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August 2026
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- August 21
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- Where's your head at? It's MusicRadar's Quiz of the Week #18!
- “I did have a couple of people saying, 'You're being so obsessive.’ But it had lost the magic, and so he said, 'Do you know what to do?’ And I said ‘I do’”: How going back to her Korg M1 demo helped Donna Lewis to create one of the biggest US hits of 1996
- I've recorded everything from vocals to guitars with this unbelievably versatile mic – and it just plummeted to only $79. That's so cheap I had to check the price twice
- August 20
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- “My hands just wouldn’t work. There was no way I could play the guitar. It was pretty scary”: Rockabilly icon Brian Setzer on his recovery from the autoimmune condition that stopped him playing guitar
- “I know I'm not supposed to use these foot pedals like this but it works”: Ariana Grande’s live looping moment on her Eternal Sunshine tour showcases a skill that she’s been honing for 20 years
- Someone put a chiptune synth and 16-step sequencer in a watch - and it looks as bonkers as it sounds
- “Lemme guess, you got Che Guevara and Malcolm X on your shelf, maybe even Fred Hampton, but at the end of the day you get in the Lamborghini and put your kids in private school”: Charlie Crokett gets personal in playground tussle with Jack White
- A dream machine for Gretsch superfans, this limited run Penguin is refreshed in Pale Blue Pearl with Bigsby and Ful-Fidelity FilterTrons – and it is one sweet songbird
- August 19
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- “It makes your massive amp sound tiny, and way better, and it just sounds sick”: Stu Mackenzie and Jam Pedals team up to bring you the secret behind his King Gizzard and the Lizard Wizard tone
- Minimal Audio's Lucid is a granular powerhouse with scale locking, deep modulation and much more
- Brandon Flowers says that every major label passed on Mr Brightside: "They would say, ‘When did you record this song again? What producer did you bring in?’ And it's like, ‘No, that's the same song. It's exactly the same recording that you heard before'”
- “We're encouraged by the impact these measures are having”: McDonalds branch gets rid of teenage trouble by playing classical music
- Frank Beard, ZZ Top drummer, dies aged 77: "I made him jam for eight hours straight until his tongue just fell out. By the time we stopped, we both knew we had a band"
- August 18
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- Nearly 40% of music released last month used AI
- Rush’s Geddy Lee and Alex Lifeson give the thumbs-up to Angine De Poitrine: “The most entertaining and exhilarating bits of music that I've heard for a long, long time”
- The legendary SL-1200 is 55: Technics celebrates with a limited edition of the iconic turntable
- “I don’t know how many times I’ve told you about swinging that thing”: Rob Thomas smacks his Matchbox Twenty bandmate with a mic stand
- Behringer’s Daft Punk-approved, cult-classic MIDI controller has been reborn as the BCR32 – and now it’s a hardware sequencer too
- Beatport has banned AI-generated music: "There is a difference between a tool that assists human creation and a system that replaces it entirely. Beatport is built on the former"
- Fancy recording an EP at the world-famous Real World Studios?: “Our goal is to find talent and provide the facilities and support to let them flourish in a way they wouldn't be able to otherwise”
- August 17
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- Bad Bunny caught up in copyright case that could see massive consequences for reggaeton as a genre
- “We wish him the best in his future endeavours”: Slipknot confirm that Sid Wilson is no longer a member of the band
- “We were just looking at each other like, ‘Holy crap,' Like, he has turned back time”: Geddy Lee talks about the vocal prep he had to do for Rush’s 50 Something tour
- August 14
- August 13
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- “I don’t want to say The Beatles cleared it, but somebody at EMI or Apple. So whoever you were that did it, thank you. Thank you, Sir Paul”: Mike D on how the Beastie Boys got away with sampling five Beatles songs on Paul's Boutique
- “Music has always been my first language. Justice has always been my inheritance. Contra-ICE is where those two lineages meet”: Ad-Rock, Tom Morello, Kathleen Hanna and others team up for Anti-ICE benefit album
- “As a bona fide guitar nerd this is the epitome, this is the high-water mark”: Martin unveils a pair of Joe Bonamassa signature acoustics based on a 1937 pre-War vintage unicorn
- Watch Ritchie Blackmore perform onstage with Deep Purple for the first time in more than 30 years: "A couple of days ago I got a message from a local lad, ‘I only live ‘round the corner – do you mind if I come and jam?’
- Brian May asked AI to recreate the cover of Queen's The Game. He wasn't happy with the results: “So this is the kind of intelligence that will soon be ruling the world??!”
- Reissue, Repackage, re-evaluate the songs: Morrissey And Marr have collaborated on new Smiths Rough Trade archive release
- August 12
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- AI's ties to major labels deepen as Suno strikes licensing deal with BMG
- Fender refreshes the vintage-inspired US models that offer “a near 1:1 comparison with their original predecessors” – adding classic finishes from the paint room
- Rod Stewart cancels the rest of his US tour following heart surgery
- inMusic reportedly closes down Native Instruments’ UK office as senior leadership exits company
- Japanese punk band Otoboke Beaver apologise for hospitalising fan with guitar throw: “I’ve reflected deeply on the overwhelming burden and heartache I have caused this person due to the inadequate response”
- Ritchie Blackmore to play with Deep Purple for the first time since ’93 tonight: “Well, it is a secret, and I don’t want anybody to know, but I’m probably going up to do an encore”
- Spotify finally get tough on AI slop as platform adds ‘Persona Badge’ to mark out AI-generated ‘artists’
- August 11
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- Dimebag Darrell’s favourite rack unit is reborn as a compact pedal: MXR unveils the Flanger/Doubler pedal – BBD-driven analogue mojo for ‘70s and ‘80s flavours or fatter metal tones
- “There are people in my band who are questioning whether they’ll perform it with me. And those people will be fired”: Boy George says he’ll sack any bandmates who refuse to play his ‘pro-Israel’ song We Will Dance Again
- “I haven't really listened to Rush music… I never stumbled into the catalogue”: Anika Nilles on her preparation for Rush’s 50 Something tour
- "I will be restraining you, sir, if you do not stay seated!": DnB producer Bou samples cabin crew's altercation with angry passenger then invites flight attendant to his show
- “This short and highly strung man in cowboy boots lit a hand-rolled smoke in a little room, asking me to play something”: How did Angine de Poitrine get so very weird? Khn’s maverick but brilliant guitar teacher might explain a lot
- “We got this wrong… We do not support AI-generated music, and our process will reflect that going forward”: D’Addario admits generative AI was used on string demo video after all
- IK Multimedia just totally revamped its Tonex Player and made its tone ecosystem a lot easier to use: “It extends the capabilities of Tonex software and hardware alike, creating a single connected workflow from capture to studio, rehearsal and stage”
- “Oh, it was a nightmare. I was becoming physically sick just thinking of going to the studio each night. I used to love working with the band. By that point, I dreaded it”: The Beatles’ most trusted engineer on their studio tensions
- "Imagine what Bucket faces every day, because he don't talk to people. He talks with his guitar. And that's pretty much it.”: Bootsy Collins on his friendship with oddball guitar virtuoso Buckethead
- “It’s much less tension and pressure than directing a movie... It’s kind of our first heavy metal album”: John Carpenter on why he’s happier making music than films these days
- August 10
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- Watch early camcorder footage of early Oasis, unearthed and made available to watch
- “Scars are cool. I’ve never left a show when my hands are a mess and I think ‘I wish I didn’t play the way I did’”: Travis Barker on his drumming style and how his versatility was Blink-182's secret weapon
- “The thing that they do so well, when they’re weaving together and listening to each other and responding to each other is alive and well”: Mick Jagger talks about Keith and Ronnie Wood’s guitar work on new Stones song
- We have “a clear set of principles” that are “always rooted in supporting artistry and creativity” says Suno CEO, as company seeks to limit reputational damage from latest legal defeat
- 1010music updates its Blackbox sampling workstation with a better screen, onboard battery and USB audio streaming
- August 8
- August 7
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- “Oasis’ schedule is booked”: According to a source, the Gallaghers’ masterplan for 2027 is already in place
- “I found my old PS4 controller collecting dust in a drawer and I had an idea”: MIDIpad transforms your gamepad into a musical instrument and MPE controller – and there’s a free version
- “Next year should be a pretty interesting year, because I think quite a few things will reveal themselves”: Lindsey Buckingham teases some possible Fleetwood Mac activity in 2027
- “Will there be music in the future? Absolutely”: Lauryn Hill and Wyclef Jean are positive that the Fugees will record again
- “There are these fun, crazy sessions where everyone's wild and something comes out of it and then there are ones that are a struggle and suddenly there's a breakthrough – I just enjoy them all”: We look back at a classic William Orbit interview
- William Orbit, the production genius behind Madonna’s Ray Of Light, has died, aged 69
- Nikki Sixx admits that Mötley Crue do use backing tapes, but says that the band members always play their instruments: “Since we saw Queen using some during Bohemian Rhapsody live, we understood that we could bring in elements that we could not do"
- Arturia's Pigments Play is a free version of one of the best soft synths around – and it's more powerful than you might expect
- August 6
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- “The music just comes to me. It’s like that movie Amadeus”: Yngwie Malmsteen emerges from an “avalanche” of ideas with “80 to 90” songs and a scorching new album – and you can hear him unleash the fury on new single Now Or Never
- “That's the version I wish came out originally. You're going to hear a lot of jazz chords, ladies and gentlemen”: Charlie Puth reinterprets his back catalogue – including his huge 2015 US number one – as he performs at the Tiny Desk
- “The ‘90s are back”: Steinberg celebrates 30 years of VST with the Classics Collection, a new free plugin bundle that includes the first ever VST instrument
- Fender CEO clarifies his controversial comments comparing cover songs to AI: “My intent was to talk about how technology can help artists and players learn and grow”
- Alesis and Zildjian forge a "perfect" partnership that they hope will "raise the bar for electronic drums"
- “He never rated himself as highly as everyone else did": New documentary in the pipeline about Rush’s Neil Peart
- Producer claims Kanye did use AI on Bully and sues for unpaid wages: “Despite nearly two years of demands, the defendants have refused to compensate plaintiff for plaintiff’s services”
- “I was on the road with Guns, so we went off and finished what we were doing. And then, all of a sudden, I got that phone call”: Slash says he and Ozzy Osbourne had plans to go into the studio together
- Eno’s Music For Airports to be performed in full… at an airport
- “We played that what must have been 1000 times to work out what it was”: Phil Collins admits that there was one famous drum fill he just couldn’t unpick when he was recording his Motown covers album
- August 5
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- “This guitar means the world to me. My first El Dorado was a gift from my father”: Marcus King’s signature Epiphone is a stunning dreadnought acoustic inspired by his first-ever guitar – and it has the coolest pickguard ever
- “Since we debuted Motion at NAMM, the anticipation has been off the charts”: Fender’s Motion MIDI controllers have finally landed – and they come with a free copy of the Fender Studio Pro DAW
- “AI models built on stolen intellectual property have no protection under the law”: German performing rights society wins significant victory over Suno
- Line 6 expands its Helix Stadium tone ecosystem with a guitar plugin to “enable you to craft tones practically at the speed of thought” – and there’s a free version
- "I was like, 'Bro... Metallica's never been tighter and you want some yahoos to come jump in and try and be Hetfield? Is that what you're saying?' And they're like, 'Yeah'": Pepper Keenan remembers when he auditioned to dep guitar for Metallica
- Susanna Hoffs recalls the time that Prince invited the Bangles to the studio then upped and left without telling them: “We get there and we’re jamming, then suddenly we look around and he’s disappeared. ‘OK, I guess we’re done’”
- “They didn’t call him the Iceman for nothing. I mean, I was on the receiving end when I was a kid”: Joe Bonamassa on how Albert Collins taught him to wield his guitar as “a weapon” – and jamming with him was the ultimate test of his “intestinal fortitude”
- “Some sounds never go out of style”: Universal Audio makes two classic reverbs used by The Beatles, Radiohead and Brian Eno available natively
- “No option and no choice": Glenn Hughes announces he’s retiring from live performance on medical advice
- “He’s like an alien. I mean, he’s better at guitar backwards than I have been at guitar my whole life”: Gracie Abrams is impressed by Paul Mescal’s left handed playing
- A pressing matter: Suno to launch its own bespoke vinyl pressing and shipping service
- August 4
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- “It’s the same open, community-powered spirit that’s reshaping modern guitar tone, now built directly into the rig”: HeadRush rolls out Tone3000 integration and native support for NAM captures on its amp and effects modellers
- “My other little secret is, this right here, this position, that’s supposed to be the neck, right? It’s not”: Chris Payton on the guitars he needs to play a Bruno Mars stadium – and the genius mod that makes his HSS Strat even more versatile
- “I asked him what was going on. He said to me, ‘This is too good for you guys. I’m taking it back’”: Prince collaborator David Z, who helped create one of his biggest hits, has died, aged 78
- Brandon Flowers appears to be having something of an existential crisis: “My dad goes to yard sales. He’s never had any money in his life and he’s happier than I am”
- “I don’t want any undos. There’s no ‘undo’ in good music. It’s a performance”: Raphael Saadiq takes you on a tour of his incredible studio, and explains why he still prefers to record to tape
- “In the very early ‘70s, he was in one studio, and I was in another. And we just hit it off”: Tony Iommi reveals Brian May’s lead guitar cameo on his new solo album – and why the Queen guitarist is its only guest
- “The artists that are against it, you’ve got to be careful because it’s going to come and swallow you like the boogie monster at night”: Empire Of The Sun’s Luke Steele says “of course” he uses AI
- Introducing MIXVAULT – the fast and smart way to approach EQing
- August 3
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- “Seal said to me while we were doing the first album, ‘I’ve got this song - it’s a bit like Greensleeves.’ I was like, ‘that sounds interesting’”: Trevor Horn on the waltz-time song with the "crazy" vocal harmonies that gave Seal a '90s US number one
- "It only felt right that we played it for the first time in America with the man himself": Olivia Dean puts Sam Fender in the Lollapalooza spotlight as he joins her to sing the song that's just broken a long-standing UK chart record
- “I don’t think it’s overstating it, I don’t think it’s hyperbole – you guys invented rave culture”: Moby praises Britain’s historic contribution to dance music
- "Your analogue sound becomes a sample – then the cycle begins again: a new sound, a new sample, a new idea": Vermona drumDING is a hybrid drum machine designed to sample itself
- "In loving memory of Kieran Foster": Illformed Glitch2 multi-effects plugin made available for free following its creator's passing
- Olivia Rodrigo ticks another name off her alt-rock wishlist as she joins Smashing Pumpkins on stage at Lollapalooza to sing Thirty Three
- “I wish I hadn’t said it, although it did happen. But we’ve made up”: Phil Collins reveals the origins of his feud with Paul McCartney, and how it ended up being resolved