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

White House tips Nicki Minaj as next press secretary?

10.27

Nicki Minaj has once again shared her support for Donald Trump , and a member of the White House has quipped that she should be considered for the role of press secretary.

Read at NME ↗

Also covered by: Mixmag Asia

One letter a week, starting soon.

Latest

White House tips Nicki Minaj as next press secretary?

More from NME on XLR MAG

ScenesKings Of Leon announce UK and European exclusive one-off London show NME

ScenesJay-Z chooses himself to headline Super Bowl halftime show with U2 playing Thanksgiving Eve game NME

ScenesLegendary unseen 1978 David Bowie concert ‘Stage’ to hit arenas as “global immersive experience”, made with Brett Morgen NME

ScenesWatch Macklemore, Hozier and Kneecap come together for free, sold-out ‘Free Palestine’ show in Dublin NME

ScenesGlasvegas return with the anthemic ‘Degüello’ and tell us about first album in six years, ‘Airy Fairy’ NME

ScenesSophia Stel announces 2027 US, UK and Europe tour in support of debut album ‘The Greatest Album Of All Time’ NME