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A more powerful, re-voiced and tweaked update of the original Alpha, the new AER Alpha Plus is a real step up from its ancestor. Retaining the original’s simplicity, this update is noticeably louder and the overall sound quality is a prime example of what can be achieved from a small cabinet fitted with a small, coaxial speaker.

Peavey Nashville 112

Guitar amplifier

This Peavey combo is designed not to distort, an ability that sets it apart in the art of making electric guitars go louder.

Roland Cube-80X

Guitar amplifier

This latest addition to the Roland Cube family is the most powerful yet, at 80 Watts. With a 12-inch speaker on board, this COSM-based amp is now a serious backline contender.

Line 6 LowDown HD750

Modelling bass amplifier

Line 6 are famed for their innovative guitar products, but this time we test an amp aimed specifically at bassists — the LowDown HD750.

Recent PA Roadtests

Laney CD630M & CX12

Powered mixer & speaker system

This Laney PA system offers good performance and excellent value, and would make a great option for smaller venues and acoustic acts.

Mackie HD1521

Active loudspeakers

Mackie’s patented new HD series offers a further increase in audio performance combined with lighter weight.

HK Audio ConTour

PA system

HK build PA systems to suit all budgets, but if you need the best possible performance without losing portability, their ConTour range merits closer inspection.

QSC K Series

Active loudspeakers

QSC have combined lightweight portability and a huge amount of power in their K Series range of active speakers, creating a system that is ideal for any smaller-scale gig requiring high-quality sound.

PA Active Systems

KX Audio KX12 & KX1.5

LD Systems Dave 12+

SR Technology Pocket 1500

PA Passive Systems

Peavey PR 15

Electro-Voice Force i Monitor

Dynacord D8 & Sub 112

Kam Extreme Series

Lighting

» Sound Guide to Lighting (series)

Microphones

Heil PR 30

Electro-Voice N/D767a & N/D967

Sontronics Delta

B-Band Ukko Pack

DPA 4099

Sontronics STC-80 & STC-6

Optogate PB-05 & PB-07

AKG D7

Royer R-121L & R-122L

Rode M1

Telefunken USA M80

Heil Sound PR 22 & PR 35

Electric Guitars

Burns Marquee Pro

Danelectro Dead On ‘67

Sterling by Music Man

St. Blues Bluesmaster II

Schecter Damien Special FR

Encore Blaster E6 & E2

Aria PE Exotic & TA-50QM

Danelectro Dano ‘63

Cort G290 & KX1Q

Hagstrom Select Ultra Swede

Burns Double Six

Moog Guitar

Playing Techniques

Pedal to the metal

Fingerstyle self-accompaniment

How to ‘fake it’ in DADGAD

Contemporary Bluegrass

The Great Outdoors: playing open-air gigs

Capo-tastic!

On Broadway

Coping with the physical effects of playing

Accessories | Add-ons

David Gage Realist

Line 6 Relay G30

Dunlop DC Brick

Graph Tech Supercharger

StageClix

TonePros System II

Cruz Tools GrooveTech Tool Kit

Trem King

Pedaltrain 2 HC

Tonerider Pure Vintage & Classic Blues

Stagecraft

PA al fresco

Farm Aid 1985

Boogie Nights: The Seventies disco musical

BBC Radiophonic Workshop live at the Roundhouse

Pedal Power!

A rough guide to Compact Stage Tuners

ReGenesis

CMJ 2008: New York Music Marathon

Is the amplified acoustic a dead end?

The War Of The Worlds

Dressing Rooms (and the 'Plan-B' rig)

Mixing jazz for large venues

Tech Notes

Mixing consoles: how they work (Part 3)

Mixing consoles: Part 2

Mixing consoles: Part 1

Gain structure

Acoustics and sound propagation: Part 4

Acoustics and sound propagation: Part 3

Acoustics and sound propagation: Part 2

Acoustics and sound propagation: Part 1

Equalisers

Line Arrays

Live Sound Techniques

Laptop Mixing & PA

Can you really control a PA with a trackpad?

Studio engineers often call it ‘mixing in the box’, and they mean using a computer screen and mouse rather than a conventional console. But surely you couldn’t mix live music that way? Not only does it turn out that you can, but it just might change the world of PA as we know it.

Mixing FOH for rap and hip-hop

From the street to the stage

Taking rap and hip-hop to the stage is not as straightforward as it might seem, those who mix the genre tell Performing Musician.

Going digital

Roland's M-400 V-Mixer in action

It was supposed to be just another live sound job in the local theatre, but turned out to be an introduction to the world of digital mixing.

Sound for small theatre productions

Techniques & Tips

Perhaps it's not for absolute beginners, but if you're into live sound, maybe as a future career, then doing the sound for small theatre productions is a great opportunity to gain experience and develop your skills. Here, we discover what it's like to be part of a sound tech team for the small stage.

Mixing Led Zeppelin then... and now

From '70s tours to FOH sound for the 2007 reunion concert

The now-famous reunion show for hard rock's patron saints, Led Zeppelin, at the O2 Arena showed that while the song remains the same, the sound gets a lot better.

Mixing a stadium gig for the first time

Techniques & Tips

How do you prepare yourself for mixing stadium gigs? By mixing a stadium gig, of course. PM's tame FOH engineer recounts the challenge of deploying his skills in a slightly unfamiliar context.

Mixing sound for Broadway musicals

Mixing Techniques

More complex than a typical concert and with no opportunities for studio fix-ups, mixing and designing sound for Broadway's one-of-a-kind productions is its own animal, with singular techniques, a unique business culture and its own rewards.

Mixing Metal

Techniques from the pros

There is a primitive elegance to the eternal struggle embedded in hard rock music that pits sublime intelligibility against violent, visceral volume.