CATEGORIES

Luke Abbott

Norfolk’s premier electronic explorer, Luke Abbott takes a sabbatical from his Szun Waves trio to offer up the rich, filmic textures of new album, Translate. Hamish Mackintosh catches up with Luke and gets lost in Translation

AAS Chromaphone 3 $199

The ‘acoustic object synthesiser’ is back. James Russell looks at the new version of AAS’s physical modelling instrument

DJOKO

Building a track from scratch in Live

Fraser T. Smith

Award-winning hit maker Fraser T. Smith is famed for his songwriting/production work with Adele and Stormzy, but now the shoe is on the other foot. Danny Turner discusses his hugely ambitious debut solo project, Future Utopia

Sequential Pro 3 from $1,400

Sequential’s Pro 3 may appear to be simply a beefy monosynth but, as Rob Redman discovers, it’s far more than that

JZ Microphones Signature BB29 €1,299

JZ are expanding their mic range. Jon Musgrave sizes up their signature model

Celemony Melodyne 5.1 from €99

With Melodyne 5’s release Bruce Aisher asks whether Celemony can remain top of the note-based audio editing tree

Amon Tobin Foley Room

Ninja Tune, 2007

A Winged Victory for the Sullen

A Winged Victory for the Sullen comprises Stars of the Lid founder Adam Wiltzie and film composer Dustin O’Halloran. Danny Turner speaks to Wiltzie about the duo’s latest theatre production score, Invisible Cities

New Faithful

In among a range of copies is Maybach’s Little Wing – the company’s only original design and a rather fine slice of classic guitar craft from central Europe

NightSky

Venture to the outer reaches of reverb with this soundscape workstation

YUSUF/ CAT STEVENS

He’s one of the most influential singer-songwriters in the world but left fame behind to complete a journey of spiritual growth. Now he’s returned to music and joins us to talk guitars and songcraft – and explain why he decided to revisit his most famous album, Tea For The Tillerman, 50 years on

The Strange Case Of The THE MISSING BEANO

In the summer of 1966, as Bluesbreakers With Eric Clapton hit the record shops and the guitarist himself began rehearsals with his new band Cream, Clapton’s beloved sunburst Les Paul was stolen from a church hall practice room. Gone but not forgotten, the guitar left behind a mystery that has never been solved. Here, we trace the lifetime of this legendary ’Burst and ponder the chances of it ever being discovered…

THE NEXT STAGE

Ciaran McNally learned his craft at Lowden and helped take Atkin to greater heights. Now building guitars under his own name, he explains how he used lockdown to design a touring acoustic for Irish virtuoso Shane Hennessy

Feelin' Good

If ruling the world’s stadiums isn’t enough, Muse’s main-man Matt Bellamy now has his sights set on dominating the guitar world

Fair Cop

Victory’s new preamp pedal adds a modern twist to vintage Brit tone with spec-beating valves onboard

PICK 'N' MIX

The matched pickup ‘set’ is so last year, reckons our reviews editor Dave Burrluck, who suggests a pickup mismatch is the new black…

Hit The Gym

Two recent releases from the Fender-owned Charvel and EVH brands remind us of the legacy and guitar design skills of Eddie Van Halen

EPIPHONE EPIPHANY

Gibson pumped new life into Epiphone while rescuing the brand from sinking in the late 50s. Head of product development, Mat Koehler, recounts the tale as Gibson returns to its source of inspiration with Epiphone once again…

Leapwing Audio RootOne £180

RootOne promises a new approach to creating and boosting sub frequencies. Si Truss goes low

Roland TR-06 £350

The TR-606 is the latest Roland groovebox to get the Boutique treatment. Si Truss asks if this is a classic worth reviving…

MOOG MATRIARCH

Let’s get patching and see what Moog’s four-VCO, vintage inspired semi-modular can do

Penelope Trappes

Esoteric soundscaper Penelope Trappes embraces an elemental approach to production. Danny Turner discusses the techniques behind new EP, Eel Drip

Trip-hop

This month we take a look at trip-hop, the distinctly British melting pot of stoned hip-hop, dub, and punk

Tascam Model 12 Mixer £569

Compact analogue mixers are usually pretty basic, but this one has some tricks up its sleeve as Jon Musgrave discovers

GREAT OF THE YEAR 2020

We round-up the year's bumper crop of music making hardware and software, to bring you our guide to the essential gear you need in your studio for 2021.

Opsix vs Digitone – Modern FM machines head-to-head

Korg and Elektron’s instruments are the only hardware FM synths in town, but are similar in their quest to present a more modern and tweakable take on that notoriously awkward synthesis type. So what are their pros and cons?

Drew McDowall

Ex-Psychic TV and Coil member Drew McDowall solidifies his reputation as an industrial outlier with his latest album Agalma. Danny Turner discovers his longstanding addiction to modular

ALM Busy Circuits System Coupe £1,899

ALM’s first complete system is packed with new modules and proven classics. Rob Redman takes it for a spin

SESSION SHENANIGANS

The studio guitarist’s guide to happiness and personal fulfilment, as related by session ace Mitch Dalton. This month: The Pen Is Mightier Than The Chord.