News archive
September 2021
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270 articles
- September 30
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- Sugar Bytes says that its Nest DIY MIDI sequencer can make music “with a life of its own”
- Spector balances classic with updated features for its new Euro RST basses
- Peterson releases the StroboPLUS HDC: the most feature-packed handheld guitar tuner we've seen
- Yes keyboard giant Geoff Downes: “At one stage I had up to 28 keyboards out on the road - I filled up half a semi-truck on my own!”
- The making of Billie Eilish’s No Time To Die Bond theme: “Finneas came up with this chord progression, and we were just immediately like, ‘Oh!’”
- The ultimate mini gain machine? Diezel scales down with the new $329.99 VH Micro guitar amp
- Abba's Bjorn Ulvaeus on modern hits written by large songwriting teams: "where's the heart?"
- David Bowie: 10 key tracks
- September 29
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- Natal Drums unveils DNA Stealth low-volume practice kit
- Pacific Drums and Percussion announces the launch of dedicated YouTube channel
- Vater announces Elise Trouw signature drum sticks
- It looks like third time's the charm for the Pigtronix Echolution 3 multi-tap stereo modulation delay pedal
- How to fix tuning problems on your guitar
- Roger Taylor on his 5 favourite Queen drumming songs: “Will we ever do another Queen album? I don’t see why not”
- Amon Tobin: "It sounds better not because it's hardware, but because it's more fun"
- Tool guitar lesson: 5 ways to play like Adam Jones
- These new Rhodes MK8 electric piano renders look so real we can almost play them
- Baby Audio has released an AI tape emulation plugin that’s designed to capture “the invisible nuances of analogue circuits”
- "It's basically the muscles that you pee with" – Myles Kennedy on singing
- No time to dive bomb: watch an army of drones perform the James Bond theme (and play that chord)
- Eruption: Conversations With Eddie Van Halen is a definitive new biography based on 50+ hours of interviews with the man himself
- September 28
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- Ringo Starr recalls attic drum session with Charlie Watts and John Bonham
- Fender releases its travel, couch and budget friendly California Mini acoustic guitars
- Arturia lights the MiniFuse with a new range of “class-leading” budget audio interfaces
- Bright, colourful and affordable, Laka's Rainbow Series soprano ukuleles are perfect for young players
- Feed Me: "When I’m producing I’m always trying to hide the process so you just hear the result"
- Johnny Ramone's 1965 Mosrite Ventures II sells at auction for $937,500
- Alesis’s affordable V Series II MIDI keyboards give you synth-style keys and velocity-sensitive pads
- Fender offers unsigned artists chance to win time at professional recording studios
- How to play the Bond guitar chord: the spy chord is back - learn it here
- Sing your way to success with the Dubler 2 voice-to-MIDI software
- Stuck in a rut? Sophie Burrell offers her top tips to get your guitar playing back on track
- Keeping it lo-fi: 3 techniques for achieving dusty lo-fi goodness
- Violinist Nigel Kennedy says that “Hendrix should be talked about like the great composers… Serious motherf**kers!”
- September 27
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- Watch Sarah Longfield create an original song using Tracktion’s “powerful and versatile” F.’em synth
- The Rolling Stones play first ever public gig without Charlie Watts
- SSL introduces new “premium” Fusion plugins, Vintage Drive and Stereo Image, and teases future software plans
- Classic album: J-Walk on A Night on The Rocks
- Ranked - the best (and worst) James Bond theme songs
- Warwick claims final victory in Gibson Flying V battle
- Vitalic: "The basic concept of the album is to make a bridge between contemporary techno and post-punk"
- This new free plugin promises the fattest 808-style kicks you’ll find in a ROMpler
- GOAT Hunt: The greatest guitarists pre-2000 revealed
- Arturia’s SQ80 V puts a classic digital/analogue ‘80s synth into a cutting-edge plugin
- September 25
- September 24
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- Joe Bonamassa reveals his approach to production: “I want people to listen to Joanne Shaw Taylor and go, ‘I didn’t know she could sing that good’”
- 20 drum facts about Nirvana's Nevermind you might not know
- Joanne Shaw Taylor: “Blues doesn’t have to be a 12-bar shuffle. So long as you sing it with a certain attitude, or play it with a certain feel, it is blues “
- Video: Jon Gomm talks us through his signature Ibanez guitars
- Researchers say that music spreads like a virus, and electronica is the most infectious genre of all
- The story of Nirvana's Nevermind
- The 'new' Guns N' Roses song Hard Skool is a rocking return
- Could Plogue’s OPS7 synth plugin be the most accurate Yamaha DX7 emulation yet?
- Steinberg Studio Sessions: ARKADI talks studio tips, sound design and how he uses Cubase
- 6 tips for better metal guitar playing, from Architects and Sylosis guitarist Josh Middleton
- Attention music producers and songwriters: what do you want from streaming platforms?
- Interview: Rick Graham on his YouTube channel and signature Charvel
- Audiomodern’s Gatelab is a free VST/AU gate sequencer plugin that could open new creative doors
- Interview: Steve Hackett talks new solo album Surrender Of Silence and returning to touring
- Interview: "I like my guitars to be like Lewis Hamilton’s Mercedes" – Steve Howe talks new Yes album The Quest
- Scarypoolparty AKA Alejandro Aranda on being one of the first artists to be inspired with Gibson's Generation acoustics
- Tom Quayle talks jazz fusion, Laney Lionheart and the new Ibanez AZE guitars
- Chris Broderick interview: "I've always had an affinity for Jackson since even before I knew how to play guitar"
- Guitar Showcase 2021 interview: Newton Faulkner reflects on his lockdown album, and the tech that forms his new live sound
- Interview: Mark Tremonti talks Marching In Time, a new top secret project and designing the perfect 100-watt amp
- Skindred bassist Dan Pugsley talks Laney Digbeth amps and recording a new album
- Emerald Guitars' Mark Black and Davy K on bringing their experience as touring musicians to their roles
- Audiomodern’s GateLab plugin is a super-fast creative gate sequencer that you can download for free
- "I love Steve Vai, so I’ve scalloped the 21st-24th frets like him on all of my Pacificas" – Smashing Pumpkins guitarist Jeff Schroeder talks Yamaha and the band's next album
- Phil Collen interview: the Def Leppard guitarist talks Jackson, taking Eddie Van Halen's advice and why he's not a pedal guy
- September 23
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- Ampeg at Guitar Showcase 2021: launching the Rocket Bass range of powerful, lightweight combo amps
- Gordon Smith at Guitar Showcase 2021: introducing the Gatbsy offset
- Jackson at Guitar Showcase 2021: meet the Chris Broderick signature range – sophisticated riffing machines
- Gibson at Guitar Showcase 2021: meet the Gibson Generation Collection
- MusicNomad at Guitar Showcase 2021: innovative guitar care products, trusted by top techs
- Fender at Guitar Showcase 2021: introducing the Player Plus Series – uniting the next generation of guitarists
- Line 6 at Guitar Showcase 2021: world-class effects processing and modelling innovation
- ESP at Guitar Showcase 2021: introducing the stunning LTD Josh Middleton Signature Series JM-II
- IK Multimedia at Guitar Showcase 2021: introducing AmpliTube X-GEAR digital effect pedals
- Laney Bass Amplification at Guitar Showcase 2021: Digbeth bass amps and cabinets – The. New. Standard.
- The MU at Guitar Showcase 2021: Behind Every Musician
- Sheeran by Lowden at Guitar Showcase 2021: small-body guitars, massive tones
- Laney Amplification at Guitar Showcase 2021: the iconic Lionheart range, now hand built in the UK
- Emerald Guitars at Guitar Showcase 2021: meet the Virtuo – an acoustic guitar made with the electric player in mind
- Charvel at Guitar Showcase 2021: introducing the stylishly exquisite Rick Graham Signature MJ DK24
- Ibanez at Guitar Showcase 2021: the AZ Essentials range – tone, versatility and playability
- Yamaha at Guitar Showcase 2021: Pacifica 612VIIs – combining renowned playability and premium components
- Synchro Arts’ VocAlign Project 5 promises to save you even more time when you’re lining up your doubled or harmonised vocals
- It’s the VERY special issue 300 of Computer Music and the best giveaway ever!
- Liars: "I took a bag of percussion instruments and tipped them on the floor, and Angus told me to do it again because he wanted to record it"
- The Black Keys’ Patrick Carney teams up with Steven Slate Drums for SSD Expansion Pack
- Could listening to this electronic music track help get rid of your headache?
- Recorded in 1957, is this the world’s first electronic pop song?
- Issue 375 of Future Music is on sale now
- Animals as Leaders drummer Matt Garstka switches to DW drums
- September 22
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- Watch Sarah Longfield get her podcasting on with the “super-versatile” Tascam Mixcast 4
- Superbooth 2021 first look video: We’re spinning out over this tangible MIDI sequencer that looks like a vinyl turntable
- Billy Corgan is selling a haul of his classic era Smashing Pumpkins gear
- Superbooth 2021 first look video: UDO’s Super 6 Desktop is a new compact synth that looks like it’s missing a keyboard
- Superbooth 2021 first look video: the 6m0d6 puts a souped-up TR-606 drum machine in your Eurorack setup
- Dream Theater have just dropped a huge new song called Invisible Monsters
- Pearl Jam in a pedal? Funny Little Boxes' 1991 overdrive seeks to recreate the iconic tones of classic album Ten
- Is Fender and MoFi’s $3,495 PrecisionDeck the ultimate boutique turntable?
- 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"
- Cabaret Voltaire's Richard H Kirk dies, aged 65: "One of the true pioneers of British electronic music"
- The beginner's guide to: noise
- September 21
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- Blackstar co-founder and guitar amp innovator Bruce Keir dies, aged 60
- Rhodes MK8 effect section revealed: new electric piano to feature a compressor, delay and chorus
- Akai introduces the new MPC Studio: an affordable production package “for the modern music creator”
- Superbooth 2021 first look video: Erica Synths' Perkons could be this year's must-have drum machine
- Superbooth 2021 first look video: Plankton Electronics and Winter Modular's ZAPS module looks like a whole load of rhythmic synth fun
- Gibson launches the Generation Collection – its most affordable Montana-built acoustic guitar series yet
- Superbooth 2021 first look video: Waldorf's M synth is here to take you back to the '90s
- Superbooth 2021 first look video: could Malevolent be the semi-modular analogue synth that turns you on to modular?
- 6 extreme sound design ideas
- CID RIM: "I need my laptop, my £27 Sennheiser in-ear-plugs and a MIDI keyboard"
- Creator of world’s first 108-note grand piano says 88 keys is “too limiting”
- September 20
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- Interview: Thrice's Dustin Kensrue on embracing the Line 6 Helix and redefining boundaries on new album Horizons / East
- MasterClass Direct Line lets you chat music production with Deadmau5, and ask Tom Morello how to play guitar
- Audeze’s LCD-5s promise to set “a new standard” for headphone accuracy, but they’ll cost you $4,500
- Algoriddim djay for iOS gets Shazam audio recognition and AUv3 plugin enhancements
- Beach Boy Brian Wilson announces new solo piano album of his hits: “I never had a lesson, I was completely self-taught”
- British violinist Nigel Kennedy says that he pulled out of Classic FM show because he wasn’t allowed to perform his Jimi Hendrix tribute
- Opeth interview: looking back on their boldest musical move with the Heritage album, 10 years on
- QRTR: "It made sense to have ready-made effect chains and custom sounds, so that you can throw these little pieces on to a track, and suddenly it’s yours"
- Swedish House Mafia to work with IKEA on products that will “democratise creativity and music production”
- See Newton Faulkner demo Elixir® acoustic guitar strings
- September 19
- September 17
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- Jackson and Chris Broderick put a fun, signature twist on the Pro Series Soloist
- Watch Jason Richardson and Nick DePirro demo John Petrucci's spectacular eight-string Majesty
- Kirk Hammett pays tribute to Slayer and says Kerry King “doesn‘t get enough credit as a rhythm guitar player“
- Play Space Oddity with the new limited-edition Bowie Stylophone
- Spiritbox guitarist Mike Stringer’s 13 tips for using guitar plugins
- James Hurr's top 5 house production tips
- Superbooth 2021: Cherry Audio announces Jupiter-4 emulation, Mercury-4
- Nova Twins interview: “When we record in the studio, we want everything to be played live. Every riff, every sound, it has to be able to be portrayed live”
- September 16
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- Emerald Guitars' new Virtuo is an electric / acoustic hybrid
- Can you produce music using Bluetooth headphones?
- Superbooth 2021: the coolest and craziest sights from the show floor
- On our radar: Adna
- "We were all inspired" – Dream Theater members talk new album and how Scenes From A Memory influenced it
- “WTF?!”: Did David Guetta just leak a new Cableguys ShaperBox VST plugin?
- AKG’s Ara is its most affordable USB condenser microphone yet
- Boss breaks cover with IR-200 Amp & IR Cabinet and SY-200 Synthesizer pedals
- Ashibah: 5 things I've learned about music production
- Superbooth 2021: Sucofunk is an open-source “beatmaker’s sketchbook” that you can build yourself
- September 15
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- Yamaha unveils DTX8 and DTX10 wood-shell electronic drum sets
- Shawn Mendes covers Billie Eilish on acoustic and electric guitars with some surprising choices
- Kanye West invited a sixth-grade piano player to perform with him at a Donda listening party
- David Guetta: "I spend a lot of time with synths"
- Orange keeps the solid state gigging amp dream alive with the Super Crush 100
- Superbooth 2021 is go: the best new synths, Eurorack and other music tech gear
- Superbooth 2021: Erica Synths’ Perkons percussion synth promises to “strike your ears like the skies breaking apart”
- The Track: James Hurr on the making of Love Together
- Superbooth 2021: PWM’s Malevolent could be the affordable analogue keyboard synth that gets you into the modular game
- Todd Rundgren: "I have three albums' worth of Kanye stems on my computer"
- September 14
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- The iPhone 13 is here, but it’s Apple’s new iPad and iPad mini that music producers should care about
- Fender joins TikTok
- Superbooth 2021: Moog’s new Sound Studio is a monster semi-modular synth playground
- Superbooth 2021: Arturia’s Ensoniq-inspired SQ80 V could be your new favourite ‘80s synth plugin
- Superbooth 2021: Waldorf returns to its wavetable roots with the Microwave-inspired M hybrid synth
- 15 questions with Paul Oakenfold: "There are no production tricks, it’s all about feeling for me"
- Save pedalboard space (and your tone) with Keeley Electronics' Compressor Mini
- Cort refreshes Artisan B4 and B5 Element bass guitars with updated hardware and rounded ash-topped mahogany body
- Fender launches Player Plus Series, debuting dazzling new finishes and pro-quality specs
- Studio hacks: 10 bullet-proof tactics for turning loops into finished tracks
- Superbooth 2021: The cassette tape comes to Eurorack with Error Instruments’ throwback new Loopman module
- September 13
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- Kim Thayil explains how buying a Guild S-100 as a teenager influenced Soundgarden's sound
- Watch Foo Fighters tear through a three-song medley and pay tribute to Charlie Watts at the MTV Video Music Awards
- Iron Maiden's Nicko McBrain reveals that he offered to quit after a live mistake
- Mattel launches Barbie Music Producer doll in a bid to inspire more girls to explore a future in the industry
- Superbooth 2021: Dreadbox’s Nymphes analogue polysynth is “dedicated to all abused and oppressed women”
- "You can’t have a Plan B in this business and expect to be successful" – Dave Mustaine's top 5 tips for guitarists
- Get your waveforms in Shape with Audec’s free VST/AU plugin
- may.kit is a new musical social media platform for people who can’t make music
- Audioshake says that its AI-powered stem separation technology is “the best in the industry”
- Metallica respond to 1-star Amazon reviews of The Black Album
- Man playing Red Hot Chili Peppers’ Can’t Stop riff using actual chili peppers gets a spicy reception
- September 10
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- Solar Guitars teams up with Patrik Jensen for a none-more-metal signature model, the E1.6Jensen MKII
- Check out the title track from Jerry Cantrell's forthcoming solo album, Brighten
- Antares brings two classic vocal effects together as it introduces the Auto-Tune Vocodist plugin
- Steve Jordan lifts the lid on his favourite cymbals in new Paiste interview
- Jean-Michel Jarre: "I always considered stereo to be a fake process, created in the ‘30s, just to produce a sense of space"
- Mastodon return with new single Pushing The Tides, and announce epic double album Hushed And Grim
- Fairfield Circuitry's ferocious new ~900 Fuzz “will slap the ice cream cone right out of your hand“
- Keyboard legend Tony Kaye: “I get asked if I left Yes because of my disdain for the ‘new’ electronic gear - the Moog and the Mellotron - and there’s a lot of truth in that”
- Tama announces Stewart Copeland 40th Anniversary Signature Snare
- Lindsey Buckingham likens Stevie Nicks to Donald Trump
- Apple is using Shazam to identify and pay rights holders within DJ mixes on Apple Music
- September 9
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- Phil Collins offers health update ahead of Genesis reunion tour: “I can barely hold a stick”
- Are Harley Benton's €39 LightCases the guitar protection you've been waiting for?
- Focusrite Clarett+ USB audio interfaces announced: is this “premium” range ageing like a fine wine?
- Haim show you their favourite vintage gear in a studio tour
- Noel Gallagher admits he doesn’t know why Oasis did not play Rock 'n' Roll Star at Knebworth
- Eric Clapton announces new album The Lady In The Balcony: Lockdown Sessions
- Superbooth 2021: ASM’s Hydrasynth Explorer is a cuter, more compact version of the wave-morphing synth, and there's a 73-note Deluxe model, too
- John Mayer: “I’ve never seen more people get more out of playing electric guitar than I have this past year”
- Cherry Audio looks like it’s heading for Jupiter for its next classic synth plugin
- The Edge on recording U2's Love Is Blindness: "I poured everything into this guitar solo… I was in tears"
- Astronaut Chris Sembroksi is taking a Martin ukulele into space
- Denise is offering you a free VST bitcrushing plugin, and a big brother that bites even harder
- Hear Rodrigo y Gabriela’s jaw-dropping acoustic cover of Metallica’s The Struggle Within
- Moog’s Model 15 synth now runs as a VST plugin, meaning that Ableton Live owners can use it, too
- Watch Steve Vai tell the funny story of when he was taught guitar by a child
- September 8
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- The 2022 Winter NAMM Show has been postponed to June
- Stone Sour / The L.I.F.E Project guitarist Josh Rand: Why I love my… 2002 LA Custom Shop Ibanez RG
- Stevie Wonder’s I Just Called To Say I Love You was number 1 on this day in 1984, so why do so many fans hate it?
- Klon KTR pedals will be made with new components, Bill Finnegan confirms
- Revisit Avicii in the studio, as Google marks his 32nd birthday with a Doodle that celebrates his life in music
- Studio hacks: 9 inspiring tricks for hardware sequencing
- Eddie Vedder joined by Red Hot Chili Peppers members and Andrew Watt on new single Long Way
- Gibson 1958 reissue Korina Flying V and Explorer prices confirmed
- Unfiltered Audio’s LO-FI-AF is a thoroughly degrading plugin that can add vinyl, cassette, CD and MP3-style audio artifacts
- Block 'n' roll: Lego Ideas Fender Stratocaster and amp released
- Superbooth 2021: You can now turn your Prophet-5 synth into a Prophet-10
- September 7
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- Samantha Fish: “I did away with pedals... It made me a better guitar player. I was using them as a crutch rather than finding good tone in my hands“
- Synth-pop producer Little Boots is going to be playing keyboards for the Abba Voyage live shows
- Mogwai's Stuart Braithwaite calls Eric Clapton a “complete joker” for anti-vaccine stance
- Watch: Lindsey Buckingham perform classic Fleetwood Mac tracks live and debut solo material onstage
- DAW basics: How to program a chord progression and synth melody in GarageBand
- Ibanez, Laney and Digbeth all sign up for The Guitar Showcase 2021
- Can you use your modular rig as a guitar synth?
- September 6
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- Molchat Doma: "I use FL Studio 10 – yes, I’m old-fashioned!"
- Superbooth 2021: Dreadbox teases Nymphes, which appears to be a new analogue polysynth
- Superbooth 2021: Waldorf prepares to ‘welcome back an old friend’, so is a new synth in the offing?
- Studio hacks: 8 easy ways to streamline your studio
- Jordan Rudess shows you how he creates Dream Theater’s ‘snarling pig’ synth sound on his Korg Kronos
- September 3
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- Labor Day Deals 2021: Check out the 13 best musical instruments and equipment on sale now with up to 30% off!
- 5 quick lead guitar tricks to learn
- Joe Bonamassa: “I can play a Fender amp and a Fender guitar, it sounds like me. I can play a Gibson amp and a Gibson guitar. It sounds like me. Moving the needle isn’t happening anymore“
- Get Freaky: free Native Instruments plugin with any purchase at Plugin Boutique
- Headphones vs studio monitors: which is better for mixing?
- All Waves reverb, distortion and delay plugins are just $29.99 for Labor Day weekend
- 9 quick ways to improve your mix
- Gibson partners with Rally on an investment platform allowing players to buy stock in rare and unique guitars
- The Edge tells Tom Morello about the time U2 pretended a Ramones song was theirs to get on Irish television
- Roland sets the analogue circuits to 1985 with TR-707 and TR-727 drum machine plugins
- Gibson unveils an exquisite LG-2 Western signature acoustic guitar for Nathaniel Rateliff
- Nembrini Audio welcomes you to its BG Extasy Boutique – a new plugin for guitarists with taste for Bogner amps
- ROLI goes into administration; CEO Roland Lamb launches new music tech company, Luminary
- DJ Seinfeld: "The debate is not whether lo-fi’s good or bad, but if that raw quality can bring something to a track"
- September 2
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- Cory Wong and Dirty Loops join forces again for Michael Jackson Thriller cover
- Abba announce new album, Voyage, release two new songs and confirm avatar concert plans
- “I'm not sure if I love this album because I like the album, or because we as Nigerians all love this album – Johnny Drille on Burna Boy and the 10 records that changed his life
- Fender, Gibson, Yamaha, Charvel, IK Multimedia, Jackson, Line 6 and more confirmed for The Guitar Showcase 2021
- Oasis releases previously unseen clip of Live Forever from Knebworth
- Windows 11 is being released on 5 October, but will your music production PC be able to run it?
- Pioneer Pro Audio sends a speaker into space in a bid to banish the phrase “You’re on mute”
- 6 home studio construction hacks
- Bad Contact is a free VST plugin that makes your synths sound like they’re broken
- Animals As Leaders return in stunning form on new song and video Monomyth
- A practice gamechanger for bassists? Boss reveals Waza-Air Bass headphone amp
- Japanese Breakfast: "I realised that I never want to do this DIY shit again, I’ve hit the ceiling with that"
- September 1
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- Positive Grid celebrates its 10th anniversary with money off the Spark amp and the return of the Spark Pearl
- How to get student discount on MacBook Pros and iPads for music making
- How to transform the sound of your studio with acoustic treatment
- The Ibanez AZ gets affordable at $299 with the new Essentials line
- Klon designer Bill Finnegan to launch new YouTube live stream series and hints at new pedal production
- LoneLady: "I was given a synth by Brian Eno. It’s a very crisp and weird digital-sounding beast"
- Lars Ulrich's sons have formed a band
- New Rhodes electric piano confirmed: the MK8 is coming soon
- Reason 12 released with a new Combinator, the Mimic sampler and HD graphics
- Johnny Marr rocks a 9-pickup Strat in the video for new song Spirit Power And Soul
- Polyend Tracker’s new sequencing mode means it’s now for people who don’t like trackers, too
- Fender demos new Squier Paranormal guitars and basses
- The beginners guide to: hardcore
- Paul Reed Smith shows you how to get Jimi Hendrix's Machine Gun tone