Even when you do it professionally, making music should ideally be fun. It’s something that we do with passion and enthusiasm. It’s about creativity and inspiration.
Modern studios can be fantastic at facilitating this. With little more than a laptop and a set of monitors, it’s possible to access all the tools you need to make music in any style to a professional standard. But even such a simple setup also has the capacity to get in the way of your creativity. Electronic production gear comes with a lot of potentially workflow-breaking admin, from the need to keep your software and hardware updated, to issues with sync, patching and communication.
This issue’s cover feature is all about clearing away those potential blockages and helping you to bring the fun back to your studio setup.
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Interviews
St. Vincent – Annie Clark reveals the “modular sickness” that set the tone for her new album All Born Screaming
Jeff Mills – The techno icon on the beautiful simplicity of the TB-303, and more
How to Dress Well – Tom Krell on rediscovering his lost sound on sixth album, I Am Toward You
Luke Slater – As he prepares to release his new L.B. Corp album, the UK techno hero invites us into his studio to explore his workflow
Prefuse 73 – The underground hip-hop producer explores a new sound and socio-political inspirations
Classic Album – Mr Scruff breaks down his playful classic, Ninja Tuna
Technique
Supercharge your studio workflow – Make more from every studio session with our guide to improving your setup. From creativity-aiding tips to connectivity tactics and studio design insight from Sondhus
Masterclass – Brush up on music theory with our quick guide to chords, scales and more
Producer's Guide – Why and how to start exploring DIY modular
Pioneers – How Pharrell Williams became a titan of hip-hop and pop
Reviews
Arturia AstroLab
Analogue Solutions Ample
Forever 89 Visco
Kali Audio LP6 Second Wave
Noise Labs Wrinkler mk2
Modbap Per4mer
Solid State Logic UC 1
UAD Sound City Studios
& more
Samples
Synth Drones – Add texture and movement to your tracks with this pack of rich, modulated synth lines and atmospheric loops
Percs & Pedals – We pair hand percussion with our arsenal of creative effect pedals for a pack of inspirational rhythmic loops and percussive lines
Access the FM sample archive – UPDATED FOR 2024! Download the ‘Archive’ packs and get over 20GB of loops, hits and instruments from our back catalogue of high-quality and royalty-free samples. From vintage synths and drum machines to esoteric instruments and FX – think of it as our best of. All the samples you need to create great music!
“65% of Gen Z identify as creators, and 8% consider themselves 'Professional Fans' - earning money from their fan activities”: How self-releasing artists can build a dedicated audience in the 2020s
“More music is being released today (in a single day) than was released in the calendar year of 1989”: How the music production industry has taken note of the huge number of self-releasing artists
“65% of Gen Z identify as creators, and 8% consider themselves 'Professional Fans' - earning money from their fan activities”: How self-releasing artists can build a dedicated audience in the 2020s
“More music is being released today (in a single day) than was released in the calendar year of 1989”: How the music production industry has taken note of the huge number of self-releasing artists
