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

The Line of Best FitScenes

June McDoom intrigues with the dub-reggae-folk hybrid of Follow the Light

October 13

Follow the Light is an enticing broadcast from an artist boldly operating in their own sphere.

Albums

Read at The Line of Best Fit ↗

One letter a week, starting soon.

Latest

June McDoom intrigues with the dub-reggae-folk hybrid of Follow the Light

More from The Line of Best Fit on XLR MAG

ScenesNine Songs: De La Soul The Line of Best Fit

ScenesJae Stephens is making room for the girls who were told pop wasn’t theirs The Line of Best Fit

ScenesChutes detail new EP, Brighter than Before The Line of Best Fit

ScenesSpiral XP share "Faith Electric" single ahead of Blue Earth EP The Line of Best Fit

ScenesChappell Roan announces lineup for "Super Graphic Spectacular" shows, including Lola Young, Caroline Polachek The Line of Best Fit

ScenesNight Flight to release surprise fourth album Pursued By A Bear alongside final show this Friday The Line of Best Fit