Latest articles by Matt McCracken
Best acoustic guitar for beginners 2025: Strum your first chords with our choice of beginner acoustic guitars
Start playing today with beginner acoustics from Taylor, Fender, Epiphone, Martin and more – hand-picked by experts
Best podcasting microphones 2025: my expert picks for every budget and level, including audio demos
Record your next pod’ or stream your heart out with the very best podcast mics, including my affordable recommendation under $100/£100
Best budget laptops for music production 2025: Affordable laptops for making music
I've got the latest laptops on test that will not only enable you to make music anywhere, but do it without spending a fortune – our top picks start at just $/£300
“Its (mostly) stellar build quality sets it apart from many guitars costing twice the price”: Jet JJ-300 P90 review
Jet Guitars' thoughtfully built offset leaves a lasting impression, but it's not without compromise
Best external hard drives for music production 2025: Back up your music and boost your computer's performance
Store recording sessions, video files, and sample libraries with our expert pick of the best external hard drives for Mac and PC
Thomann Black Friday deals 2025: Get the lowdown on the early sales and all the info you need about Thomann's massive Cyber Weekend sale
Black Friday is nearly upon us. Here's what to look for before this year's sale starts
Best laptop for music production 2025: For home studios and mobile music-making - tested by experts
My pick of the best laptops for making music, plus hands-on reviews, stress testing, and what to look for when buying
Buy one $49.99 IK Multimedia plugin and get a whopping 38 free with the best plugin deal of the year so far
Plus, the more musicians register, the more free plugins everyone gets with up to 50 free plugins available
What are the best online guitar lessons in 2025? I review guitar gear for a living and these are my favourite lessons platforms
My pick of the best online guitar courses will get your playing up to speed from the comfort of your own home, whether you're a beginner, intermediate, or advanced player
Black Friday plugin deals 2025: Get the lowdown ahead of the biggest sale of the year
Here are the plugins you should get ready to grab ahead of the Black Friday sales
With some astonishing discounts of up to $3,500 off, the Sweetwater Recording Sale is the place to pick up studio gear for less this Prime Day
If you want pro-grade recording gear for Prime Day, then this sale at Sweetwater is where it’s at
"The Ridge does something different, which makes it genuinely worthy of praise": Kernom Ridge Overdrive review
A pedal that gives you all your favourite drives in one box, and then some
With plugins starting from just $24 the Universal Audio Rocktober deal is the best place to power up your productions ahead of Prime Day
Get ahead of the Prime Day music deals with this awesome sale over at Universal Audio
“Enough power to keep you in business for at least the next 10 years”: Apple MacBook Air M4 review
Apple's latest lightweight laptop makes a great case to be the centre piece of your studio
Best cheap microphones for recording 2025: Budget microphones for the home studio
Record at home for less with my pick of the best budget recording microphones around
Best electric guitars 2025: Our pick of guitars to suit all budgets
Find the top electric guitar for your budget and playing style, whether you play rock, metal, blues or beyond
9 mistakes producers make when using an audio interface - and how to avoid them
From misused monitoring to phase disasters, here are 9 music-making lessons learned the hard way
How to stress test a laptop for music production in any DAW - and why every producer should do it
Get the most out of your machine and find out how far your laptop can really take your recordings
Thomann's Guitar Days sale just hit up to 70% off with £474 off an Epiphone semi-hollow, £132 off a Death By Audio pedal, plus loads more massive savings
If you're looking for a bargain on guitar gear then the Thomann Guitar Days sale is jam-packed with big discounts
Best looper pedals 2025: My favourite loop stations for every budget
Explore my pick of compact and floorboard loopers from the likes of Boss, TC Electronic, Line 6, and more
“If you’re looking to turn your guitar or bass into a completely different instrument, there’s no better way to do it than this”: Boss VG-800 V-Guitar Processor review
Boss’ most convincing guitar chameleon yet delivers mind-blowing results – at a price
I've been through Waves entire Labor Day plugin sale and these 5 gems at $34.99 each are unmissable - plus get 2 free when you buy 2
Waves' latest sale sees 200 plugins drop to just $34.99 each for Labor Day
Three of our highest-rated in-ear monitors just got a massive discount in the Thomann In-Ear Days sale - IEMs starting from just £91
Ready to level up your live show? Thomann’s latest sale delivers some excellent discounts on IEMs
