Gear Reviews
Practical Tips and Tricks for Stacking Gain and Overdrive Pedals
In the guitar world, especially when it comes to tone, everyone has an opinion on what’s “right.” However, between the blurred lines of audio science and the endless chatter of gear forums finding what’s best tonally for yourself can be a challenge. With seemingly...
WHAT ARE THE DIFFERENCES BETWEEN FUZZ, OVERDRIVE AND DISTORTION PEDALS?
They all do the same basic thing – add harmonics and clip the audio signal. However, the sounds that they produce, and the amounts of distortion can be quite different. OVERDRIVE GUITAR PEDALS An overdrive guitar pedal produces enough gain to push your amp into its...
Top Six YouTube Pedal Channels
THOSE PEDAL SHOWS Smash That Like Button: These Are Our Fave YouTube Pedal Shows Ah yes, the tube of you. We’ve all embraced the YouTube culture in which we now find ourselves living in, and in so doing have come to find a sea of endless YouTubers hawking gear in our...
How To
Amazing Radio and The Return of CMJ?
An Interview with CEO Andy Zicklin In a world where we are encouraged to pick the music we listen to or follow a playlist, some have forgotten the joy of true discovery. I’m not talking about algos that match your birth date with your prom date and the last three...
Music Will Survive COVID-19
Everyone I talk to in the music industry these days is truly uncertain about the near-term future of music. Oh, you’ll find some who are optimistic about venues reopening “safely,” just as you will find some that say live music won’t return until next spring. You can...
Why You Should Be Thinking About Insurance RIGHT NOW
“In these uncertain times…” Friends, I’m sure you’re growing as tired of hearing that phrase as I am. And yet, here we are. Uncertain times indeed. Had you told us a year ago that touring and live performances as we knew them would come to an immediate halt, and that...
Buying Guide
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...
REVIEW: IK Multimedia AmpliTube X-Space Reverb Pedal
Large format (three or more footswitches) pedals have become the standard for effects, with options for tweaking that can get to the molecular level. They can also get expensive, and overwhelming to some players. IK Multimedia’s X-Space has reverbs galore, with ease...
Industry News
OUR ANNUAL BUYER’S GUIDE FOR SYNTH LOVERS
Or, the “Synthy Awards” If The Office taught us anything, it’s that we as a society love awards. I mean, who wouldn’t want a shiny new Dundee for their mantlepiece? So this year, we’re handing out “Synthy Awards,” our version of the Dundees, to some of the coolest...
A First-Time Festival-Goer Experiences Boston Calling 2023
BOSTON CALLING 2023: A FIRST-TIMER’S REVIEW [Editor's note -- after doing this for so many years, you sometimes forget the feelings and emotions of your first festival experience: the sights, the smells, the sounds, the vibes. So this year we decided to send a...
Soundtoys Releases New SuperPlate Reverb Plug-in
Soundtoys released the much anticipated SuperPlate reverb plug-in. SuperPlate is now available for sale at soundtoys.com both as a standalone plug-in and as part of Soundtoys V5.4, the latest bundle version. Soundtoys is offering compelling introductory prices...