How The Weeknd created an authentic '80s sound in Blinding Lights
We unveil some of the influences behind the mega-hit and explore how you might recreate its '80s-inspired sound
Advice
Advice for music careers, and lessons for music gear and techniques
Latest advice articles
6 ways to recreate the sound of '80s synth-pop
Send your sound back to the '80s with these six sonic hallmarks of synth-pop
Songwriting basics: chord, melody and music theory tricks for DAW users
Take your songwriting skills to the next level
6 ways to create '80s-style tape recording effects
Noise, wow, flutter and vintage warmth - it's all part of that '80s sound
12 things you need to know about MIDI
We dig deep into MIDI, the technology that enables your synths, drum machines and software to communicate
Songwriting basics: how to use chromatic mediants to add flavour to your chord progressions
Discover the secret music theory weapon used by soul/gospel artists and film composers
Build an '80s drum kit in your DAW using samples from this massive free library
We show you how to turn these free samples of classic kits into your own personal '80s Drum Rack in Live
DAW basics: How to make a beat in GarageBand
In the next edition of our beginner's guide to GarageBand, we put together a basic drum pattern to accompany the chords from our previous tutorial
Add reverb to vocals without losing their punch and presence
Do your vocals sound washed out after reverb? Here are some tips for using reverb to add power to vox, rather than take it away
6 ways to recreate the sound of classic '80s live bass
Choosing the right approach to bass, real or programmed, and nailing the style, will send your song straight back to the '80s
Use arpeggiators to create 80s-style synth melodies
We show you how to use Apple’s Logic Pro X Arpeggiator and Drum Machine Designer presets to get into some serious arp action
Sonic destruction: the science of distortion and how to use it
From hard clipping to reduced bitrates, there's plenty of creativity to be found by doing things just a little bit wrong
How to create a lo-fi electric piano sound with Cable Guys ShaperBox2
Inject some character into your electric piano sound with Cable Guys' versatile FX plugin
Feed Me: "When I’m producing I’m always trying to hide the process so you just hear the result"
EDM producer Jon Gooch has revived his cartoonish Feed Me moniker. He showed Danny Turner around his studio and talked through how live instrumentation changed his production approach
Keeping it lo-fi: 3 techniques for achieving dusty lo-fi goodness
We show you how to nail an authentic lo-fi sound through bouncing to tape, modular downsampling and clever EQing
Songwriting basics: how to use the 2-5-1 chord progression in your DAW
Learn an important trick of the songwriting trade
6 tips for better metal guitar playing, from Architects and Sylosis guitarist Josh Middleton
"A lot of the time I won't even have a guitar with me when I'll write a riff"
Regal: "I started when I was 13 or 14... it was actually thanks to a demo program called Dance eJay that came in a Krispies box"
Following the release of his debut album, the techno giant talks 303s, savvy sidechaining and production power tips
6 extreme sound design ideas
Get extreme with feedback loops, distortion chaining and misused convolution reverb
