Accessories / Gadgets

After 85 years of active service, the humble VU meter remains as useful as ever in today’s digital studios — despite BBC engineers nicknaming it ‘virtually useless’!

I’m wondering if it makes sense to flip my patchbays upside down in my rack, to put my mixer inputs on the top row and signal outputs on the bottom?

These gadgets might not be the most glamorous devices, but at some point in your recording adventures you’ll probably find you need each and every one.

Does it matter how you deliver power to your pedalboard?

I’ve got a 19‑inch rack setup which currently houses six units and I’m wondering if it’s time that I considered powering it in a better way?

I’m running my whole studio from one 13 amp socket. I should imagine the total load is no more than one kilowatt. Even at twice...

I have an inexpensive ART P16 XLR patchbay that I’d like to reintroduce and I’m wondering whether this will degrade the quality when I’m tracking, mixing and mastering — it would potentially be the weakest link in my signal chain?

I want to split the output from my Gretsch electric guitar, to feed both a Boss Acoustic Singer combo and a computer audio interface...

I've put together 11 of my personal favourite cost-cutting tips that won't burn a hole in your wallet, covering everything from monitoring and recording improvements to making your instruments play that bit better.

I have a Roland RC‑30 looper pedal, but I want to be able to use a single microphone, set up so that I can use a foot pedal to switch the mic from the PA to the looper...

What is the best tape to use for sticking to mixers and writing down what each channel is being used for?

I’m in need of some disk space for sample libraries, and wondered if there are any obvious drawbacks to using a USB pen drive over a HDD or SSD?

I would just like to ask if it’s important to use shockmounts on my microphones and how effective they are?

I’ve read so many people saying that a 9V power supply for guitar pedals means they can’t give you enough headroom, and the same for the 500-series 32V (±16V) supply. But surely there’s a way designers can ‘step up’ the voltage inside a device?

I use an ART S8 eight-channel mic splitter, a passive device, to send mic signals to two separate recording systems...

The humble speaker stand or desktop speaker platform can make a huge difference to the sound in your room.

I have a friend who has a problem. He uses two different amps on stage, one a Marshall and the other a Hughes & Kettner, with a 2x12 and 4x12 cab, respectively. Is there any way he can just use one cab for both amps?

I've noticed that a lot of companies now market a variation on the curved screen theme to go behind a vocal mic, with the...

Even if youre tightening your belt, you can still upgrade and improve your studio and methods — you just need to be a bit more crafty about how you spend your cash...

I have just started playing mandolin in a live band, and we're currently touring the UK. However, although my mandolin is...

I understand how to record and mix music for surround, but how do I burn an audio-only disc to share my surround mixes with others on their domestic systems?