Gear Reviews
REVIEW: Sterling By Music Man Sabre Electric Guitar
Typically, when a manufacturer offers up a lower-priced import instrument, it’s been streamlined for costs; components are often inexpensive, electronics are simpler, and design features found in higher end models are skipped over. Ernie Ball Music Man took their...
Review: Taylor 514ce Urban Red Ironbark Acoustic Guitar
Taylor’s been pushing the expectations and limits of Acoustic guitars for decades now; just when you’d assume there’s a plateau, they go further into new territory. Their 514CE in Urban Red Ironbark is a perfect example of design, materials and execution that makes...
How to Set Up a USB Audio Interface with First to Eleven and Focusrite
We recently hooked up the band First to Eleven with a brand-new Focusrite Scarlett 18i8 USB Audio Interface so they can record their tracks, livestreams and live performances with ease. Watch all four episodes as we go from unboxing, to DAW setup, to capturing...
How To
Top 5 ways to build your fanbase before your next music release
As hard as it is to write a hit song, sometimes it feels like the hardest part is getting people to know it’s out there. There are so many options to promote new music online that many artists feel lost and overwhelmed: Should I embed a color-coordinated countdown...
Get to Know Telos Tapes: The Cassette-Only Indie Label
Editor’s note – when we have the opportunity to shine a spotlight on a really cool label, we jump at the chance. Telos Tapes recently got on our radar for their cassette-only release strategy. No Spotify, no Shazaming, all physical. We asked the label to provide some...
Key Insurance Concepts for Musicians
When it comes to the new musical landscape we find ourselves in, insurance may not be top of mind for many artists out there. That said, we definitely think it’s smarter to be prepared for when touring and live gigs open up, than be caught flat-footed as other acts...
Buying Guide
GEAR NEWS: Amphion Announces First 3-Way Active Studio Monitor, One25A
Finnish loudspeaker manufacturers Amphion have announced One25A, the company's first 3-way active studio monitor design. The new monitor exemplifies the brand’s 25-year commitment to advanced acoustic design, top-quality component selection, and pure signal path while...
AUDEZE RELEASES NEW PROFESSIONAL STUDIO HEADPHONE WITH MANNY MARROQUIN
Audeze, the leading audio technology brand and premium headphone manufacturer, today announces their newest headphone made in collaboration with 17-time Grammy-winning engineer/producer Manny Marroquin. The MM-100 features Audeze’s latest planar magnetic driver...
Contribute to Performer’s Special Synthesizer Issue!
Do you obsess over oscillators? Do you have more money invested in your Eurorack system than in your retirement plan? Here’s your opportunity to contribute to Performer’s upcoming special issue on synthesizers (due out in May). GET INVOLVED Wanna help? Awesome! We...
Industry News
Harness the Power of AI with New Voice Changer Tool From lalal.ai
We've previously covered some of the amazing (and groundbreaking) tools brought to artists by the creative team at lalal.ai -- read more on that here: https://performermag.com/home-recording/how-ai-will-change-the-way-you-write-record-and-sample/ To recap what we...
STREAM new Baxter Hall Single “High Road”
We here at Performer have been big fans of Baxter Hall for a while now, as the Boston-based singer/songwriter/guitarist extraordinaire has been sharing his earnest brand of relatable guitar-fronted alternative music for the past few years. You may have even heard him...
REVIEW: Cosmodio Pet Yeti Distortion Pedal
When it comes to drive pedals, names can sometimes be misleading. "Super overdrive" might mean distortion to some, and to others it's something that's not enough to solo on. With the name Pet Yeti, Cosmodio Instruments has a pedal that lives up to its name of a wild...