Spotify finally get tough on AI slop – platform puts in place ‘Persona Badge’ to mark out AI-generated ‘artists’
Measures should stop fraudsters attempting to piggyback on human artists
Artists
“I remember saying to Clapton, ‘You try playing that one riff for eight minutes!’”: The secret to Status Quo's riff power
"That song is where the Quo twelve-bar boogie shuffle came from"
“I don’t need gatekeepers”: Boy George says he’ll fire any bandmates who refuse to play his ‘pro-Israel’ song
And that seems to include his Culture Club bandmates
“I haven't really listened to Rush music”: Anika Nilles on her preparation for the 50 Something tour
Plus Geddy Lee describes a spooky experience meeting Neil Peart… as a bird
"I will be restraining you, sir, if you do not stay seated!": DnB producer Bou samples cabin crew's altercation with angry passenger then invites flight attendant to his show
Bou brought British Airways hostess Sophie Turner on stage to perform new track STAY SEATED, which samples her interaction with the row traveller
How did Angine de Poitrine get so very weird? Khn’s maverick but brilliant guitar teacher might explain a lot
Forcing students to practise, encouraging improv, getting them to cover Zappa for their parents... This is what a guitar hero looks like
"Every time I played it, I got phone call after phone call": The story of William Orbit’s rework of Adagio for Strings and its chart-smashing trance remix
How Samuel Barber's tear-jerking orchestral classic was transformed into an unlikely dancefloor hit at the turn of the millennium
The Beatles’ most trusted engineer on their studio tensions
MusicRadar spoke to the legendary late Geoff Emerick back in 2014, when he told us in frank detail about their late 60s’ studio struggles
Music Tech
Spotify finally get tough on AI slop – platform puts in place ‘Persona Badge’ to mark out AI-generated ‘artists’
Measures should stop fraudsters attempting to piggyback on human artists
"I will be restraining you, sir, if you do not stay seated!": DnB producer Bou samples cabin crew's altercation with angry passenger then invites flight attendant to his show
Bou brought British Airways hostess Sophie Turner on stage to perform new track STAY SEATED, which samples her interaction with the row traveller
“A worthy successor – but unlikely to become as iconic as its predecessor”: Korg MicroKorg 2 review
Two years on from launch, does Korg's virtual analogue have what it takes to fill its predecessor's shoes?
IK Multimedia just totally revamped its Tonex Player and made its tone ecosystem a lot easier to use
The Tonex 2.0 Player has been released in public beta and adds 220 all-new Premium V2 Tone Models, plus a redesigned home page, improved workflow and more
We have “a clear set of principles” says Suno CEO, in attempt to limit reputational damage after legal defeat
Platform says it will limit downloads and introducing watermarking of tracks
1010music Blackbox 2 adds a better screen, onboard battery and USB audio streaming
Upgraded with better controls, new features and a “more elegant” workflow, Blackbox 2 is now shipping
SampleRadar: 105 free 808 weight samples
The mighty 808 kick has room-shaking potential as a bass sound. Explore the possibilities with these free samples
For 808 Day, 13 iconic Roland TR-808 tracks that made a legend
808-featuring cuts from boundary-pushing artists, from Kraftwerk and Marvin Gaye to Aphex Twin and New Order
MIDIpad transforms your gamepad into a musical instrument and MPE controller – and there’s a free version
"What if playing music could work more like playing a video game?"
Arturia's Pigments Play is a free version of one of the best soft synths around – and it's more powerful than you might expect
Pigments Play features 100 presets and is equipped with the same six synth engines, 68 filter modes and 20 effect algorithms as the paid-for version
Guitars
MXR unveils the Flanger/Doubler pedal – BBD-driven analogue mojo for ‘70s and ‘80s flavours or fatter metal tones
It ain't cheap but you have the same classic sounds as the original rack unit and the same controls too
“I haven't really listened to Rush music”: Anika Nilles on her preparation for the 50 Something tour
Plus Geddy Lee describes a spooky experience meeting Neil Peart… as a bird
How did Angine de Poitrine get so very weird? Khn’s maverick but brilliant guitar teacher might explain a lot
Forcing students to practise, encouraging improv, getting them to cover Zappa for their parents... This is what a guitar hero looks like
D’Addario admits generative AI was used on string demo video after all
It all started with one over-produced string demo video, then came the controversy. Now D'Addario reveals Suno Studio was used to “regenerate the track”
IK Multimedia just totally revamped its Tonex Player and made its tone ecosystem a lot easier to use
The Tonex 2.0 Player has been released in public beta and adds 220 all-new Premium V2 Tone Models, plus a redesigned home page, improved workflow and more
"The most pleasant person you could ever be with”: Bootsy Collins on his unlikely friendship with Buckethead
Pair have teamed up on new concept album about mental health
“Ideal for beginner guitarists chasing heavier sounds”: Sire Larry Carlton X1 review
The jazz-minded session ace goes heavy metal with his latest wallet-friendly collaboration with Sire, and it’s heavy in both senses of the word
Guitar Lessons & Tutorials
Get almost $1k of guitar tuition from our number one online platform for only $99 with this epic Summer Black Friday deal – over 11,000 lessons, plus bonus gifts
And if you’re a beginner, the bundled beginner’s guide will get you off on the right foot
Confused by guitar tabs and notation? Use this complete guide to reading music for guitar
Learn to play acoustic and electric guitar in record time with our guide to easy-to-read notation
"Don't play scales just to get faster. Speed is a happy by-product of playing more accurately": Beginner Guitar Lessons - nailing scales
The A major pentatonic, A minor pentatonic and Mixolydian are great places to start and we'll show you how
"There isn't one correct answer": 6 things you need you need know about how to clean and condition your guitar fretboard
A string change is the ideal opportunity to get your 'board back to its best
What are the best online guitar lessons in 2026? I’m a professional guitar gear reviewer and these are my highest-rated lessons platforms
My expert pick of the best online guitar courses will supercharge your playing wherever you are, and whether you're a beginner, intermediate, or advanced player
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
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
Latest Tuition
6 steps for perfectly capturing a real drum performance in your DAW
Inject some feel into your tracks by recording a real human drummer (no jokes, please). It's easier than you think
How to start recording pristine picked acoustic guitar in just three simple steps
You can create a great guitar track using just a single microphone and it's simpler than you think…
10 music theory tricks every producer and songwriter should know
Spruce up your chords and snazz up your scales with these simple but powerful techniques
How to use a mixing console
Faders, knobs, buttons, sliders and sockets explained: Here’s how to find your way around a modern mixing desk
The difference between distortion and saturation and how to effectively get a gnarly sound
Adding small or even large amounts of saturation doesn’t have to be bad for you, as we explore how to singe your sonics
How to use reverb to build impressive-sounding filters, reverses, risers and pads
Create your own reverb effects with our step-by-step tutorial
How to get Radiohead’s resonant National Anthem vocal effect in software
On Kid A, Radiohead went resonant with some severe vocal processing - although complex at the time, the incredible results can now be easily achieved in software
Build your own expressive talkbox with plugins
If you love the sound of the talkbox, but grapple with the practicality of the hardware, we have some top tips for recreating the classic sound with plugins
How to get recognisable pop sounds and effects using only Logic’s stock plugins
If you’ve got Logic, you’re already more than capable of recreating Skrillex’s manipulated reverb, Billie Eilish’s formant shifting and much more…
How to emulate one of Jon Hopkins' signature sonic techniques with plugins
We get creative with an effects chain inspired by Jon Hopkins, and a heavy dose of felt piano
Exploring how Harry Styles brought the sounds of minimal techno to pop with Aperture
Aperture heralded a new approach for Styles, but its sounds clearly cribbed from the minimal techno playbook
Do you want to remix faster and better? Here's 6 essential remix skills every producer should know
Get the technical know-how required to make great remixes with these essential techniques
Confused by guitar tabs and notation? Use this complete guide to reading music for guitar
Learn to play acoustic and electric guitar in record time with our guide to easy-to-read notation
I’m so obsessed with Olivia Rodrigo’s Drop Dead trance bass sound that I remade it in my DAW
We create our own transient-heavy synth bass with leanings towards the trance-heavy sounds of the 90s. ‘Drop Dead’ you exclaim? No way! We were Born Slippy!
How to emulate the sound of Gary Numan’s synth-pop classic Cars
We lift the bonnet on a foundational piece of synth genius, and demonstrate how you can achieve its distinctive sound yourself in your DAW
How to master virtually any software synth
Don't let your software arsenal overwhelm you - sometimes the best route to creative success is to mine just one instrument
"Don't play scales just to get faster. Speed is a happy by-product of playing more accurately": Beginner Guitar Lessons - nailing scales
The A major pentatonic, A minor pentatonic and Mixolydian are great places to start and we'll show you how
"Record everything all the time – and keep it all": 8 pro techno producers explain how they create their tracks
We delve into our In The Studio archive to compile the techno secrets behind releases on esteemed labels including Drumcode, Cocoon, Dekmantel, Second State and more
Latest Reviews
“A worthy successor – but unlikely to become as iconic as its predecessor”: Korg MicroKorg 2 review
Two years on from launch, does Korg's virtual analogue have what it takes to fill its predecessor's shoes?
“Ideal for beginner guitarists chasing heavier sounds”: Sire Larry Carlton X1 review
The jazz-minded session ace goes heavy metal with his latest wallet-friendly collaboration with Sire, and it’s heavy in both senses of the word
“Continues to strike a balance between features, size, and price”: Novation Launch Control 3 review
Novation’s Launch Control 3 update looks basic and minimal, but it successfully packs a lot into a small package
Tascam DR-40XP field recorder review
This newly updated four-track field recorder from Tascam is a surprisingly dense device, boasting 32-bit float recording and some supremely quiet preamps
“Its commitment to the bit is worth celebrating”: AlphaTheta DJM-V5 review
AlphaTheta’s mixer is a smaller, cheaper take on the flagship DJM-V10 – but it’s also a lot more than that
"I cycle through the presets to see what’s what, and…they’re not great: Mooer GE150 Max Li review
Mooer's battery-operated multi-effects unit delivers all the tools a beginner needs to get up and running, though some features fall short under DSP constraints
Tascam FR-AV4 field recorder review
The Tascam FR-AV4 is a location-shooting dream of a field recorder, with some serious I/O and some incredibly quiet preamps
"If the WTF is a sign of things to come, I can’t wait to see what these mad scientists cook up next": Morley x DOD Wah-OcTo-Fuzz review
A fantastic, wacky, and eccentric three-in-one stompbox that harks back while creating something fresh
