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.

← XLR MAG Archive

Tone DeafScenes

DMA’S, Spiderbait, Ecca Vandal Lead 2026 ARIA Awards Performers

11.07

Some of Australia’s biggest names in music have been announced to perform and present at this year’s ARIA Awards .

Read at Tone Deaf ↗

Also covered by: The Music Network

One letter a week, starting soon.

Latest

DMA’S, Spiderbait, Ecca Vandal Lead 2026 ARIA Awards Performers

More from Tone Deaf on XLR MAG

ScenesQOTSA and Nickelback Storm ARIA Charts Ahead of Australian Tours Tone Deaf

ScenesHere’s Your Way Into the Mentos Fresh Sounds Class of ’26 House Party, Curated by Rolling Stone AU/NZ Tone Deaf

ScenesAngus & Julia Stone Cover OneRepublic’s ‘Apologize’ for New Covers Project Tone Deaf

ScenesDMA’S Expand Chart-Topping Album With Four Fresh Tracks Tone Deaf

ScenesSydney’s Mardi Gras Party Is Returning With a New Underground Home Tone Deaf

ScenesCourtney Barnett, Party Dozen and KAIIT to Play Free, All-Ages Melbourne Show Tone Deaf