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XLR MAG

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On the calendar

· Trade shows and launch events, this week's stories from each corner of the industry, and what its press is covering.

On view

This week, from that corner the newest stories from the corner of the industry you picked

The wire their own posts, translated

How records get made in 2026 from the industry's own reports

Sources

Fetched every three hours, linked to the original

About

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.

Studio / Start here · From nothing to your first track

Where do I start?

Five steps, in the order that saves money. Stop at any step: each one already makes music possible.

01
A computer and a free DAW

You already own the studio’s heart. GarageBand, Reaper’s trial or another free DAW is enough to finish a song.

Next: computer for music · Music software →

Budget level€ 0
02
Headphones you trust

Closed-back to record, open-back to listen. One good pair beats two cheap speakers.

Next: headphones →

Budget level€
03
An interface and one mic

Two inputs, one dynamic or condenser mic, one cable. Now you can record your voice or a guitar.

Next: audio interfaces · Microphones →

Budget level€€
04
Monitors and a treated corner

Speakers come after the room: panels at the reflections first, monitors second. In a small room, absorption is the main need (Genelec, checked 2026-10-08). What to treat first →

Next: plan your room · Monitors →

Budget level€€€
05
Learn one thing a week

A chord, a sound, a mix move. The Learn courses go in order.

Next: Learn →

Budget level€ 0

€ signs are relative levels, not prices · we never sell anything

Checked 2026-10-08: GarageBand is free on the Mac App Store (Mac only); Reaper offers a free, fully functional 60-day evaluation.