Santa Claus wearing headphones

5 Easy (and Lucrative) Holiday Merch Ideas for Musicians

The calendar has turned, the seasons have changed, and the holidays are quickly approaching. While you are preparing for your holiday shows and trying to find that Jager-soaked Santa hat for the private party you booked, your band needs to be preparing for retail...

Ignore The Big Knobs: All You Need to Know About Compressors

Here’s the thing about compressors: they’re not always used for what you think they’re for!  And, how you think about using them fully determines the results you’ll get from them.  Most people are taught, or assume, that compressors are for controlling the level of a...
photo by Dejan Krsmanovic

Record Killer Lead Vocals in Any Home Studio: Tips From The Pros

Editor’s note: In the recent Vocal Chain Issue, we shared some tips on recording vocals in a home studio. Here is another take, and some additional perspective on the process. Not every approach will work for every artist, so we’ve taken the opportunity to present a...

REVIEW and VIDEO: Donner Essential D1 Performance Beat Machine with TRISHES

We recently sent the amazing musician and spoken word artist TRISHES one of the brand-new Donner Essential D1 Performance Beat Machines to test out and review in her home studio. She produced the two videos below highlighting her favorite features, and even treated us...

Take the Guesswork out of Shopping For the Right Insurance Policy

WHY PLAY GUESSING GAMES? Sure, as fans we expect you to be an expert at your instrument when you’re up on stage, but realistically no one expects musicians to be experts when it comes to selecting insurance policies that cover them in case of misfortunes while out on...

Gear Reviews

How To

How to Tour as a DIY Solo Artist

How to Tour as a DIY Solo Artist

Just after the New Year, I packed a guitar, a suitcase, merch, and my six-foot-two frame into a white Nissan Versa to begin touring for my new record From Your Bones. Being a solo traveler comes with its ups and downs. The ups: full control of the stereo, falling in...

Buying Guide

DPA Microphones d:vice  Review

DPA Microphones d:vice Review

Performer Magazine reviews the d:vice  Digital Audio Interface, d:vote  4099 Instrument Microphone and d:fine Headset Microphone Making things smaller is easy; making them more functional at the same time is a challenge. DPA Microphones has designed and produced some...

Alesis M1 Active MK3 Review

Alesis M1 Active MK3 Review

The new M1 Active MK3 powered studio monitors from Alesis prove to be one of the best bargains in the business. Read our expert review below for our reasons why. https://youtu.be/qi_F766wl7o Build and Design Quality Lifting the new Alesis M1 Active MK3 monitors out of...

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