Making music isn’t all about the controlled environment of the studio. Editing, mixing and mastering your music is all well and good, but at some point you are going to need to venture out into the live arena to meet your public face to face. You may need any number of controllers, CD decks, synths and mixers to help you get your sound across. If you are a musician, a DJ, or both, here we recommend ten of the best pieces of this year’s live gear that will help you connect with your audience.
If you are a DJ, producer or a musician, then it is safe to say that at some point you have made use of a studio, be it a small bedroom set-up or a huge multi tracking hub.
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One thing that unites an otherwise disparate range of musicians – from guitarists and techno heads to drummers and vocalists – is the fact that, at some stage during the creative process, recording software will doubtless be called upon. For the uninitiated, DAW stands for Desktop Audio Workstation, which, as the name suggests, deals with a lot more than the once standardized job of sequencing audio and MIDI. In this feature we take a look at our five favourite DAWs – in no particular order – and outline the key features that will determine which of these heavy hitters becomes your weapon of choice.
In today’s world it’s becoming increasingly difficult to identify a true analogue synthesizer and even more so to choose the one that caters for your individual needs. Analogue modeling, true analogue signal path and DSP are just some of the confusing terms that the manufacturers throw about, so in this article our resident caped-crusader dissects the attributes of our ten most popular analogue synthesizers, helping you to decide which knobs you should be twiddling.
Despite the technological advancements of many audio interfaces, the home studio mixer is still very much a central feature in the humble musician’s place of domestic refuge. They bring to life a motley crew of microphones, samplers, synthesizers and guitars whilst maintaining strict order before sending them to your computer and monitors. The latest instalment in our Best series seeks to to outline the characteristics of five of our top selling mixers in and around the £500 price bracket.
We look at ten of the best studio monitors across all price points, with compact units for home studios and more professional options featured.
We look at ten of the best home audio interfaces across a range of price points, with portable units and extensively connectable rack-mounted options featuring.
An Audio Interface is the missing link between a DJ’s laptop set-up, the club’s sound system and, ultimately, the dancefloor. As such, a solid, reliable and easy-to-use interface is essential for any digital DJ who wants to play consistently trouble-free sets; we’ve all seen the nightmares that await those who roll into a gig unprepared. To ease you along this potentially hazardous path, the Juno experts have selected the five best DJ audio interfaces on the market across a range of prices…
We look at ten of the best CD decks across a range of price points, with affordable units for home use and fully-featured high end models making the grade.
We look at ten of the best DJ controllers across a range of price points, with compact solutions, traditional controllers and mixer-ready options all making the grade.
The future of DJing has never been so uncertain: with the death knell sounding for the once mighty Technics turntables, the concept of digital DJing is now in the spotlight like never before. New forms of software are appearing all the time, offering ambitious and creative DJs opportunities to turn their sets into unique performances.
Some software allows the user to experience feel of vinyl without lugging hundreds of records from club to club; others allow for music to be manipulated on the fly: live remixing if you will. With so many options at your disposal, the Juno experts tried and tested all of the major options on the market before coming up with this shortlist of the five best DJ software packages available. Read on to discover our recommendations…
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We look at ten of the best DJ mixers to suit all budgets, with digital DJ options, battle mixers and four channel club favourites all making the grade.
We look at ten of the best sets of DJ headphones to suit all budgets, with perennial classics and fresh examples of design all making the grade.