Chris Devine

Here’s the thing about compressors: they’re not always used for what you think they’re for!  And, how you think about using them fully determines the results you’ll get from them. Most people are taught, or assume, that compressors are for controlling the level of a sound. In fact, that is why they were invented, as “auto-leveling amplifiers,” but we’ve gone way past that application now, and frankly, track automation is probably better for that anyway.

When it comes to drive pedals, names can sometimes be misleading. “Super overdrive” might mean distortion to some, and to others it’s something that’s not enough to solo on. With the name Pet Yeti, Cosmodio Instruments has a pedal that lives up to its name of a wild hairy beast, but that’s workable drive-wise. The usual Level, Gain and Tone knobs reside here, and do exactly as they would on pretty much every drive pedal.

Getting the most out of your DAW investment is always the name of the game, and the upgrades between versions is in many cases not enough to make a user step up. Luckily, PreSonus’s Studio One 6 Professional launched in late 2022, and there are enough updates to make your head spin. We picked 6 features to share from our favorite DAW (and they’re not even paying us to say that!). Global Video Track.