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

NMEScenes

U2 to skip Chile on Latin American tour for first time after negotiations reportedly fall through

October 18

U2 are set to skip Chile on their upcoming Latin American tour for the first time, after negotiations to bring the band to the country reportedly fell through.

Read at NME ↗

One letter a week, starting soon.

Latest

U2 to skip Chile on Latin American tour for first time after negotiations reportedly fall through

More from NME on XLR MAG

ScenesSmashing Pumpkins’ Billy Corgan calls Blink-182’s Travis Barker the “most influential” drummer of the last 30 years NME

ScenesIron Maiden announce surprise 2027 North American tour NME

ScenesArchitects’ Sam Carter speaks out on impact “anxiety and constant focus” on his voice after online criticism NME

ScenesWatch Metallica share pro-shot footage of ‘…And Justice For All’ and ‘The Call Of Ktulu’ at Las Vegas Sphere residency NME

ScenesLiam Gallagher says Fontaines D.C. “are not good enough” to open for Oasis on their ‘Live ’27’ tour NME

ScenesHarry Styles pays tribute to Liam Payne on anniversary of One Direction star’s death with moving new song ‘What Is Enough’ NME