For this March 2022 Edition we short-listed 97 guitars available from major online American retailers and examined more than 25,100 rating and review sources in order to find the highest rated acoustics to recommend.

When you need to work on your recorded music you need to hear exactly how it sounds, warts and all. Multimedia and hi-fi speakers are not suitable for the task because they color the sound. This is where good studio monitors come in...

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.

A good guitar headphone amplifier will let you enjoy your instrument without testing the limits of other people's noise tolerance. Here we look at the best of these headphone amps for guitar, updated for 2021, plus top rated compact guitar processors that can do the job just as well.

Portable PA Systems are designed to provide convenient sound reinforcement that can be easily setup, packed away and carried for transportation. If you're unsure about exactly what a 'portable' PA System is that's probably because there is no standard definition, so we have defined them in the Methodology section of this guide.

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.

To make the most out of your studio monitors, you'll want to pair them up with top quality stands that are designed for studio use. In addition to positioning and securing your speakers, these stands prevent cabinet vibration from transferring to your floor or desk, which results in improved sonic clarity.

This guide is designed to help anyone who is currently looking for a good inexpensive guitar amplifier. We cover amp heads and pedal board amps in addition to combo amps.

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.

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.

In addition to keeping your stompboxes organized, pedalboards address clutter, storage, gear protection and transport needs. Here we take look at which boards are considered the best by users and experts, including those with and without a built-in power supply.

Want something you can crank at home without annoying the neighbors? Maybe a small gig or two in the future? Need saturated dirty tones for recording? Find the best small tube amp for you from our handpicked recommendations. We outline the key features to consider and recommend both budget and higher-end models.

Over a century after it was first introduced, the Condenser Mic continues to be an indispensable tool for music production. This guide focuses on the highest rated large and small diaphragm mics that cover all the tasks studio condensers are used for.

For the modern electronic musician, performing goes beyond playing keyboard MIDI controllers and tweaking knobs. Songs arranged in the studio can now be performed and altered live. Sounds, samples or even entire sections of music can be triggered with the help of dedicated MIDI pad controllers assigned to specific functions in a DAW.

Be it subtle or overtly used, chorus is one of the most pervasive guitar effects, used in dozens of the most famous records ever released. Here we look at the highest rated chorus pedals in three price ranges: Under $50, $50 to $100 and Over $100.

Demand for multi-effects continues 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.

The sub $500 price range is the sweet spot where you can find many guitar amps with good value and overall quality. Here we look at the best of these market leading combo, head and pedal board amplifiers, to help you in your pursuit of great guitar tone and functionality.

Gigging with an acoustic guitar can be a headache if you don’t have an acoustic guitar pickup, and if you don’t get the most appropriate pickup type for you you’re never going to get the tone you want. So rather than go in blind, check out our recommendations!

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 recommendations in this guide.

Here are the highest rated combo modeling amps for guitar, divided into four price brackets to help you find one that suits your budget.

Your playing experience is decided just as much by your accessories as it is by your actual instrument, and there’s no better example of this than drum thrones. If you’re looking for the best drum throne, check out our recommendations!

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.

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

This guide covers all the main types of guitars with nylon strings including classical, flamenco, hybrid and both acoustic and acoustic-electric models. It also provides advice on topics such as Tonewoods, Scale Length, Nut Width, Action / String Height, Acoustic and Acoustic-Electric options.

Overdrive is an incredibly useful effect. To start with, it gives you familiar rock guitar tones, from subtle grit to crunch. On more complex setups, it can be used to add girth to an already distorted sound, and give your lead the cutting boost to take your solos to the next level. If you’re looking for the best overdrive pedals, check out our recommendations!

49 Key controllers hit the sweet spot for many musicians and music producers. They are much more of a playable instrument than their smaller 25-Key siblings, yet still compact enough to be reasonably portable and not take up too much valuable space in a home recording studio.

Here we feature the best guitar straps for electric and acoustic guitars as well as for bass. We also include top rated strap button adapters and straps for classical guitars and ukuleles.

This year we expanded the scope of this guide to include both hybrid and standard electronic kits across all price ranges. Our recommendations are separated into 4 price brackets to help you choose the best one that fits within your budget.

Platinum selling guitarist Alden Acosta presents the highest rated solidbody electric guitars between $500 and $1000 along with advice to help you chose the best one for your style.

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!

With the right audio interface, you can turn your iPad into a full featured recording studio. Featured here are the best audio interfaces that you can use to maximize the iPad's mobile recording potential.

Parlor guitars offer a smaller, lighter and more comfortable alternative to regular-size acoustics. More importantly, they have a distinct sound that harks back to Victorian era guitars that were played in parlor rooms, and affordable "blues box" mail-order guitars from the early 1900s.

We intend this guide for adults, including both musicians and non-musicians, who want to buy a drum set for children around 10 years old or younger. If the intended recipient is much older than that, or if they're tall for their age, then please refer to our guide for full-sized beginner drum sets.

Powered Speakers, also known as active speakers, are loudspeakers with amplifiers built into their enclosures. This combination is simpler to setup and manage, making powered speakers more and more popular among musicians, sound engineers, and DJs.

Here are the highest rated pop filters along with professional advice from recording engineer Raphael Pulgar to help you select the best one for your recordings.

Here are the highest rated 7-string electric guitars up to $2000 along with advice to help you find the best one for your needs.

A solid and reliable stand is a must not just to help with playing, but also to protect your precious keyboards and synthesizers. This article focuses on stands primarily designed for 49 key instruments and up - if you need a stand for a mini or micro keyboard then you should probably consider getting a music laptop stand or something similar.

This guide is about digital multitrack recorders that have everything you need built-in for recording, mixing, and producing music - if you're looking for handheld multitrack recorders then please read our Handheld Recorder Guide.

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.

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. So get yourself one of the top rated cables and avoid the problems.

Audio engineer Raphael Pulgar presents the highest rated compressors for 500 series racks, both single channel and stereo bus compressors, along with detailed advice to help you select the best one for your recording setup.

A reality of being a guitarist is that you can’t always play at full volume. If you live with other people, especially in an apartment complex, you have to keep your volume at a reasonable level. Thankfully, there’s a solution available: practice amps.

Distortion is the sound that powers hard rock and metal. As such, many guitarists' first pedal is a distortion stompbox, and the love for this effect continues to grow with experience, with some having tried many different distortion pedals by the time they're playing on stage.

Tired of lugging around drums? Electronic drum pads can either augment your live and recording set up or replace them all together. All of these have MIDI and can be used to trigger external sound modules or DAW software.

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.

As the title suggests, this guide features the highest rated MIDI keyboard controllers across all prices ranges. This way, you can narrow down your selection to the best ones that you can actually afford.

The ukulele has experienced somewhat of a resurgence in recent years. It’s trademark bouncy and uplifting tone has proven to be an asset to the modern singer-songwriter as well as acoustic focused musicians, and judging by the last few years its prevalence won’t diminish anytime soon.

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.

A volume pedal is a must-have piece of gear for many guitarists, facilitating control over gain as well as advanced techniques like volume swells. However, because there are so many options available it can be hard to figure out the best volume pedal for a given situation.

When budget is limited, it is best to find gear that squeezes the most value for your money. This applies to condenser mics in the sub $100 price range, where you're mostly looking for an all-in-one budget friendly mic. This guide serves that demand, featuring condenser microphones that have proven themselves to be valuable additions to home studios.

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.

Closed headphones are essential for any recording setup to prevent spill into live microphones while tracking. These recommended headphones are all circumaural and are designed specifically for use in recording rather than for standard consumer applications.

Electronic drums are a heck of a lot of fun to play with. But more importantly they're the best way to learn, practice and improve your chops without making all the noise associated with acoustic drums - just slip your headphones on and you're good to go!

Here we reveal the top-rated reverb delay pedal combos and the reasons why they are market favorites. Also featured are the best reverb pedals, for those who want a dedicated unit.