Inside Martin’s Storied Legacy: Factory and Museum Tour
In November of 2025, the zZounds crew traveled to Nazareth, PA, to embark on an exciting journey through Martin’s world-renowned factory and museum. During our factory tour, we witnessed Martin’s time-tested processes, which incorporate remarkable manual craftsmanship complemented by a small handful of pre-programmed machines. The museum, which sits mere feet from the entrance to […]
Here’s a Deep Dive into the Line 6 Helix Stadium XL
The next great era of Line 6 Helix is here with the Line 6 Helix Stadium XL. Featuring Agoura modeling, the Stadium XL delivers unprecedented responsiveness, sound, and playing dynamics in one tour-ready floorboard. The 8-inch touchscreen makes building out your ideal rig easy, and the 12 high-contrast OLED scribble strips transform workflow from juggling […]
Lauten Audio’s Kick Mic and the Case for Purpose-Built Drum Mics
For home producers who track real drums in less-than-ideal rooms, kick capture is often the part of a session that eats time and patience: a boom that will not sit, attack that disappears under room modes, and a long chain of EQ and gating to try to fix it. The Lauten Audio Kick Mic addresses […]
Our Top Videos of 2025
The Top Videos of 2025 As we prepare to say goodbye to 2025, we’re taking some time to look back on the year in zZounds videos! Scroll through to find our most-viewed and favorite videos of the year, and see what makes the gear in them so special. We’ll be back with plenty more videos […]
Using the Zoom F6 Recorder
Zoom handheld recorders like the H6studio and H4essential are great tools for recording audio outside of the studio. But what if you need a recorder with more features to use for on-location audio, for example in a video shoot? In this post we’ll take a look at the Zoom F6 “professional multi-track field recorder” and […]
Our Guide to Studio Shredding
In the modern era of guitar recording, more and more players are turning to gear that’s designed to streamline their studio setup. For metal players looking to downsize, it’s all about achieving a huge sound without compromising on power or flavor. However, building a pro-level guitar recording rig capable of delivering top-shelf tones can be […]
Universal Audio Volt 876: Eight Channels of Real Hardware Tone for the Home Studio
Universal Audio’s Volt 876 turns your home studio rack into a small tracking room without turning it into a project. It’s not trying to be a flagship console, and it’s not pretending to be an Apollo. What it is is an eight-preamp, multichannel USB recording front end that gives you actual hardware color, fast workflow, […]
Form Follows Function on Sequential’s Fourm Synth
How do you pronounce it? “Form.” zZounds sat down with Evan Weiss from Sequential to go hands-on with the brand-new Sequential Fourm, a four-voice analog polysynth built on true Prophet-5 DNA. This compact powerhouse delivers everything synth fans crave: warm, organic oscillators, a classic 4-pole low-pass filter with bass compensation, and that signature Prophet-style envelope […]
Is This the Single-Pickup Axe to Rule Them All?
In the late ’50s, Gibson set out to prove that a stripped-down Les Paul loaded with a single pickup could rule them all. Thus the double-cutaway Les Paul Junior was born. Now, Gibson faithfully recreates this trailblazing guitar at a fraction of the price! Crafted with a mahogany body and neck, a rosewood fretboard, and […]
