Former audio engineer, current editor-in-chief of zZounds.com. When I’m not geeking out about recording gear and enforcing proper punctuation, I can be found playing the keytar. It’s a serious instrument, you know.
Best Noise-Cancelling Headphones & Earbuds: 2019 Guide
Jump To: FAQ | Lingo | Price-Based Selections Noise-Cancelling Headphones Buying Guide How do noise-cancelling headphones work to improve listening quality? Call it active noise-cancelling, adaptive noise-cancelling, or active noise control — the technology in these headphones helps you press the “mute” button on your surroundings. It’s no surprise […]
Interview: Greg Spero, Keyboardist on Tour with Halsey
Jazz audiences know Greg Spero as an award-winning pianist, composer and bandleader. Playing professionally since age 14, Spero has studied with the likes of Herbie Hancock, and toured the US and UK with his own jazz trio. But his enviable career kicked up a notch in early 2015, when Greg landed his gig as the […]
Interview: Inside the Akai MPC Touch
When it comes to iconic music-making gear, the Akai MPC sequencer/sampler/groovebox is definitely high on the list. Akai’s newest version of this classic beat-making machine is the MPC Touch — which pairs a 7″ color multi-touchscreen with the familiar grid of pads and step sequencer. The Touch works as a USB controller and audio interface with […]
Inside the Moog Synthesizer Factory
Asheville, North Carolina is a mecca for artists and musicians of all stripes — but it’s especially dear to the hearts of analog synthesizer enthusiasts. That’s because Asheville is home to the Moog synthesizer factory, where 61 full-time Moog Music employees work to carry on the legacy of the company’s famous founder, Dr. Bob Moog. […]
Talking Gear with the Chicago Acoustic Underground Podcast
Your typical podcast recording setup doesn’t include a 24-channel digital console, a wall of custom-modded guitar amps, and a full drum kit. But Chicago Acoustic Underground isn’t quite your typical podcast. In his quest to capture the work of unknown artists, CAU podcast host Michael Teach has crammed his modest Chicago apartment with musical instruments […]
Chicago Acoustic Underground Celebrates a Decade of Supporting Original Musicians
Michael Teach listens intently as singer-songwriter Sarah Eide and her band knock out a set of original tunes in the living room of his Chicago apartment. “I love that!” he proclaims into his Neumann TLM-103 microphone as the group wraps up their first number. “What a cool song!” Your average 70-year-old doesn’t get quite this […]
Shootout: Black Lion Audio Micro Clock Mk3
What difference does a word clock make? Read on to find out. For this shootout, we recorded acoustic guitar with the Black Lion Audio Micro Clock Mk3 vs. no word clock, and piano/vocal comparing the BLA Micro Clock Mk3 with its predecessor, the BLA Micro Clock Mk2. What Does a Word Clock Do, Anyway? Digital […]
Interview: Marc Walloch, Bassist for AWOLNATION
2015 has been quite the ride so far for bassist/guitarist/songwriter Marc Walloch. With a career that includes stints playing guitar for Juliette Lewis, and several years rising through the alt-rock ranks as a founding member of Company of Thieves — the Chicago band that launched powerhouse vocalist Genevieve’s career — Walloch is currently on the […]
Shootout: IK Multimedia iRig MIC Studio & Shure MOTIV MV51
So far, 2015 seems to be the year of the iOS/USB microphone for mobile recording. Two of the latest iOS/USB mics to arrive at zZounds are the IK Multimedia iRig MIC Studio — a new addition to IK Multimedia’s iRig line of made-for-iOS gear — and the Shure MOTIV MV51, part of Shure’s MOTIV family […]
