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

The Curious Case of Benjamin Button is coming to Australian stages

October 12

Happy Mag https://happymag.tv The Sydney Opera House is in for a West End treat. The Curious Case of Benjamin Button will make its Australian premiere in 2027, with the award-winning musical…

Read at Happy Mag ↗

One letter a week, starting soon.

Latest

The Curious Case of Benjamin Button is coming to Australian stages

More from Happy Mag on XLR MAG

ScenesDown West takes us through their origin, equipment, and everything else in store. Happy Mag

ScenesQuasi Hearts’ new single feels like dauntlessly searching for an oasis of love in a boundless desert of loss Happy Mag

ScenesNew Music Radar: Rustler, double date, FIN and more Happy Mag

Scenes10 album covers designed by world-famous artists Happy Mag

ScenesTori Forsyth’s five biggest influences behind Self Preservation Happy Mag

ScenesNew Music Radar: Dirty Harry, Evan Oxford and Jamie Koul Happy Mag