Music Gear Guides

Displaying 21 - 30 of 122 Gear Guides

These guides are designed to help you find the most highly rated options when you're buying music equipment. Every item presented has a Gearank Rating and the number of owner and user opinions that have been evaluated by the Gearank Algorithm for this purpose.

Best Keyboard Stand Types - 1, 2, & 3 Tier Keyboard Stands

Submitted by Alexander Briones on Jun. 22, 2023.

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.

Best Parlor Guitar Roundup - Budget, Mid & High End up to $2000 (June 2023)

Submitted by Alexander Briones on Jun. 19, 2023.

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.

Best Nylon String Guitar - Classical, Flamenco & Modern - Sub $1000

Submitted by Alexander Briones on Jun. 17, 2023.

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.

Best Looper Pedal Choices for Serious Musicians June 2023

Submitted by Alexander Briones on Jun. 14, 2023.

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.

Best Studio Monitors of 2023 - Six Suitability Categories For You

Submitted by Raphael Pulgar on May. 30, 2023.

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...

Best Cheap Electric Guitars: Great value for Sound Quality 2023

Submitted by Alexander Briones on May. 23, 2023.

The Highest Rated Beginner Electric Guitars

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

The Best DI Box & Reamp Box 2023 (Active and Passive)

Submitted by Raphael Pulgar on May. 15, 2023.

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.

Best Compressor Pedal Expert Guide (May 2023)

Submitted by Alden Acosta on May. 9, 2023.

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).

Best Budget Mic Preamp Hardware ($100 to $1000)

Submitted by Raphael Pulgar on May. 7, 2023.

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.

The Best Open Back Headphones for Mixing and Mastering

Submitted by Raphael Pulgar on May. 7, 2023.

Highest Rated Open Back Headphones for Mixing and Mastering

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 well suited to mixing and mastering.