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

Rolling Stone MusicScenes

The 76 Best Albums of 1976

October 11

Disco was king, Frampton came alive, new sounds like dub and punk were rising up, and the radio was full of Stevie Wonder and Kiss

Read at Rolling Stone Music ↗

One letter a week, starting soon.

Latest

The 76 Best Albums of 1976

More from Rolling Stone Music on XLR MAG

ScenesBarry Manilow Cancels Las Vegas Comeback Shows Due to Bronchitis Rolling Stone Music

ScenesThe Beach Boys Played Their First Public Concert in Three Months With an Alarmingly Frail Mike Love Rolling Stone Music

ScenesSee the Raconteurs Reunite for First Time in Seven Years at Jack White’s Nashville Concert Rolling Stone Music

ScenesRemi Wolf Burned Out on Touring. She Prioritizes Healing on New Album ‘Mud’ Rolling Stone Music

Scenes‘SNL’: Watch Rosalía Perform ‘Reliquia,’ ‘Magnolias’ Rolling Stone Music

ScenesSee Charli XCX Bring Out Tinashe at ACL Festival Rolling Stone Music