Review: The Boss AC-22LX Is a Compact Acoustic Amplifier with a Variety of Compelling Features
This portable combo amp offers an impressive array of features and a surprisingly big sound considering its small size.
Doug Young
Doug Young is a fingerstyle instrumental guitarist, writer, and recording engineer. He is the author of Acoustic Guitar Amplification Essentials.
A Beginner’s Guide to Alternate Tunings
It can be intimidating to change all the notes that you’ve worked so hard to learn, but the new sounds and new ideas you'll discover make it worth the effort.
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A Guide to Getting Started with Home Recording
With a relatively modest budget and a bit of time invested learning the ropes, you can make satisfying recordings at home
Hard Chords Made Easy
Learn to play these "unplayable" chords, not succumb to them!
Learn These Percussive Fingerstyle Guitar Techniques to Add Punch and Groove to Your Playing
Highlighting the backbeat can be an effective percussive tool
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A Guitarist’s Guide to Live Streaming
If you’d like to start streaming your performances or lessons, this comprehensive guitarist's guide to live streaming is a good place to start.
Online Learning Resources and Digital Tools for Acoustic Guitar
The amount of options for learning acoustic guitar online can be overwhelming. In this list you'll find apps and websites for learning guitar to help with anything you're working on.
Get Heard: A Guide to Acoustic Guitar Pickups and Amplification
Here we cover the 3 main elements of an acoustic guitar amplification system: pickups, preamps/DIs, and amplifiers/PA systems.
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Virtual Jamming: The Latest Tools for Playing Together in Real Time
Here are some solutions for musicians looking for a way to play music together over the internet, hoping to be able to perform for others or just jam together.
Review: The Hazelrigg Industries VDI Vacuum Tube Direct Box Delivers High-Quality Acoustic Guitar Sound
The Hazelrigg Industries VDI Vacuum Tube–Based Direct Box cuts no corners in pursuit of the best possible sound for acoustic guitar.
Acoustic Guitar’s Guide to Loop Pedals and How to Use Them
Learn all about looping pedals, including how to shop for one and how a it can enhance your guitar playing
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Review: Sessionwire Software Makes High-Quality Online Music Collaboration Easy
This app allows you to transfer files, share screens, and stream high-quality audio.
Learn the Essential Techniques of Fingerstyle Acoustic Guitar
Explore history of fingerstyle guitar, as well as some of the more influential players and examples of the technique in different genres.
30 Years of Trends and Innovations in Acoustic Guitar Design, Amps, and Accessories
In the three decades since 1990 there have been a lot of surprising changes in the acoustic guitar world affecting everything from how guitars are built to how we listen to and create music.
Gear Review: L.R. Baggs’ Voiceprint DI Captures Your Guitar’s Unique Acoustic Sound
The L.R. Baggs Voiceprint DI uses Impulse Response (IR) technology and has the ability to make your pickup sound like the natural acoustic sound of your guitar.
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Gear Review: Bose’s L1 Pro16 Is a Refined and Affordable Amplification Solution for Acoustic Guitarists
The Bose L1 Pro16 is an amplification solution that combines clear sound, plenty of power, and uniform dispersion, while being portable and simple to set up.
Review: Mojotone’s Quiet Coil NC-1 Acoustic Guitar Pickup Avoids Common Tonal Pitfalls
Doug Young tests the Mojotone Quiet Coil NC-1 magnetic soundhole pickup, a lightweight option for acoustic guitarists seeking natural, balanced amplified tone onstage or in the studio.
Gear Review: MXL Revelation Mini FET is a Solid Bargain Microphone for Acoustic Guitar
I auditioned a pair of Revelation Mini FETs by recording several different acoustic guitars using a spaced pair arrangement, and also with some basic vocal tests.
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Gear Review: JBL’s IRX112BT Powered PA Offers Brawn and Flexibility in a Portable Package
When amplifying an acoustic guitar, there’s often a tradeoff between the portability of a small acoustic amp and the power and full-range sound of a heavier and more expensive PA system. JBL’s new IRX line of Bluetooth-enabled powered PA speakers…
Review: iZotope RX 8 Audio Editor is Ideal for Home Recording in Less Than Perfect Environments
BY DOUG YOUNG Being able to record at home has great advantages for musicians, but getting professional results can be challenging. Noise is often one of the key differences between a homemade product and recordings made in professional studios. Whether…
Tracking and Editing Your Acoustic Guitar—Home Recording Part 3/3
When you are confident that you’re capturing a good sound, you’re ready to record. There are many ways to approach the actual recording, depending on the type of music. If you’re overdubbing or playing to a click track, you will…
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Review: Radial’s HDI High Definition Studio DI Is a Unique Tone-Shaping Tool for Guitars
I found the HDI to have a robust sound and a very useful range of colors that should enhance any guitar pickup.
How to Set Up Your Home Studio—Home Recording, Part 1/3
Not too long ago, you had to book time in a professional studio if you wanted to make a professional-sounding recording. But today, modest-priced gear is capable of producing recordings that are indistinguishable from their commercial big-budget equivalents. The biggest…
Review: Townsend Labs Sphere L22 Mic Modeling System Offers Versatility During and After Recording
In addition to modeling specific microphones, the L22 offers other benefits to acoustic guitarists
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Review: Blue Ember Microphone Looks and Sounds Better Than Some More Expensive Competitors
The Ember targets those doing home recording, podcasting, or YouTube videos, and is a true XLR phantom-powered microphone