"I collect instruments I can't play": Ital Tek on creating ‘sonic worlds’ and new album Mind Abandon
Watch the Planet Mu mainstay breakdown album highlight A Hidden Path in his Oxford studio
Artists
"I collect instruments I can't play": Ital Tek on creating ‘sonic worlds’ and new album Mind Abandon
Watch the Planet Mu mainstay breakdown album highlight A Hidden Path in his Oxford studio
“Be transparent on costs or risk CMA action”: Watchdog body force StubHub to refund 50,000 of their customers
Platform tried to sneak through hidden fees
Olivia Rodrigo on the making of Stupid Song – and an unlikely artistic inspiration
She's also announced a new music festival with an impressive all-women line-up
Oscar Scheller on his chart-smashing, Zara Larsson-featuring remix of PinkPantheress' Stateside
The London-born producer's PinkPantheress remix soared to No. 1 on the Billboard Global 200 and topped Spotify's global chart earlier this year
How Simon and Garfunkel created their transcendent masterpiece
“That song had two writers – Paul Simon and God”
Johnny Marr is auctioning off his most-famous guitars
After documenting them in Marr's Guitars, the indie icon couldn't bear consigning them to storage once more, and they'll be auctioned via Christie's in September
The destructive breakdown of a band that reached artistic greatness only to fall apart due to internal tensions – twice!
While Rain Tree Crow was an unlikely second chapter for Japan, its existence proved that their collective talent was too rare to walk away from
Music Tech
"I collect instruments I can't play": Ital Tek on creating ‘sonic worlds’ and new album Mind Abandon
Watch the Planet Mu mainstay breakdown album highlight A Hidden Path in his Oxford studio
We investigate the claim that harnessing GPU can unlock limitless music production potential
The key to more powerful plugins may be the graphics processor that you already have in your computer. We discover how three developers are making this happen right now
Oscar Scheller on his chart-smashing, Zara Larsson-featuring remix of PinkPantheress' Stateside
The London-born producer's PinkPantheress remix soared to No. 1 on the Billboard Global 200 and topped Spotify's global chart earlier this year
Thomann has taken the fight to Amazon with its Prime Day-beating Music Days sale – save up to 60% on big gear brands including Kawai, D'Angelico, Slate Digital, and so much more
Thomann is proving that the best music-making deals aren't found on Amazon this Prime Day with a truly massive sale that runs from now until July 14th
How Oeksound's Soothe became one of modern production's most ubiquitous plugins
A decade on from its debut, Oeksound has unveiled Soothe3. We talk to the plugin's creators about the runaway success of this studio staple
Check out this fantastic treasure trove of free glitch plugins
Inear Display generously made its entire catalogue of audio tools available as pay-what-you-want downloads
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…
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
“Could easily become one of the most beneficial elements of your mastering suite”: Mastering the Mix - Stereovault review
If you find yourself struggling to get just the right amount of width in your mix, Stereovault may be the plugin you've always needed, as we broaden our panoramic horizons.
“The most powerful MPC we have built at these prices": Akai’s MPC One and MPC Key 37 get G2 upgrades
The affordable MPC One and its keyboard counterpart get upgraded CPUs and more storage, but no MPCe pads
Guitars
Johnny Marr is auctioning off his most-famous guitars
After documenting them in Marr's Guitars, the indie icon couldn't bear consigning them to storage once more, and they'll be auctioned via Christie's in September
“Fender is not suing anybody”: CEO pushes back on the cease-and-desist controversy
“We’re talking specifically about the Stratocaster”
EarthQuaker Devices unveils compact version of Sunn O))) Life Pedal – and this time the ultimate doom pedal is here to stay
The EarthQuaker Devices' HalfLife is a more compact version of the drone metal pioneers Sunn O))) octave fuzz and boost pedal based on the
How Tony Iommi found the secret to his Black Sabbath tone (and how he lost it)
A moment of madness from an amp tech and Iommi's secret weapon was gone, never to be seen again
"A stunningly good reverb pedal that sounds and operates like one twice the price": Hotone NC-200 Verbera review
With equally good algorithmic and IR convolution reverbs, this is a seriously impressive little pedal
Rush’s Geddy Lee, Paul Gilbert and John Petrucci on the guitar genius of Alex Lifeson
Lee explains how Lifeson made the Canadian prog trio greater than the sum of their parts
“Sounds you'll never have heard from a guitar before”: Strandberg x Jamstik Chameleon review
Class-leading MIDI tech meets a top-rated ergonomic guitar – the perfect combination?
Guitar Lessons & Tutorials
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
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
"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
How to pan like a pro and spread your mix across the stereo image
We help you broaden your mixing horizons with some useful tips for panning perfection
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 conjure the spirit of early techno and trigger your own retro zaps in software
How a sound design approach originally deployed for television effects became an electronic music staple - and how to make it yourself
How to replicate the trailblazing pulse of I Feel Love
I Feel Love’s innovative electronic rhythm section set the stage for pretty much everything that followed, and here’s how you can recreate its bewitching energy in your DAW
Improve the impact of your basslines by quickly learning the basics of bass compression
Creating the perfect foundation for your track begins just the right amount of compression for your bass - here’s how to not overdo it!
How close listening to Chic can teach us about the integral relationship between the kick and bass
If you want to add more punch to your production, start at the foundation of your track, with the kick and bass
Latest Reviews
“Well balanced and sit wonderfully with each other in terms of pitch”: Zultan Alaris Cymbals review
Zultan continues to expand its already impressive range of cymbals with the new Alaris Series
“Could easily become one of the most beneficial elements of your mastering suite”: Mastering the Mix - Stereovault review
If you find yourself struggling to get just the right amount of width in your mix, Stereovault may be the plugin you've always needed, as we broaden our panoramic horizons.
“Despite this minimalist footprint, it’s one of the sturdiest racks I’ve tested in this price bracket”: Donner Groove Ultra electronic drum set review
Donner continues its assault on budget gear with an e-kit packing fantastic hardware and standout looks, but the module needs some work
“So insanely powerful that I could see it lasting a decade or more in home recording studios”: Apple Mac Mini M4 review
Apple’s miniature desktop packs enough punch to run most music-making tasks without breaking a sweat
“I get to 171 tracks before any errors during a full playthrough at the lowest buffer setting”: Apple MacBook Neo review
We put Apple’s newest machine to the test to find out if it really is the ultimate budget laptop for music production
“An immensely powerful tool for recording, live use, rehearsing and practising, teaching, live streaming and more”: Yamaha EAD50 review
Nearly a decade after the release of the EAD10, Yamaha knocks it out of the park with the upgraded EAD50
"A stunningly good reverb pedal that sounds and operates like one twice the price": Hotone NC-200 Verbera review
With equally good algorithmic and IR convolution reverbs, this is a seriously impressive little pedal
“Sounds you'll never have heard from a guitar before”: Strandberg x Jamstik Chameleon review
Class-leading MIDI tech meets a top-rated ergonomic guitar – the perfect combination?
