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XLR MAG

Signal of the week

Synths · 76 stories, +32 vs last week

Synths: 76 stories in seven days, +32 on the week before.

ScenesTeenage Engineering says it’s done making synths Happy Mag

SynthsIris Orbit Introduces PolyArp - A Two-Part MIDI Arpeggiator for Software and Hardware Synths MatrixSynth

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DJ MagLive & DJListen to Hamdi and D Double E’s new collaborative single, ‘Heart & Soul’ The grime veteran and Oxford producer team up on a new track — out now on RCA

BillboardIndustryJennifer Nettles, Carter Faith, Carly Pearce & Margo Price Lead Soundtrack for ‘Heartland’ Netflix Film Jennifer Nettles , Carter Faith , Margo Price and Carly Pearce are among the country artists leading the soundtrack to the upcoming Netflix original movie Heartland , starring Jessica Chastain.

Magnetic MagazineLive & DJLow Volume Turn Quiet Jams Into Aftertime Low Volume’s Aftertime has the kind of backstory that immediately tells you how to hear it. The project began in 2005, when two old friends from India ended up living in the same neighborhood in…

Music ConnectionIndustryHaircut One Hundred Rolls Back the Years in LA Haircut One Hundred is an interesting band. You hear that very-eighties name and, if you're yet to be initiated, your mind immediate goes to the glorious but undeniable silliness of the likes of…

MatrixSynthSynthsIris Orbit Introduces PolyArp - A Two-Part MIDI Arpeggiator for Software and Hardware Synths PolyArp + Nord Stage 3 88 | Standalone MIDI Arpeggiator Demo video upload by Iris Orbit "A live demo of PolyArp in standalone mode with my Nord Stage 3 88, connected via MIDI.

Guitar PlayerGuitarsAerosmith return to the stage for two Hollywood Bowl shows with the Black Crowes, Heart, Slash and more Aerosmith will return to the stage for two exclusive concerts at the Hollywood Bowl in Los Angeles on October 29 and November 1, with a huge lineup of guest artists joining the band.

MatrixSynthSynthsRoland SC-88 Pro in VES — Preview video upload by Autodafe "🚧 Preview of an upcoming version of Vintage Emulator Studio! Here’s a quick 30-second demo of the Roland Sound Canvas SC-88 Pro running inside VES.

Music ConnectionIndustryAespa at the Intuit Dome in Los Angeles No one does immersive world-building quite like K-pop girl group aespa. The quartet (Karina, Giselle, Winter, and Ningning) performed for a sold-out crowd at Los Angeles’ Intuit Dome on Oct.

Rolling Stone IndiaAsiaMitta Ror, Faheem Abdullah, Sheherazaad and All The New Songs to Know This Week Welcome to our weekly rundown of new music – featuring must-hear singles, statement-making EPs and albums and key tracks.

PollstarIndustryEmporium Presents’ Dan Steinberg, Jason Zink To Leave Live Nation Emporium Presents’ Dan Steinberg and Jason Zink are leaving Live Nation at the end of the year, with the promoters saying they are unsure of what the next chapter looks like but are looking forward…

PollstarIndustryPhish Announces New Year’s Shows, Marking 100th MSG Gig Phish has confirmed the beloved jam band will return to Madison Square Garden to ring in the new year – and the shows are extra special because they culminate in the group’s 100th performance at MSG.

PollstarIndustryCalifornia, Dream On: Aerosmith Returns To Headline First Show In 3 Years At The Hollywood Bowl Aerosmith is back. Two years removed from announcing their retirement from touring, the iconic band announced it is returning to the live stage and bringing some friends with them.

On the calendar

· Trade shows and launch events, this week's stories from each corner of the industry, and what its press is covering.

On view

This week, from that corner the newest stories from the corner of the industry you picked

The wire their own posts, translated

How records get made in 2026 from the industry's own reports

Sources

Fetched every three hours, linked to the original

About

Three pins, and nearly every signal in this business passes through them.

The magazine is named after the cable: the microphone in the booth, the line to the desk, the DMX run that fires the lights. Studio, stage and rig share the same cable. Most magazines pick one of the three. This one covers all of it, because the people we read do too — the engineer mixing a record on Tuesday is on front of house by Saturday.

Around a hundred and sixty sources, in English, Japanese, Spanish, German, French, Chinese and Italian: makers and their release notes, reviewers who put a hand on the thing, studios and touring crews, the producers and collectives surfacing this month and the scenes they came out of. Synths and modular, plugins and DAWs, guitars and drums, microphones, monitors, PA and lighting. What the trade is talking about is counted and plotted. The editor's letter has just started; it will find its rhythm.

For each story: a headline, a short excerpt, one picture and the link out. We never reprint the article, and the picture belongs to the maker or the photographer. A German review appears in German and a Japanese one in Japanese, as the writer published it; the link goes to the original.

Nothing is sold on this site. When a link leads to a shop, it is the maker's shop, not ours.