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XLR MAG

Signal of the week

Electric guitars & amps · 109 stories, +27 vs last week

Electric guitars & amps: 109 stories in seven days, +27 on the week before.

GuitarsCharlie Starr on why choosing the right guitar for the song makes all the difference Guitar World

EuropeJackson Pro Series Signature Phil Collen PC1-E: Das steckt in der neuen Signature-Gitarre delamar

Latest

DJ MagLive & DJFred again.. speaks out against AI music: “The process is the magic” The UK artist shared his thoughts in a series of Instagram stories

DJ MagLive & DJThe Prodigy’s ‘Breathe’ set for 30th anniversary vinyl reissue The release includes the original track, an instrumental version, and two remixes

DJ MagLive & DJMITHER - Be Kind EP Music Reviews S I N G L E S - E P s Release date: 25 September 2026 | Kristan J Caryl MITHER Be Kind EP RPMA Recordings Soft but striking sounds

No TrebleGuitarsThis Week’s Top 10 Bass Stories: Bakithi Kumalo, Joe Dart, New Gear, and More Catch up on No Treble’s most-read bass stories this week, featuring Bakithi Kumalo, Joe Dart, new gear, and a lesson inspired by James Jamerson.

Music ConnectionIndustryNicole Alexis Signs to Hard Working Records Date Signed: April 2026 Label: Hard Working Records Type of Music: Alternative Management: Self-managed Legal: Aaron Steinberg - Marucs & Colvin LLP Publicity: Becky Kovach - Big Picture Media A&R…

MatrixSynthSynthsGODWIN MPS88 - The Final Boss That Does Whatever You Ask video upload by Vintage Audio Institute Italia Another first to be featured on the site, the GODWIN MPS88 00:00 Setting up and Plugging in 01:24 Specifications and Introduction 02:22 Auto…

MatrixSynthSynthsYamaha EMR-1 Digital Drummer Sound Demo video upload by Runningonair Note: this appears to be the first demo featuring the EMR-1 on the site. There was one previous post featuring the EMR-1 in Yamaha's half rack series here.

MatrixSynthSynthsGrooving with B.A.C.H. video upload by Kaona Modular Music "A short example of B.A.C.H. in use, featuring its Groove mode." Playing a Fugue with B.A.C.H.

Guitar WorldGuitarsCharlie Starr on why choosing the right guitar for the song makes all the difference For guitar players, an element that is essential to recording as well as writing a song is choosing the right guitar for the job. I love a lot of different guitars – all guitars, really!

CDM — Create Digital MusicGearEnjoy Monty Python’s Argument Sketch on two vintage speech synthesizers A DECtalk Express stands in for Monty Python actor Michael Palin, with an Intex Talker (Votrax SC-01A) voicing the role of John Cleese. Retro speech synthesis just sounds better.

No TrebleGuitarsWATCH: Danny Carey Joins Geddy Lee and Alex Lifeson for “Tom Sawyer” and “2112” Geddy Lee and Alex Lifeson team up with Tool drummer Danny Carey to perform “2112: Overture” and “Tom Sawyer” in the new Neil Peart documentary film now.

GearnewsGearAdam Jones’ Guitar Tone: Sound Like Tool With Plugins, a Budget Setup, or Studio Gear Whether it’s “Schism,” “Lateralus,” or “Sober,” Adam Jones’ guitar tone is a defining sonic element of pro-rock legends Tool.

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.