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.
Interview: Kenny Carkeet, Keyboardist for AWOLNATION
Kenny Carkeet has been making music with AWOLNATION — the electronic alt-rock band masterminded by frontman Aaron Bruno — since the project’s inception in 2009. “I’ve been playing with AWOL since the very beginning,” recalls Carkeet. “I met Aaron when he was still kind of creating the AWOLNATION thing…even before this was a band.” The […]
Artist Impressions: Minimoog Model D
Moog’s Minimoog Model D — back in production for the first time since 1981 — has been making waves among analog synthesizer fans. Among those fans are Greg Spero, touring keyboardist for Halsey, and AWOLNATION’s Kenny Carkeet. Both musicians took a brand-new Model D for a spin at the zZounds HQ. In addition to his […]
Roland’s 909 Day: Redefining the Product Launch Event
At their The Future Redefined event, nicknamed “909 Day,” Roland is rolling out a slew of new gear — and they’re also introducing a new way to launch products, breaking the mold of the traditional tradeshow approach. Backstage at Studio Six01 in Burbank, California, just before the Los Angeles leg of 909 Day kicked off, […]
Singer-Songwriter Jamie Kent: On the Road with the Bose® L1® System
Nashville singer-songwriter Jamie Kent has played countless small and mid-sized venues — and he’s no stranger to those rooms’ hit-or-miss sound quality. So this seasoned “road warrior” takes sonic matters into his own hands by bringing a portable PA: the Bose® L1® Model II system. In between stops on the Bose Troubadour Tour, and on his […]
Moog Mother-32: Behind the Design
Since its late 2015 release, the Moog Mother-32 semi-modular analog synthesizer has become one of Moog’s fastest-selling instruments of all time. A powerful little synth/sequencer for a remarkably low price, the Mother-32 deserves all the buzz it’s garnered, and then some. At the Moog Sound Lab in Asheville, North Carolina, we sat down with two […]
Q&A with School of Rock The Musical’s Brandon “Taz” Niederauer
Twelve-year-old Brandon “Taz” Niederauer is a real-life guitar whiz kid who’s played with the likes of the Allman Brothers, Gary Clark Jr., and Luther Dickinson. Now, Niederauer has landed his biggest gig yet — making his Broadway debut as “Zack” in Andrew Lloyd Webber’s musical adaptation of School of Rock. Opening in December 2015 to […]
Q&A with School of Rock The Musical’s Evie Dolan
Not yet twelve years old, Evie Dolan is already a triple threat — she’s singing, acting and dancing in Broadway’s smash hit School of Rock – The Musical, Andrew Lloyd Webber’s stage adaptation of the 2003 Jack Black film. Make that quadruple threat: She’s also playing bass guitar live on stage in School of Rock. […]
Best DJ Headphones: 2025 Guide
Jump To: What to look for | Price-Based Selections | Waveriding DJ Headphones Buying Guide What makes a great pair of DJ headphones? We interviewed DJs Zebo, Mr. Automatic and Daniel Moose to find out. What makes a great pair of DJ headphones? Headphone manufacturers and casual listeners may tout […]
Best Studio Headphones: 2025 Guide
Jump To: Lingo | FAQ | Price-Based Selections | Breaking In Headphones Studio Monitor Headphones Buying Guide How you hear yourself when you’re making music In a perfect world, you wouldn’t need to wear headphones in the studio. You’d be in the control room in front of a pair […]
