Audio and Music Gadgets

You can use an iPhone to tune your guitar, learn chords, and even record new songs. But can you really replace your amplifier and effects pedals with the same device you used to book a show?

The sales guy says you need premium audio cables if you want premium sound. Is he telling you the truth, or is he just trying to make a buck?

By Patrick J. Kiger

Audiophiles like to debate the pros and cons of speakers, headphones and earphones. When it comes to earbuds and headphones, though, they might just want at least one pair of each.

By Melanie Radzicki McManus

Can you think of an instrument more influential in modern music than the electric guitar? How about the synthesizer? From analog to digital, synthesizers have changed the landscape of sound as we know it.

By Jeff Harder

As companies dream up better audio and video standards and storage media, they also add new ways to send it crisply from your gear to your ear, and optical audio is one of them.

By Nicholas Gerbis

Will those crazy car chases look and sound better on a components or all-in-one home theater system? That is the question.

By Patrick J. Kiger

If you've ever wanted to eliminate some of those pesky audio cables, wireless speakers may sound like a great idea. They have some advantages, but wireless speakers still come with some strings attached.

By Jonathan Strickland

That old record collection of yours is taking up so much space, but what if you could fit the whole kit and caboodle into something the size of a deck of cards? All you have to do is convert your LPs into digital files. We'll show you how.

By Linda C. Brinson

If all you do is swim in the pool and play the occasional game of Marco Polo, you are missing out. An underwater sound system could get you doing the electric boogaloo on land and in water. How cool is that?

By Robert Lamb

According to Dr. Dre, "people aren't hearing all the music" when they listen to it on the average earbuds and speakers. What kind of sound do Dre's Beats Audio products deliver?

By Patrick J. Kiger

An odd little egg-shaped fellow, Sony's dancing music player was designed to captivate music lovers' eyes and ears simultaneously. Whatever happened to this robotic dancing queen?

By Nathan Chandler

Did you know that your bones can hear stuff? Yes, it's true. And using bone-conducting headphones instead of ear buds may be a lot better for your ears. How do these headphones do their job?

By Patrick J. Kiger

Record players have been around since the late 19th century, and even though the basic mechanisms of playing vinyl records are unchanged, modern technology has put a whole new spin on things.

By Wesley Fenlon

Some materials are better conductors of sound than others. Most speakers work best when you don't put anything on them. But some others are louder when you put them on another surface.

By Jonathan Strickland

Jukeboxes are a colorful slice of Americana that brought on-demand music to the masses. Find out how they work -- and how they've fared in the digital age.

By Nathan Chandler

When VHS was big, I collected movies. I had a giant collection spanning several shelves, then a new device came out called a DVD player. Learn more about how to recyclem reuse and rid yourself of VHS tapes.

By Josh Peterson, Planet Green

Recycle old earbuds into DIY speakers. Learn how to recycle your old earbuds and turn them into DIY speakers.

By Megan Cohen, Planet Green

If you are a bug lover, this tiny gadget is just for you! The Hex Bug is a tiny robot that reacts to sound and touch. Take a look inside the Hex Bug.

By now, you've probably "spotted" the newest arrival on the digital music scene. Spotify, the Swedish music streaming service that's been hot in Europe for years, is now making waves in the United States.

By Nathan Chandler

Ever wonder about that eerie-sounding music in old sci-fi flicks? Those haunting strains may come from a theremin, an instrument you play without touching. How's that possible? Find out in this article.

By Gerlinda Grimes

Music effects like Auto-Tune may have taken over the airwaves, but the talk box was one of the first devices to make musicians sound like robots. Do you feel like we do?

By Jane McGrath

If you know how to use a condenser microphone, your audio will come out crystal clear. Learn about how to use a condenser microphone in this article.

By HowStuffWorks.com Contributors

If you've ever played an instrument, you've probably had to keep time with a metronome. How do these mechanisms give musicians a steady tempo?

By Gerlinda Grimes

A guitar can come across a little thin if it's plugged into just an amplifier with a clean sound. Add a few pedals to the mix, though, and you could be stomping out some gnarly effects.

By Gerlinda Grimes

Every wonder what's inside your music keyboard? Take a look at these pictures to explore and learn about music keyboard components.

By Kaliyana Finney