“The soul – and snarl – of the original”: Jam Pedals resurrects the Octaurus octave-fuzz
Available in Standard and NOS editions, the Octaurus has switchable clipping and voicings, a super defined octave and wide-open dynamics
Artists
“Way beyond anything I could have hoped for”: Robert Smith announces new Cure remix album
Mixes Of A Lost World is out on 13 June
Billie Eilish suggests that she and brother Finneas can read each other's minds
“It’s a sibling thing,” she says
Blood Incantation on cosmic sounds, a near studio meltdown and the making of Absolute Elsewhere
Paul Riedl and Morris Kolontyrsky takes us back to “the craziest summer ever“, when the cosmic expansion of their sound yielded a landmark of prog death and an air con outage near destroyed it all
“It pretty much half killed us”: The Radiohead album that almost broke up the band - and became their best record
“It’s our classic album - our Transformer, our Revolver, our Hunky Dory”
Serj Tankian and Gibson team up for limited edition Foundations Les Paul Modern Sublimation
They're only making 25 of these, each of them signed, and they come with a signed LP, signed art print, a copy of Tankian's memoir, plus VIP tickets to an upcoming System Of A Down show
Deadmau5 gets drunk at Coachella, falls over, is escorted off stage by security, and apologises
The famously critical DJ and electronic superstar had a new target for his ire the following morning. Himself
“The last thing we wanted to do was say, ‘Hey, let’s do another Rebel Yell’”: Steve Stevens on the new Billy Idol album
"I’m always looking to embellish the melody of the vocal," the guitarist says
The Fortin Meshuggah head is the amp every metal player wants – now you can get its crushing tones in a pedal
Designed by Mike Fortin, US-made, featuring an active 3-band EQ and noise gate, the Meshuggah preamp/distortion pedal could be the gain monster you need to destroy, erase, improve your tone
Music Tech
Cherry Audio's new synth is Yellowjacket, a recreation of EDP’s trend-setting Wasp from 1978
You didn’t have to be a genius to see it coming, and you don’t need much cash to climb on board
GAK is gone: UK music store giant GAK just got bought by Gear4music for £2.4 million
However, its famous bright yellow store in Brighton will be closing its doors
TikTok posts using dance and electronic music outgrow indie and alternative for first time
Those tagged ‘electronic’ were up 45% in 2024
"As digital pianos occupy a lot of horizontal space, contrasting this by maximising the vertical space will help to balance the area stylistically": 8 tips and tricks from a design expert to style a digital piano
From adding details to choosing the correct lighting, a design expert shares her top tips to ensure your digital piano lives in perfect harmony with your existing décor
Best digital pianos 2025: I'm a professional piano and music gear reviewer, and these are my top picks
With a decade of experience selling and reviewing pianos, these are my recommendations for the very best digital pianos from Yamaha, Roland, Casio, and Korg at all price points - including full reviews and video demos
Price of Sonicware’s CyDrums drum machine jumps from $399 to $978 following Trump tariffs
Gear and instrument prices are soaring in response to Trump's ongoing global trade war as CyDrums jumps from $399 to $978
How we test digital pianos
Everything you need to know about how the MusicRadar team tests digital pianos for our reviews and buyer's guides - full methodology explained
“A synthesizer that is both easy to use and fun to play whilst maintaining a decent degree of programming depth and flexibility”: PWM Mantis review
PWM’s Mantis reunites a classic synth design with its legendary designer and gives it a contemporary twist
“It shows enough promise to become the controller to rule them all”: Melbourne Instruments Roto-Control review
A very cool and compact MIDI controller that could well become your best desktop friend
MusicRadar deals of the week: I'm feeling this! Score an impressive £350 off the Fender DeLonge Starcaster, as well as hundreds off Epiphone, Gretsch, Gibson and more
We've uncovered the very best offers on a range of music-making gear from the likes of Gibson, Fender, Epiphone, Gretsch and more
Guitars
“The soul – and snarl – of the original”: Jam Pedals resurrects the Octaurus octave-fuzz
Available in Standard and NOS editions, the Octaurus has switchable clipping and voicings, a super defined octave and wide-open dynamics
GAK is gone: UK music store giant GAK just got bought by Gear4music for £2.4 million
However, its famous bright yellow store in Brighton will be closing its doors
Darkglass unveils multi-effects for bass with neural amp model support and 7” touchscreen
Anagram has a hexacore DSP engine, Neural Amp Modeler (NAM) integration, dozens of onboard effects and preamps and offers comprehensive control of your signal chain
Blood Incantation on cosmic sounds, a near studio meltdown and the making of Absolute Elsewhere
Paul Riedl and Morris Kolontyrsky takes us back to “the craziest summer ever“, when the cosmic expansion of their sound yielded a landmark of prog death and an air con outage near destroyed it all
Serj Tankian and Gibson team up for limited edition Foundations Les Paul Modern Sublimation
They're only making 25 of these, each of them signed, and they come with a signed LP, signed art print, a copy of Tankian's memoir, plus VIP tickets to an upcoming System Of A Down show
The Fortin Meshuggah head is the amp every metal player wants – now you can get its crushing tones in a pedal
Designed by Mike Fortin, US-made, featuring an active 3-band EQ and noise gate, the Meshuggah preamp/distortion pedal could be the gain monster you need to destroy, erase, improve your tone
“I feel like that song had everything we needed to come back with”: Bring Me The Horizon’s Lee Malia on Shadow Moses, its riff and the secrets behind its tone, and why it was the right anthem at the right time
How Terry Date, a killer riff and a videogame helped bring BMTH's major label debut into focus with a track that officially opened a new chapter – and the pit – for the Sheffield metal frontiersmen
“A great quality 12-string that won’t break the bank”: Martin D-X2E Brazilian 12-String review
Heavenly 12-string chime, Martin dreadnought clout and serious change from a grand? We’re listening...
MusicRadar deals of the week: I'm feeling this! Score an impressive £350 off the Fender DeLonge Starcaster, as well as hundreds off Epiphone, Gretsch, Gibson and more
We've uncovered the very best offers on a range of music-making gear from the likes of Gibson, Fender, Epiphone, Gretsch and more
Guitar Lessons & Tutorials
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
30 essential acoustic guitar chords, with charts
Massively expand your musical vocabulary and songwriting options with these beautiful acoustic guitar chords
"You owe your guitar the chance to be its best": How to clean and polish your guitar frets a better way
We take a look at two different products that can help you get your frets gleaming and your guitar back to its best for smoother bends and clearer vibrato
Play like Jimmy Page! Exclusive video lesson
Key techniques guitar players can learn from the Led Zeppelin legend
How learning and understanding chord symbols can prove a major benefit for sharing your musical ideas
Chord hieroglyphics can take several forms. We unravel the mysteries of one of the most symbolic and common examples
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
Latest Tuition
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
Technically capable, but struggle to make your tunes sound musical? 5 simple music theory hacks to make your tracks stand out
Level up your music-making with these simple but effective tricks that can be easily used by those with zero knowledge of music theory
Play mono synth properly: the skills you need
How playing mono synths differs from standard keyboards
Fantastic (free) plugins and how to use them: Newfangled Audio Pendulate
This free mono synth plugin is creative, chaotic and fun to use. It’s time to go West (Coast)
"You owe your guitar the chance to be its best": How to clean and polish your guitar frets a better way
We take a look at two different products that can help you get your frets gleaming and your guitar back to its best for smoother bends and clearer vibrato
“If you don’t have an idea, go mow the lawn": Follow Neil Young’s lead to demolish those frustrating songwriting barriers
It’s true, sometimes working relentlessly on perfecting a song or track that you’re just not feeling can do more harm than good
“It’s tougher and faster than ever”: Jump aboard the modern hardgroove train and learn to build a club-ready beat
Putting together the elements you need to craft a beat that just won't let up
Play like Jimmy Page! Exclusive video lesson
Key techniques guitar players can learn from the Led Zeppelin legend
Don't know where to start with virtual instruments? We're here to help
In today's world of music production, pretty much everything you can dream of will have a virtual counterpart. Let's explore
How learning and understanding chord symbols can prove a major benefit for sharing your musical ideas
Chord hieroglyphics can take several forms. We unravel the mysteries of one of the most symbolic and common examples
UA is giving away its 1176 plugin as a Valentine's gift – here's how to get it and use it!
Forget flowers, chocolates or champagne – give your loved one a free vintage compressor plugin instead! Better still, just get it for yourself…
Are all interpretations of songs correct? Kate Bush certainly thinks so
It’s easy to get precious about the true meaning of our creative endeavours, but how much authority do songwriters really have to own the definitive reading of their work?
How Aphex Twin fought the temptation to continually refine, and how we can learn from his example
It’s easy to carry on fiddling with our tracks, but as Richard D. James knows all too well, that urge to keep going can prove a problem
“Maybe I’ll write out five or six chords, then discipline myself to write something only with those chords involved”: Why David Bowie’s restrictive songwriting strategies provide a lesson for us all
Sometimes imposing rules can force us out of our creative comfort zones. It's a tactic David Bowie used to birth some of his most celebrated songs.
“It’s a favourite with jazz and funk players, but it's just at home in hits by artists such as Jessie Ware”: Expand your chordal colours with 9ths
Building an extension to a chord doesn’t require planning permission, but it might require a degree of design. We add 9ths to our extension palette
“If you're listening to amazing gear through terrible monitors, you've wasted your cash”: Why monitors are the most important part of your studio
Don't know where to begin with buying and using studio monitor speakers? Listen up
“The net result of this process is a progression which sounds smoother, calmer and more musical”: The value of adding chord inversions
If your chord progressions sound a little clunky, try approaching your harmony in an inverse way.
How to connect your audio interface to your computer – for both PC and Mac users
My guide to hooking up your audio interface to a laptop or computer, step-by-step
Latest reviews
“A synthesizer that is both easy to use and fun to play whilst maintaining a decent degree of programming depth and flexibility”: PWM Mantis review
PWM’s Mantis reunites a classic synth design with its legendary designer and gives it a contemporary twist
“It shows enough promise to become the controller to rule them all”: Melbourne Instruments Roto-Control review
A very cool and compact MIDI controller that could well become your best desktop friend
“A great quality 12-string that won’t break the bank”: Martin D-X2E Brazilian 12-String review
Heavenly 12-string chime, Martin dreadnought clout and serious change from a grand? We’re listening...
“Do you dare to ditch those ‘normal’ beats in favour of hands-on tweaking and extreme sounds? Of course, you do”: Sonicware CyDrums review
As many beats and blips as you need, and as much sound-design depth as you dare to dive into
"I really like Equinox – it’s a shame it's priced for the post-production market”: iZotope Equinox review
iZotope spin Exponential Audio tech into a top end reverb – it's great, but you'll want to try to get it at a sale price
"Yamaha has achieved an extraordinary level of immersiveness and realism, crafting an instrument that sounds closer to an acoustic piano and feels like one under your fingers": Yamaha Clavinova CLP-885 digital piano review
Yamaha is the undisputed king of digital pianos, and the Clavinova range is the jewel in their crown
"Despite its size, it delivers impressive audio quality and premium functions as well as featuring a good selection of inspired sounds": Roland GO:Piano 88PX review
A new digital piano that’s ultra-compact, simple, sounds great, and comes at an affordable price? Yes, but what's the catch?
“Excels at unique modulated timbres, atonal drones and microtonal sequences that reinvent themselves each time you dare to touch the synth”: Soma Laboratories Lyra-4 review
This unique synth built around ‘organismic’ principles is so much fun, you just might want to buy two
