“You’re gonna get f***ing white bread”: Shirley Manson takes aim at the music industry, Spotify and Ticketmaster
She expands on reasons behind Garbage’s decision to “curtail” touring
Artists
“You’re gonna get f***ing white bread”: Shirley Manson takes aim at the music industry, Spotify and Ticketmaster
She expands on reasons behind Garbage’s decision to “curtail” touring
“She had nailed her interpretation of that song before she came to the studio”: When Heaven 17 revived Tina Turner’s career
The soul legend recorded Let’s Stay Together in one take
“There are certain songs that I’ve written that are imbued with extra magic”: Graham Gouldman on I’m Not In Love
10cc’s classic turned fifty this year
“Each of our albums had a synth that really excited us. The first was a Prophet ‘08, the second was the MS-20, and this time the Moog Matriarch is on every track”: Maribou State on Hallucinating Love
On their third LP, Hallucinating Love, Maribou State return with a revitalized sound after battling mental health issues
“All I did was crank it up to 10 and start to rock and roll!”: The 10 greatest Ace Frehley songs from his days with Kiss
Subjects include boozing, electrocution, rockets and torpedoes
When Rick Rubin and Eric Clapton got to hear D’Angelo’s Voodoo album before it was released, they were blown away
“I can’t take much more. Is it all like this?”, said Clapton
7 great house and techno tips from Don’t Be Afraid label boss Semtek (aka DJ Persuasion)
The producer, DJ and founder of one of the UK's most respected underground labels revisits a 2012 release to explore what he's learned in 15 years of releasing house and techno
Music Tech
“A tantalising and cost-effective entry point to one of the great synthesizers of our time”: Groove Synthesis 3rd Wave 8M review
Groove Synthesis’ latest module has much of the power and sound of its expensive siblings for half the price
Best laptop for music production 2025: For home studios and mobile music-making - tested by experts
My pick of the best laptops for making music, plus hands-on reviews, stress testing, and what to look for when buying
“Each of our albums had a synth that really excited us. The first was a Prophet ‘08, the second was the MS-20, and this time the Moog Matriarch is on every track”: Maribou State on Hallucinating Love
On their third LP, Hallucinating Love, Maribou State return with a revitalized sound after battling mental health issues
Buy one $49.99 IK Multimedia plugin and get a whopping 38 free with the best plugin deal of the year so far
Plus, the more musicians register, the more free plugins everyone gets with up to 50 free plugins available
7 great house and techno tips from Don’t Be Afraid label boss Semtek (aka DJ Persuasion)
The producer, DJ and founder of one of the UK's most respected underground labels revisits a 2012 release to explore what he's learned in 15 years of releasing house and techno
Meet the AI 'artist' that's earning four times the average wage in the UK
Blow Records has made £123,000 this year on Spotify
How Prince embraced The Beatles and recorded one of the most vulnerable ballads of his career
“He’d moved past the pop simplicity of Purple Rain - this was Gershwin-esque," says drummer Bobby Z
Teenage Engineering is letting you pay what you want for the OP-XY
A new 1.1.0 firmware update brings sample slicing and sidechain-style ducking to the monochrome synth/sampler
Four big-name guitarists spill their recording secrets
With insight from Paul Gilbert, John 5, Adam Dutkiewicz and Marty Friedman on their approaches to the recording process
Time to go wireless? Positive Grid’s Spark LINK XLR offers cable-free connections for live performance
Free up your performance with the $169 wireless XLR transmitter that gives you up to 70 feet of line-of-sight transmission
Guitars
Gretsch relaunches the Jet in Streamliner and Electromatic series – and there is a single-pickup rock 'n' roll machine FTW
Fresh pickups, wraparound bridges, and just look at all those different colours...
How Van Morrison recorded his greatest song
Session guitarists Hugh McCracken and Al Gorgoni recalled their memories and vital contributions
Strymon’s Olivera is a oil can delay without the oil, without the mechanics, and with a lot more control over your tone
Vintage sounds from 21st-century tech, the Olivera has a powerful ARM processor under the hood, giving us 300 presets, stereo, MIDI, while a discreet Class A JEFT input preamp keeps things real
Harley Benton’s new acoustic is a compact parlour with a solid top and metallic colour finish – and it is just $250
With five colour finishes to choose from, the CLF-50E is an eye-catching, couch-friendly but stage-ready acoustic electric for players on a budget
![Fender's American Professional Classic series photographed against the side of a chrome tour bus [L-R]: Jaguar in faded Sherwood Green Metallic, HSS Stratocaster in Faded Lake Placid Blue, Stratocaster in Faded Firemist Gold, Telecaster in Faded Butterscotch Blonde, Precision Bass in Faded 3-Color Sunburst.](https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/zqgrqTV4qT7LsXP3Udi9vm-840-80.jpg.webp)
Fender gives its US lineup a retro-modern makeover with the American Professional Classic range
Featuring vintage-voiced Coastline pickups, Faded finishes in much-loved Fender colours, plus a host of player-friendly details... And they've been road-tested by US hardcore superstars Turnstile
Jacob Collier says that the problem with using AI for music making is that “it’s almost too perfect”
“It can't learn a perspective or a sense of humour or an attitude,” he argues
Warm Audio channels the greatest hits of classic overdrive with the regal Throne Of Tone dual-drive and the 3-in-1 Tone Squealer
With its Mix knob, three modes and pickup voicing switch, the Tone Squealer could be the TS-style pedal for fans and non-fans alike, while the Throne Of Tone has everything you'd need from a mid-gain drive
Guitar Lessons & Tutorials
What are the best online guitar lessons in 2025? I review guitar gear for a living and these are my favourite lessons platforms
My pick of the best online guitar courses will get your playing up to speed from the comfort of your own home, whether you're a beginner, intermediate, or advanced player
Ignite your inner guitar god for just 27 cents a day with TrueFire’s July 4th sale - save 60% on online lessons
With over 84,000 lessons at your disposal, this is one of the best value guitar tuition subscriptions online right now
Can you fix your guitar's frets yourself? We try three innovative approaches from MusicNomad to investigate how they might conquer a major cause of fret buzz
Uneven frets are a common issue with our guitars, but MusicNomad has come up with different ways to empower players to deal with it themselves
How to play like George Harrison on The Beatles' Abbey Road
Learn the guitar style of the most expressive and accomplished playing The Beatle would ever commit to tape
How to play guitar like David Gilmour: Bluesy diads, slides, quarter-tone blues curls and more
Tackle the expressive phrasing and minor pentatonic tricks of one of rock's finest guitarists, David Gilmour
30 essential acoustic guitar chords, with charts
Massively expand your musical vocabulary and songwriting options with these beautiful acoustic guitar chords
"You owe your guitar the chance to be its best": How to clean and polish your guitar frets a better way
We take a look at two different products that can help you get your frets gleaming and your guitar back to its best for smoother bends and clearer vibrato
Latest Tuition
7 great house and techno tips from Don’t Be Afraid label boss Semtek (aka DJ Persuasion)
The producer, DJ and founder of one of the UK's most respected underground labels revisits a 2012 release to explore what he's learned in 15 years of releasing house and techno
Four big-name guitarists spill their recording secrets
With insight from Paul Gilbert, John 5, Adam Dutkiewicz and Marty Friedman on their approaches to the recording process
37 heavyweight bass production tips
More than three dozen priceless nuggets of bass recording and production wisdom
Creating chords for electronic music: 3 ways to generate more interesting progressions in Ableton Live 12
Let’s explore how Live’s MIDI effects can help us write better progressions
25 recording tips and tricks everyone should know
Get better takes in the studio and on the stage, with our essential advice for producers and DIY music-makers
Produce better music with our ultimate compression cheat sheet
Confused about where to start with compressors and dynamics effects? We'll guide you through the essential features and settings
Ever wondered how a microphone really works?
If microphone terminology confuses more than it helps, this guide will illuminate the microphone basics
How to stress test a laptop for music production in any DAW - and why every producer should do it
Get the most out of your machine and find out how far your laptop can really take your recordings
Never miss a MusicRadar thing: Google has made it easier to keep us in your feed
How to make MusicRadar.com a preferred source
Why imposing hard limitations could be the secret to finishing more music
We’re all struggling to fit in music-making between our other time consuming responsibilities. Optimise your process by cutting back on the options
5 creative ways to use distortion in Ableton Live: From punchier drums to dub techno delays
Let's explore how devices including Saturator, Roar and Erosion can help bring a track to life
How to think like a human drummer when building software beats
Ditch the repetitive loops and unlock more dynamic rhythms
10 tips for recording perfect drums
Essential information for anyone who wants to capture a kit
“At certain points in music history it became fashionable to place accents on certain beats”: How to score a drum part
We explore the theory behind beats, and how we score kicks, snares, hats and percussion
10 common electronic drum set issues and how to troubleshoot them
Don’t let annoying gremlins spoil your playing. From no sound to too much noise, most problems can be solved with some simple settings or affordable upgrades - here’s how
The easy guide to recording drums: kit tips, mic placement and setting up your DAW
Inject some feel into your tracks by recording a real human drummer (no jokes, please) playing actual drums!
How to make virtual acoustic drum performances sound like the real thing
If you find that your MIDI recreations of acoustic drum parts are sounding a little robotic, we've got some tips and tricks to bring them to life, along with some great suggestions for acoustic drum plugin suites.
Latest reviews
“A tantalising and cost-effective entry point to one of the great synthesizers of our time”: Groove Synthesis 3rd Wave 8M review
Groove Synthesis’ latest module has much of the power and sound of its expensive siblings for half the price
“Designed for DJs and beat makers, they offer punchy loud delivery in a stylish and robust design”: V-Moda M-100 Pro review
If you want stylish and robust DJ headphones, these classics have received an update
“It’s versatile and perfect for live performance and Hammond action!”: Nord Organ 3 review
If the thought of ‘Green Onions’ turns you to a ‘Whiter Shade of Pale’, Nord has something in mind, as its legendary Organ series climbs to version 3
"The upper end is crisp too, with plenty of detail present for vocals without becoming too spiky": 64 Audio Aspire 4 review
High quality in-ears don’t have to be custom-moulded, so says 64 Audio with its entry into the mid-priced monitor market
“Allows you to do away with stacks of insert or return effects and potential high processor loads”: iZotope FXEQ review
It’s a multi-effects plugin that’s as easy to use as a standard EQ, and costs less than 50 bucks…
“It could be easy to think that the strings and brass sections are somehow weaker than their synthesizer counterpart, but this would be an enormous mistake”: Cherry Audio Trident mkIII review
Cherry Audio’s new mythological synth provides a three-pronged attack on an early '80s and underexploited classic
"The Ridge does something different, which makes it genuinely worthy of praise": Kernom Ridge Overdrive review
A pedal that gives you all your favourite drives in one box, and then some
"It becomes very hard to put this guitar down": Strandberg Boden N2 Standard review
The next generation of the Swedish firm's headless guitar design has arrived; is this the guitar to finally convince the cynics to try one out?
