Latest articles by Matt McCracken
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
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
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
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
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
"They may be the spiritual successor to Sony’s Scheps-approved mixing cans, but they tread their own path": Sony MDR-M1 review
Sony’s new studio cans nod to the legendary MDR-7506, swapping forensic mids for balance you can wear all day
Best clip-on guitar tuners: Top headstock and soundhole tuners to buy right now
Keep your tuning in check in all scenarios with the best clip-on tuners for guitar, bass and ukulele
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 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
