Gear Reviews
VIDEO: Air Traffic Controller on the Benefits of Elixir Strings
We asked Boston-based band Air Traffic Controller to try out Elixir Optiweb strings, and use them both live and on a new recording. Here, the band discusses the long-lasting nature of Optiweb coated strings, and strings up in preparation for an exclusive recording...
Taylor K14CE Builder’s Edition Review
Learn why we called the new Taylor Guitars K14CE Builder's Edition Acoustic with V-Class Bracing the best acoustic guitar we've ever played in our latest review. If you don’t want to read this entire review, know this: the Taylor Builder’s Edition K14ce with V-Class...
VIDEO: MikelParis Gives a Full Performance with the Bose S1 Pro
We recently got a hands-on look at the Bose S1 Pro at Winter NAMM, and were pretty impressed with the build quality, feature set, and smart controls it afforded to working musicians. So, we enlisted the help of filmmaker and musician MikelParis (touring keyboardist...
How To
Photo Gallery: Maxwell Live in Boston
Last night, sultry R&B crooner Maxwell took over the Blue Hills Bank Pavilion in Boston for a memorable night of classic jams. Nothing was off limits: the 41 year old musician delivered hits from his debut album Maxwell's Urban Hang Suite like "Ascension (Don't...
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...
Sharon Van Etten Offers Touring Advice for Indie Artists
For Sharon Van Etten, life on the road extends beyond cramped tour accommodations and small clubs. Her story reflects years of traveling away and back from home, a singer whose vagabond spirit has been buffeted by caring and cruel winds alike. The arc begins as a high...
Buying Guide
REVIEW: Elektron Analog Drive Pedal
Digital’s great for effects that really need to do math, like choruses, reverbs, delays and filters. Digital distortions, though, haven’t really caught on in pedals with a lot of players, because the benefit of the ability to recall sounds didn’t even out to the...
REVIEW: Shinola Canfield On-Ear Headphones and In-Ear Monitors
If you want to save some time, here’s the short version of our review: we simply cannot recommend you purchase either on-ear headphones or in-ear monitors from Shinola’s Canfield line. If you’re interested in finding out why, read on… Design and Style Style-wise, both...
MOOG MUSIC DEBUTS NEW GRANDMOTHER SYNTHESIZER AT MOOGFEST 2018
Today, Moog Music announces Grandmother, a new tool that empowers creative humans to give meaning to vibration -- inviting new waves and new ways of communication into our quantum world. Grandmother is a semi-modular analog synthesizer with a built-in arpeggiator,...
Industry News
Shure Introduces Axient Digital Wireless System
Today, at the 2017 NAB Show in Las Vegas, Shure debuted its Axient® Digital Wireless System. As the new premier wireless solution in Shure’s successful portfolio, Axient Digital builds on the superior benefits of the Company’s UHF-R®, ULX-D®, and Axient wireless...
ENTER TO WIN a Galaxy Audio GPS-8 full range personal monitor PA system
Here's your chance to demo the amazing GPS-8 full range personal monitor PA system from Galaxy Audio! Performer is looking for a dynamic product tester to win and demo the GPS-8 full range personal monitor PA system from Galaxy Audio. The ideal candidate is an artist...
Soundrop: Single-First Music Distribution for All Music Makers
There is a growing wave of music makers who do not fit the traditional band/artist model. They’re not concerned with an album cover, a release date, high-concept videos, magazine reviews [editor’s note: and why the hell not?!?!], or any of that. They don’t tour, and...