This guide presents a range of synthesizers for those who are interested in choosing their first hardware synth and for musicians who are looking for a unit to add to their collection. Includes both analog and digital keyboard synths under $500 and under $1000.

The number one barrier to entry towards having a great microphone is that most of them require an audio interface for recording. Major manufacturers now offer some of their models as USB mics with built in analog-to-digital converters to address the needs of people who simply want a good microphone for recording without an audio interface.

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.

We have examined over 6,800 reviews and ratings in order to present you with the highest rated acoustic-electric guitars that you can buy with a budget of no more than $200.

Hearing yourself well can often spell the difference between mediocre and inspiring performances. In-Ear Monitors (IEMs) let you do just that, by feeding personalized sound directly to your ears while blocking out ambient sounds on stage or in rehearsal.

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.

In this edition we present the highest rated of both reverb pedals and delay-reverb combo pedals. You'll also get advice and important pointers to keep in mind while choosing which one to get.

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).

Distortion is the sound that powers hard rock and metal. As such, many guitarists' first pedal is a distortion box, 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.

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!

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.

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.

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.

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 why the harmonica has earned these names.

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.

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 guitar's protection and storage.

Getting a wireless system for your guitar or bass frees you up from being tethered to your amp or pedalboard and reduces cable clutter on stage. In addition to showing you which systems are the most highly rated by musicians, this guide provides analysis and advice that will help you select the best one to add to your rig.

If you're serious about improving or maintaining your drumming skills, practice shouldn't end the moment you step away from your drum kit. Training with drum practice pads keeps your skills sharp while helping you notice small things to improve because you're no longer bombarded with high decibel sounds.

Here are the highest rated Passive PA Speakers in both the sub $500 and sub $1000 price brackets. Note that you need a power amplifier or a powered mixing console to drive them as they do not contain their own amplifier.

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 are the highest rated pickups in the low to mid tier price ranges including all major types & sizes within the stated price limits.

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.

Balanced XLR Cables are used to connect microphones and other balanced output music gear into mixing consoles. They continue to be the industry standard for both recording and live performance because they shield your signal from interference to noiselessly transfer your audio over long distances.

57 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.

Studio subwoofers free up your main monitors to better handle the mids and highs - the end result being better overall sound quality and clarity. This guide tells you what you need to know to add a subwoofer to your studio monitors along with a list of the best studio subwoofers currently available.

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.

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.

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!

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.

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 October 2020.

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 options currently on the market.

With so many low quality mics in the entry-level market, getting a good one can be quite daunting. To help you out, we present you with the highest rated microphones that you can buy for under $50.

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...

Guitar amplifiers don't just amplify sound, they also shape and color the sound. This is especially true for tube amps, and is the reason why amps are considered as vital to tone as guitars themselves. Here we feature the best combo tube amps that fit the average guitarists' budget, based on actual user feedback and market sentiment.

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, to accommodate different instruments.

Acoustic guitars priced between $500 and $1,000 tend to have better tonewoods and construction than many of the cheaper options. You'll find many of these guitars also have better tonal definition and projection than their lower priced counterparts.

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 best acoustic guitar pickup for you you’re never going to get the tone you want. So rather than go in blind, check out our recommendations!

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. To find the best practice amp for your situation, 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 recommended list in this guide.

Solid state amplifiers offer a lot of advantages and there are a ton that sound amazing. They’re (generally) cheaper, more durable, don’t have to warm up/cool down, and are significantly easier to transport than most tube amps.

Nylon has been the material of choice for flamenco, classical, and many fingerstyle guitarists for decades. First introduced as an alternative to the gut strings used prior to the material’s introduction, nylon has proven itself to be a best option due to its affordability and resilience.

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.

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.

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 amplifiers, to help you in your pursuit of great guitar tone and functionality.

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? Small, Low Watt Tube Amps are the perfect solution for all these needs

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.

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.

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.

With their ability to handle high sound pressure levels and reject background noise, dynamic microphones continue to be vital in both live performances and recording. We have analyzed the most current reviews and ratings of the many dynamic mics on the market, to bring you a list of the top ones deserving of your consideration.

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.

Whether you're a pianist looking for something in the MIDI controller arena, or you're looking for a DAW controller and want a full sized keybed, this updated guide has you covered.

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.

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.

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.

There's just no replacing the feel and sound of acoustic pianos, but they are not always practical when considering real world space and budget restrictions. This is where we come in with our feature on the Best Digital Piano keyboards, featuring market favorites in the sub $500 price range that have impressed student and professional pianists alike.

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 can also run on batteries so you can play them anywhere.

MIDI has been connecting musical equipment since 1982 and it's still going strong. Here we present to you the best MIDI interfaces for connecting your computer, tablet or even phone to your other MIDI gear. We've focused on interfaces with single in/out ports as these are what most people without complex setups need.

We short-listed 15 sets and analyzed over 1,200 reviews by drummers to bring you our recommended list of the highest rated electronic drums on the market. You will also get detailed advice to help you select the best one for your needs.

The acoustic guitar has long been, and continues to be, the most accessible music instrument available. Having the right mic to record this prolific instrument is critical to a good recording setup for any musician or studio.