OK, pedal newb, listen up! Making music should be fun! So don’t let any jaded a-holes talk down to you, and especially don’t let anyone call you ‘newb’ – even us. It’s rude and gatekeeping in music is stupid and childish. Anyway, let’s talk PEDALS! Let’s say you are starting from scratch and want to hit each and every effect category, so you are never without that crucial stompbox when inspiration strikes. I mean, who knows when you’ll want to flange the heck out of that rippin’ lead, amirite? What are our top picks for each fx category? Well, glad you asked. We put together this very article ..read more

(Flickr user youarenotaghost) The chorus pedal was an eighties staple, and although it’s not as common today, it’s still a valuable addition to any guitarists’ arsenal. It’s designed as a replication of the sound of two guitarists playing the same piece – there are inevitably minor differences in pitch and timbre that lead to a choral, shimmery, choir-like sound. To produce the effect with a solo guitarist, the signal is split into two: the original and a slightly delayed version of itself with a slight difference in pitch, which is modulated to finish off the effect. But how do you put it t ..read more

Gravity is delighted to announce that its new family of Glow Stands – a pair of uniquely inspiring guitar and bass stands that feature ambient lighting to give any creative space an incredible dose of atmosphere, is now available. The Gravity Glow Stand is available is two models – players can choose between a hanging “neck hug” version or a classic A-frame design – and is suitable for electric and acoustic guitars, and bass guitars. The Glow Stands provide maximum support for the instruments stored on them, while at the same time highlighting them with inspiring colours of the player’s choice ..read more

Performer Magazine is psyched to bring you our special ACOUSTIC ISSUE celebrating all things acoustic from gear to setup to recording and live performance tips. We’ve been working hard on this one for a while, and it even has a companion mixtape dropping later this month featuring some of our favorite EXCLUSIVE acoustic tracks we’ve recorded over the past few months. In addition, we’ll be posting behind-the-scenes videos featuring the berand-new Austrian Audio MiCreatoer Studio in action with our friend Aaron Kellim on our YouTube and Instagram channels. PLUS — stick around for a sp ..read more

Xvive, best known for their wireless systems including the popular U2 Guitar Wireless System, is introducing a new guitar stand that offers guitarists and bassists a new standard of reliability and portability. The G1 Butterfly Guitar Stand was designed in Germany to keep guitars safely upright, whether on a stage, in a studio or at home. It’s also small enough to fit in the back pocket of a gig bag! The stand’s two-tiered cradle accommodates almost any electric, acoustic, classical or bass guitar, and even other stringed instruments such as mandolins. The G1’s aluminum alloy construction mak ..read more

Save up to $180 off digital pianos and guitars in Donner’s massive Amazon Prime Day sale including 30% off DDP-80 Digital Pianos and HUSH-I Headless Travel Guitar Donner, a company well-known for its innovative and feature-rich musical instruments, is excited to announce its music carnival for the summer of 2023, coinciding with the 10th anniversary of the Donner Amazon Store. Summer is the perfect time to gather with friends and create music. By participating in Donner’s Amazon Prime Day sales event on July 11-12, music lovers can enjoy exceptional savings of up to $140 off or 30% off on a wi ..read more

We hate to keep comparing things, but since our go-to pad controller in the studio is the PreSonus Atom, it would be dishonest to say we didn’t draw comparisons when testing out the Donner Starry Pad. For reference, this comes in about $50 cheaper than the PreSonus unit. For starters, both sets of 16×16 pads feel great. The Donner is no slouch even though it’s about 2/3 the price. While it may not offer up as many tactile DAW controls as the Atom (many of which are only super useful if you’re in the Studio One world), it does provide a fair amount of transport buttons, assignable rotary knobs ..read more

Donner sent us one of their new B1 Bass Synthesizers to check out and do some video work with (check out a killer track that Kyle Andrews made for us on below), and we were super impressed with this small format, yet ultra-cool, bass synth.   View this post on Instagram   A post shared by Performer Magazine (@performermagazine) We’ve always reached for our tried-and-true Novation Bass Station for bass synth stuff here in the office studio, but this $159 B1 was no slouch! If the tactile silicone keyboard isn’t your jam, you’ve got traditional MIDI I/O on tap so you can connect it ..read more

The Queer Australian/Italian-Armenian has been bending the lines of artistry with his own skewed, mutant industrial productions for 13 years, touring as a DJ, musician and in various projects, like Ghosts In The Machine, a future-cyber-wave-sci-fi concept about AI stripping human souls, becoming Ghosts In The Machine. MAKE & MODEL: Tonus Model ARP 2600 Synthesizer (1972) + Industrial Music Piston Honda MK3 (2018) WHAT IT MEANS TO YOU: The synth layout encourages sonic exploration which resonates with my own musical approach to try to create new sounds that have yet to be unearthed. It soun ..read more

If you want to see just how much fun the Jamstik Classic MIDI guitar is, stop reading this and head over to our Instagram or YouTube channel. We sent one to the awesome Kal The Guitar Hero from the band Color 8 out of Phoenix. Just look at Kal’s face light up as he turns the guitar into a bass synth machine, or adds piano runs to his song using the guitar as a controller. It’s inspiring, and you can see on-camera how the creative spark took off once he realized the power that a MIDI-equipped guitar could afford him. So, don’t take our word for it, but….well, also take our word for it. Because ..read more