As Content Manager, Maya writes about gear for zZounds — especially recording and live sound gear. She started plunking on a piano in 1992, and began audio engineering work in 2000. Over the years, she’s fronted bands, trained commercial voiceover actors, assisted on hundreds of recording sessions, and once co-wrote an alt-rock musical. Currently, Maya’s music gig is singing lullabies to her two young children.
Coaxial Studio Monitors in the Real World
Kali Audio’s “Project Independence” IN-8 and IN-5 studio monitor speakers are notable for their three-way architecture, with the midrange driver and tweeter nested together in a coaxial, or coincident, design. We’re taking a close look at coaxial studio monitors — and how they can help solve the real-world problems of phase cancellation and off-axis lobing […]
Neon Vines’ Music Gear Picks
Multi-instrumentalist Neon Vines climbed into the electronic music production scene in early 2018, poised to outgrow her singer-songwriter roots. In just a few short months, she began to amass a dedicated fanbase on YouTube and Instagram — and an ever-expanding collection of high-tech music-making tools like the ROLI Seaboard, Ableton Push, and Akai MPC X. […]
Why DJs Are Choosing Rekordbox
DJs who perform live are constantly making choices. Which song to play next? What feeling do I need to create right now? Is the crowd ready to build energy, or take things down a notch? And unless you’re an all-vinyl purist, one of those choices is which digital DJ platform to use for performing and […]
Summer NAMM 2019: New Gear from Fender, Ampeg, Boss and More
The music gear world has descended upon Nashville, Tennessee for the Summer NAMM 2019 tradeshow! Join the zZounds crew on the show floor as we get our hands on the latest and greatest guitars, amps, and audio gear. Shop all Summer NAMM 2019 gear on zZounds New from Ampeg: Heritage 50th Anniversary SVT Bass Amplifier […]
Chicago’s New Playground for Sonic Experimentation
At some of Chicago’s more famous museums, patrons aren’t supposed to touch the exhibits. But Synth House Chicago Museum is different. In this cozy co-working space in the West Town neighborhood, guests get their hands on an impressive collection of modern and vintage synthesizers curated by owner Marty Pelayo, who encourages museum visitors to bring […]
Understanding Speaker Sensitivity
When choosing a passive loudspeaker, one of the most important specifications to look for is sensitivity — a measure of the volume output you can expect from the speaker, relative to its input power. Speaker sensitivity reflects the speaker’s ability to efficiently convert power into sound. Why Does Speaker Sensitivity Matter? Sensitivity matters because a […]
Keyboards, DJ, Live Sound & Recording Gear at NAMM 2019
Shop gear from NAMM 2019 at zZounds: Keyboards & MIDI | DJ Gear | Computer Audio | Recording | Live Sound
Analog Mixers for Multi-Track Recording
At the heart of countless performance venues, recording rigs, practice spaces, and broadcast facilities, you’ll find analog mixers. For any music project that involves more than one or two simultaneous mics or instruments, a mixer can be of great use. With a mixer, you can balance levels between multiple sources, sweeten your sound with the […]
10 Music Gear Brand Names You Should Know How to Say
If you’re into making music, you’re probably into talking gear, too. But what’s the proper way to pronounce all those audio gear and musical instrument brand names that you’ve seen so many times? Here at zZounds, we’ve heard them all. Here are 10 commonly mispronounced brand names, and our guide to how to say them […]
