Gear Dude - Music Gear Guide

We have stumbled upon the ongoing war between Akai Professional’s MPC Live II and Native Instruments’ MASCHINE+ of which one is the better music production system. When combined, these works of art are unbeatable without any doubt. However, you can only use one production center at a time. And the whole purpose of this review is to compare both systems and possibly make it easier for you to determine which system will win the trophy of being the best music production system and at the end of it all, you will be able to decide which system you should get. There might be one disclaimer though. You have a tough decision to make after this since they are both amazing and both worlds have so much to offer. So, buckle up and let us do this.

MPC LIVE 2 VS MASCHINE+ Akai MPC Live II Vs. N.I. Maschine Plus By: The Gear Dude | Date: 15th October 2020 We have stumbled upon the ongoing war between Akai Professional’s MPC Live II and Native Instruments’ MASCHINE+ of…

Even though the year 2020 has had its fair share of ups and downs, there is at least one good thing that has come out of it and it is that you have decided to get a microphone. In case you have decided to venture to the awesome world of content creation, then you will need a stellar microphone that will leave your audience asking for more. There are many microphones that you could choose from, but we have taken the liberty of shortlisting your options to ten of the best microphones 2020 has to offer. The review has been done for you, all you need to do is select the one that suits your needs best.

Best USB Microphones 2020 Best USB Microphones 2020 By: The Gear Dude | Date: 8th October 2020 Even though the year 2020 has had its fair share of ups and downs, there is at least one good thing that…

Has your keyboard been frustrating you of late? It can be exasperating working with a stage piano that doesn’t leave you and your audience wanting for more after a performance. You don’t have to keep insisting on using it when you can get yourself a digital piano. Yeah, we know that it has been in the family for decades and you don’t want to let go. But is it really worth the unsatisfactory performances? Here’s an idea! You can get yourself a next-generation digital piano that will make you a legend to your descendants. However, there are a couple of digital pianos to choose from but that shouldn’t twist your arm. We have made it easier for you to select the one that tickles your itch. Just go over this review and you’ll be good to go.

Best digital pianos money can buy 2020 Best Digital Pianos Money Can Buy 2020 By: The Gear Dude | Date: 15th September 2020 Has your keyboard been frustrating you of late? It can be exasperating working with a stage piano that doesn’t…

Keyboard workstations are versatile electronic instruments that integrate a keyboard with sound module and sequence hence making a keyboard ideal for the creation of original music through convenient production features. To achieve originality, keyboard workstations have high quality synthesizer sounds, more effects and other features such as advanced patch editing and mixing.

Pointing out five most suitable keyboard workstations for a music-maker is a subjective endeavor; nevertheless, creating a list of the best workstations would act as an eye-opener for a budding player and will help them avoid make confident purchases. We live in a time when high quality, yet affordable keyboard workstations are a commonplace and so purchasing a musical instrument shouldn’t be much of a fuss; especially because the prices are less daunting. Keyboards workstations are a pretty serious investment which you will treasure for the rest of your musical career. What’s more is that if you decide to sell them, you would get a good chunk of your money back. However, the terminologies used during purchases can still make choosing a keyboard workstation feel quite intimidating for a new and less experienced player or producer.

5 Workstations to Consider 2020 Keyboard Workstations to Consider 2020 By: The Gear Dude | Date: 14th September 2020 Keyboard workstations are versatile electronic instruments that integrate a keyboard with sound module and sequence hence making a keyboard ideal for…

Buying a new instrument has never been easy. When you enter a store or visit a new website, you may feel overwhelmed by the wide range of products especially if you don’t have any experience with such an instrument. Music gear is especially more complicated as you have to know the specs of what you need prior to purchasing any instrument. Buying the wrong gear can be really disappointing to a point of being a tear-jerker for some. When looking for the best digital piano, some may argue that an unweighted keyboard is better than a weighted one. But is it? With digital pianos, you get the best of both worlds. Not only are they easier to transport, but also, they deliver great-sounding music and the playing feeling is out of this world. Buying music gear should not be a nerve-racking experience. It should be exciting as it is the beginning of something exquisite. This review aims to make it easier for you to make the best decision. Let us get to it now, shall we?

Best Digital Pianos Under $1000 2020 Best Digital Pianos Under $1000 By: The Gear Dude | Date: 11th September 2020 Buying a new instrument has never been easy. When you enter a store or visit a new website, you may feel…

I made up my mind right from the day I decided to learn the guitar that I would purchase a guitar starter pack. That was because I knew getting a starter pack would save me the trouble of purchasing the guitar, cable, amplifier, tuner and strap separately. I know most beginners also have this decision to make and it can particularly hard for them to settle for one without guidance because purchasing a music gear can be complicated. Not to worry anymore, in this article, I’m giving you a full outline of six of my favorite guitar starter packs in terms of quality and value. I am hoping that by the end of this article, you will be able to purchase an electric guitar starter pack that will suit your preferences, budget and taste!

Best Electric Guitar Packs 2020 Best Electric Starter Guitar Packs 2020 By: The Gear Dude |  Date: 19th August 2020 I made up my mind right from the day I decided to learn the guitar that I would purchase a…

Are you are planning to go for camping with friends in a place where the closest thing to music is your voices? Have you considered tagging along with a guitar as your inanimate companion? Well, if you haven't, I would sincerely urge you to. Guitars are great instruments for relaxing, having fun, enjoying a beautiful Sunday afternoon, playing at a concert, spicing up the mood on a date and so many other functions. The advantage that comes with guitars is that they are simple and portable, and the only thing you need to know is to have expertise in playing them. Guitars add value and quality to music- name any genre. When you sight a guitar in any music concert or even church crusade, be sure to have fun and a great time. The guitar sound has also proven to be therapeutic, especially when you've sunk into dep thought or suffering depression. Guitar manufacturers have flooded the market with various guitar types, probably to meet the rising demand for different music preferences. For instance, a pop musician and a gospel musician may not prefer the same kind of guitar, or one may acquire a guitar for personal use while another may acquire a guitar to advance their career in music. The availability of different types of guitars in the market, therefore, poses a challenge to new buyers as to which guitar they should acquire. If you fall into the category of buyers who don't know much about guitars, this article is meant to be of assistance to you. This article also explains what to consider before acquiring a guitar as well as how to keep a guitar. The following is a review of the best acoustic guitar packs in 2020.

5 Best Acoustic Guitar packs 2020 Best Acoustic Guitar Packs 2020 By: The Gear Dude |  Date: 19th August 2020 Are you are planning to go for camping with friends in a place where the closest thing to music is your…

If you are a guitarist, a musician, or a huge heavy rock fan then you have an idea of what distortion pedals are. These are the devices that give all the gain into a clean amp as well as ramp up into infinity, an overdrive channel. The effect of distortion pedals cannot be ignored and there importance has resulted in a market flooded with endless options of distortion pedals, and choosing the right one can be challenging. Since you want your guitar to produce overdriven and distorted sounds that ascertain its dominance over other instruments, how about you let us guide you through our top 10 best distortion pedals 2020.

Best Guitar Distortion Pedals 2020 Best Distortion Pedals 2020 By: The Gear Dude | Date: 10th August 2020 If you are a guitarist, a musician, or a huge heavy rock fan then you have an idea of what distortion pedals…

Buying music gear can be very complicated. When you want to play your bass guitar, it is understandable for you to wonder which bass combo will be most suitable solution for your play style and budget. So, you would most probably be sifting through a list of best bass amplifiers trying to find the right one. Well, here is exactly what you need to make a confident purchase; a list of ten of our favorite bass combo amps under 500 Watts!

Best Bass Combo Amps Under $500 2020 Best Bass Combo Amp Under $500 By: The Gear Dude | Date: 5th August 2020 Buying music gear can be very complicated. When you want to play your bass guitar, it is understandable for you…

Choosing the right guitar amplifier for you is just an important as picking the right instrument, after all the amp is what brings the tone of an electric guitar to life. As our world has changed and grown guitar amps are constantly becoming more and more feature packed. Many have models of every classic style of amplifier or digital recreations of vintage effect pedals. It’s also becoming more and more common to find recording capabilities either within the amp or a USB output which you can use to connect to your favorite DAW to share your music with the world. You can still buy simple models which use vacuum tubes to give them a warm classic tone too! Sorting through these feature sets can be daunting and somewhat overwhelming so let me do the work for you. I wanted to write this article to go over what I believe are the 10 best choices on the market today.

Best Guitar Combo Amps 2020 Best Guitar Combo Amps under $400 By: The Gear Dude | Date: 26th June 2020 Choosing the right guitar amplifier for you is just an important as picking the right instrument, after all the amp…

An acoustic guitar at first glance is a simple thing, a wooden box with string on it you use to make music. This couldn’t be further from the truth. Little changes in the instrument make a huge difference. Everything from the type of wood, the shape of the body, the finish on the instrument and especially which strings you choose. In addition to a difference in feel a good set of strings can complement the tone of a great instrument or help adjust for some of the things that you may not like. In this article I plan to discuss what I believe are the best choices available today to make your instrument feel and sound the best for you.

Best Acoustic Guitar Steel Strings 2020 Best Acoustic Guitar Steel Strings By: The Gear Dude | Date: 28th May 2020 An acoustic guitar at first glance is a simple thing, a wooden box with string on it you use to make…

Guitar strings like many of the best things in life do not last forever. In fact, to keep your instrument playing in tune and sounding the best they will need to be changed regularly. It's arguable but I’m not sure there is a better feeling than the first chord on a new set of strings. Tonally it is when the guitars you love sound the best. I am of the opinion that old and dead strings and even sub-par strings will hinder you as a player. As the strings you play are a tool of musical expression they should be at their best as much as possible.

Best Electric Guitar Strings 2020 Best Electric Guitar Strings By: The Gear Dude | Date: 23rd May 2020 Which guitar strings should I buy? Guitar strings like many of the best things in life do not last forever. In fact, to…

Having a good pair of studio monitor speakers is an essential part of any recording or mixing setup. These powered (or active) speakers will be different from the traditional built in speakers on a computer or stereo setup as they are designed for a flat response which is referred to as reference quality. When you mix recorded audio, you want to be able to hear any flaws that may be present so that you can correct them. I’ve been asked on more than one occasion though why mixing on studio monitor speakers is important or necessary as more often than not people are going to listen on consumer headphones, cell phone speakers, cheap headphones etc. The reason we do this is so that our music sounds good not only on less than ideal sources but also higher end ones as well. When I mix, I frequently will plug in some iPod headphones in an effort to be sure I’m on the right track! In this article I will discuss what I believe to be some of the best options available.

Best Studio Monitors 2020 Best Studio Monitors By: The Gear Dude | Date: 10th May 2020 Having a good pair of studio monitor speakers is an essential part of any recording or mixing setup. These powered (or active) speakers…

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An essential piece of equipment for any musician is a quality chromatic tuner. Here are 9 of the best available now.

Best Guitar Tuners 2020 Best Guitar Tuners 2020 By: The Gear Dude | Date: 5th May 2020 Boss TU3 Guitar Tuner The Boss TU3 is the long-awaited successor to one of the world’s best-selling pedals, The Boss TU2. Chances…

Chances are if you are looking for a live vocal mic that you’ve already had to sing into a gross dented foul-smelling house mic in a bar/club/venue before. ITS OKAY!!! Everyone has been there before, I’m no stranger to it either. This is why I like most musicians will carry my own microphone when I go to gig. There are many different options available all of which suit different singers for different reasons. Im going to discuss what I think are the best choices available under $700.

Seven Best Live Mics Under $700 2020 Best Live Vocal Microphones By: The Gear Dude | Date: 2nd May 2020 Chances are if you are looking for a live vocal mic that you’ve already had to sing into a gross dented foul-smelling…

Headphones are an essential element for tracking and mixing. Anyone making music in a home studio is going to need to own a pair at some point. If you’re like me, you want a comfortable pair of headphones and sound great. It’s also important to find a pair that has a nice and flat response if you’re going to use them for mixing. It is important that they do not color your sound too much. I’m going to talk about some of what I feel to be the best options on the market today.

Best Studio Headphones 2020 Best Studio Headphones 2020 By: The Gear Dude | Date: 28th April 2020 Headphones are an essential element for tracking and mixing. Anyone making music in a home studio is going to need to own…

Part of making music at home is being able to take advantage of a wealth of virtual instruments available to any consumer that will invest. These can range from Drums, pianos, synthesizers, orchestral instruments, choirs and a vast world of things that continue to expand daily. Owning a Midi keyboard is a great way to unlock the potential.

Best Midi Keyboards 2020 Best Midi Keyboards By: The Gear Dude | Date: 26th April 2020 “How do I use all of these software instruments?” Part of making music at home is being able to take advantage of a…

I have worked in a music store for more years than I can count on two hands. This question is one that is becoming more and more frequent as time goes on and as technology develops. The answer to this question is that you need an audio interface device to turn your guitar/microphone analog signal into a digital one so that you can manipulate it within your computer recording software. In this article I have chosen what I believe to be 5 of the best value audio interfaces for a home studio, which are also industry leading products.

Best Audio Interfaces 2020 Best Home Studio Audio Interfaces By: The Gear Dude | Date: 21st April 2020 “I want to record my music in my home studio, is there cable to plug my microphone/guitar into my laptop?” I…