#Inspiration
Controller Freak: Native Instruments, Ableton, Akai and Novation
Decisions, decisions. For the bedroom music maker, grid-based controllers can look a little daunting. What do all the buttons actually do? Am I going to be able to play it? Am I actually going to use it? At first glance, we get it, but whether you are producing at home,… Read more
#Gear & Tech Tips
Setting up a Pedalboard: Pedal Order Explained
Getting a concrete answer to the question “what’s the correct way to arrange your pedal signal chain?” is tough and with soooooo many pedal products on the market, it can often be difficult to even know where to start with a signal chain. Even the large pedal companies have difficulty… Read more
#Inspiration
Picking out an Acoustic Guitar for Less than S$1,000
Guitarists today can be a discerning and demanding bunch, and we get it! Is it really too much to ask for high-quality sound, good build quality, at a low price? Thankfully, no - guitar builders are bridging the gap between cheap, mass produced guitars and expensive, handmade ones. A step up… Read more
#Inspiration
Stratocaster or Telecaster?
No two guitars are more synonymous with Fender than the Stratocaster and Telecaster models. They’ve become a worldwide archetype, the could be considered most recognisable guitar shapes in music history - an industry standard for quality. You will hear them on innumerable records from the classics of old, to the… Read more
#Inspiration
Drum Machine Love: From the 808 to Today
They never tire of the same four-bar loop. They never go out of time. They never throw hissy fits over musical difference. They were cast out by many because of their "inhuman perfection"... but they have formed the flawless rhythm and beat section of countless productions since the 80s. The… Read more
#Inspiration
Pedalboard Love: Designing your Sound for Under $500
Building a pedalboard is a journey - we all have different tonal needs and tastes, and our preferences can change over time. Pedalboards can grow into incredulous creations, almost resembling the dashboard of the Space Shuttle Columbia. Naturally, a board like that will come at an exorbitant cost too. Today,… Read more
#Inspiration
Gretsch: 5 Legendary Players
“The Great Gretsch Sound” they say. The unmistakable snap and twang, or the warm, round but brilliant sound - Gretsch guitars were right at the forefront of the rock ‘n’ roll era in the 50s and has been an essential part of guitar history ever since. Together with the great… Read more
#Buying Guides
10 Lifestyle Products Every Musician Should Own
USB Vinyl Player “I remember opening up my first vinyl and seeing the incredible artwork it had. There’s nothing like it. You also get that true gritty sound on vinyl that really makes a rock record sound great” Nikki Sixx (Mötley Crüe) The sound that vinyl records produce is no… Read more
#Inspiration
6 Songs for the Synth Lover
Perhaps the introduction and influence of the synthesizer is most eloquently described by Giorgio Moroder himself on Daft Punk’s homage to the disco master, Giorgio by Moroder. The track starts with an interview with Moroder where he shares a bite-sized history of his life as a musician, and recounting how… Read more
#Inspiration
10 Blistering Drum Solos that Took Centrestage
“Playing drums is my therapy,” confesses a certain Travis Barker. The punk rock stalwart was considered by many as being single-handedly responsible for the genre’s renaissance in the early 90’s just by his need to beat the drums like his life depended on it. While banging out anthems with Blink… Read more
#Gear & Tech Tips
Picking Out Your First Acoustic Guitar
How a guitar conjures a whirlwind of emotions with just six strings is just part of its allure. The rest of it results from delayed gratification - it take weeks and sometimes months to develop the finger strength and muscle memory to play your first song, and even longer to… Read more
#Inspiration
5 Cajon Covers To Get You Started
For all the times we’ve flipped a box over and created beats by banging on them, we’ve wished for an actual instrument that could take that much of a beating. The cajon (pronounced "CAR-HORN") serves that very purpose, and was born out of poetic necessity that traces back to the 18th… Read more