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

NMEScenes

Fontaines D.C. announce intimate London Roundhouse show next week to raise money for mental health charity CALM

October 9

Fontaines D.C. have announced an intimate gig at London’s Roundhouse taking place next week, which will raise money for mental health charity CALM .

Read at NME ↗

One letter a week, starting soon.

Latest

Fontaines D.C. announce intimate London Roundhouse show next week to raise money for mental health charity CALM

More from NME on XLR MAG

ScenesIan Hill retires from Judas Priest: “Thank you for the life you’ve let me live” NME

ScenesGirl In Red shares heartbreaking new single ‘Blue’ NME

ScenesEd Sheeran announces new tour opening acts after Macklemore controversy NME

ScenesBodega tell us about new album ‘All Inside Aquarium’: “We decided to make proper rock without the ‘indie’ modifier” NME

ScenesRaye announces special ‘This Symphony May Contain Hope’ London Royal Albert Hall show NME

ScenesGeordie Greep responds to allegation of sexual misconduct live on stage NME