Gear Reviews
Mackie Big Knob Studio+ Review
Flexibility is key in any recording situation; the ability to swap hardware without having to go through and re-patch cables and devices keeps the gremlins at bay and maintains good workflow. Mackie’s Big Knob Studio+ acts like a complete studio monitor command...
Yamaha TRBX604 Review
When the term “tonewood” gets thrown around, the price of an instrument usually increases, especially with basses. Thankfully, Yamaha’s got the ability to bring a bass to market with high-end materials and construction techniques for under $600. The body of the...
Everything You Need to Know About Clearing Music Samples
WHY YOU NEED A LICENSE I’ve been doing music clearances for going on 20 years, and the main thing I’ve noticed along the way is that many young artists have no idea what they are or how they work. It’s not their fault; it’s confusing! However, without the proper...
How To
The 7 Biggest Challenges DIY Musicians Face – And How to Conquer Them
A DIY musician not only creates and plays music for the love of it, but also masters the nuts and bolts of business management with the goal to share their music and, eventually, "go pro." Usually, one goes into the business with a burning desire to play music, not to...
8 Ways to Build and Strengthen Your Band’s Brand
For a band to be successful, it must ultimately create its own brand, which presents its musical story both tangibly and intangibly. Your brand applies to every aspect of the band's activities, including visuals, sound, and presentation. Anything from its...
11 Ways Recording Artists Can Use Twitter To Gain And Retain Followers
1. Tweet your expertise by utilizing hashtags such as #ArtistTip, #MusicMarketing, #PromoTip, #MarketingTip, etc. This is where you can get creative. The recording process is tiring. You probably learned something during the recording process that you can share with...
Buying Guide
IK Multimedia’s UNO Synth now shipping
IK Multimedia's first hardware synthesizer, UNO Synth, is now available. Designed for everyone interested in rich, true analog sound, this monophonic synth offers a wide sound palette and easy programmability in an ultra-portable, battery-powered format for on-the-go...
REVIEW: Graph Tech Ratio Tuners
Locking tuners seem like a no brainer when it comes to any guitar with a tremolo; ease of re-stringing and positive hold on strings prevents any slippage that results in being out of tune. Graph Tech took the concept of locking tuners to the next level, with their new...
DrumCore 4 Ultra Review
Performer reviews DrumCore 4 Ultra from Sonoma Wire Works. Is this the killer app for songwriters? Find out below. For an artist who wants a good drum sound but doesn’t have all of the acoustic drum resources, the choices used to be very limited. Sonoma Wire Works...
Industry News
Absence of Ocean chosen as the winners in our Galaxy Audio giveaway!
Atlanta shoegazers Absence of Ocean have been selected as the winners in our recent Galaxy Audio GPS-8 personal monitor giveaway. Over the course of the summer, the band will be putting the speakers through their paces both live and in rehearsals - and will report...
The New Issue is Out Now, Featuring Ayron Jones!
Performer Magazine releases its latest issue, featuring a cover story on Ayron Jones (new album, Audio Paint Job, out now!) INSIDE you'll find tips to find the best MIDI controller, killer apps to power your next tour, and four ways to break through your songwriter's...
4 Techniques to Break Through Your Songwriting Block
It happens to every writer, the dreaded “writer’s block.” Writer’s block is that horrible feeling that paralyzes you while staring at a blank word doc or notebook to the point of being incapable of knowing where the hell to start, much less what to actually write. It...