Latest articles by Matt McCracken
Best electric guitars under $1,000/£1,000 in 2025: My top picks for players of all styles
Years of playing and reviewing gear have taught me exactly what to look for - here's how to get a guitar to grow with
Left-handed guitarists have been overlooked for too long, but Thomann’s up to 20% off Lefty Deals sale changes that
Southpaw guitar players can finally get some decent savings on guitars, but only for a limited time
“With no smartphone app, no IR loader, and just a single knob for control, it does away with all the distractions”: Earthquaker Devices Easy Listening review
EQD's new guitar headphone amplifier aims to make things easy breezy for players with pedalboards
With guitar amps starting from just £44, Thomann’s massive Hughes & Kettner sale just made modernizing your rig a lot cheaper
With prices on Hughes & Kettner amps slashed by up to 40%, here are my top picks from the sale at Thomann
"A very capable package that will give beginners the tools they need to make good quality recordings": M-Audio M-Track Duo HD Producer Pack review
This recording studio in a box from M-Audio looks to give beginners a complete home studio setup for below $/£200
Best in-ear monitors 2025: IEMs for stage and studio
Our expert guide to the best in-ear monitors for practice, performance and production, no matter your budget
Best guitar VSTs 2025: Get the best simulated guitar tones for your next production
My pick of the best guitar VST instruments will get great guitar tones for your productions, even if you’ve never played guitar before
Best Alesis electronic drum sets 2025: My pick of Alesis electronic drums for beginners to pros
My expert guide to finding the perfect Alesis electronic drum set for your budget and skill level
“It took 400 audio tracks for me to get it to throw an error, which is frankly insane”: Asus ProArt P16 review
Looking for an alternative to a MacBook? Asus might have just provided the answer for musicians everywhere
“At times it can really feel like more of a multi-effects pedal rather than just a straight reverb pedal”: Electro-Harmonix Oceans Abyss review
EHX brings us a reverb pedal with sliders, a screen, and all the potential to be a Strymon-killer
Best drum sets 2025: Top drum kits for beginner to pro drummers
Explore 17 of the best drum kits for the studio, stage and bedroom from Ludwig, Pearl, Tama, DW and more
Best acoustic guitar amp 2025: Amplify your acoustic with a top-rated amp
Whether you’re practicing, busking, or performing, amplify the finest qualities of your guitar with our selection of acoustic amps
Best 3/4 acoustic guitars 2025: Portable playability from Taylor, Martin, Yamaha, and more
Perfect for beginners and seasoned professionals alike, 3/4 acoustics make great songwriter guitars or for players on the go
“Will definitely please those who are a fan of the sound already, but standalone price is expensive”: Roland JC-120 Jazz Chorus plugin review
The world’s most famous solid-state amp finally gets an official amp model for your DAW
"You can absolutely craft some great mixes on these": JBL 305P MkII review
JBL's budget studio monitors are priced crazy low and promise good quality mixes that don't cost the earth
Best home studio mixers 2025: analogue and digital mixing desks for all budgets
A comprehensive look at the best home studio mixers on the market today – from compact consoles to podcasting heavyweights
Best podcasting microphones 2025: our expert picks for every budget and level, with audio demos
Record your next podcast or stream your heart out with the very best podcast mics, including our recommendations under $100/£100 – plus full reviews and expert buying advice
Best amp modellers 2025: High-tech tone solutions for all guitarists
Simplify your rig and take your tone anywhere with my pick of the best amp modelling units around
Best field recorders 2025: Top portable recorders for capturing sound on-the-go
From foley and found sound to recording your rehearsals, a field recorder can unlock the sonics that surround us
8 cost-free tips to improve your mixes in 2025
Get ahead on your mixing game in 2025 with these spend-free tips from a master mixing engineer and producer
“If you’re all about getting as close as possible to period-correct as you can for this price point, then you won’t be disappointed here”: Epiphone Inspired By Gibson Custom 1960 Les Paul Standard Reissue review
We get hands-on with Epiphone’s ode to one of the most coveted Gibson guitars of all time
“A genuinely fun take on the classic distortion-slash-fuzz pedal”: Soma Laboratory Harvezi Hazze
Soma Labs' foray into guitar pedals adds an element of the unhinged into a classic format
“It has the ingenious ability to give you easy routing to external hardware with no re-patching”: Audient iD48 review
Audient’s iD range gets a new flagship audio interface with a potentially game-changing feature
