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Fender honours Lee Sklar with signature Precision Bass

MixdownGearFender honours Lee Sklar with signature Precision Bass Fender has unveiled the Lee Sklar Precision Bass, a faithful recreation of the heavily customised P Bass the legendary session player has carried through a career spanning work with James Taylor, Carole King, Phil Collin

Sabian launches Solar cymbal packs perfect for new players

MixdownGearSabian launches Solar cymbal packs perfect for new players Sabian has introduced Solar, a new cymbal range crafted from advanced nano-plated stainless steel, aimed squarely at new and developing drummers looking for durability and a clear musical tone without the price tag of a

Universal Audio launches UAD Spark Studio subscription

MixdownGearUniversal Audio launches UAD Spark Studio subscription Universal Audio has introduced UAD Spark Studio, a new music production subscription that bundles LUNA Studio, the company’s full DAW, together with its entire native UAD plug-in and virtual instrument library into a sin

Electro-Harmonix releases Adrian Belew signature Echoflanger

MixdownGearElectro-Harmonix releases Adrian Belew signature Echoflanger Electro-Harmonix has released a signature-edition Adrian Belew Echoflanger, a limited tribute reissue honouring the pedal behind one of guitar’s most idiosyncratic tonal signatures. From his early work with Frank Zappa t

Gibson and Baggs unveil HiFi DNA pickup system

MixdownGearGibson and Baggs unveil HiFi DNA pickup system Gibson and acoustic amplification specialists Baggs have teamed up to launch the HiFi DNA pickup system, a next-generation design aimed at closing the long-standing gap between how an acoustic guitar sounds in the studio

AutoTune Go arrives in FL Studio, free for every user

MixdownGearAutoTune Go arrives in FL Studio, free for every user FL Studio developer Image-Line has announced the launch of AutoTune Go, a vocal tuning plugin built by Antares — the company behind the original pitch correction tool — designed specifically for FL Studio. The plugin is

Mesa Boogie brings back the classic Triple Rectifier amp head

MixdownGearMesa Boogie brings back the classic Triple Rectifier amp head Hot on the heels of the Dual Rectifier’s return to production, Mesa Boogie has reintroduced another icon from its back catalogue: the Triple Rectifier, back in its 90’s Black Bronco finish. The reissue packs a 150-watt a

Review: Audio-Technica ATH-M20xSTS StreamSet

MixdownGearReview: Audio-Technica ATH-M20xSTS StreamSet RRP: $299 Since their introduction in 2014, the Audio-Technica ATH-M20x professional studio headphones have become a modern classic among DJs, producers, engineers and the many other industry pros who rely on accurate so

MixdownGearAstra Creative Audio launches new A-Vocal FX plugin Plugin and audio software brand Astra Creative Audio has released Astra A-Vocal FX 1.0.3, packing an entire vocal signal chain into a single plugin. The chain runs nine modules in the order you’d typically reach for them

Shure returns as major partner of 2027 MPEG Awards

MixdownGearShure returns as major partner of 2027 MPEG Awards Shure has been confirmed as a major partner of the 2027 Music Producer and Engineers Guild (MPEG) Awards for the second consecutive year, with nominations now open for Australia’s national awards for music production and

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About

XLR is a magazine, a radar and a diary about music gear and the making of music — for the people who make records and put on shows, wherever they do it.

The name is the three-pin connector that every signal in the business passes through: the microphone on stage and in the booth, the line to the desk, the DMX cable that runs the lights. Studio, stage and lighting rig share it, and so does this magazine. Every few hours XLR collects what the makers shipped, what the reviewers heard, what the studios and the touring crews are doing, which producers and collectives are surfacing and what they are saying — synths and modular, plugins and DAWs, guitars and drums, microphones, monitors, PA and lights, the rooms and the people — from a few hundred sources in English, German, French, Spanish, Japanese and more, then plots what is moving. The editor writes a letter every few days. Nothing is sold here; when a link leads to a shop, that is the maker's shop, not ours.