“Like she almost does not want to admit a co-writer”: The argument over who did what on All I Want For Christmas Is You
And Mariah’s Christmas classic is basically a demo
Artists
“Like she almost does not want to admit a co-writer”: The argument over who did what on All I Want For Christmas Is You
And Mariah’s Christmas classic is basically a demo
The quickly-written Death Cab for Cutie masterpiece that became a generational meditation on loss
I Will Follow You into the Dark would shatter millions of millennial hearts, eventually becoming Death Cab's biggest song
“It was stunning how good The Beatles were live”: Aerosmith’s Joe Perry on The Beatles and the Stones
"They turned the world upside down!”
Money Money Money: Abba Voyage has contributed over £2 billion to the British economy
New report has looked into its economic and social impact
“Omnisphere’s like a Korg Wavestation on crack – you press one button and 16 things happen at once”: Bicep on soft synths, sampling glaciers and club-focused new project CHROMA 000
The Irish duo opened a new creative chapter this year with two diverse projects that brought them to the Arctic and back to the dancefloor. Danny Turner finds out more
Mastering engineers reflect on the loudness wars, and ponder whether they really are over
In a new documentary, Waves CTO and co-founder Meir Shashoua says that he was accused of ruining music
'Immersive first' electronic musician Halina Rice on creating unique live experiences and new album, Unreality
The London-based producer on her career in electronic music, her favourite studio gear, and exploring the possibilities of spatial audio
Music Tech
“Omnisphere’s like a Korg Wavestation on crack – you press one button and 16 things happen at once”: Bicep on soft synths, sampling glaciers and club-focused new project CHROMA 000
The Irish duo opened a new creative chapter this year with two diverse projects that brought them to the Arctic and back to the dancefloor. Danny Turner finds out more
Mastering engineers reflect on the loudness wars, and ponder whether they really are over
In a new documentary, Waves CTO and co-founder Meir Shashoua says that he was accused of ruining music
'Immersive first' electronic musician Halina Rice on creating unique live experiences and new album, Unreality
The London-based producer on her career in electronic music, her favourite studio gear, and exploring the possibilities of spatial audio
UAD's free plugin offer is the biggest no-brainer I've seen this year – but time is running out to get your hands on a world-class studio weapon for nothing
This monumental free UAD plug-in giveaway is about to expire - grab your free gear before this awesome offer vanishes forever
MusicRadar deals of the week: Score big savings on music gear ahead of Christmas from the likes of UAD, Casio, Waves, PRS and more
We've uncovered the very best offers on a range of music-making gear from the likes of Gibson, Casio, Gretsch, Universal Audio, and more
Arturia's MiniFuse 2 OTG promises to make recording and streaming easy for content creators
Dual USB/OTG connectivity and loopback make Arturia's latest audio interface a no-brainer for creators, streamers and producers working with mobile devices
“Seriously wtf – we are truly doomed”: King Gizzard leave Spotify to be replaced by AI clones
Frontman says he’s “trying to see the irony” of the situation
Just in time for the party season, Spotify is finally back in iOS and Android DJing apps
You can now mix Spotify music in Algoriddim’s djay and AlphaTheta rekordbox
“A reasonably portable device that provides a realistic and practical solution for a multitude of environments”: t.akustik Vocal Head Booth Mobile review
Reducing room ambience is often desirable for vocal and voiceover recording and here’s device you can take with you
Ableton and Arturia reign supreme as Reverb reveals best-selling synths, samplers and drum machines of 2025
Ableton knocks Elektron off its perch as Push 2 tops the best-sellers list, and the Akai MPC makes a storming comeback
Native Instruments' Absynth returns – here’s the inside story, with developer Brian Clevinger
The cult classic soft synth is back, 16 years on from its previous iteration. We sit down with Absynth’s creator to hear about the history of this legendary instrument and why its rebirth is the 'best project he’s ever worked on'
Guitars
“Virtually every sound I conjure recalls a classic player or style”: Gibson Les Paul Special Double Cut review
Along with the punk classic Les Paul Junior double-cut, the twin pickup Special is now readily available from Gibson USA. It might be stripped down but it’s a great platform for its two P-90s.
MusicRadar deals of the week: Score big savings on music gear ahead of Christmas from the likes of UAD, Casio, Waves, PRS and more
We've uncovered the very best offers on a range of music-making gear from the likes of Gibson, Casio, Gretsch, Universal Audio, and more
Electro-Harmonix and JHS Pedals team up for a Big Muff based on schematic that had been lying forgotten for 50 years
While researching a book on the history of EHX, Josh Scott found a 50-year-old schematic from Big Muff inventor Bob Myer. He took it to the breadboard and now it's here... The Big Muff 2
Seymour Duncan teams up with Dino Cazares for signature Machete humbuckers – and their versatility might surprise you
Available for six or seven-string guitars, the Machete is the same high-powered heavy-hitter Cazares uses in his signature Ormsby guitar, and is all about power and clarity
Crazy Tube Circuits squeezes out another sweet twofer with the Orama preamp/fuzz pedal
One classic British amp-in-a-box circuit, one '90s boutique fuzz, two footswitches and countless tones to explore, the Orama is CTC's "vision in gain" and it looks (and sounds) mighty fresh
Brian May just got Tony Iommi the best Christmas present ever
Talk about doing Christmas shopping early? May's gift was two years in the making, and it's a big one – Queen meets Black Sabbath on a Red Special replica with a signature Iommi twist
Strymon debuts Series A analogue pedals range with the Fairfax – a “chameleon” drive that can “breathe fire”
The Fairfax Class A Output Stage Drive replicates the old-school mojo of the vintage Garnet Amplifiers' Herzog tube drive, and is the first release in Strymon's new Series A range of analogue pedals
DOD reimagines a Gary Moore overdrive favourite as the Badder Monkey – think the DigiTech Green Monkey, only badder
DOD creates the king of the pedalboard swingers, combining the original Bad Monkey circuit with two new drive circuits, and some truly bananas ways of blending them all
Davey Johnstone on guitar shopping with Elton John – and how he ended up with his iconic Les Paul Custom
Johnstone says some of his best guitars came via the kindness of Elton John as he recalls one surreal day in the legendary NYC gear institution Manny's and the unexpected gift of a Clapton Strat
Guitar Lessons & Tutorials
How Tom Morello used his guitar to drill into the off-limits domain of the turntablist
The Rage Against the Machine axe-man’s most memorable moment saw him emulate a DJ scratch breakdown using a trick that few have fully mastered
With a massive 89% discount, $99 for a year's worth of Guitar Tricks online lessons is the best way to upgrade your guitar playing this Black Friday
Guitar Tricks is our number one online tuition platform for guitar players
What are the best online guitar lessons in 2025? I review guitar gear for a living and these are my favourite lessons platforms
My pick of the best online guitar courses will get your playing up to speed from the comfort of your own home, whether you're a beginner, intermediate, or advanced player
Ignite your inner guitar god for just 27 cents a day with TrueFire’s July 4th sale - save 60% on online lessons
With over 84,000 lessons at your disposal, this is one of the best value guitar tuition subscriptions online right now
Can you fix your guitar's frets yourself? We try three innovative approaches from MusicNomad to investigate how they might conquer a major cause of fret buzz
Uneven frets are a common issue with our guitars, but MusicNomad has come up with different ways to empower players to deal with it themselves
How to play like George Harrison on The Beatles' Abbey Road
Learn the guitar style of the most expressive and accomplished playing The Beatle would ever commit to tape
How to play guitar like David Gilmour: Bluesy diads, slides, quarter-tone blues curls and more
Tackle the expressive phrasing and minor pentatonic tricks of one of rock's finest guitarists, David Gilmour
Latest Tuition
How unquantizing your tracks can make them stand out from the AI-dominated crowd
If your music is sounding a little mechanical, maybe it deserves a sprinkle of organic nurturing. We invite you to un-click the quantize!
Stuck for ideas? Here's how to create fresh basslines and melodies with Ableton Live 12’s MIDI tools
In our latest video tutorial, we explore how to use Live generative MIDI tools and hardware-inspired sequencers to create riffs and patterns
7 great house and techno tips from Don’t Be Afraid label boss Semtek (aka DJ Persuasion)
The producer, DJ and founder of one of the UK's most respected underground labels revisits a 2012 release to explore what he's learned in 15 years of releasing house and techno
Four big-name guitarists spill their recording secrets
With insight from Paul Gilbert, John 5, Adam Dutkiewicz and Marty Friedman on their approaches to the recording process
37 heavyweight bass production tips
More than three dozen priceless nuggets of bass recording and production wisdom
Creating chords for electronic music: 3 ways to generate more interesting progressions in Ableton Live 12
Let’s explore how Live’s MIDI effects can help us write better progressions
25 recording tips and tricks everyone should know
Get better takes in the studio and on the stage, with our essential advice for producers and DIY music-makers
Produce better music with our ultimate compression cheat sheet
Confused about where to start with compressors and dynamics effects? We'll guide you through the essential features and settings
Ever wondered how a microphone really works?
If microphone terminology confuses more than it helps, this guide will illuminate the microphone basics
How to stress test a laptop for music production in any DAW - and why every producer should do it
Get the most out of your machine and find out how far your laptop can really take your recordings
Never miss a MusicRadar thing: Google has made it easier to keep us in your feed
How to make MusicRadar.com a preferred source
Why imposing hard limitations could be the secret to finishing more music
We’re all struggling to fit in music-making between our other time consuming responsibilities. Optimise your process by cutting back on the options
5 creative ways to use distortion in Ableton Live: From punchier drums to dub techno delays
Let's explore how devices including Saturator, Roar and Erosion can help bring a track to life
How to think like a human drummer when building software beats
Ditch the repetitive loops and unlock more dynamic rhythms
10 tips for recording perfect drums
Essential information for anyone who wants to capture a kit
“At certain points in music history it became fashionable to place accents on certain beats”: How to score a drum part
We explore the theory behind beats, and how we score kicks, snares, hats and percussion
10 common electronic drum set issues and how to troubleshoot them
Don’t let annoying gremlins spoil your playing. From no sound to too much noise, most problems can be solved with some simple settings or affordable upgrades - here’s how
The easy guide to recording drums: kit tips, mic placement and setting up your DAW
Inject some feel into your tracks by recording a real human drummer (no jokes, please) playing actual drums!
How to make virtual acoustic drum performances sound like the real thing
If you find that your MIDI recreations of acoustic drum parts are sounding a little robotic, we've got some tips and tricks to bring them to life, along with some great suggestions for acoustic drum plugin suites.
Latest Reviews
“Virtually every sound I conjure recalls a classic player or style”: Gibson Les Paul Special Double Cut review
Along with the punk classic Les Paul Junior double-cut, the twin pickup Special is now readily available from Gibson USA. It might be stripped down but it’s a great platform for its two P-90s.
“The overall sample quality is decent, focusing on natural sounds within a mixed bag of styles, and promising to keep the majority happy”: EFnote Mini review
A fantastic looking ‘acoustic style’ e-kit, perfect for kids and adults alike
“Not having to reach for a USB cable feels like the advent of a new era for electronic drums, and we might be about to see a lot more e-kits out in the wild as a result.” Roland TD516 review
Roland unlocks the tonal backbone of its flagship V71 for the new 5 Series. Is this the electronic drum set that finally keeps us away from the computer?
“A reasonably portable device that provides a realistic and practical solution for a multitude of environments”: t.akustik Vocal Head Booth Mobile review
Reducing room ambience is often desirable for vocal and voiceover recording and here’s device you can take with you
"Just as good as many affordable Squier, Epiphone, or Yamaha guitars I’ve played": Cort G200SE review
Cort's beginner-friendly S-type shows just how far beginner guitars have come in the last 20 years
"Humans will be doing all the serious music transcription for the foreseeable future": Songscription review
This AI-powered transcription tool promises to convert any audio file into sheet music, tab or MIDI. But can it really match the skills of a professional?
"In terms of audio and signal performance, it delivers everything I would want as a vocalist": Positive Grid Spark Link XLR wireless system review
A simple way to add wireless connectivity to an XLR device with mic signal levels, I find out how well Positive Grid's solution holds up in a full band rehearsal
"With a DI box and some time to learn the layout, it's a robust, reliable and ridiculously well-equipped powerhouse for the stage and studio": IK Multimedia TONEX Pedal Bass Edition review
The sonic power of TONEX, ported to a bass-friendly version of the TONEX Pedal
