Music

Multitrack recording is the foundation for nearly all forms of recorded music. But what was once a process that was solely relegated to tape and immersive recording studios has now entered a world that almost exclusively occupies the digital realm, and can be done with a device that can easily sit in a car’s passenger seat. There are many different types of multitrack recorders that exist today that occupy a very wide price range, so all of the items listed here have been selected keeping in mind that individual consumers have varying budgets that they are working with. Nonetheless, here are the best multitrack recorders in 2022 you can get today, with each one listed here equipped with USB connectivity, making it easy to transfer files and use the recorder with a computer, they can record multiple tracks at once which makes them great for live recordings, and lastly they contain onboard faders or knobs to give you the ability mix your audio live on the spot.

The mixing board is the engineer’s map, helping him or her navigate through a session and deliver a hands-on approach to mixing, broadcasting, tracking, and producing audio. There are many different types of mixing boards that exist and they all have different purposes, but the general commonalities that they share are the inputs, outputs, and faders that correspond to either analog or digital audio sources. Mixing boards can also be used to add and send effects, tweak EQs, and more. There are many mixing boards available for those looking for their “map” in both the recording studio and in a live environment, and while many of them have a price tag that easily puts them into a price point of six figures, there are also some that are a bit more attainable to the normal individual. We've chosen these picks as the best mixing boards in 2022 available today, with each one listed here featuring sends that allow you to route your audio with ease, no fewer than 10 tracks to give you a wide range of control to work with, and pan/EQ settings to give you plenty of options to manipulate sound that runs through the board.

Compression and limiting may be one of the more difficult to understand concepts for those who are not as well-versed in the world of audio engineering, but those who do understand their importance recognize that these tools can truly make or break a recording. Compressors reduce a signal’s louder volume peak while boosting the quieter sounds in order to deliver a more balanced result. Limiters are similar to compressors, but perform the same function in a much more extreme way (a greater ratio of compression). While a typical compressor has a ratio of 20:1 (meaning, for instance, that for every 20 decibels that the signal goes over the threshold, the compressor only lets one through) or less, limiters have ratios that can go as high as 100:1. We've chosen these picks as the best compressor/limiters in 2022 available today, with each one listed here equipped with onboard controls to adjust parameters such as attack and release, they weigh less than 20 lbs for easy transport and compact usability, and they also offers a visual cue (either LED light or VU meter) to help draw some context as to how the control is affecting the signal that runs through it.

Consider the patchbay as the traffic controller in the world of audio engineering. When working with multiple outboard gear, it can get a little complicated to connect everything to your console in an orderly fashion and that’s where the patchbay comes into play. These devises route and organize what can be an extremely convoluted setup into something more streamlined and self-contained. If you’ve ever seen a picture from when telephones were first introduced and someone had to sit in a room connecting lines into ports in order to make calls happen, it’s the same concept. So needless to say, the patchbay’s role in a recording studio is of extreme importance. We've selected the best patchbays in 2022 available today, with each one listed here offering at least 12 connections to link cables through, they're rack mountable for easy integration into studio or live rigs, and they also feature adjustable operating modes or configurations which allow you to calibrate each patchbay to best fit your routing needs.

The direct input box (commonly referred to as the DI) plays a crucial role in delivering balanced sound in contained recording environments as well as in more dynamic live performance settings. By taking a high impedance, unbalanced signal and converting it into a low impedance, balanced sound, the signal can be routed over a long cable distance without any frequency loss. Though this may not all sound like the sexiest part of the signal flow process, its function is invaluable, as it allows the audio signal to remain intact even when traveling through long cables. We've chosen the following best DI boxes in 2022 because they each feature a pad to protect against unwanted hot signals from overdriving through the unit, they all weigh less than two pounds so they're easy to travel with, and they're also able to handle multiple types of input sources, providing versatility for musicians and engineers who need a tool that can perform several functions. Read on for our favorite picks and an informational buyer's guide.

Many companies manufacture drum sets, and they each produce several different types and models. As long as you have all the necessary information, picking out a drum set can be a very fun experience. Backed by 20 years of playing experience, I've looked at current drum sets on the market and have picked out ten that I think to be of very high quality. I've also broken down the more important aspects of a set of drums in the accompanying buying guide; I talk about the different types of drums, optimal configuration, what makes up a drum set, as well as general things to keep in mind like price. I pulled information from the manufacturer's website, dozens of different reviews, as well as sourced information from myself to pick out my top ten sets of drums. Read on to pick one out for yourself!

Studio monitors are loudspeakers designed typically for use within professional/home recording studios, radio stations, and television studios. Their main purpose is to give the listener a reference point for which to mix the sound. These speakers aren’t meant to give you the best sound possible but rather the clearest because if there’s something wrong with the mix, the engineer needs to hear it so it can be fixed before it hits consumer systems.  However, once a mix has been perfected, there’s no better place to listen to it than on a good pair of reference monitors.  For more information on choosing a studio monitor right for your audio needs, check out our list of the best studio monitors in 2022 and the buyer’s guide below.

Do you ever plan on taking your guitar out of your house? If so, you’re going to need a gig bag. In addition to keeping your instrument safe and protected from any potential damages from the outside world, a gig bag can also make traveling with your instrument exponentially easier. Picking the right option is no casual choice, so definitely check out our buyer’s guide and our list of the best guitar gig bags in 2022 below to learn all about the essentials that make for a great gig bag.

When selecting a bass drum foot pedal you have three playing styles to choose from. A single bass drum pedal allows one foot to play a single bass drum, a double bass drum pedal allows the use of both feet, and, finally, the option of two single pedals to play two separate bass drums. There are also three bass drum drive types which include the chain, strap, and direct link. If all of this information sounds a bit confusing, no need to worry— we'll go over all of this and more in our buyer's guide. Beginning players should be fine with one bass drum and a single pedal, but eventually, beginners may want to explore double bass options as today’s drummers utilize double pedals for a variety of musical genres. No matter your skill level, check out our list of the best bass drum pedals in 2022 and our buyer's guide below for more details on choosing a bass drum pedal best suited for you.

The varitone introduces a useful way to manipulate the frequencies of a guitar signal. Introduced into the market in 1959 by Gibson, the varitone switch acts as a notch filter that passes the signal through capacitors that remove or reduce the specified frequency. Though they were first prominent in electric guitars (B.B. King’s classic Lucille guitar is one of the more prominent axes to feature one), it wasn’t long before bassists joined the party, with the first bass varitone switch being put into the Les Paul Signature bass in the early 1970s. Today, the bass varitone switch is still something of a rare find, but we’ve compiled a list of the best varitone switches in 2022. Each one listed here offers at least three different tonal settings to switch between, has the ability to be installed at home without requiring professional attention, and can work with a multitude of separate capacitors to provide the wide tonal range that they provide.

A good bassist knows that your tone is definitely something worth being meticulous about, and there’s no better way to get a really great-sounding signal out of your instrument than by running it through a bass guitar preamp. This unit can be used to simply boost the signal or shape the tone further via EQ, compression, and effects. Bass preamps come in a wide variety of shapes, sizes, and types, from units that integrate into amplifier heads to rack systems. We've chosen the best bass guitar preamps in 2022, each one listed here featuring a drive control that allows you to add some grit to your signal, EQ settings that give you the ability to shape the frequency of your bass signal, and they all offer footswitch options to give you hands-free control over your sound while playing whether it’s through the product’s pedal status or additional footswitch for the rackmount devices. Read on for our top picks and buyer's guide.

So you want to equip your bass guitar with active electronics? At one point in time, this was quite an ordeal to pull off, requiring an installation of a completely new system, something that costs money and takes a significant amount of time to do. With onboard preamps, you can now introduce an entirely new level of control and flexibility to any kind of bass guitar. These are the best bass onboard preamps in 2022, with each one we've chosen providing multiple bands of EQ to manipulate your bass tone, can be installed without having to gut your instrument, and they also control the volume of your bass guitar.

The guitar compressor pedal is an underrated tool in your average guitarist’s effects rig, but nonetheless a piece of gear that can subtly take the sound coming from the amplifier to the next level. The compressor pedal not only thickens and tightens a guitar tone by evening out the volume differences between separate notes, but can also increase the sustain of the signal which is a result that most guitarists normally lean on distortion for. In this case, distortion isn’t necessary, but a compressor can also be used in conjunction with distortion or overdriven signal to boost it further. Here are the best guitar compressor pedals in 2022, with each one we've chosen featuring knobs to control the amount of compression that is used so players can decide how extreme they want the effect to be, each pedal can be powered by a 9V battery, and they also provide little to absolutely no effect on your guitar rig’s signal when the effect is not activated.

Guitarists can be pretty picky about the EQ of their tone. And while one can definitely adjust the frequencies of their instrument using the control settings on their amplifier and even on the instrument itself via the tone knobs, a tool like an EQ pedal offers an unparalleled degree of control and precision. Having your EQ control set inside a pedal gives you the ability to make changes quickly and easily, as the control is right at your feet, and can also be triggered on and off at will to drastically alter your sound in the middle of a performance. Here are the best guitar EQ pedals in 2022, with each one we've chosen offering multiple knobs and controls to shape individual bands/frequencies of your signal, they provide a small footprint so as not to take up critical space in your pedalboard or rig, and offer features to prevent feedback from creeping into the mix.

If guitarists are super heroes (and let’s be honest, they all are, to some varying degree), then the capo most definitely belongs in the utility belt that carries the tools and tricks they need to get the job done. A capo essentially changes the key of a guitar, allowing players to voice more intricate barre chords using open chord finger positions. But beyond that, the capo is also a great songwriting accessory, giving players a new perspective on how they write and what chords they play, as well as quickly transposing the instrument to fit the key of a song. Here are the best guitar capos in 2022 we've chosen, with each one listed here designed to easily attach and detach from your guitar using just one hand, provides a low amount of tension so as not to create any damage or buzzing to your strings when applied, and can easily be stored on the headstock of the guitar when not in use.

When you’re first starting out in the world of electric guitars, you may be satisfied with simply plugging your axe directly into an amp (or when recording, directly into a recording interface), but time and experience typically will lead you to a better path. Guitar preamps are ideal for players who want to improve their tone from the jump; they can be used to simply boost volume, or to bring out frequencies and EQ in a way that is unparalleled once you’ve dipped your toe into that particular pool. Simply put, once you’ve experienced how great your guitar sounds with a good preamp, it’s difficult to go back to any other way. Here are the best guitar preamps in 2022 we chosen, with each one manufactured in a pedal format so it can be easily integrated into your effects rig, they feature EQ settings that allow you to intricately sculpt the tone that the preamp provides, and they also offer different levels of gain boosting to crank up your signal as needed.

There’s a good chance that you could poll a random selection of guitarists, and half of them are probably not entirely familiar with what a guitar power attenuator is and what it does. Yet the attenuator plays a very important role in any guitarist’s rig. The guitar power attenuator essentially plays the middleman between the amp and the speaker; this device diverts excess power that comes from the amplifier to control the volume of the speaker. It essentially allows your tone to remain intact, even when you lower the volume on your speaker. Here are the best guitar power attenuators in 2022, with each one we've chosen featuring a rugged, durable build that will allow you to take it on the road without worrying about causing any damage, they each provide a transparent effect on your signal in that it won’t alter or color your tone unfavorably, and they also feature additional controls to shape the frequency range and output of the guitar signal.

Keeping your guitar in tune is obviously essential to a great performance, but there’s nothing that can suck the life out of the pace of a show than when you have to stop and disconnect your guitar from your rig and then plug it into your tuner, and then have to undo that process to reconnect back into your effects rig. Look, even reading that description was cumbersome. Enter the guitar stomp box guitar tuner, a pedal that puts your tuner right at your feet. No disconnecting and reconnecting is necessary, allowing you to quickly, easily, and discretely keep your ax sounding good in a way that’s seamless to an audience’s perspective. We've analyzed a plethora of different stomp box tuners on the market and have picked out what we think are the top five out there. With each one here capable of accommodating standard tuning as well as some alternate tunings, they give you the ability to mute the signal so that no one will hear you tune, and all of them can be powered by either an adapter or batteries that can be easily found at any convenience store. Read on to see which ones might suit you best and if you don't know, no worries! We've also included a buying guide to help you pick out the right ones for you!

Any guitarist will tell you that having a quality guitar strap is crucial to performance, whether it’s in the studio or onstage. We all like to treat our guitars like they are our babies, so having a strap that is sturdy and stable is essential because there’s nothing worse than watching your guitar fall to the floor. At the same time, a great strap and bag can also offer something on an aesthetic level because while looks aren’t everything, but there’s nothing wrong with looking cool with your axe, either. After all, if you didn’t want to look cool, you’d have taken up the clarinet instead. Here are the best guitar straps in 2022, with each one we've chosen being adjustable to fit your body and guitar type, they're manufactured with materials designed to provide extra comfort when worn across your body, and they're also available in a range of flattering colors so that you can coordinate a strap to match your axe and/or outfit.

While the guitar volume pedal may not necessarily be as flashy as some of the other effects pedals the average guitarist might find at his or her feet, it certainly plays a useful (and often integral) role. This pedal offers players a way to easily adjust the output of their instrument without having to adjust the master volume knob on the guitar itself. But beyond that utility-like function, the guitar volume pedal can also be used in more creative ways, providing swelling sound effects. When combined with other effect pedals in the rig, some truly interesting and captivating sounds can be produced. We've put together a list of some of the top guitar pedals this year, with each item here designed to be particularly rugged to prevent from breaking during heavy use, can be used to reduce overall volume to 0dB or a higher volume rate as its base minimum, and they're all built to leave your tone unaffected wherever you place it in your effects rig.

Why be tied down? Guitar wireless systems provide guitarists with the ability to roam around on stage without being tethered to a cable, allowing maximum performance ability and relief from the burden of worrying about just how much slack is left on the cable connecting the axe to the amplifier and pedalboard. In addition to providing that type of freedom, these systems also are designed to ensure that the audio fidelity remains clear and intact. Here are the best guitar wireless systems in 2022, each comprised by both a transmitter and receive, they all give players the ability to select a wide range of frequencies in order to find the best-sounding signal, and offer EQ/gain controls to further tweak the signal running through the system.

Rocking out in the moment on stage with your guitar leaves very little room for caution or consideration. You can’t be worried about potentially dropping your guitar or having it fly into the audience. Having a solid set of guitar strap locks allows you to play with full aplomb, with the security of knowing that your guitar will be held in place and kept safe. Here are the best guitar strap locks 2022, with each item here available in a variety of finishes to match the appearance of your guitar. All of these have been engineered to make it easy for you to attach (or detach) your strap from the instrument and can safely sustain more than 200 lbs of pressure/tension.

Guitarists constantly carry them around, are quite particular about which ones they prefer to use, and they’re so important that nationally touring musicians typically have a row of them lined up and ready to go just a few inches away from their faces; we’re talking, of course, about the guitar pick. An essential accessory in the performance of many different styles of music, the pick is used by players to coax sound out of their strings and because there are many different types of guitarists and several different kinds of sounds/styles, there are a number of guitar picks to choose from. We've selected some the best guitar picks in 2022, with each one designed to be durable for hard and consistent playing, they bring out a brighter tone from your guitar strings, and they're all available in multi-packs for a great deal and easy replacement.

Having a collection of guitar effects pedals is cool; having to transport and power them all individually, not so much. Enter the guitar pedal board, a piece of gear that not only houses the array of pedals that the average gigging/recording guitarist may use, but will also often supply power for them without having to worry about individual battery lives or connecting each pedal to a wall outlet. These are the best guitar pedal boards in 2022, with each product here featuring a protective exterior to keep your pedals safe from impact, each can fit at least five effects pedals, and they're all built to allow guitarists to customize their chain and configuration to fit their playing needs.

There’s no way around it, you’ve got to keep your guitar in tune if you want to play it. The locking tuner presents an ideal way to achieve this task, as the tuning pegs use a screw/retaining configuration so that there is minimal movement of the strings on your axe. In turn, they are less likely to go out of tune. Here are the best guitar locking tuners in 2022, with each of our selections available in different finishes/colors to match your axe, are designed to offer firm stability to prevent the guitar from going out of tune, and can be used with very little preparation or experience.

Many people regard instrument cables as an afterthought, a mere accessory that has no real impact on the sound or performance of an instrument like the guitar. These people would do well to do their research since guitar cables are absolutely crucial in the realm of signal flow. They can deliver high quality audio or be the factor responsible for the deterioration of said signal. Here are the best guitar cables in 2022, with each selection available in multiple lengths to fit your configuration, offered in straight to straight setups that are ideal for quickly and smoothly plugging a guitar into an amp or pedal, and are equipped with multiple layers of noise-handling protection to ensure your signal is clear and not diluted by excess audio artifacts.

Asking a guitarist to pick the best effect pedal is going to result in a wide variety of answers, but there’s one thing that is for certain, there are few effects pedals as fun (and as involving) to play as a wah pedal. By moving the pedal up and down with one’s foot, the unit sweeps the peak response of a filter up and down in frequency, creating a “wah” like sound that is similar to that of the human voice. There are multiple ways that this pedal can be used for expression, whether it’s applied to scorching guitar solos, funky rhythms, or anywhere in between. Here are the best wah pedals in 2022, with each selection giving players the flexibility of choosing between a battery or AC adapter power source, durable case builds to ensure that these devices won’t break under the type of heavy use that wah pedals typically receive, and specific tonal settings entirely unique to that pedal and not found anywhere else.

When it’s time to crank up the volume, guitarists need to look no further than a good guitar amp. Since the invention of rock and roll, the amplifier has played a major role in not just projecting the sound of the electric guitar, but also in shaping the tone, style, and attitude, allowing players to carve out their own voice in the world of guitar playing. Although the amplifier may be most commonly associated with the Spinal Tap-esque imagery of loud, deafening metal bands, nearly every style of music that utilizes electric guitar (or any electric instruments, for that matter) counts the amplifier as an important part of the sound chain. And as technology continues to advance, there are more options than ever for guitarists looking to buy their own amp, so we created a list of the best guitar amps in 2022. There’s a lot to consider, but luckily we’ve compiled some important things to keep in mind in our guitar amp buyer’s guide below.

Incessant pop singles may have reaffirmed it in recent years, but musicians throughout history can confirm that it has, in fact, always been all about that bass. The bass guitar is a staple of popular music, playing a significant role in genres such as rock, jazz, soul, funk, R&B, hip hop, and more. And while its cousin the electric guitar may have a slight advantage in the popularity category, the bass guitar plays an integral role in both holding down the bottom end of the mix as well as enhancing the groove and rhythm of a song. If you’re looking to buy a bass guitar, you’ve got plenty of options to choose from in this list of the best bass guitars in 2022. We’ve highlighted some important things to keep in mind in our bass guitar buyer’s guide below.

The acoustic guitar provides the most no-frills experience for guitarists. Forget having to pick up cables, amplifiers, pedals, pre-amps, and other accessories, and devices, an acoustic guitar is your one-stop shop for just picking up an instrument and playing music. These best acoustic guitars in 2022 can be used as a writing tool at home, a piece of a composition in the recording studio, or as a means to play music onstage, at the beach, in the park, or on a rooftop. There are a ridiculous amount of acoustic guitars available on the market for guitarists of all sorts of styles and skill levels, and it can get a little overwhelming when trying to find the right one. Fortunately, we’ve compiled some things to keep in mind in our acoustic guitar buyer’s guide below.