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April 2026

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152 articles

April 30
- “He just looked like he’d never seen anything like it before. I think it was a culture shock for him to see such brainless violence”: Punch-ups, mums and self-made hype – inside the early days of the Arctic Monkeys
- “I hired all the musicians and the engineers, and pretty much made the record”: Songwriter and producer Patrick Leonard discusses his role on Madonna’s Like a Prayer, and says that he hasn’t listened to any of her later albums
- “She is redefining what songwriting can be. Her work blends tradition and experimentation with extraordinary precision": Rosalia to be honoured at the Ivor Novello Awards in May
- The Teenage Engineering OP-1 Field finally gets undo
- “The fundamental building blocks of electric guitar tone: fuzz, harmonic shaping, and amplifier drive”: Crazy Tube Circuits’ Triptychon might just be the only pedal you need for classic rock
- “I'd never used a MIDI controller in my life like that. Before then I was just using my keyboard on my laptop, and I thought that was the only way to do it”: PinkPantheress on her lightbulb MIDI keyboard moment and her whirlwind music production journey
- Thomann launch Montreux Jazz Festival competition with hour long slot plus €3,000 performance fee up for grabs
- “No menus to dive through. No modes to get stuck in. Just play, loop, and explore your musical ideas”: Auxy unveils Svensson, a minimalist keyboard built for instant music-making
- What is Superbooth 2026?: Everything you need to know about the Berlin music tech show
- "Was not limited to any particular methods for the delivery of music": London High Court throws out Hendrix royalties lawsuit from estates of Noel Redding and Mitch Mitchell
April 29
- “From subtle warmth to aggressive drive, it adapts to any musical context”: Neural DSP unveils the Darkglass Ultimate plugin – a fully featured digital platform for studio-quality bass tone
- Expressive E launches Osmose CE, a MIDI controller version of its MPE-equipped synth
- Harley Benton drops a sub-$250 baritone that proves you can do low tunings at low prices – and stay fashionably offset
- iZotope upgrades RX with a film-focused stem separation module and improved machine learning
- “I mean, this is the greatest recording ever made. I could break down why it's so good, blah blah blah, but more than anything... what were they thinking?”: Jack Antonoff breaks down the crazy genius of his favourite Beatles song
- “When he started soloing he turned every knob up on the amp – all the way up. It was great!”: Sadler Vaden on when he and Jason Isbell jammed Little Wing with Pearl Jam's Mike McCready
April 28
- “If you need a hammer, that’s a hammer, and everyone needs a hammer”: Fender releases the Brian Fallon ’59 Telecaster Custom, a high-end replica of the guitar that built the Gaslight Anthem sound
- "Some friends of mine said 'you should definitely have one of these in your arsenal'": Mike Dean shows off his "crazy rare" wavetable synth that everyone wanted in the '80s
- “I looked down mid-song and realised my fuzz box wasn’t plugged in – my guitar sounded like a banjo for the entire performance”: The Primitives' PJ Court on his live TV guitar tone fail during a performance of their '80s hit single, Crash
- "It's been beloved by artists and engineers worldwide for over 40 years": Focusrite's ISA C8X brings the ISA preamp to an audio interface for the first time
- “I heard somebody say, ‘Did you guys hear Finneas and Billie had a falling-out?’": Billie Eilish explains why her brother had become a "Rapunzel" figure in her touring band, and says it was a "miracle" that she won her latest Grammy for Wildflower
- "If someone creates an AI-generated version of Taylor in a jumpsuit with a guitar, now Swift has a federal trademark claim": Taylor Swift moves to trademark her voice and likeness in a bid to shake off the bots and protect her big reputation
- “Grassroots music venues cannot keep being expected to survive on goodwill and admiration alone. Our goal is clear; don’t just fund problems, fix them”: Music Venue Trust launches programme of small venue upgrades
- Why Mackie’s Thumpv4 loudspeakers are a live music gamechanger
- “He thought someone was winding him up. But it was actually Quincy Jones calling to say, ‘I love the songs you’ve written. Would you come to LA and work on a project with me?’”: How Heatwave's Rod Temperton ended up writing songs for Michael Jackson
- What on earth is Fremmede Sprog and what has it got to do with the Rolling Stones?
April 27
- “Nedra’s voice, style and spirit helped define a sound that would change music. Her contribution to the group’s story and their defining influence will live forever”: The last surviving member of the Ronettes, Nedra Talley Ross, has died
- “If there’s anything negative, I understand why they didn’t put it out”: Prince’s first wife Mayte Garcia has her say on the cancelled Netflix documentary about him, and confirms that her book about their relationship is being turned into a movie
- Moog Messenger at Synth Week 26: One year with the new monosynth
- "The top was slightly detached from the ribs. It has been glued back in place”: Watch the moment when a conductor accidentally knocked a £1 million violin out of its player's hand
- “Hello children, mutha is here to save you. Are you ready to dance for me? Alright, let’s go gays, come on!”: Madonna gatecrashes West Hollywood club night and debuts some Confessions II tracks
- "It got my hopes up. I don't know what he gets out of it": A scam promoter has provoked the ire of large swathes of the Scottish techno scene by publicising events that never happen
- “My heart skipped a beat. Shock, horror, horrendous feelings. Yeah, it was traumatic, really. It was like someone passing away": Paul McCartney’s driver on how he felt when Macca’s beloved Hofner was stolen
- “A pioneer of music and an innovator who left an indelible mark on the history of music": Nashville session legend Wayne Moss has died, aged 88
- “I’ve heard tracks where someone took a Massive preset and just added a snare and some chords and that’s all they did”: How Native Instruments’ Massive became the go-to bass synth for a generation of music-makers
- "I thought the melody was so beautiful and I really liked the lyrics, it was very clever. I knew my daughter would be thrilled as well": So which Billie Eilish cover has Paul Weller included on his new compilation?
- “I was like, ‘Damn it! That was just exactly the money that he gave me for the pedal’”: Death By Audio’s Oliver Ackermann on the time he sold a pedal to Richard Fortus and disaster struck
- Sequential at Synth Week 26: "It’s amazing to have a pro, vintage sound in such a small package!" Fourm isn’t trying to be everything. And that's kind of the point
- Synth Week 2026: Exhibitor A-Z
- u-he at Synth Week 2026: Zebra 3 is here!
- Cherry Audio at Synth Week 26: Get up to 60% off their classic plugins all through May
- SOMA Labs at Synth Week 26: Put gestures in… Get music out… Meet FLUX: The incredible, intuitive instrument that you play without touching it
- Novation at Synth Week 26: The Story of the Bass Station
- KV331 Audio at Synth Week 26: It's the last week of the SynthMaster 50% off spring sale!
April 25
- “We thought it would be a taster single to set the scene, but when it came out, it went crazy": The almost unbelievable story of how EMF went to No 1 in the US with their debut single, which came with a huge guitar riff and a helping hand from Rick Rubin
April 24
- MusicRadar deals of the week: We've found $200 off a stylish Gibson SG, $100 off an affordable Martin acoustic, hearty discounts on studio headphones and much more
- “An inspiring meeting point for professionals, creators, and tech enthusiasts alike”: Thomann are holding a special live music trade fair in May
April 23
- I’m telling every producer I know to upgrade to Ableton Live Lite 12 today thanks to a 25% discount on all versions of this 4.5 star rated DAW
- “A lightning bolt just hit me from above. I really did feel like this was sort of a divine intervention. It was everything that I was looking for”: Gibson unveils signature SG for Greta Van Fleet’s Jake Kiszka
- “Mark Knopfler, he's soloing kind of all through the record. And that's what I did, too”: Bruce Hornsby explains why a classic Dire Straits song is a “kindred spirit” to his biggest hit
- “I haven’t spoken to Bernard for… I didn’t even speak to him. He spoke at me. That’ll be 15 years": Peter Hook says he won’t perform or stand with New Order at their RNR Hall Of Fame – unless he receives an apology
- After over a decade of silence, Boards Of Canada confirm new album
- "Want to harness the lush analogue sonics of one of the most sought-after synthesizers in music history?": Behringer's Jupiter-inspired JT-2 is available for preorder
- “I would never say that to anybody. Isn't that horrible?” So what exactly did Dave Grohl say to David Bowie the first time he met him?
April 22
- “A moving tribute to the emperor penguin and the fragile ecosystems it depends on”: Martin marks Earth Day with a custom graphic 00L Biosphere IV acoustic in the name of penguin preservation
- “I don't think Kurt really dug me. I think he stayed away from me because I was a pretty high octane individual”: Smashing Pumpkins drummer Jimmy Chamberlin recalls the heady days of the early ’90s
- “There are two ways that you cannot sing – if you're crying or if there's hair in your mouth”: Vanessa Carlton explains how her surprise Coachella performance of her classic piano pop hit was almost blown off course
- Plinky 12 is an expressive touch synthesizer available with three swappable faceplates for “different kinds of musical thinking”
- “Step it in, play it in, or let the machine take the lead”: Cre8audio Programm is a CV and MIDI sequencer that blends playability and algorithmic generation
- “Forged from the fires of Hell and made for players ready to take on the Lord of Hatred”: Calling all role-playing dungeon crawlers, Jackson has the unholy Diablo collab you’ve been waiting for
- “They’re the foundation of any real culture. Without them, you don’t get The Smiths, Amy Winehouse or The 1975. You get silence”: New study suggests thousands of young people have given up on music because there’s nowhere to play
- The budget sampler Casio teased at NAMM is now available for preorder
- “Canoga works brilliantly plugged into an amp with a bit of hair on the tone already”: FAO Jimi Hendrix fans, Strymon expands analogue range with the vintage Fuzz Face-inspired Canoga
- “She's asking me what tricks I have - as if she's asking me! I have no tricks that she doesn't know about”: PinkPantheress responds to Imogen Heap’s request for production tips, and says she really wants a pair of her musical gloves
- “Daily deliveries keep increasing”: 44% of Deezer's daily uploads are AI slop
- “Jimi and I sat down facing each other, with Jimi on six-string acoustic and me on 12-string”: The life and times of Dave Mason, the Traffic legend who played with Hendrix, McCartney, the Stones and more
- “They said ‘we’re going to let you on the plane, but you’re going to have to be sniffed by the dog'": Ringo Starr talks to Jimmy Kimmel about his duet with Paul McCartney, the Beatles biopics and having to prove his ID
- “There have been times in my career where I’ve wondered: at the end of the day, am I going to own only 15% of my catalogue?”: DJ Shadow on why he stopped sampling and left the MPC behind
April 21
- The tone-sweetener your rig has been waiting for? Walrus Audio's Highpoint is one serious compressor pedal
- “I was just a new guy, probably number nine on the list”: Larry Carlton on his nerve-shredding debut session with Quincy Jones – and the time he was called to play guitar on a Michael Jackson smash-hit
- Anna’s Archive ordered to pay Spotify over $300M in damages after illegally scraping 86 million files for “the largest truly open library in human history”
- Kraftwerk copyright battle rages on as CJEU delivers landmark ruling in sampling case
- “I mean, how has that not happened?”: A decade after her first effort was rejected, Lana Del Rey finally has her Bond theme – but is it the one she deserved?
- “We reject Eurovision being used to whitewash and normalise Israel’s genocide, siege and brutal military occupation against Palestinians”: Brian Eno, Paul Weller, Massive Attack and others call for Israel to be kicked out of Eurovision
- No rig? No problem – this website lets guitarists design amps and effects tones by text prompt
- “The features on this bad boy are very different”: Budget gear giant Harley Benton goes high-end for BassTheWorld signature bass
- “I have carried this song with me for so many years. To now hear his version, shared for the very first time, feels truly special”: Celine Dion reacts to the release of Prince’s version of With This Tear, the song he gave to her back in 1992
- "It’s been a very long time in the making": U-he releases Zebra 3 after more than a decade of development
- “I’m hoping and praying that some kind soul will find these items and reach out”: Madonna lost her clothes at Coachella over the weekend
April 20
- “It’s like… what do you do after that? I need a drink”: Sabrina Carpenter sings Like A Prayer with Madonna at Coachella, as Olivia Rodrigo, Billie Eilish, Billy Idol, Steve Stevens, Zara Larsson and SZA also deliver second weekend cameos
- “We strongly believe that in the coming years, writing code manually won't be a thing. What will be left is the fun stuff”: Inside the new wave of AI tools turning prompts into plugins
- “I was like, ‘Oh my God, he graffitied on this shirt. Am I going to go out in this shirt that has this thing on it?’”: Olivia Rodrigo reveals Robert Smith's Glastonbury prank, and says she didn’t play her Cure-referencing new single to him
- “I’m curious about this new technology”: Jose González has collaborated with ChatGPT on his new album
- Tame Impala's synth company releases Pistil companion app for Orchid
April 17
- “He hummed the initial melody for When Doves Cry into my answerphone – saying, ‘Don’t erase this!’ – so he’d remember it”: Prince’s Purple Rain co-star recalls the moment he had the idea for one of his greatest songs
- "This is the closest thing I've had to a religious experience in a long time": Boards of Canada are back with their first new music in 13 years
- “You know all the words to Just Like Heaven, and I know why he wrote them now”: Olivia Rodrigo still has The Cure’s Robert Smith on her mind on new single, Drop Dead
- You might want to open a window before using The Crow Hill Company's filthy new synth, but Radiohead and Aphex Twin fans should give it a sniff
- “Reverb, delay, chorus and even Bluetooth capabilities right at your fingertips”: Yamaha expands TransAcoustic lineup with more guitars that look like regular acoustics but are anything but
April 16
- "As a vocalist, every word I sing in the Van Halen songbook, I wrote. I wrote every line, every melody, every harmony stack. For better or worse, if you're singing it – Roth was bringing it": David Lee Roth has clarified his creative role in Van Halen
- “I was already a fan, but after that I just had so much empathy for her and her humanity and of course her talent”: Anne Hathaway on what changed her opinion of Taylor Swift – and how she inspired her while playing a “dominant pop presence” in Mother Mary
- One of our favourite Les Pauls just got more affordable as Gibson gives limited run Double Trouble the Studio treatment – but is it the more versatile guitar?
- Splice launches generative AI tools that fairly compensate sample creators
- “I can get the best voice from AI. I don’t need anybody to sing the song anymore”: Diplo urges musicians critical of AI to “adapt or just give up and become an Uber driver”
April 15
- “These rare birds combine period-accurate features with some modern twists”: Gretsch's exquisite, limited run Penguin and Falcon are a pair of fine-feathered guitars to crow about
- “They’re built to move, pushing feel, sound and style forward”: Epiphone’s Futura Series reimagines Gibson classics with Chromashift finishes, all-new ProBucker Ignite humbuckers – and stainless steel frets as standard
- “I think it's one of the greatest pop songs ever made. It makes me feel nostalgic, but also if it came out yesterday, it would be an absolute smash”: Dua Lipa’s favourite Britney Spears song was a massive hit, but the writing process was "torture"
- Universal Audio is giving away eight of its most popular plugins for free in the UAD Explore FREE bundle
April 14
- Moog celebrates the legacy of its founder with special limited-edition reissue of the Minimoog Model D - but only 500 will be made
- “We set out to capture the defining moments that shaped Fender’s legacy”: Historic neck profiles, reverse-engineered pickups – Fender’s Vintera III series promises historically accurate specs and “golden era” tones for all
- "I started getting all these Google alerts about this group Bon Iver, because Justin Vernon was shouting me out in the press”: Bruce Hornsby explains how he first heard about Bon Iver, and reveals the song of theirs that he considers to be “transcendent”
- “Lyndon was not only a founder, but also a creator and innovator”: UK amp pioneer Lyndon Laney has died, aged 77
- We’re getting excited about this mysterious new keyboard from Auxy and Cuckoo
- “I wasn't sure about it. And then we started playing it in rehearsals, and some of my band were like, ‘This one's good, you know’”: Olivia Dean says that her biggest hit “wasn’t supposed to be a single”, and names the Motown legend who inspires her
- “She sang like an angel. She walked through this world like an angel, and now she’s back with her own kind”: Bono and others pay tribute to Clannad singer Moya Brennan
- “Ever since I was a little kid and singing in the shower I'd dream about one day being in the RnR hall of fame”: Oasis to be inducted into the Hall Of Fame and Liam Gallagher seems… delighted
- “Tours are so brutal and taxing, and I like to have a puppy room for the guys to go chill in”: Trailer for Billie Eilish’s 3D James Cameron-directed concert film is out and contains some unexpected canine chums
April 13
- "It's giving let's smoke and watch YouTube": Zara Larsson clarifies her thoughts on Justin Bieber's divisive Coachella set, as fans compare and contrast it to Sabrina Carpenter's
- “Some of these recordings, on crappy little cassette tapes from the early '90s, sound incredible”: Meet the fan who has recorded over 10,000 gigs and is now letting everyone download the audio
- “Joni hates the word ‘confessional’ as she thinks it implies you’ve done something wrong”: Brandi Carlile names her favourite Joni Mitchell album – and hails Joni’s 1971 classic as a record that “changed songwriting forever”
- "The good news is, I can still play music. I can still play guitar": No Doubt guitarist Tom Dumont reveals that he has been diagnosed with Parkinson’s Disease
- “Is it cool if I bring some rock royalty on the stage right now?”: Billy Corgan suffers mic malfunction as he makes his first ever appearance at Coachella alongside Sombr to sing a Smashing Pumpkins classic
April 11
- “It makes my productivity faster, better, more creative”: 5 production tips we learned from watching house producer Hammer create a track from scratch
April 10
- Hip-hop progenitor Afrika Bambaataa dies at 68
April 9
- “Own a piece of grunge history”: Could your next amp be Kurt Cobain’s stage-played Fender Twin? Nirvana’s Bleach-era touring backline goes up for sale
- “The story he’s never told — the band, the fame, the heartbreak, the healing. And yes, the astrology”: Tears For Fears’ Roland Orzabal writes his first-ever autobiography and it's an astrological memoir
- With less than 24 hours left to go in Guitar Center's massive Guitar-A-Thon sale, this is your last chance to grab up to 30% discounts across the board - including $700 off a beautiful Gibson Les Paul
- SampleRadar: 250 free bass synth samples
- “Because it is my neck and brain, our hands are tied”: Phoebe Lunny reveals neck fracture and "acute brain injury" forcing Lambrini Girls to pull out of Coachella
- “They’ve been turning up unexpectedly at random people’s houses”: Cryptic VHS tapes mailed to fans hints at a Boards of Canada revival
- "It's the DAW you love, redesigned around the only thing that matters – your tracks": Reason 14 launches in public beta
- “We are about to do something insane… and you're the designer!”: Guitar Center is launching its own guitar brand and it wants players’ input with its design
April 8
- “Always a pleasure to host BFG in my office, and even better when he decides to take one of my CEO builds on tour!” Gibson CEO Cesar Gueikian has made a stunning custom Explorer – and Billy Gibbons is playing it onstage with ZZ Top
- "It's unlocked a new sound and side to my writing": Misha Mansoor reveals signature Jackson Custom Shop Baritone Surfcaster
- "This is the beginning of a more ambitious journey": Elektron acquired by investment company Bonnier Capital
- “It’s become one of our favorite woods to work with”: PRS launches 6 limited mango top guitars
- “I was a little uncomfortable, to be honest. I gradually convinced myself that it was okay”: Myles Kennedy on what it was like to play Jeff Buckley’s Telecaster – and how he felt unworthy to play it
- “He said, ‘Yeah, you know, it’s kind of harder to play that way’, but he just loved the way it sounded”: Eric Johnson on why pick choice and picking style are fundamental to your playing – and how his favourite jazz player got his sound by using his thumb
- Universal Music Group, home to Taylor Swift, Drake, Elton John and other stars receives record $63bn buyout offer
- DrumBot is an AI-powered chatbot drum machine that “listens, learns and talks back” – but who is it for?
April 7
- Wireless Festival cancelled and tickets refunded after UK Government blocks Kanye West’s entry
- “Six room sizes, a gated reverb patch and a reverse reverb patch for your consideration”: Catalinbread launches compact reverb pedal with inspired by the Neil Young and Daft Punk-approved Alesis Microverb
- "The truth is that your studio has as much potential to get in the way of your creativity as it does to unlock it": 5 creativity-boosting studio workflow tips
- “I hate to break it to you, but your favourite artist records my old songs”: Sky Ferreira seemingly fires shots at Charli xcx on social media
- “There was a back door to the studio that led out to the street. I went out and I'm not kidding you, but this guy pops out of a trash can – it was Ginger Baker!”: Jimmy Douglass on his early days working for Atlantic Records
- “He’s plugged a Les Paul Columbus in 40 years ago at maximum volume and now his ears are done”: Gary Numan claims to be “90% deaf”
- “The beat goes on, but the pocket will never be the same": Bandmates, friends and stars pay tribute to James Gadson
April 6
- “I can’t believe I did that. I wish I still had it”: Snail Mail’s Lindsey Jordan on her beloved red Strat she sold for just $25
April 4
- SampleRadar: 142 free yacht rock samples
April 3
- “Mac’s death was an extremely traumatic experience for me. That was definitely a very key element and fundamental in my sobriety”: Thundercat on how losing Mac Miller made him change his life
April 2
- “He obviously wanted to do something like that for Billie Jean and he did his own version of that groove”: John Oates agrees with Daryl Hall that I Can’t Go For That was the inspiration for one of Michael Jackson’s greatest hits
- "We didn't sit there and go, 'Let's make an album that's going to last 45 years or become a cornerstone of some rock music.' We were just having a great time”: Vinny Appice remembers his time with Ronnie James Dio
- “I spent my entire career searching for this, but it didn’t exist – so I built it for myself”: Can this $149 deck of cards help you write better songs?
- "She goes, 'No, I want to play you the songs on my guitar. Let's just go out to the parking lot, and I'll sit in the back of your truck’”: Back in 2006, a “fearless” Taylor Swift took a hands-on approach to getting her music played on the radio
- “Who the F are the Cockroaches?”: Just the greatest rock n’ roll band in the world… perhaps
April 1
- This free plugin captures the shrill and squeaky sound of the most irritating musical instrument known to man... just in time for April Fool’s Day
- “Oh, wow! See, that’s something I only do on stage. That’s not a part of the record”: Lindsey Buckingham reacts to TikTok covers of Fleetwood Mac’s Never Going Back Again, and says one of them is “better than I do it”
- “Our intention is that, at the end of the program, the listener will find himself alone, in hell”: Archive footage from 1983 reveals the BBC Radiophonic Workshop’s chilling plan to put a modernised musical spin on Dante’s Inferno
- “If you love Hendrix, Jack White, Gary Clark Jr, Beck, Black Keys, or the octave fuzz on John Mayer’s Belief – you already know you want this”: JHS Pedals’ turns loose the Coyote, a fuzz pedal tribute to a “lost” cult classic and its maker
- “Just like when you get a new distortion pedal it makes you want to play guitar, I wanted that same feeling for DB-30”: XLN Audio wants to put the fun back in drum processing with DB-30 Drum Butter
- “Seeing people actually make music with mayonnaise and turning it into a real track has been wild. It shouldn’t work, but somehow it does”: A British university just classified mayonnaise as an instrument. And this isn’t an April Fool
- “Each effect has been recreated using detailed component-level modeling, faithfully capturing the behaviour of the original analogue circuitry”: Electro-Harmonix launches six of its most-famous pedals as plugins