Articles by Matt McCracken, Junior Deals Writer

I’m a Junior Deals Writer at MusicRadar. I regularly test and review music gear with a focus on home recording including audio interfaces, studio monitors, studio headphones, and loads more. I’m responsible for over 60 buying guides and I love helping musicians find the best deals on gear. I worked in music retail for 5 years at Dawsons Music and Northwest Guitars, and have written for various music sites including Guitar World, Guitar Player, Guitar.com, Ultimate Guitar, and Thomann’s t.blog.

I’m a regularly gigging guitarist with over 20 years of experience playing live and producing bands covering everything from jazz to djent. When I’m not buying new plugins for my studio or guitar pedals for my pedalboard, you’ll find me making a racket with Northern noise hounds JACKALS.

Articles by: Matt McCracken

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: 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: 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: 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: our pick of the top gain stages for guitar

By Michael Astley-Brown last updated 14 December 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: 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: 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

Two Taylor beginner acoustic guitars lying on a purple floor

Best acoustic guitars for beginners 2024: Strum your first chords with the top beginner acoustic guitars

By Chris Corfield last updated 15 April 24

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

A man plays acoustic guitar with a capo on the neck

Best gifts for guitar players 2024: Gift ideas for every type of guitarist

By Ed Mitchell last updated 6 February 24

Great gift ideas for guitar players everywhere - from electric guitar strings and capos to acoustic guitars and amps

Close up of a Yamaha FG800 acoustic guitar

Best cheap acoustic guitars: Top picks for those on a budget

By Jonathan Horsley last updated 15 November 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

A boy plays acoustic guitar in front of a laptop

Best online guitar lessons 2024: Improve your playing with Fender Play, Guitar Tricks, JustinGuitar and more

By Jonathan Horsley last updated 22 March 24

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

Man presses acoustic bridge pin into an acoustic guitar

Best acoustic guitar strings 2024: Find your favourite acoustic strings

By Jonathan Horsley last updated 24 January 24

Our pick of the best acoustic guitar strings for your style and budget from Elixir, Ernie Ball, Martin, D'Addario, and more

Image of a red Telecaster guitar on a wooden floor

Best Telecasters 2024: 9 of the best Fender Telecasters for every budget

By Ed Mitchell last updated 26 January 24

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

Red Fender Stratocaster and Fender tweed amp

Best Stratocasters 2024: Our pick of the best Fender Stratocasters

By Ed Mitchell last updated 25 January 24

Our experts countdown the best Strat guitars - from budget to pro - that showcase arguably the most iconic guitar of all time

IK Multimedia’s epic Black Friday deal has been extended - save up to 85% off Max versions of Total Studio, AmpliTube, SampleTank, and T-RackS

By Matt McCracken published 2 December 22

Get the MAX Total Studio 3.5, AmpliTube 5, SampleTank 4, and T-RackS 5 for their lowest-ever prices right through to 31 December!

Various pieces of music gear on an orange background

Cyber Monday Andertons deals 2023: Here are the deals that are still live

By Daryl Robertson last updated 28 November 23

Cyber Monday is over, but you can still bag some bargain gear at Andertons

Thomann Cyber Monday deals 2023: The 60% off Cyberweek sale is over for another year

By Chris Barnes last updated 27 November 23

Your place to find all the latest information about Thomann's 2024 Cyberweek deals

Cyber Monday plugin deals 2023: Explore our pick of software deals that are still live

By Chris Barnes last updated 28 November 23

Cyber Monday is over, but you can still shop huge deals from Waves, IK Multimedia, Plugin Boutique and loads more

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