Using an Expression Pedal with Your Guitar Effects

Adding an expression pedal to an effect gives you real-time, dynamic control over something that would normally be static. Fading in a long delay tail on the final note of a solo, swelling a giant reverb behind held chords and cutting it off suddenly at a dra

6 Killer Keyboards That Run on Batteries

OK, I will admit it. I have a “thing” for battery-powered keyboards. It all started when I began taking organ lessons back in 1967. (Yes, I know, I’m old.) I was able to persuade my Hammond B3 teacher (a nun wearing a full black-and-white habit) to let me study current pop

High Sampling Rates – Is there a Sonic Benefit?

High Sampling Rates – Is there a Sonic Benefit?

o There’s much debate whether sample rates higher than 44.1kHz, like 96kHz or even 192kHz, yield a significant sonic improvement. According to many people, higher sample rates aren’t necessary. Yet others insist higher sample rates are audibly better. So who’s

Stage Lighting 101, Part 1: Understanding the Basics

Lighting. Just like sound consists of waves that are received by our ears, light is simply higher-frequency wavelengths that are received and interpreted by our eyes. And just like sound, the waves can be chaotic or ordered, random or thoughtful. And with cre

Find the Best Tube Amp for You

In this buying guide, we’ll talk about the best tube amps and help you pick the best amplifier for you. Thanks to digital modeling, we can conjure up any and every flavor of guitar tone. But for true tone aficionados, it always comes back to tube amps. Why is

What Are the Best Songs to Test Speakers and Headphones?

When we’re recording and mixing, whether a live recording at a gig or a studio session, the top three critical items (at least in my opinion) are your ears, the room and its acoustics, and your monitoring system. It all comes down to accurately hearing what y

MPE — MIDI Polyphonic Expression: How It Will Impact You

If you’re a musician you likely know what MIDI is (Musical Instrument Digital Interface), but do you know what MPE is or how it will affect you and your music making? MPE, which stands for MIDI Polyphonic Expression, is a method of using MIDI that allows mult

5 Iconic Guitars and the Stories Behind Them

In the world of guitars, there is a revered collection of instruments that has managed to be as awe-inducing as the players who own them. Many of them, including Van Halen’s Frankenstein, Hendrix’s Monterey Strat, and B.B. King’s Lucille, are so well known th

9 Drumming Tips from the Pros

No drummer is an island, entire of itself. It’s only in listening to and learning from our peers and idols that we’re able to reach our full potential. Here are nine tips from nine professional drummers to motivate and inspire. Casey Cooper (C