Hughes & Kettner StompMan review - little big amp pedal
Written testThe StompMan is a guitar amplifier pedal from German manufacturer Hughes & Kettner. It's based on the company’s AmpMan unit, but in a much simpler, more compact format. Does it live up to its promise?
Positive Grid Spark Mini amplifier review - The next size up — I'll take it!
Written testRemember, we had the opportunity to test the surprising miniature amplifier called Spark Go from Positive Grid. Today, let's find out how its big brother, the Spark Mini, fares.
The community's favorite amp emulators - The top high-end hardware modeling amps for guitar
TopAfter the war of the DAWs and electric guitars, now is the turn of high-end amp emulators! Once again we asked our French community to share with us their preferences regarding high-end amp emulators…
The community's favorite modeling combos - The top entry-level modeling combos for guitar
TopWhether you're just starting out with the guitar or you're simply looking for an affordable and practical tool, modeling combos are an attractive alternative to amplify your instrument. All major bra…
Recording electric guitar - Amps in a home studio - The ultimate guide to audio recording - Part 76
Learning"S**t, I forgot that!" Have you ever had that feeling when you came out of a test or an important interview? I bet you have, surely at least the "s**t" part... Well that's exactly what I thought a co…
The community's favorite hardware speaker emulators - Top hardware speaker simulators
TopSpeaker emulators seem to be highly in demand right now, mainly as a solution to record yourself and play live, benefiting from the sound of a tube amp. There are obviously lots of software tools to …
The Living Colour guitarist on film scoring, DAWs, amp … - Vernon Reid Talks Tech
LearningWhen you hear the name Vernon Reid, your first thought is probably of his work with Living Colour, featuring his speedy and inventive guitar playing. But Reid is also an accomplished composer, scorin…
Classic Gear Spotlight: The Vox AC30 - The Amp That Armed the British Invasion
LearningIn today’s digitally dominated world of music gear, one way to tell how highly a guitar amp is regarded is whether it’s been emulated in major amp-modeling software packages. One of the amps you'll f…
Tech 21 Hot-Rod Plexi Review - Stack Attack
Written testAlthough most amp modeling is digital, Tech 21 has always created its amp emulations using analog circuitry. The Hot-Rod Plexi pedal ($179) is the latest example. It’s an effects processor that’s des…
How much power does your amp need for rehearsals and gi… - Choosing the Right Wattage for Your Guitar Amp
LearningThanks to "Doc" Emmett Brown, everybody knows that you need 1.21 gigawatts for a DeLorean to go back to the future when its flux capacitor runs out of plutonium.
A Review of Toontrack's Classic Amps EZmix Pack - Classic Amps the EZ Way
LearningToontrack recently released a new collection of amp models with effects called the Classic Amps EZmix Pack, which can be opened as presets in the company's EZmix 2 software. How do these emulations s…
Exclusive Line 6 AMPLIFI 150 Review - The Blue-Toothed Combo
Written testLine 6 enters the Bluetooth era with the new AMPLIFI series, which combines multimedia speakers and a modeling combo in a single box.
Heavy Guitar Sound Basics - How To Get A Metal Guitar Sound
LearningDue to its violent nature, heavy metal needs a particularly polished guitar sound or it might become unintelligible. Here are several tips to achieve a heavy and accurate sound at the same time.
Basic Instructions For Getting a Sound of Destruction - How to Get a Punk Guitar Sound
LearningAh, punk! Some say it's enough to pick a guitar, an amp, a jack, and a strap (the longer the better), crank it all up and it should sound like it's meant to.
How To Get a Crunch Sound - The Basics To Making Your Electric Guitar Sound Crunchy
LearningAfter having found your clean sound, let's now look at how to color your sound with a bit of distortion.
How To Set A Guitar Amp To Get A Clean Sound - How To Get A Clean Sound With A Guitar Amp
LearningWe have already seen how to set correctly the knobs of your instrument. But we still have to shape the signal before it comes out of the loudspeaker.
Line 6 POD HD500X Review - Are you POD-to-date?
Written testThe final exam of the music course I took at the Audiofanzine academy, read as follows: "With a theorem-article of at least 10,000 characters, resolve the equation LINE 6 POD HD500X where X = (new fo…
Roland Cube Lite Review - Coffee Table Amp
Written testIn order to counter the successful Yamaha THR10 and THR5 "coffee table amps," Roland announced the launch of the Cube Lite during the last NAMM, which extends the well-known Cube series.
The Top Guitar Amp Brands - The Best Guitar Amp Brands
LearningAside from the guitar (and the guitarist!), the amp is certainly the most decisive factor in a guitarist's sound
How to Record an Electric Guitar - Recording Your Electric Guitar
LearningYou have an electric guitar, you have learned how to play it, you have written a wonderful song, and now you just have to record it. But how?
Amplifiers: what are classes A/B/AB/D - Explanation of class A, class B, class AB and class D amps
LearningThe basic function of an amplifier is to increase a low intensity signal capture. It can be a direct source such as a microphone, a musical instrument, or a signal corrected by an intermediary preamp…
Orange OR15 Review - With a Strong Fruit Flavor
Written testBest Value awardEvery day that goes by it is more obvious that the famous Orange Tiny Terror turned the guitar amplification market upside down. It started a trend (a very positive one, if you ask me) for affordable…
How to avoid ground loops - Banish Ground Loop Hum
LearningThere are a few different reasons why a musician might wish to use multiple amplifiers as part of their rig.
Gain without pain: giving the guitar cabinets their own… - Isolating your speaker cabinets for the best guitar sound
LearningFor recording guitarists, one benefit of a head-and-stack configuration over a combo is that you can separate the amplifier from the speaker cabinet and run a long cable between the two.
Orange Jim Root Terror #4 Review - Orange and Black
Written testIt might seem incredible but, up to this day, Orange had never offered a signature amp. But now the Jim Root #4 has changed things for good! So it's time for us to put the focus on this small black a…
