Articles by Matt McCracken, Junior Deals Writer

Matt is a Junior Deals Writer at Music Radar and has been playing guitar as his main instrument for well over 20 years. He also plays drums, bass, and keys, producing out of his home studio in Manchester, UK. He has previously worked for Dawsons Music, Northwest Guitars, and freelanced for various magazines and blogs, writing reviews, how-to's, and features. When he's not downloading the latest VSTs or justifying yet another guitar pedal purchase, you'll find him making music with Northern noise hounds JACKALS.

Articles by: Matt McCracken

Best Telecaster pickups 2023: our top picks from Tele twang to single coil-sized humbuckers

By Matt McCracken published 22 May 23

Upgrade the tone of your Tele with these powerful pickups from Fender, Seymour Duncan, Mojotone, and more

NI Komplete Kontrol M32 MIDI keyboard on a blue and black background

Get Komplete 14 Select completely free when you purchase a Native Instruments Komplete Kontrol M32 MIDI keyboard

By Matt McCracken published 17 May 23

Bag yourself a saving of $199/£179 with this amazing offer from Native Instruments

Home recording studio with computer, studio monitors, and various hardware

Best saturation plugins 2023: bring your mix to life with these studio secret weapons

By Matt McCracken published 10 May 23

Ignite individual tracks or give your mix the finishing flourish with our pick of the best saturation plugins from SoundToys, FabFilter, Brainworx, and more

AKG studio headpones, DSM & Humboldt Amp Sim and JBL speakers surrounding an AKG Lyra USB microphone

Elevate your audio with these incredible deals on select AKG, JBL, and DSM & Humboldt gear at Thomann

By Matt McCracken published 2 May 23

From headphones to wireless Bluetooth monitors, these amazing Spring deals at Thomann are only available while stocks last

Focusrite Scarlett OctoPre on top of a guitar cab with studio headphones and microphone

Best budget mic preamps 2023: Upgrade your studio setup for less

By Matt McCracken published 28 April 23

Add vibe to your vocals and sheen to your instrument sounds with our selection of the best budget mic preamps available today

How to optimize your PC for music production

By Matt McCracken published 27 March 23

Follow our top tips to refresh your PC and improve your production workflow - all without spending a penny

Microsoft Surface Pro 9 review

By Matt McCracken published 22 March 23

Microsoft’s hybrid tablet-slash-laptop packs some serious power, but can it level up your music production?

Two Fender Player Series guitars on a grey background

Bag yourself up to $180 off Fender Player and Player Plus bundles in the Fender Spring Sale

By Matt McCracken published 20 March 23

Fender’s much-lauded guitars get a healthy discount with these awesome bundle deals including Hammertone pedals and more

Upgrade your guitar playing with a month’s worth of Guitar Tricks lessons for just $1

By Matt McCracken published 20 March 23

Get access to over 11,000 online guitar lessons with this exclusive offer for MusicRadar readers

Close up of Universal Audio OX Amp Top Box

Save a huge $300 on perfect guitar tones with the excellent Universal Audio OX Amp Top Box at Guitar Center

By Matt McCracken published 28 February 23

This invaluable studio tool enables you to fully utilize the power of your tube amp from the comfort of your home studio

Ubisoft Rocksmith+ review

By Matt McCracken published 23 February 23

The much-loved guitar game franchise gets a refresh for the modern era, but is it a video game, an online guitar lesson platform, or both?

Two TC Electronic mini guitar pedals on a wooden floor

Best mini pedals 2023: give your ‘board some breathing room with these small-scale stompboxes

By Matt McCracken published 23 February 23

Our choice of mini guitar pedals for phenomenal cosmic tones, with an itty bitty pedalboard footprint

Best creative multi-effects plugins 2023: transform your tracks with these cutting-edge creative tools

By Matt McCracken published 1 February 23

Supercharge your samples and take those tired old synth sounds to a new level with our choice of the top multi-effects plugins

Best mastering plugins 2023: 10 plugins to make your mix streaming ready

By Matt McCracken published 1 February 23

Ensure your mix is able to compete in the loudness war with our top mastering plugins from iZotope, Waves, Softube, and more

Best delay plugins 2023: add depth and dimension to your mixes with these must-have plugins

By Matt McCracken published 31 January 23

From self-oscillation to digital emulation, these are the best delay plugins for your productions

Woman plays acoustic guitar at home with a laptop

Take advantage of Fender Play's new year deals with 50% off annual subscriptions and a two-week free trial

By Matt McCracken published 24 January 23

This latest offer from Fender Play will have you on your way to becoming a guitar virtuoso without breaking the bank

Best distortion pedals 2023: our pick of the top gain stages for guitar

By Michael Astley-Brown published 20 January 23

Bring the filth with 11 of the best distortion pedals for hard-rock, metal and beyond

Closeup of the Orange Micro Dark head on top of a flightcase

Best budget guitar amps under $500/£500 2023: top cheap amps for smaller budgets

By Chris Corfield published 19 January 23

We showcase some of the best cheap tube and digital modelling guitar amp heads and combos, for all playing styles

Best guitar cables 2023: leads and patch cables for all budgets

By Rob Laing published 17 January 23

Advice on picking the best guitar cable for you and why choosing the right cable matters, with options from Mogami, Ernie Ball, Fender and more

Man watches his son play acoustic guitar while they both sit on a staircase

Best acoustic guitars for beginners 2023: strum your first chords with the top beginner acoustic guitars

By Chris Corfield published 13 January 23

Start playing today with beginner acoustics from Taylor, Fender, Epiphone, Martin and more

Close up of the strings and sound hole of a cheap acoustic guitar

Best cheap acoustic guitars 2023: 13 top picks for those on a budget

By Jonathan Horsley published 3 January 23

Your guide to the best cheap acoustic and electro-acoustic guitars out there, with amazing value options from Martin, Taylor, Fender, and more

Image of guitarist playing Jazzmaster guitar with Positive Grid Riff audio interface and Positive Grid BIAS FX 2 software

Bag yourself a free Riff audio interface when you purchase Positive Grid’s Omnyss or BIAS FX 2

By Matt McCracken published 21 December 22

Give yourself the gift of great tone on the go, with this last-minute Christmas deal from Positive Grid

Young woman learning to play acoustic guitar

Best online guitar lessons 2023: improve your playing with Fender Play, Guitar Tricks, JustinGuitar and more

By Jonathan Horsley last updated 5 May 23

Elevate your guitar skills with our top picks for online guitar lesson sites and apps

Close up of acoustic guitar strings and soundhole

Best acoustic guitar strings 2023: get the most from your acoustic

By Jonathan Horsley last updated 27 March 23

Discover the best acoustic guitar strings for your style and budget, with top picks from Martin, Elixir, D'Addario and more

Image of a red Telecaster guitar on a wooden floor

Best Telecasters 2023: 12 of the best Fender Telecasters for every budget

By Ed Mitchell last updated 8 February 23

Our pick of the best Telecasters that prove Leo Fender’s first born is still the most versatile guitar design of all time

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