Posts by Bob Malkowski

Recording to Tape: Is it still relevant in 2023? DAWless music making.

Recording to tape was the mainstay for over 40 years, but is tape still relevant in 2023? Should you embrace a DAWless analogue workflow?

Fender Vintera II – Bass VI and ’70s oddities join the range!

Fender Vintera II is here! Fender's hugely successful and popular Vintera series gets a welcome update and some new 70s style additions...

iConnectivity PlayAUDIO1U: Live interface that saves a computer crash

iConnectivity PlayAUDIO1U audio and MIDI interface uses auto redundant switching to save your show from computer crashes. The new industry standard?

Freddie Mercury Piano sells for 1.74M – our picks from Bonhams sale

The Freddie Mercury Piano owned by the legendary performer sells for £1.74M. We looked around the Bonhams sale for our favourite items...

NI Guitar Rig 7 REVIEW: Still King of the Hill for amp modelling?

Looking for warm, fat, amped-up guitar tones? Maybe you're looking to add analogue grit to your mixes? Here's the Guitar Rig 7 review...

iZotope Ozone 11 Review: Still the Industry Standard for Mastering?

In this iZotope Ozone 11 Review we look at the latest version of the industry standard mastering plugin. Is it still the best out there?

WIN a Neural DSP Quad Cortex from our friends at Bonedo!

Do you want to win a Neural DSP Quad Cortex? Our partner site, Bonedo, is giving away one of the best guitar modellers currently available.

WARM Audio WA-14SP REVIEW: 414EB inspired matched stereo pair!

WARM Audio WA-14SP REVIEW - Does the WA-14 evoke the same tonality as the Austrian original? Is this new stereo set value for money?

REVIEW – Universal Audio UAFX Galaxy 74 and Del-Verb pedals

We put the UAFX Galaxy 74 and Del-Verb pedals through their paces and find out how you can incorporate them into your studio or live setup.

Thomann Back 2 School: Why playing music is good for your health!

Thomann Back 2 School promotes the advantages of learning a musical instrument. Did you know playing music has proven benefits to your health?

Rhodes V8 Pro Review: The first official Rhodes piano plugin.

In this Rhodes V8 Pro Review, we take the first official Rhodes piano plugin for a spin. Does it sound authentic and is it a good value for money?

Wing Updates: Wing Q App brings Mixing to Smartphones & Tablets

Wing updates are here! The Wing Q App is a native app for iOS and Android devices allowing remote control via iOS and Android devices

100k+ High End Microphones Stolen! Thieves don’t know they’re useless.

Thieves took an estimated 100k+ in high-end microphones stolen in a burglary. Thieves don't realise most of the microphones are effectively useless...

Glastonbury Sound Problems – Guns N’ Roses blame the BBC

Glastonbury sound problems have been as newsworthy this year as the acts themselves. Guns and Roses blame the BBC directly. We find the facts...

REVIEW: WARM ODD Box – The OCD style distortion that brings the dirt!

The WARM ODD Box is an affordable clone of the legendary Fulltone OCD overdrive pedal. Bob Malkowski runs an ODD Box through its paces...

REVIEW: WARM Audio Mutation Phasor II – The Groovy 70s Phaser Returns!

Does the WARM Audio Mutation Phasor II mark the return of the sound of the Mu-Tron Phasor II? Bob Malkowki fires up the lava lamp and finds out...

Billy Nomates Glastonbury: Do Live Backing Tracks Matter?

Billy Nomates Glastonbury performance has sparked controversy. We talk to an industry playback tech and ask, does using backing tracks live matter? 

Metallica Download Festival 2023: Heard 15 Miles away – how and why?

Metallica Download Festival 2023: Residents as far away as 15 miles from the festival say the gig could be heard clearly, but why did this happen?

Yamaha DM7: A Dante equipped monster for Live, Broadcast and Studio

The Yamaha DM7 series lands as a powerful two-mixer lineup aimed at high-end professionals and is configurable for almost any mixing scenario.

Thomann Beatmaking Competition: Big prizes to be won!

Want to win a haul of beat-making bounty from Universal Audio, Native Instruments and more? Then enter the Thomann Beatmaking Competition!

The Best of Superbooth 2023 – The Editor’s Picks and Highlights!

Superbooth is the place to be for synthesisers and electronic music! Gearnews editor Bob Malkowski gives his picks of The Best of Superbooth 2023. 

Cassette Tape Comeback as sales boom: Why YOU should record to tape!

We're witnessing a cassette tape comeback! The compact cassette experiences its biggest sales in 20 years. Here's why you should rediscover tape...

REVIEW: D’Angelico Deluxe Eric Krasno Brighton. A guitar of surprises!

There's no ignoring the signature Deluxe Eric Krasno Brighton guitar from D'Angelico. We get our hands on 1 of only 50 examples available worldwide...

Behringer Xenyx 502s and 802s USB Mixers: Tiny size & tiny price!

Looking for a compact and affordable way to get into recording and podcasting? Then the Behringer Xenyx 502s and 802s USB mixers could be the answer!