Levelling and polishing your guitar frets might have just got a whole lot easier with the MusicNomad U File and Fret Polisher
The company has also launched its fret care hub to make it even easier to diagnose and work on your guitar frets
Artists
Pink Floyd are in the Money as they seal their back catalogue deal for £400 million
Sony Music have parted with the big bucks for the band’s music and imagery but the deal excludes publishing rights
“The Sound of Silence came from some place that I didn’t inhabit”: Paul Simon tells all in a new documentary
The master singer songwriter is back and despite losing his hearing in one ear, is determined to keep making music
Jack Antonoff reveals plans to make public recording studios available to those who can't afford them
The Public Studios initiative will fund the building of studio spaces in LGBTQ+ youth shelters
"I’ve tried persuading her recently": David Gilmour talks carpentry, trousers and the live return of Kate Bush…
The guitarist is promoting a new tour and album and answering fans' questions
Sabrina Carpenter claps back and confirms that she sings “live every show 100%”
She’s working late, and she’s definitely singing
"With Andy not being here, it’s impossible to have a reunion of The Smiths”: Mike Joyce scotches Smiths reunion rumblings
While the drummer reveals that he’s made up with Marr, rejoining The Smiths remains an unlikely prospect
How to buy and sell gig tickets (and when to run a mile)
Venue giants O2 dish their tips for ticketing triumph while calling for new anti-scalper legislation
How a Prophet-5, a kalimba and a prog rock sample inspired the genesis of Bonobo’s biggest track
Bonobo appeared on the Tape Notes podcast to discuss the making of new single Expander and fan favourites from Black Sands and The North Borders
“He’s enabled fans to achieve the iconic blink-182 tone”: Fender unveils Mark Hoppus signature bass
The Blink-182 co-founder’s signature model is a real bespoke build with a Jazz Bass neck, a reverse-mounted Seymour Duncan Quarter Pound P Bass split coil and the choice of 3-Color Sunburst or Sea Foam Green finishes
Music Tech
Jack Antonoff reveals plans to make public recording studios available to those who can't afford them
The Public Studios initiative will fund the building of studio spaces in LGBTQ+ youth shelters
Best iPad for musicians and producers 2024: My pick of Apple tablets for all levels of music maker
Apple's iPads can now comfortably handle every music production task, but which is most suited to your needs? I put the whole range under the microscope
How ‘the loudest band in New York’ built an album out of a DIY synth (literally)
A Place To Bury Strangers’ Oliver Ackermann on recording Synthesizer and his Death By Audio pedal brand
Rising producer Yunè Pinku on DAWs, Madonna and shaking off the cobwebs of lockdown
The Irish-Malaysian producer and songwriter talks "trash" vocals, '90s influences and her love of arpeggiators
"There are few producers who haven’t employed – or lusted after – it at some point or another, such is its legendary status": Why does everyone love the UREI/UA 1176 compressor?
Here’s why the 1176 has made such an impact in the recording world, and how you can rack one up for peanuts and use it on your music
Spike AI puts an AI chatbot based on chart-topping mix engineer Spike Stent inside your DAW
Tell Spike AI how you want your track to sound and it'll respond by adjusting the mix in real-time
Ever wanted to play your synth like a violin? A Japanese DIY enthusiast has made that a reality
The Arduino-powered ‘Key-bowed’ is built around an adapted Roland MIDI keyboard
"You guys definitely have to be the first band into the Sphere, because this is the future": U2's live sound engineer on how he persuaded Bono and The Edge to be the Las Vegas Sphere's first resident band
"I tried my level best and I couldn't break it" Joe O'Herlihy on the prep behind U2's astounding residency
M-Audio’s new Forty Series monitors promise “precision sound, adaptability, and seamless connectivity”
Forty Sixty and Forty Eighty both feature Bluetooth streaming and DSP-assisted sound profiles
Behringer's Grind is a hybrid semi-modular synth that borrows oscillators from a beloved Mutable Instruments module
Bringing together a variety of digital oscillators with an analogue ladder filter and 34-point patchbay, Grind joins Edge, Crave and Spice in Behringer's Producer series
Guitars
Levelling and polishing your guitar frets might have just got a whole lot easier with the MusicNomad U File and Fret Polisher
The company has also launched its fret care hub to make it even easier to diagnose and work on your guitar frets
IK Multimedia celebrates one year of TONEX with potentially game-changing free effects upgrade
Eight new effects arrive for the TONEX and ToneX One pedals, plus two new effects blocks that players can configured pre or post-amp and cab.
Gibson expands Les Paul range with satin nitro finishes and plain mahogany tops for “punchier mids”
A subtle refresh of the Les Paul range that yields some very nice single-cuts and that TV Yellow plain mahogany topped model could be a real cult classic in the making
“He’s enabled fans to achieve the iconic blink-182 tone”: Fender unveils Mark Hoppus signature bass
The Blink-182 co-founder’s signature model is a real bespoke build with a Jazz Bass neck, a reverse-mounted Seymour Duncan Quarter Pound P Bass split coil and the choice of 3-Color Sunburst or Sea Foam Green finishes
The Gibson ES-330 is back! And the iconic P-90-equipped hollowbody arrives in four classic finishes
The hollowbodied electric is back and looking fresh in four finish options – including Gibson exclusive Ebony – and comes complete with dog-ear P-90s, deep-set neck and a trapeze tailpiece
“Ideal for players who love the dreadnought tone in a more comfortable size”: Martin debuts all-new body size and salutes Hawaiian influence on steel-string acoustics with the koa-backed O’ahu HG-28
Martin says mahalo to the pioneers of steel-string guitar design with new player-friendly acoustic featuring a slope-shouldered dread-style body with a 000 depth
“We embarked on a mission to craft the ultimate pedalboards that meet Greg's every need”: Jam Pedals teams up with Greg Koch for Koch Ness Monster signature multi-effects units
Celebrating 15 years of partnership, the stompbox specialist digs into its greatest hits for two deluxe effects units – with the Supreme a $2,190 featuring an onboard Wahcko wah
Guitar Lessons & Tutorials
Fans and theory experts unpick Nirvana's About a Girl
"Everything being diatonic is not some sort of requirement or restriction on things sounding good"
Learn these unexpected Oasis guitar chords
Definitely maybe some chords you don't know
Matteo Mancuso shares all the secrets behind his breathtaking style in Jam Track Central masterclass
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
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
If you've ever wanted to learn to play guitar and sing at the same time this is how to start
Gibson shows you how
Are you getting the best out of your guitar-picking hand? You might be using it wrong
Your hand position is vital
Latest Tuition
How to build a complete mastering chain in Logic Pro using only stock plugins
Setting up an entire mastering chain in your DAW needn’t be a daunting task. Here we take a look at one way you can go about it…
How to troubleshoot common audio interface issues
Hearing unwanted buzz? Not getting any sound at all? Here’s how to fix these and other unwanted interface issues and get your session back on track
How to produce a dance pop hit
Dance music’s core genres have influenced pop for decades. We dig into their impact on the mainstream
How to make a searing lead synth patch with GForce Axxess
It’s time to turn up the heat and Axxess a spicy lead
How to make a loop into a fully-fledged track
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…
The MPE masterclass: Express yourself with the new generation of software synths and hardware controllers
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
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
Learn these unexpected Oasis guitar chords
Definitely maybe some chords you don't know
How to tailor reverbs to work with any mix
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
Revolutionise your home studio connectivity and signal paths with a patch bay – here's how
Music theory you can use: 6 chord tricks for songwriters and producers
Go beyond the basics with these handy power-composer tips and techniques
Get creative with Logic Pro’s secret weapons for creating interesting effects
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
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
Create sounds with movement, layering and drama that you won’t quite believe
14 sound design tips that will make your tracks stand out
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
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"
Creative filtering can both elevate and finesse your mix. Let’s check out some of the best ways to apply it
Latest reviews
“An enhanced application that is nonetheless reassuringly familiar and reasonably priced”: Native Instruments Traktor Pro 4 review
The DJ software gets a long overdue refresh, but is it still in the mix?
"The HDJ-F10s sound (mostly) great, and look good, but are they worth the £469 price tag just to remove a wire on the stage?": AlphaTheta HDJ-F10-TX review
AlphaTheta adds a slick-looking pair of wireless DJ headphones to its line up
“It screams ‘party speaker’, with a definite focus on bass; but not, happily, at the complete expense of detail”: Anker Soundcore Boom 2 Plus review
It lights up and is so waterproof you can chuck it in a pool, but how does this low-end-loving Bluetooth speaker sound?
“A restrained update to the Seaboard Block”: Roli Seaboard Block M review
We board this re-engineered version of the modular-capable, MPE-toting keyboard
Peterson StroboStomp Mini review
One of the most accurate and feature-packed tuners on the market - plus, it fits in your pocket!
"If you get the whole Junior-style single pickup thing, you might have found a new beau. We certainly have": PJD Guitars St John Apprentice review
A quality-led, UK-made offset at an affordable price
“Sounds aren’t just ‘good for a module’, they’re genuinely useable, realistic and ultimately very enjoyable to play": Roland TD716 review
Roland is back with a flagship replacement for the TD-50X. There’s a new module and new pads, but does it have the same old problem?
“Couples audio fidelity and stylish visuals with ease of use and good software”: PreSonus Quantum HD 8 review
Want your audio to take a quantum leap? We test out this latest premium interface
