Ben Rogerson

Ben Rogerson

I’m the Deputy Editor of MusicRadar, having worked on the site since its launch in 2007. I previously spent eight years working on our sister magazine, Computer Music. I’ve been playing the piano, gigging in bands and failing to finish tracks at home for more than 30 years, 24 of which I’ve also spent writing about music and the ever-changing technology used to make it. 

Articles by: Ben Rogerson

Matty Healy campaign video

Matty Healy for president? The 1975 frontman releases ‘campaign video’ in support of the band’s forthcoming US tour

By Ben Rogerson published

Star makes references to “redemption”, “second chances” and “forging a path forward, even in the face of mistakes”

Pulsar w495

Could this Neumann w495 emulation be the most useful free EQ plugin you download this year?

By Ben Rogerson published

Pulsar is giving away a software version of the 3-band equalizer that became a mastering legend and is still in use today

Groove Synthesis 3rd Wave desktop

Groove Synthesis’ 3rd Wave synth module does away with the keyboard and is ready for your desktop

By Ben Rogerson published

A more compact version of the PPG-inspired instrument is just around the corner

Cantor Looper

DAW not doing it for you? Cantor is a free “music playground” for looping, sampling and sound design

By Ben Rogerson published

A self-contained app that can be used for improvising, jamming and performing

James Blake and Brian Eno

“I thought, ‘have I done something heinous?’”: James Blake reminds Brian Eno that he once accused him of using ‘the arsehole chord’ and demands to know what it actually is

By Ben Rogerson published

“There’s a way of resolving things in songs which always disappoints me,” Eno begins to explain…

Kylie Minogue

“When it came in as a demo, I assumed the rest of the song was going to be built out”: Kylie Minogue didn't realise Padam Padam was finished when she first heard it

By Ben Rogerson published

The star also describes learning to use Logic Pro as a “game-changer”

Genelec 9320a

Genelec’s 9320A Reference Controller enables you to switch between three sets of studio monitors and your headphones

By Ben Rogerson published

An easier way to test your mixes on multiple setups?

A selection of studio headphones on a blue background

Black Friday studio headphone deals 2023: The biggest studio headphone savings that are still live

By Simon Arblaster last updated

You can still grab yourself big savings on Focal, Beyerdynamic, Shure, AKG and more

Best synthesizers: Modal Electronics Cobalt8

UK synth company Modal Electronics declared insolvent and goes into administration

By Ben Rogerson published

The manufacturer of the Cobalt, Argon and 00 ranges is said to be “restructuring”

Yamaha Montage M

It looks like Yamaha is about to launch the Montage M synth, and there’s speculation that it’ll come with a new AN1x-style virtual analogue engine

By Ben Rogerson published

Is a ‘90s classic about to return in workstation clothing?

Mick Jagger and Keith Richards

“He doesn’t do Zoom”: Mick Jagger reflects on how his songwriting partnership with Keith Richards has changed and discusses Paul McCartney’s bass playing on new Rolling Stones album Hackney Diamonds

By Ben Rogerson published

“I wouldn’t even play guitar half the time,” Jagger says of his early collaborations with Richards. “I’d just be writing the toplines for Keith’s chord sequences”

Cindy Blackman Santana

Cindy Blackman Santana tackles the iconic In The Air Tonight drum fill as she joins Chris Stapleton and Snoop Dogg on a new version of the song for ESPN’s Monday Night Football

By Ben Rogerson published

Whether she’s been waiting for this moment for all her life remains unconfirmed

IK Multimedia Miroslav Philharmonik 2 CE

IK Multimedia’s Miroslav Philharmonik 2 CE giveaway means that everyone can have a $150 orchestral plugin for free

By Ben Rogerson published

10GB library includes 733 instruments, effects, a convolution reverb and mastering processors

Soundbetter Butterfly Effect

Soundbetter’s Butterfly Effect plugin is a vibey ambient reverb that can create instant meditative music from your melodic playing

By Ben Rogerson published

That’s the (chaos) theory, anyway

Toybox Thump One

Thump One is a free synth plugin that blends a glitchy wavetable engine with a Roland supersaw-style oscillator

By Ben Rogerson published

Toybox has something new for you to play with

Waves Online Mastering

Can Waves’ new AI Online Mastering service give your music a pro-level polish?

By Ben Rogerson published

You can try it for free, then pay for track exports

Roland JD-800

YouTuber Alex Ball gets his hands on Tony Banks’ old Roland JD-800 synth and finds that it still contains his Genesis tour patches from the ‘90s

By Ben Rogerson published

A Banks preset bank, you might say

Focal Trio6 ST6

Focal’s redesigned Trio6 ST6 has a Dual Focus mode that promises to give you “three different sounding monitors in one”

By Ben Rogerson published

Updated speaker has been tweaked to deliver a “more detailed and transparent sound”

Brainwaves Pink Floyd

How does listening to Pink Floyd in Dolby Atmos affect your brain? New study will visualise 100 fans’ brain waves as they listen to Richard Wright’s The Great Gig In The Sky

By Ben Rogerson published

Immersive art project celebrates 50 years of The Dark Side Of The Moon, with no Brain Damage involved

Amy Winehouse

Watch a young Amy Winehouse covering The Beatles backstage at Glastonbury 2004

By Ben Rogerson published

Rare footage shows the 20-year-old star performing a rearranged version of All My Loving in the year that she shared the bill with Paul McCartney

Amy Winehouse Fender Strat

Here's why Amy Winehouse believed that there are advantages to being a self-taught guitarist: “If you learn how to play guitar off someone, you just kind of learn to play it like them, you know what I mean?”

By Ben Rogerson published

“I need to express myself fully through a guitar and I will be able to do that, please God, in 10 years,” she said in 2004

Native Instruments Kontrol S MK3

Native Instruments’ new Kontrol S-Series MK3 MIDI keyboards arrive with polyphonic aftertouch

By Ben Rogerson published

NI's flagship controllers have been redesigned and enhanced

Tycho gear sale

Tycho is selling 100 pieces of gear on Reverb, including the Eventide H3000 that he purchased after he learned that Eddie Van Halen used one, and an Oberheim FVS-1 synth that he says “has a mind of its own”

By Ben Rogerson published

“I always saw the Eventide in [EVH’s] studio, and I’d think, ‘I got to get that thing’”

Olivia Rodrigo Get Him Back

The video for Olivia Rodrigo’s Get Him Back! was shot entirely on Apple’s new iPhone 15 Pro Max

By Ben Rogerson published

The star has yet to comment on the switch from the Lightning cable to USB-C, though

Taylor Swift VMAs

Taylor Swift wins big at the 2023 MTV VMAs as Olivia Rodrigo, Shakira and a cast of hip-hop legends perform live

By Ben Rogerson published

Fall Out Boy’s reworked cover of Billy Joel’s We Didn’t Start The Fire also gets an airing

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