“Digs deep into his emergence as a prototypical punk rocker”: Billy Idol doc to be released next week
Plus, Idol to perform acoustic sets at LA and New York premieres
Artists
“Digs deep into his emergence as a prototypical punk rocker”: Billy Idol doc to be released next week
Plus, Idol to perform acoustic sets at LA and New York premieres
Damon Albarn suggests that Gorillaz helped to lay the groundwork for the success of KPop Demon Hunters
But they may yet return to the US, he says
“You can have a great amp but if the speaker sucks it won’t sound good”: Sylosis' Josh Middleton on the most important link in your signal chain
The secret to great tone? Don't forget the speaker cabinet matters, too
Gary Clark Jr channels the King of the Blues for limited edition Gibson Custom Shop collab
The 21st-century blues king pays dues to his hero with a stunning limited edition Cobra Burst ES-355, fresh from the Custom Shop
“Know you’re about to have the time of your lives”: Pitbull fans will attempt to break a world record in July
A bald attempt to generate publicity and drum up ticket sales, you might say
Michael Stipe returns to Springfield to sing a rewritten version of one of REM's biggest hits
It’s his second appearance on the show
We speak to Dry Cleaning about the making of the Cate Le Bon-produced Secret Love
Post-punk indie futurists Dry Cleaning have set the bar high for 2026 albums with their masterful third album Secret Love. They tells us how they created it in cahoots with acclaimed producer Cate Le Bon…
![Vernon Reid [left] wears a brightly patterned suit and plays his signature Reverend onstage; [right] a still of the late great Arthur Rhames performing.](https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/sjkugqBND4ekbX32UwgeaF-840-80.jpg.webp)
Music Tech
Best budget studio monitors 2026: Make your mixes sing with these wallet-friendly home studio speakers
The best cheap studio monitors for home recording, with my hand-picked and affordable options from Adam, IK Multimedia, M-Audio, PreSonus and more
Eventide releases reimagined version of Laurie Spiegel's Music Mouse, four decades on from its release
This groundbreaking piece of software is a fun, playful and accessible way for anybody to generate unexpected chords, melodies and arpeggios with nothing more than a humble mouse
“These chemicals may be migrating from the headphones into our body”: Research suggests headphones contain dangerous toxins
And they could be absorbed into your skin via sweat
Best studio monitors 2026: Studio speakers for musicians and producers on any budget
My comprehensive guide to the best studio monitor speakers for home studio recording, whether you’re a beginner or pro producer
What we’ve learned about the inner workings of Kraftwerk’s mythical studio via a recent auction
Here are five takeaways that seal the band's legendary Man Machine status - and shed a light on how Kling Klang really worked…
Ableton Live co-creator Robert Henke updates a classic Live effect with free M4L device Filter Delays
"I wrote the original Filter Delay for Live 1, released in 2001. Recently, I rediscovered it and wanted to add a few more options that were missing"
“A joy to use, offers some interesting opportunities for patching and can grow with your rig too”: ADDAC System 814 6x6 Stereo Matrix Mixer review
Mix, match and morph both audio and CV with ease, using ADDAC’s matrix mixer
Hack your disposable vape into a mini wind synth with this DIY guide
“We have to use the low pressure sensor. Which means to play it, you must suck”
Behringer clones the Lovetone Ring Stinger, a cult classic ring mod/fuzz pedal heard on Radiohead's Kid A
Spice up your tone with Behringer's take on this boutique '90s gem
MusicRadar deals of the week: We round up all the best Presidents' Day discounts from Guitar Center, Musician's Friend, and Sweetwater
We've uncovered the very best offers on a range of music-making gear from the likes of Gibson, PRS, Yamaha, Fender and more
Guitars
Could the Line 6 Helix Stadium Floor be a serious rival to the Quad Cortex?
Line 6's new flagship amp modelling platform not only has to live up to the Helix's reputation, it arrives when the competition has never been steeper. But it has features, lots of 'em...
Best Gretsch guitars 2026: Nail that Gretsch sound at any price point
From the iconic Falcon to the Country Gentleman and a slew of stellar-sounding affordable hollowbody options, here are our pick of the best Gretsch guitars
“You can have a great amp but if the speaker sucks it won’t sound good”: Sylosis' Josh Middleton on the most important link in your signal chain
The secret to great tone? Don't forget the speaker cabinet matters, too
Gary Clark Jr channels the King of the Blues for limited edition Gibson Custom Shop collab
The 21st-century blues king pays dues to his hero with a stunning limited edition Cobra Burst ES-355, fresh from the Custom Shop
"The tones may not quite be best of the lot, but it's comfortably the easiest and most enjoyable modeller to use": Line 6 Helix Stadium XL review
A decade after the Helix was born, the Helix Stadium has big boots to fill – is it a worthy successor to the hugely acclaimed modeller name?
Get golden-era guitar tone with $600 off thanks to the awesome Presidents' Day sale on Vintera II guitars over at the official Fender store
Fender just launched a slew of deals for Presidents' Day with some monumental discounts
“Powerful, extremely versatile and creatively refreshing, it offers a ton of inspiration if you click with it”: LAG HyVibe 10 HV10ACE review
A capable acoustic guitar that’s its own pedalboard and speaker, too
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 2026? 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 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 Harry Styles brought the sounds of minimal techno to the world of pop with new single, Aperture
The former One Direction star’s latest effort is a far cry from his previous output
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
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 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
Latest Reviews
"The tones may not quite be best of the lot, but it's comfortably the easiest and most enjoyable modeller to use": Line 6 Helix Stadium XL review
A decade after the Helix was born, the Helix Stadium has big boots to fill – is it a worthy successor to the hugely acclaimed modeller name?
“Powerful, extremely versatile and creatively refreshing, it offers a ton of inspiration if you click with it”: LAG HyVibe 10 HV10ACE review
A capable acoustic guitar that’s its own pedalboard and speaker, too
“A joy to use, offers some interesting opportunities for patching and can grow with your rig too”: ADDAC System 814 6x6 Stereo Matrix Mixer review
Mix, match and morph both audio and CV with ease, using ADDAC’s matrix mixer
“Premium design detail coupled with excellent sonics delivers a listening experience that doesn’t disappoint”: HEDD HEDDphone D1 review
The quality level continues to rise for mixing and mastering headphones. Let’s see how this latest model performs
“Offers power, warmth, charm and usability, in a highly convincing virtual analogue reproduction, with real heart and soul”: Cherry Audio SH-MAX review
Continuing its Japanese homage, Cherry Audio reignites three of Roland’s finest synths from the '70s, in a single soft-synth with plenty of reinvention
"It’s the full power of the Quad Cortex, just in a smaller box": Neural DSP Quad Cortex mini review
Neural DSP takes a different approach to a miniature modeller, but at a price point that may limit its uses
“Jam-packed with features and functionality that will serve more experienced users well, and simple enough to use that pretty much anyone could pick it up and start making music with”: Akai MPK Mini IV review
Akai refines its classic MIDI keyboard and finally ditches the joystick
“From functionality through to physical design, IK Multimedia has completely nailed it”: IK Multimedia ARC On-Ear review
Want to improve your headphone monitoring? We might just have the perfect solution
"The EF86 tube is often described as hi-fi, and honestly, that's the perfect way to describe what's coming out of this thing": EarthQuaker Devices EQD ZEQD-Pre review
This new collaboration is exactly what the doctor ordered for modern guitarists suffering from a serious case of digital fatigue
