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

Happy MagScenes

New Music Radar: Blue Boys Club, Ella Ion and Black Cab

October 14

Happy Mag https://happymag.tv Eight new tracks for your indie rock, grunge and electronic playlists. Here are eight brand new tracks submerging you into, indie rock, 90s grunge, heavy guitars and EDM…

Read at Happy Mag ↗

One letter a week, starting soon.

Latest

New Music Radar: Blue Boys Club, Ella Ion and Black Cab

More from Happy Mag on XLR MAG

ScenesLucian Piane: Former RuPaul’s Drag Race music producer dies at 46 after being hit by car in morning crash Happy Mag

ScenesSienna Spiro set to perform alongside stacked lineup at 2026 ARIA Awards Happy Mag

ScenesElla Jackman Shares New Single ‘Like Me More’ Happy Mag

ScenesSURPLUS is bringing a world of creatives to Sydney this weekend Happy Mag

ScenesAmyl and the Sniffers set to electrify Sydney’s Bondi Beach Happy Mag

Scenes‘Breaking Bad’ Star R.J. Mitte Dies at 34 Happy Mag