The beginner's guide to bus processing By James Russell published 4 September 23 Get more out of your mix by processing in groups, and discover pre-master strategies for your master bus
6 tips for mixing effectively on headphones By Si Truss published 26 August 23 Whether you're using cans as a secondary mixing tool or ditching studio monitors altogether, here are six essential tips to help you mix better on headphones
5 music theory tools to help you make better electronic music By James Russell published 4 July 23 Find out how to use today's top theory tools to make your tunes stand out
What is spectral processing? Get to know the technology behind the next generation of effects plugins By James Russell published 28 April 23 The number of state-of-the-art spectral effects has been increasing in recent years. Let’s find out what they’re all about
9 next-gen drum plugins that could change the way you make beats By James Russell published 22 March 23 Push your beats to the next level as we take you on a guided tour of the most advanced drum tools out there
6 drum processing techniques to help you program state-of-the-art beats By James Russell published 16 March 23 Learn some of the most essential tools and techniques for getting a modern drum sound
iZotope Neutron 4 review By James Russell last updated 9 September 22 $399 The AI mixing package is back for its fourth incarnation. We sum up the new additions and replacements
The producer's guide to arps, riffs and sequences By James Russell, Future Music published 19 May 22 Inspire your next track with some of today’s top tools and techniques for programming music. James Russell shows us how…
AAS Chromaphone 3 review By James Russell published 1 February 21 $199 The ‘acoustic object synthesiser’ is back. What's new in this version of AAS’s physical modelling instrument?
iZotope RX 8 Advanced review By James Russell published 2 December 20 The audio repair stalwart adds and improves a few modules. Can it give a fresh sheen to our tracks?
Elk Audio's Blackboard breakout box bridges the gap between code and control By James Russell published 17 April 20 The board fits onto the company's Elk Pi, providing faders, buttons, jacks, and a glorious layer of abstraction
Austrian Audio's Hi-X55 headphones were designed for "contemporary music production" By James Russell last updated 5 August 20 On-ear Hi-X50 model is also coming soon
IK Multimedia’s ARC System 3 gives you an “all-new listening experience” By James Russell last updated 17 April 20 Studio calibration package adds new analysis algorithm, quicker measurement process, updated GUI, and the ability to use third-party mics
Convergence is a multi-band compressor with up to 10 bands (or four for free!) By James Russell published 16 April 20 Mastering-grade plugin offers real flexibility
Elektron Overbridge 2 is “music making made more fluid” By James Russell published 16 April 20 The long-awaited update to the company’s free computer-integration software
Behringer is teasing another synth and the first person to guess it wins one By James Russell published 15 April 20 The company has posted a PCB design on Facebook
Pioneer DJ’s Rekordbox 6 adds cloud library management By James Russell published 15 April 20 v6 on desktop and v3 on iOS unifies your collections and syncs between multiple devices
Klevgrand’s Foley-based instrument samples everyday household objects By James Russell published 15 April 20 Ting lets you make beats with virtual boxes, cutlery, sofas, keys and more
Can Singdaptive help you sing better? By James Russell published 15 April 20 Online learning platform tracks your progress and costs $25 per month or $249 per year
Remix the chord progressions behind your favourite songs for free with Ripchord By James Russell published 14 April 20 Share presets and upload your own with this MIDI plugin for Mac and PC
Build the channel strip of your dreams with PSP’s InfiniStrip plugin By James Russell published 14 April 20 Mix and match 22 modules including EQs, compressors, preamps, filters and more
RetroVolt is the 'Samplesizer' with easy access to classic synth sounds By James Russell published 14 April 20 Beatskillz' new plugin samples Roland, Sequential, Oberheim, Waldorf and Yamaha instruments for its sounds
How to make music on an old computer: 4 things you need to consider By James Russell published 7 April 20 Tune an older system for music production, and choose the right DAW, plugins, OS and settings to keep it running smoothly
What is MIDI 2.0, and what does it mean for musicians and producers? By James Russell last updated 31 January 20 We chat to Art+Logic’s Brett Porter to find out what makes this new interfacing spec tick
Plugin mogul Steven Slate: "You don’t need external DSP for tracking, you don’t need it for mixing, and it just doesn’t make sense to me" By James Russell published 31 December 19 Best of 2019: The Slate Digital boss on emulation, motivation and why the future of making music isn’t about audio engineering