Katie Anderson
Katie learned the ropes mixing bands in Southampton's pubs and clubs, a port city used to a steady churn of touring acts. Years behind the desk gave her a practical, no-nonsense understanding of how live sound actually works. She writes about PA, live sound and stage gear.
Articles by Katie Anderson
Common Paiste Cymbals Mistakes to Avoid
Most cymbal cracks and tonal problems are avoidable — here are the most common mistakes drummers make with Paiste cymbals and how to fix them.
Common Sabian Mistakes to Avoid
Most Sabian problems are habits, not flaws in the cymbal. Here's what trips people up most often, and the fix for each.
Stage Piano for Beginners: A Complete Guide
Getting started with a stage piano for live performance involves understanding the signal path, monitoring options and sound organisation. Here is the complete beginner walkthrough.
Common Stage Monitor Mistakes to Avoid
Stage monitor problems are almost always avoidable. From asking for too much volume to positioning cabs badly, here are the most common errors and what to do instead.
Steel Tongue Drum: A Complete Guide
A sealed steel shell with slots cut into it, and somehow a genuinely musical instrument. Here's how it actually works.
The Complete Guide to Shure Condenser Mic
The Shure condenser mic sets the standard for studio recording. Discover why professional engineers choose Shure's condenser microphones for vocal, instrument and ambient recording.
The History of Drum and Bass
From warehouse raves to a Mercury Prize win, here's how drum and bass actually took shape, era by era.
Common Drum Throne Mistakes to Avoid
Most drum throne problems come from common setup mistakes. Learn how wrong height, unstable bases and poor padding affect your playing—and how to fix them.
Hand Drum for Beginners: A Complete Guide
Picking up a hand drum for the first time is genuinely forgiving. Here's a calm, practical start.
Krk: A Complete Buyer's Guide
A practical checklist for buying KRK monitors: room size first, the right product range, matched pairs, and what DSP will and won't fix.
Sound Proof Panels for Beginners: A Complete Guide
New to sound proof panels? Here's a calm, jargon-free place to start, with a simple way to check they're actually working.
Everything You Need to Know About Monitoring Audio
Every mixing decision depends on trusting what you're hearing. Here's what that actually involves, in plain terms.
Genelec: A Complete Buyer's Guide
Everything worth checking before buying a Genelec monitor, from the analogue-versus-SAM decision to the accessories most buyers forget to budget for.
The Best Drum Rugs for the Money
The best drum rug options at every price point and use case: budget practice, mid-range home use, professional touring, electronic kits and portable gigging.
The Ultimate Guide to Drum Lessons
Drum lessons work best when they cover technique, coordination and reading rather than chasing pure speed. A practical learning path moves from posture and grip through timekeeping, grooves, fills and...
Rack Toms: A Complete Buyer's Guide
Buying rack toms starts with shell material and size — two decisions that shape every other choice that follows, from mounting hardware to head selection.
Allen and Heath: A Complete Buyer's Guide
Buy the desk that fits the gig you actually do — here's how to choose the right Allen & Heath mixer without paying for scale you'll never use.
The Best Yamaha Dm3s for the Money
The Yamaha DM3 series has two models at two price points. Here's which one is best value depending on how you actually plan to use it.
Common Brushes Drum Mistakes to Avoid
Most brush technique errors come from applying the wrong approach or skipping the fundamentals. Here are the mistakes worth understanding before you practise.
Trs Cable for Beginners: A Complete Guide
No assumed knowledge, no jargon first. Just which cable you actually need, and what to check when something doesn't sound right.
Studio Desk: A Complete Buyer's Guide
A practical checklist for buying a studio desk — the measurements, the features worth paying for, and the questions to ask before you commit.
What Katie Anderson covers
Bass Preamp
Bass preamps shape tone, gain and output for live use, recording and pedalboard-based rigs.
2 topics
Drums & Percussion
The full family of drums and percussion — acoustic and electronic kits, hand drums, pitched mallet instruments, and ever...
118 topics
Marshall Earbuds
Portable in-ear listening for commuting, travel and everyday music playback.
Marshall Headphones
Stylish everyday headphones for travel, home listening and music enjoyment.
1 topic
Yamaha Dm3
Compact digital mixing for live sound, venues and rehearsal spaces. A yamaha dm3 offers modern control in a small format...
Yamaha Hs5
Compact and accurate, the Yamaha HS5 is ideal for small studios, mixing, editing and critical nearfield monitoring.
Yamaha Hs7
The Yamaha HS7 offers accurate monitoring, stronger low end and dependable performance for project and home studios.
Yamaha Hs8
Designed for larger spaces, the Yamaha HS8 delivers powerful, accurate monitoring with strong low-end detail.
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Index- Guitars 1,525
- Pianos & Keyboards 491
- Drums & Percussion 278
- Orchestral Strings 76
- Wind & Woodwind 97
- Brass Instruments 70
- Folk & World Instruments 108
- Studio Recording 484
- Music Software & DAWs 250
- DJ & Electronic Production 199
- Live Sound & PA 143
- Music Accessories 165
- Sheet Music & Learning 63
- Music Genres 285
- Music News & Industry 246
- Hi-Fi & Home Audio 64
- Artists & Bands 39