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

A Sound EffectStudios & pros

Horror Sound: How the Scariest Sounds in Film, TV & Games Are Made

10.28

70+ exclusive stories behind the scariest sounds in film, TV & games - plus tutorials, free SFX and tips for making your own horror sound effects:

Read at A Sound Effect ↗

One letter a week, starting soon.

Latest

Horror Sound: How the Scariest Sounds in Film, TV & Games Are Made

More from A Sound Effect on XLR MAG

Studios & prosHow the finely-tuned horror sound for ‘Crystal Lake’ was made: A Sound Effect

Studios & pros12 great new sound effects libraries: Western weapons, cyberpunk drones, elemental spells, cozy cooking & more A Sound Effect

Studios & prosWARDOGS – a game audio deep-dive with Sean Garavan and Albin Jansson: A Sound Effect

Studios & prosBehind The Intense Sound of ‘The Blood of Dawnwalker’: A Sound Effect

Studios & pros7 great new sound effects libraries: Dark spells, Suzuki V-twin, tropical wildlife, grassroots football & more A Sound Effect

Studios & prosBehind the action-packed sound of ‘Spider-Man: Brand New Day’: A Sound Effect