Music Gear, Equipment, News, Tutorials & Reviews (original) (raw)
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Helios mixing console used to record Bob Marley's No Woman, No Cry goes on sale - and you won't believe how much it costs Matt Mullen published 18 September 24 An "undeniable piece of recording history", the Helios HJ-1 Dub Station was used to record Burning Spear, Horace Andy, King Tubby and many more reggae artists 
Neural DSP reveals the Nano Cortex – its follow-up to the Quad Cortex Rob Laing published 18 September 24 Amp and effects capture, with USB-C power – "With its simplicity, Nano Cortex is made to be integrated into a pedalboard as the driving engine of your sound" 
Finneas reveals Billie Eilish's “number one piece of feedback” on his guitar playing Ben Rogerson published 18 September 24 “Even though she feels like she’s less experienced, I really like her sensibilities,” he says 
“It was left to me to protect the legacy”: Johnny Marr hits back over Morrissey’s Smiths trademark claims Will Simpson published 18 September 24 No plans to tour as ‘The Smiths’ without Morrissey either 
“It’s fantastic to see them giving back to grassroots music”: Coldplay announce stadium shows that will give back to the grassroots Will Simpson published 18 September 24 Wembley shows will also be powered by renewable energy 
Need to calm down? Try Rockabye Baby’s ‘Lullaby Renditions’ of Taylor Swift songs Ben Rogerson published 18 September 24 Company has previously created baby-friendly versions of songs by Metallica, Snoop Dogg, Nirvana and Beyonce 
"This is not a mini Quad Cortex, but it could become your most used piece of gear": Neural DSP Nano Cortex review Neural focuses on guitar amp and drive pedal capturing with its second piece of hardware – but does it get the recipe right? 
"It makes it sound like an authentic recording and less like you programmed the whole thing with your mouse": 11 tips for software guitar that sounds like the real thing Some quick tips to achieve guitar-god greatness... without a guitar 
5 practical music theory tools to help you make better electronic music Find out how to use today's top theory tools to make your tunes stand out Artists
"If it were up to just him, he’d be back on tour… but it's not up to just him”: ‘Irreconcilable differences’ means it’s the end of the road for REO Speedwagon ByWill Simpson published 18 September 24 REO Speedwagon to quit touring at the end of the year 
“An essential tool for musicians on the move”: Ed Sheeran unveils 200W portable PA for buskers ByJonathan Horsley published 17 September 24 Grab your guitar and take your show mobile, with an onboard three channel mixer and Alesis effects to finesse your sound, Bluetooth streaming for the backing track, and ample battery life 
Rob Chapman shares what he learned about picking speed from his baptism of fire transcribing Yngwie ByJonathan Horsley published 17 September 24 Chapman was thrown in at the deep end but he says there was much to learn from the session – about recording, managing expectations and the secret behind Yngwie's technique 
“People are gone. The band is different... we’re not that close anymore”: Shawn Crahan on the current state of Slipknot ByWill Simpson published 17 September 24 Shawn 'Clown' Crahan on the current state of Slipknot 
“A mural in the centre of Manchester feels a fitting place and way for all his many fans to come and pay tribute”: Crowdfunder launched for Andy Rourke mural ByWill Simpson published 17 September 24 Smiths bassist Andy Rourke to be memoralised by mural in central Manchester Music Tech
How to make a UK garage beat ByMusicRadar published 18 September 24 Brash and bouncy, classic UKG has an instantly recognisable sound that remains enduringly popular. We show you how it’s made… 
How to make a loop into a fully-fledged track BySara Simms published 18 September 24 It’s simple to make a killer loop, but how does that become a dancefloor-filling hit? It only takes a few steps to get the process started… 
“About as complete as a cinematic drum library can be”: Orchestral Tools Monolith review ByRoland Schmidt published 18 September 24 To create a soundtrack of epic proportions, you’re going to need a percussion library on a grand scale. We scale the Monolith 
Best Pioneer DJ controllers 2024: our pick of Pioneer DJing tools to suit your needs ByHarold Heath published 18 September 24 Mixing, scratching, looping, FX and much more with our guide to Pioneer’s range of DJ controllers 
This free synth and sampler plugin comes with over 2GB of samples from "the world's rarest synthesizers" ByMatt Mullen published 18 September 24 Wavea Flite's free version is packed with samples from Yamaha CS-80, Roland Juno 106, Jupiter 8, SH-101, Oberheim OB-8, Prophet 5, Korg Monopoly and more 
“Offers an excellent bridge between traditional EQ and auto-filter plugins”: DHPlugins LFO-EQ-1 review ByJon Musgrave published 17 September 24 Modulating your EQ parameters opens up a multitude of exciting effects. Can this affordable plugin really hit the mark? 
"I’ve come to realise that the perfect mix doesn’t exist": Ben Böhmer on overcoming perfectionism in production ByDanny Turner published 17 September 24 Following a 200-date world tour, we chat to the melodic house star about dealing with burnout and the genesis of third album, Bloom 
"I can't really say why it caught on, but if people think something sounds good, they'll use it": A brief history of the dub siren ByFred Garratt-Stanley published 17 September 24 We explore the evolution of an instantly recognisable sound effect that originated with early dub music before becoming synonymous with jungle and UK bass 
Why the new Springsteen biopic could spark a new wave of interest in the 4-track Portastudio ByBen Rogerson published 17 September 24 Movie will tell the story of the making of The Boss’s 1982 album, Nebraska 
Watch Four Tet jam on the drum machine given to him by Floating Points and Caribou ByMatt Mullen published 17 September 24 The pair generously gifted the Coachella-headlining producer and DJ a Soma Laboratories Pulsar-23 percussion synth Guitars
“The perfect musical companion”: Gibson unveils the versatile and newly updated Les Paul Studio ByJonathan Horsley published 17 September 24 The Studio arrives refreshed in a quartet of nitro finishes, with plain maple tops, coil-splits on Burstbucker Pro humbuckers and Ultra Modern weight relief 
Fender and Jack White reimagine the Telecaster and Acoustasonic – and design an all-new tube amp ByJonathan Horsley published 17 September 24 White says the collab blends the old with the new, all together in a package that would have made Leo Fender “very proud”. Meet the Jack White TripleCaster, TripleSonic and Pano Verb... 
Going ampless: 5 tips for using an amp modeller with your pedalboard ByLeigh Fuge published 16 September 24 Building a hybrid rig that's ready for anything 
Europe’s largest online gear retailer launches Willy Wonka-style golden ticket giveaway ByWill Simpson published 16 September 24 Thomann's launch Willy Wonka-style golden ticket giveaway 
Neural DSP is teasing a new release – could it be guitar hardware? ByRob Laing published 16 September 24 It looks to have LED-lit controls, but some reactions to the video Neural has filmed to promote it have not been kind Guitar Lessons & Tutorials
Learn these unexpected Oasis guitar chords ByLeigh Fuge published 6 September 24 Definitely maybe some chords you don't know 
Matteo Mancuso shares all the secrets behind his breathtaking style in Jam Track Central masterclass ByJonathan Horsley published 28 August 24 The Sicilian maestro introduces his course with a blazing solo with JTC promising everything you need to nail his fingerstyle fusion approach, with easy-to-follow exercises, solos and more 
“World’s fastest player” Rusty Cooley shares practice tips for building hyper-shred speed ByJonathan Horsley published 9 August 24 The “world’s fastest player” Cooley endorses the discipline of non-stop repetition until you find your fastest clean speed but argues variety is key to building technical excellence 
Learn classic songs with just a few guitar chords ByLeigh Fuge published 2 August 24 Strum for everyone 
If you've ever wanted to learn to play guitar and sing at the same time this is how to start ByRob Laing published 26 July 24 Gibson shows you how 
Are you getting the best out of your guitar-picking hand? You might be using it wrong ByRob Laing published 19 July 24 Your hand position is vital 
Learn classic metal riffs for beginners with Chimaira guitarist Rob Arnold ByRob Laing published 16 July 24 Featuring Black Sabbath and Metallica 
"When it comes down to chords, we don’t often spend much time talking about Brian May – until now": learn 4 from his Queen classics ByLeigh Fuge published 14 July 24 A crazy little thing called Dsus4 
His musical career has taken him from blues to pop, reggae, country and back again as we hone in 4 key chords from the career of old Slowhand himself to help you mine some inspiration for yourself ByLeigh Fuge published 7 July 24 D major triad of your love VIEW MORE GUITAR LESSONS & TUTORIALS
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Latest Tuition
The MPE masterclass: Express yourself with the new generation of software synths and hardware controllers ByJames Russell published 17 September 24 We take you step by step through some of the basic operations of MPE, from setting it up to understanding basic parameters to creating or amending a patch 
How to tailor reverbs to work with any mix ByJon Musgrave published 4 September 24 Reverb is a great tool, but cleverly thinking about its application can really take your mix to the next level. Here’s how to get tailoring… 
How to use your audio interface with a patch bay – a step by step guide ByJames Grimshaw published 4 September 24 Revolutionise your home studio connectivity and signal paths with a patch bay – here's how 
How to transform sounds with a Eurorack effects rig ByRob Redman published 3 September 24 Elevate your sound with these rack mods 
Music theory you can use: 6 chord tricks for songwriters and producers ByComputer Music published 2 September 24 Go beyond the basics with these handy power-composer tips and techniques 
Get creative with Logic Pro’s secret weapons for creating interesting effects ByJon Musgrave published 30 August 24 Elevate your sound design with fantastic stock plugins Logic users will already have 
How to use effects to take your sound design to the next level ByAndy Jones published 24 August 24 Branch out into the world of effects and expand your sound design aspirations beyond the basics 
How to master modulation and make your synth sounds move ByAndy Jones published 23 August 24 Create sounds with movement, layering and drama that you won’t quite believe 
14 sound design tips that will make your tracks stand out ByAndy Jones published 22 August 24 In these days of ‘ultimate sample banks’ and ‘preset-packed’ synths and effects, it’s easy to think that sound design is a dying art. But, if anything, we think it should be your go-to creative process 
How to use dynamic EQ in a mix ByJon Musgrave published 19 August 24 Dynamic EQ is a great tool for achieving level-dependent frequency changes, and can be a true life saver in certain mix situations 
Spice up your mix with these creative filtering techniques: "Filters are one of the most powerful mixing tools we have" ByJon Musgrave published 8 August 24 Creative filtering can both elevate and finesse your mix. Let’s check out some of the best ways to apply it 
How to create an old-school techno lead like Charlotte De Witte BySara Simms published 5 August 24 In this lead-focused tutorial, we also walk you through designing an arpeggiated pluck sound inspired by Eli Brown 
How to set the preamp gain on your audio interface ByMatt McCracken last updated 31 July 24 Ensure you are getting the best recording quality possible every time with our top tips 
How to plug mics and instruments into your audio interface ByMatt McCracken last updated 31 July 24 Not sure how to plug into your shiny new audio interface? Get set up for recording like a pro 
How to use your drum machine as a controller ByFuture Music published 31 July 24 Trigger your DAW's internal sounds with your drum machine's sequencer, or hook it up to a synth or sampler 
Learn 4 inspiring chords from Genesis's Peter Gabriel era ByLeigh Fuge published 30 July 24 Firth of A minor 
How to sound like Jack Antonoff: "He puts Minimoog through a fuzz pedal for an absolutely massive sound" ByAndy Jones published 23 July 24 These tricks won't land you an instant invite to the Swift, Lorde or Del Rey HQs but he certainly knows his stuff - View all tuition
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“The purest, most characterful poly that Moog has made in recent memory”: Moog Muse review BySi Truss published 16 September 24 We ask if Moog’s new flagship polysynth is indeed a dream source of musical inspiration 
"This single-pickup beauty is a straight-talking, no-nonsense guitar that takes no prisoners in the pursuit of great tone": Epiphone Yungblud SG Junior review ByDaryl Robertson published 16 September 24 Epiphone injects some much-needed youngblud into its sprawling artist collection with a contemporary take on a vintage classic 
“It’s rare that we’ve heard such flexible results made so quickly and easily”: Tracktion Dawesome Myth review ByAndy Jones published 15 September 24 Peter V is fast becoming the most ground-breaking plugin developer around. His latest is a synth of mythical proportions 
“An easy and big multi-effect with a lot of appeal”: SSL Module8 review ByAndy Jones published 11 September 24 Multi-effects are getting more powerful at the expense of ease of use, but Module8 manages both and is therefore pretty gr8 
“Sounds every bit like a vintage string machine, and far more besides”: GForce Software VSM IV review ByRoland Schmidt published 10 September 24 This updated VSM continues to prove that strings are very much the thing! We swot up on our virtual string theory 
"Offers a huge amount of options for all players of stringed instruments, and provides the highest accuracy available for any clip-on tuner": Peterson Stroboclip HDC review ByMatt McCracken published 10 September 24 One of the most accurate clip-on tuners available for musicians, and discuss that astronomical entry fee 
“In purely sonic terms the SM4 shone, capturing rich mid-range frequencies, making it an ideal choice for vocals and acoustic instruments”: Shure SM4 review ByChris Corfield published 9 September 24 Is Shure’s new home studio mic the secret to achieving simple, mix-ready sound? 
“Its versatility in use, coupled with huge levels of programmability, make it a must-have”: Cherry Audio Chroma review ByRoland Schmidt published 8 September 24 If you’re after a colourful new synth, Cherry Audio has something that covers the whole spectrum. We look through the prism