SAMPLED#studio gear
5 stories
Stories tagged #studio gear on Sampled — sound, style, and scenes, all in one place.
Best condenser microphones for vocals: AT2020, NT1 5th Gen and LCT 240 Pro
Three condenser mic bundles for three budgets: the AT2020 starter kit with boom arm and pop filter, the dual-output RODE NT1 5th Gen, and the Lewitt LCT 240 Pro vocal pack.
Nektar MIDI keyboards compared: SE61, Impact LX Mini and Impact GXP61
Three Nektar controllers for three different desks: the plug-and-play SE61, the travel-sized Impact LX Mini and the semi-weighted, aftertouch-equipped Impact GXP61.
Best studio monitors to buy in 2026
Four nearfields cover almost every real-world room and budget: the KRK ROKIT 5 G5, Yamaha HS5, JBL 305P MkII and PreSonus Eris 3.5. Here is how they differ and which one fits which desk.
Best studio headphones: ATH-M50x, Sony MDR-7506, Beyerdynamic DT 770 Pro
Three closed-back monitors have survived every trend in studio gear. Here is how the Audio-Technica ATH-M50x, Sony MDR-7506 and Beyerdynamic DT 770 Pro actually differ, and which one belongs on which job.
The Sony MDR-7506: the headphone every studio keeps on the mic stand
Introduced in 1991 and still on every tracking-room mic stand, the MDR-7506 is the closed-back monitor that outlived three decades of wireless flagships. From the records Andrew Scheps mixed for Adele and the Red Hot Chili Peppers to the film sets that made it a location-sound standard, here is the history, the specs and why engineers never replace it.