Common Mistakes
Everything published on Viyolens under Common Mistakes — reviews, buying advice and how-tos written for players and producers in the UK.
Common Guitar Pro Mistakes to Avoid
Not through carelessness, usually, just because nobody tells you until you've already been caught out once.
Common King V Jackson Mistakes to Avoid
Most King V problems are assumptions, not flaws in the guitar. Here's what trips people up most, and the fix for each.
Common String Instruments Viola Mistakes to Avoid
The viola's particular challenges lead to recurring, avoidable mistakes. Knowing what they are before they develop saves time, money and long-term technique problems.
Common Fender Blues Junior Amplifier Mistakes to Avoid
Most of the horror stories about this amp going wrong aren't the amp's fault. Here are the mistakes I see again and again, and how to avoid them.
Common Steel Band Drums Mistakes to Avoid
Most steelpan mistakes come down to one thing: treating it like an ordinary percussion instrument instead of the finely tuned instrument it actually is.
Common Krk Mistakes to Avoid
The mistakes almost everyone makes with a new pair of KRK monitors, from buying too big for the room to trusting them before your ears are ready.
Common Denon Dj Mistakes to Avoid
Quick, honest rundown of the Denon DJ mistakes that turn a smooth changeover into a scramble — so it's not you next time.
Common Strymon Timeline Pedal Mistakes to Avoid
Most problems with this delay pedal come from setup errors, not from misusing the features. Identifying and correcting these issues produces much better results.
Common Amplifier Mistakes to Avoid
A few honest confessions and the fixes for the amplifier mistakes almost everyone makes at least once.
Common Rosin Mistakes to Avoid
Small, cheap and commonly misused. Here are the errors I've watched students and seasoned amateurs make again and again.
Common Digital Piano Mistakes to Avoid
Most digital piano mistakes are predictable and easily fixed. Whether you are choosing an instrument or trying to improve your practice, here are the errors worth knowing about.
Common Virtual Preamp Collection Mistakes to Avoid
The same handful of avoidable habits trip up most new users. Here's what to check before you decide something doesn't sound right.
Common Expression Pedal Mistakes to Avoid
Wrong cable, polarity mismatch, skipping calibration — here are the mistakes that cause most expression pedal problems, and the fixes for each.
Common Autotune Mistakes to Avoid
Wrong key settings, a retune speed left on zero, a messy take fed straight in — here are the autotune mistakes almost everyone makes at least once.
Common Squier Telecaster Mistakes to Avoid
Buying a Squier Telecaster is smart, but it's easy to stumble into pitfalls that turn a good experience sour. Here are the mistakes to avoid.
Common Genelec Mistakes to Avoid
Most Genelec problems are habits, not hardware faults. Here's what actually trips people up, and the simple fix for each one.
Common Instruments Tambourine Mistakes to Avoid
From clamping the frame too tightly to putting the mic too close in the studio, here are the tambourine habits worth fixing early.
Common Short Scale Electric Bass Mistakes to Avoid
The short-scale bass is accessible but not forgiving of poor habits — here are the most common mistakes and how to avoid them.
Common Looper Pedal Mistakes to Avoid
Even talented musicians sabotage themselves with a looper pedal. Learn the ten most common mistakes and how to fix them—from timing errors to layer management.
Common Cabasa Instrument Mistakes to Avoid
A few honest observations on what wears a cabasa out early, and what just makes it sound worse than it needs to.
Common Plugin Alliance Mistakes to Avoid
The avoidable errors, from paying full price out of impatience to trusting the marketing copy over your own ears.
Common Brass Band Mistakes to Avoid
A handful of avoidable errors trip up brass band players again and again — here is what they are, and how to sidestep every one of them.
Common Mic with Recorder Mistakes to Avoid
None of these mistakes mean the gear's no good — they're just the small habits nobody tells you about until you've already ruined a take.
Common Frets Mistakes to Avoid
Most fret regrets trace back to one small, avoidable mistake. Here are the ones I see most often in the workshop, and how to sidestep each one.
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