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.
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: 2026 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 […]
Best Noise-Cancelling Headphones & Earbuds: 2026 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 […]
