About 2427 filtered results
by Freddy Gerngross · Posted
Mackie has been a mainstay in the portable speaker market. Their PAs and loudspeakers can be found in rehearsal studios, event spaces, and rental houses throughout the world. This hands-on review will cover the Thump GO and Thumpsub GO as well as the Mackie ProFX10 GO, so let’s get into it.
Mackie Thump GO and ThumpSub GO—Portable Doesn’t Have to Skimp on Power
The Thump Go is in their recent portable lineup of speakers, powered with an internal lithium-ion battery for up to 12 hours of operation in addition to the standard AC ports. It also
by Steven Esposito · Posted
Recently I reviewed the wonderful HP ZBook Ultra G1a Laptop and found it to be one of the most interesting pieces of hardware to come out of HP’s production line. It is a powerful machine that can easily scale to your needs and features a breathtaking touchscreen display. While the internal components are wonderful, there is a little more under the hood than one might expect, especially if you are someone who
Posted
DJ and Producer extraordinaire Laleyna Gomez (a.k.a. Amore Querida) demos the Akai Professional MPC Live III Standalone Music Production Workstation at the Engine Room. Bringing the old-school style of flow into a portable, modern unit, the MPC Live III is a full production studio that does not require a laptop. Laleyna shares how new features--such as the MPCe 3D-sensing pads--allow you to accomplish your
by Freddy Gerngross · Posted
Choosing a Digital Audio Workstation, or DAW, is a major decision. For beginners, it will define their learning curve, workflow, and operating knowledge—for professionals, compatibility, functionality, and familiarity is key. In this guide, we will give some detailed overviews of the most popular DAWs in the audio industry, what their strengths and weaknesses are, and some of their unique features.
If you’re in a rush, here’s a quick rundown of the best DAWs for a variety of common purposes:
If you’re a songwriter/producer: Ableton, Logic
by Freddy Gerngross · Posted
Modern digital audio workstations usually come with some solid stock plug-ins and virtual instruments—many music software companies pride themselves in offering every tool necessary for professional audio production. In theory, a proper DAW could give you everything you need but in practice, you’ll quickly find that many third-party tools are industry standard necessities, offering the power and flexibility professionals need to compete in the market. In this guide, we’ll go over the best way to purchase and acquire audio software and some of
by Freddy Gerngross · Posted
It’s impossible to deny the role the synthesizer has had in shaping our culture—from defining the sound of music from the mid-twentieth century and today, to creating the quirky beep-boops of R2D2, these electronic instruments have left an indelible mark on the eardrums of modern society. In this guide, we will give an overview of some of the holy grails of electronic instruments and appreciate the specific synthesizers that defined the sound of generations.
Roland Jupiter-8
If you even get the opportunity to play one of the roughly 3,300
by Freddy Gerngross · Posted
The Yamaha NS-10 is the divisive and decidedly drab nearfield studio monitor whose story serves as testament to the world-altering power that can be deracinated from the troughs of mundanity. NS-10s aren’t sexy, nor are they rare or expensive—they don’t even sound good. So, what made these humble noisemakers such a mainstay in the audio community for nearly fifty years?
Honest and transparency are two of the most desirable traits in a relationship—
Posted
The Universal Audio Volt 876 USB-C Audio Interface is another one of their products that brings an analog sound to our digital age. Andrew records a track using this eight-channel audio interface, showing you how the various modes can affect your track's sound.
0:00 - About
0:30 - Song Demo - "Cat's Meow"
1:53 - Inputs & Preamps
2:14 - Vintage Mode & 76 Compressor
2:47 - Recording Drums
3:10 - Assitive Auto-Gain
by Gabby Bloch · Posted
One of the most essential pieces of equipment for podcast recording is the audio interface. And when it comes to podcast-centric interfaces, there are a lot of options to consider, from the number of mic inputs offered to the kind of functionality that best suits your needs. We’ve put together a list of the top interfaces on the market for both solo and multi-person podcasts and have made sure to include some portable options for those who are taking their show on the road.
For Solo Podcasting
Audio Interfaces
The highly popular brand,
by Mos Khan · Posted
Building a PC is now more accessible than ever. There are many ways to find compatible parts, and a quality rig can typically last you longer than any console. As someone who, primarily, has been a console-based gamer for most of my run, I understand the perception that building a PC is intimidating or complex—so much so that I've gamed on consoles because I think they're as close to "plug-and-play" as is possible today. Luckily, building a PC is not as difficult as you might think; the hard part is doing the research and figuring out what you
by Zack Young · Posted
Many budding filmmakers have toiled away on the color correction and grading of their first masterpiece, watched it over countless times, hit the export button, pulled it up on a TV, and been shocked. "This looks nothing like I was expecting. The colors! The contrast! The saturation!" Although there's no universal fix for differences in how devices display an image, the most common culprit of these headaches is
by Gabby Bloch · Posted
Whether you’ve saved a big wad of cash for a top-notch podcasting setup or you’re creating the ultimate wish list for you and your co-host to drool over, we’ve put together a small selection of the most tempting podcast products on the market today.
Podcasting Mixers
As a podcaster, nothing beats efficiency and ease of having tactile management over all your podcasting controls. The
Posted
Through limits, we can allow our creativity to shine. Sennheiser embodies this philosophy, allowing obstacles to fuel innovations in their products. From the MD series to the Spectera System, you'll learn how they've solved common audio problems over the past 80 years. You'll also catch a brief factory tour!
0:00 - Intro
1:41 - MD 421 - History of a Legend
5:43 - Developing the Spectera System
9:55 - Sennheiser's Plug Fest
10:24 - How Problems Drive Us to Innovate with Co-CEO Andreas Sennheiser
11:57 - What Happens When an Idea Doesn't Work
by Steven Esposito · Posted
Graphics cards are better than ever before—they’re also much bigger. Take the ASUS GeForce RTX 5090 Astral OC, for example, which is 14.1” long and 5.9” thick and takes up 3.8 slots worth of expansion ports on the back of your PC case. It’s not the only behemoth out there, either. Even less power-hungry cards measure around 13 x 5.5”, taking up a significant amount of room. Considering the weight
by Steven Esposito · Posted
You’ve spent hours shopping around for PC components and you finally pulled the trigger on exactly everything you wanted! Congratulations! It takes a lot of time and careful planning to get to that point. But even as all the boxes slowly make their way to your home, there might be some additional materials you need to make the building experience quick and easy. So today, we are going to look at a few tools that can make your job easier.
Screwdrivers
You cannot build a PC without a screwdriver, but you shouldn’t just grab any old screwdriver