Matt McCracken
Matt is a Junior Deals Writer here at MusicRadar. He regularly tests and reviews music gear with a focus on audio interfaces, studio headphones, studio monitors, and pretty much anything else home recording-related. Responsible for over 60 buying guides, a large part of his role is helping musicians find the best deals on gear. Matt worked in music retail for 5 years at Dawsons Music and Northwest Guitars and has written for various music sites including Guitar World, Guitar Player, Guitar.com, Ultimate Guitar, and Thomann’s t.blog.
A regularly gigging guitarist with over 20 years of experience playing live and producing bands, he's performed everything from jazz to djent, gigging all over the UK in more dingy venues than you can shake a drop-tuned guitar at. When he's not holed up in his home studio recording new songs or downloading new plugins, you’ll find him making a racket with Northern noise hounds JACKALS.
Latest articles by Matt McCracken
Best PCs for music production 2025: Apple Macs and Windows machines for your home studio
By Chris Corfield last updated
Discover the power that a desktop PC or Mac can bring to your music-making, with our expert pick of the best desktops for music production
Today is your last chance to grab Waves's bonkers distortion plugin Berzerk for free - exclusive to MusicRadar readers
By Matt McCracken last updated
We've teamed up with Waves to offer you Berzerk for free (rather than $29.99) until 1400 BST/0900 EST – find out how to claim your plugin for nothing
Audio interface vs mixer: Which should you choose for your home studio?
By Matt McCracken published
There’s more than one way to get audio in and out of your computer - we look at two of the most common options for musicians
Waves just slashed the price on 20 of their best-selling plugins, including Waves Tune and Vocal Rider at just $35.99 each
By Matt McCracken published
Mix like a pro for less with cut-price channel strips, AI noise removal tools and creative plugins in the Waves best-seller's sale
Best audio interfaces for streaming 2025: Elevate your content with our pick of budget-spanning devices
By Chris Corfield last updated
Take your live-streaming game to the next level with our pick of streaming audio interfaces from Mackie, Elgato, Roland, PreSonus, and more
Bag a huge 50% off top-rated Native Instruments synths, instruments, effects, and select hardware in their unmissable Summer of Sound sale
By Matt McCracken published
Grab yourself unbeatable deals on Massive, Monark, FM8, Komplete 14, Traktor Pro 3, and loads more in this huge sale
Best audio interfaces under $200/£200 2025: Make high-quality recordings that won't break the bank
By Andy Jones last updated
Our pick of sub-$/£200 audio interfaces from Focusrite, Audient, Arturia and more
Amp up Father's Day with Positive Grid's epic sale - score up to 40% off the Spark, Spark Mini, Spark Go, and more
By Matt McCracken published
Get them a well-deserved gift this Father’s Day with big savings on smart amps, software, and loads more
“Plenty of functionality to grow into and perfect for the solo or beginner recording musician”: Universal Audio Volt 1 review
By Matt McCracken published
UA’s budget audio interface looks to bring the sound of vintage mic pres to the masses
Best guitar audio interfaces 2025: Record killer guitar parts at home with our top picks
By Chris Bird last updated
The best audio interfaces for guitar from IK Multimedia, Focusrite, UAD and more
How to get more out of your audio interface
By Matt McCracken last updated
We look at what you’re not doing with your audio interface, and how you can expand its usability
Best synthesizers 2025: Top analogue, digital, mono and polysynths
By Andy Jones last updated
From cheap monosynths to the best high-end polysynths, our experts have hand-picked the best synthesizers for every budget
Best acoustic guitars 2025: Super steel string acoustics for all players and budgets
By Chris Bird last updated
Our pick of the very best flat tops from Taylor, Martin, Gibson, Fender and loads more
"Despite the teeny tiny size it’s packing loads of useful features": Arturia MiniFuse 1 review
By Matt McCracken published
We put Arturia’s bite-sized budget audio interface to the test
Get 3 Native Instruments Play Series instruments for a bargainous $59 - these are the ones we have in our basket
By Matt McCracken published
Expand your sound selection with a huge discount on drums, synths, vocals, and loads more - offer ends on 6 May
“It’s an inspiring guitar to play whether strumming or playing fingerstyle”: Fender CP-60S Parlour review
By Matt McCracken published
This parlour version of Fender’s best-selling beginner acoustic offers big tones in a smaller, more comfortable package
“A brilliant option if you need quality ‘board-mounted amp tones that don’t take up too much space”: IK Multimedia Tonex One review
By Matt McCracken published
IK’s tiny but mighty Tonex One promises all the quality of its bigger brother, shrunk down to mini-pedal format
“Ultra-versatile as well as fantastic value for money”: Rode NT1 Signature review
By Matt McCracken published
One of the world’s most popular studio microphones gets back to basics. We find out more
SM57 vs SM58: which of these classic microphones should you pick?
By Matt McCracken published
We put two of the most popular microphones ever made head to head to find out which is best for your use case
“With a little editing will have you sounding like your guitar heroes in no time”: NUX MG-400 review
By Matt McCracken published
This affordable multi-effects pedal looks to tempt beginner guitar players away from the practice amp with loads of functionality and sounds
"Incredibly low latency figures": Motu M4 review
By Matt McCracken published
A feature-packed, great value-for-money audio interface that could be the perfect companion for live shows and studio work
Best Focusrite audio interfaces 2025: the top models to suit your recording needs
By Chris Corfield published
Whether you're a studio pro or a bedroom beatmaker, there's a Focusrite audio interface that's perfect for you
Best budget audio interfaces 2025: Start recording today for less than $60/£60
By Si Truss last updated
Kickstart your recording journey with an incredible interface that won't break the bank. Here’s our pick of cheap audio interfaces for PC, Mac and iOS
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