Gear Reviews
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...
How To
The world is in chaos. Should you quit music?
[Ed note - how's THAT for clickbait?] "Heaven Shall Burn - Guitars Matthias Voigt" by scilla kim is licensed under CC BY-SA 2.0 Let’s just be brutally honest about the situation that musicians, songwriters, and others in the music industry face right now; it’s more...
Emma McGann on Maintaining Artistic Momentum During the Pandemic
Originally, I planned to be on an April 20th plane to Seattle to start the ‘Duality Tour,’ the biggest tour of my career to date - 21 dates across North America. No easy challenge for an artist with no label support. While planning the tour, I came up with a new...
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...
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...