Latest articles by Andy Jones
Intelligent people like Taylor Swift – it's official
Best of 2023: New report finds that high-achieving students prefer Taylor Swift, and that pop's the best type of music to listen to while studying
"It sounds like a drum machine instead of a machine playing drums - a sore disappointment": What critics said about the iconic Roland TR-909 drum machine on its release (and how they actually helped define dance music today)
Best of 2023: If they hadn't panned the 909, you might now be dancing to a very different beat…
5 underrated DAWs that aren't Logic, Ableton or Pro Tools, and why you should consider switching
Best of 2023: If you've been using the same DAW for years, now might be the time to consider these low-cost, feature-packed alternatives
Heroes: The 6 best covers of David Bowie's classic (and three that are not quite so heroic)
Best of 2023: Many have tried and many have failed, but here are six artists that nailed one of the best songs of our time
"I said, 'I wish Sting was here', and they said 'He is, he’s here on holiday!'": Mark Knopfler, George Martin and more on 10 years, 70 albums, massive hit singles, a hurricane and a volcano – the incredible story of AIR Studios Montserrat
Best of 2023: The Police, Dire Straits, Paul McCartney, Stevie Wonder and Duran Duran are just a few of the AAA names who enjoyed the most idyllic of recording studios, but it didn't end well for this particular AIR
Arturia releases _Efx Refract, a new unison plugin, and makes it free for the holidays
If you only download one free plugin this season, we reckon you should make it this one
6 "wrong" production techniques that turned out right
We round up six examples of how ignoring conventional studio wisdom can lead to fantastic musical results
Baby Audio's new Beat Slammer plugin makes punchy, parallel compression easy and you can have it for free
Santa baby, just slip a plugin under the tree for me
"An exquisite collection of sprawling soundscapes and evocative cinematic worlds": Another day, another free plugin, but UVI's Christmas gift for you this year does sound amazing
Blessed are the music software developers, for they bestow free instruments and effects upon us
"It's like having a collaborator in the studio, but it's AI": Survey reveals how many musicians are using AI, what they are using it for, and the top 10 AI tools of 2023
And it also predicts that AI's influence is only going to grow in music production, whether you like it or not
"It's the original synth on steroids": GForce announces AXXESS, a vintage ARP AXXE emulation with a 21st century blade
It could be the sharpest synth on your hard drive this Christmas
There's a new free Rhodes plugin for you to download... but it's not an electric piano
V-Pan pays homage to the iconic vibrato stereo panning effect and is free until the end of January
It's a dirty dozen for Teenage Engineering's OP-1 Field, as 12th update delivers a crushing blow full of lo-fi filth
New Terminal bit crusher effect and Merge Drop feature add more bang for the Field's many bucks
Scientists explain why Seeb's remix of I Took A Pill In Ibiza has racked up 1.7 billion Spotify streams: it's all down to "micro-rhythmic nuances", hard work... and playing left-handed
Norwegian production duo Seeb discovered the ideal amount of swing quantisation and now have one of the biggest ever hits on Spotify
Trackers, video games, soldering irons and bitter rivalries: 5 reasons why the '80s was the ultimate decade for computer music-making
If you thought the '80s was just about big phones and haircuts, think again; it was also the start of a music production revolution
"I was standing crying at the synthesizer, so I pulled out a card and it said 'just carry on'. I did and created something I still like today": How Brian Eno's mysterious Oblique Strategies could help your music production and your life
"Use fewer notes", "Be dirty" or "Mute and continue": which Strategy will you use in the studio today?
6 AI-powered plugins that can help you make music
The right AI tools for composing melodies, creating beats, mixing your tracks and delivering a pro master
"Status Quo locked Spandau Ballet in the toilets": The story behind the recording of Band Aid's Do They Know It's Christmas?
"I had to record all these vocals and mix the record that night. It was a 24-hour gig": the recording engineer behind the first great charity record reveals all
What’s the biggest selling electronic music gear of 2023, we hear you ask? Reverb has the answer and it might not surprise you…
Teenage Engineering dominates, with the OP-1 topping the overall and used charts once again
Spitfire Audio Albion Legacy, Loegria & Iceni review
These three classic libraries have been re-released but can these ancient-themed titles turn up any treasures? We get out our trowel
Arturia's V Collection X gets a Yamaha CP-70 electric piano emulation, along with 5 other new instruments, classic plugin rebuilds and three expansion packs
The big-value synth bundle has had its annual update
"Our prices range from 'not for the faint of heart' to 'if you have to ask, you can't afford it'": The 6 most expensive synthesizers that you can buy right now
Won the lottery? Love synths? Come with us…
D16 Drumazon 2 review
16 years after the original came out, version 2 is here. But do we really need yet another 909 drum machine emulator?
The classic clip of Stevie Wonder, Herbie Hancock, Howard Jones and Thomas Dolby playing the 1985 Grammy Awards is not just the most '80s thing ever, but - thanks to John Denver - a lesson in synth history
And as bonkers as the performance was, HoJo believes that "it really did mark a sort of turning point for electronic music"
