NAMM 2026: Rumours, predictions and live updates from the world’s biggest music technology show
All the hottest new guitars, synths, drums and other gear from Anaheim 2026
Artists
Taylor Swift to become youngest woman inducted into the Songwriters’ Hall Of Fame
She’s joined by Alanis Morissette and Kenny Loggins
“At first I was like, 'Oh God, what is he gonna critique me?'”: How Phil Collins guided his son Nic through his first big gig
Nic also took over on drums for last Genesis tour
Annual Music Venue Trust report reveals sector is “fragile” and “one shock away from a crisis”
CEO calls on government to make grassroots levy mandatory
“He had a massive impact on Australian culture”: Tributes paid to Midnight Oil founder Rob Hirst
Drummer has died of pancreatic cancer, aged 70
PRS and Ed Sheeran team up for SE Hollowbody Piezo Baritone featuring pop superstar’s own artwork
NAMM 2026: Limited to 1,000 instruments worldwide, the Ed Sheeran SE Hollowbody Baritone 'Cosmic Splash' has a unique build and look and comes with an 8" by 8" signed print
“I wanted to fix every issue I’ve ever had dialling in metal tones on similar pedals or even the original”: Warm Audio has just made Ryan ‘Fluff’ Bruce its first ever signature pedal and he explains why, yes, the world needs another overdrive
NAMM 2026: The Fluff Drive was inspired by the Maxon TS-01 but features a suite of contemporary updates to make it work gangbusters with extended-range guitars
“He was a bit resentful”: Old colleague of Pink Floyd spills the beans on his relationship with band members
Tim Renwick was school friend of Syd and Roger Waters
Music Tech
“It’s beyond analogue vs digital – it’s even beyond electronics”: Korg releases experimental Phase8 eight-voice "acoustic synthesizer"
NAMM 2026: The unconventional Phase8 brings together acoustic sound generation with electronic control via synth-style sequencing and modulation
Roland’s Go:Mixer Studio could be the perfect portable mixer and audio/MIDI interface for your iOS devices,
NAMM 2026: With plenty of I/O and built-in effects, it covers a lot of bases
Best laptop for DJs 2026: my choice of PCs, Macs, and Mac-alternatives for playing out
My hand-picked laptop choices for DJs, all perfect for Serato, rekordbox, Traktor, Ableton, Virtual DJ, and more
You can now buy Reason’s iconic Rack of virtual outboard as a standalone plugin for the first time
NAMM 2026: The Reason Rack plugin is now available as a standalone purchase or subscription, and there's a price drop for Reason too
NAMM 2026: A trio of new offerings in the KSM series claim to sport some ‘impossibly low’ self-noise
NAMM 2026: A trio of new offerings in the KSM series claim to sport some ‘impossibly low’ self-noise
Best DJ headphones 2026: Booth-ready choices from budget to pro-level
Our expert pick of reliable headphones to suit any type of DJ, including options from Sennheiser, Technics, and Pioneer
I can go for that: Roland releases an official plugin version of the CR-78 drum machine
NAMM 2026: You’ve heard it on hits by Phil Collins and Hall & Oates
“A perfect choice for podcasters, streamers and music users”: AKG C-Series microphones review
We associate AKG with quality mics, but can their new and most affordable mics to date really deliver? Let’s find out
Best budget studio monitors 2026: Make your mixes sing with these wallet-friendly home studio speakers
The best cheap studio monitors for home recording, with my hand-picked and affordable options from Adam, IK Multimedia, M-Audio, PreSonus and more
“A good combination of comfort and sonics in a lightweight design”: Rode NTH-50 review
One model has dominated the on ear headphone market for years. Let’s see what these new arrivals have to offer
Guitars
“Our goal has been to define the standard for what an all-in-one digital rig can be”: Neural DSP’s game-changing Quad Cortex amp modeller just got a lot smaller – but it’s got the same sounds, the same power, and a 7” touchscreen too
NAMM 2026: It does all the things that the regular-sized Quad Cortex, only it's small, a lot smaller
“It transforms how a guitarist commands the stage”: Casio’s Dimension Shift lets you control effects with your strap
NAMM 2026: The Dimension Shifter allows guitarists to control stompbox parameters wireless simply by moving their guitar strap
PRS and Ed Sheeran team up for SE Hollowbody Piezo Baritone featuring pop superstar’s own artwork
NAMM 2026: Limited to 1,000 instruments worldwide, the Ed Sheeran SE Hollowbody Baritone 'Cosmic Splash' has a unique build and look and comes with an 8" by 8" signed print
“I wanted to fix every issue I’ve ever had dialling in metal tones on similar pedals or even the original”: Warm Audio has just made Ryan ‘Fluff’ Bruce its first ever signature pedal and he explains why, yes, the world needs another overdrive
NAMM 2026: The Fluff Drive was inspired by the Maxon TS-01 but features a suite of contemporary updates to make it work gangbusters with extended-range guitars
Orange Amps rolls out the OR60, a single-channel 60-watt tube powerhouse officially approved by Down/COC’s Pepper Keenan
NAMM 2026: Orange says it is the most versatile single-channel amp it has ever made
Best acoustic guitar for beginners 2026: Strum your first chords with our choice of beginner acoustic guitars
Start playing today with beginner acoustics from Taylor, Fender, Epiphone, Martin and more – hand-picked by experts
Vox unveils “re-engineered” treble booster with all the tone and none of the inconsistency of vintage units
NAMM 2026: Vox's VTB-1 Treble Booster in inspired by vintage Rangemaster units but remixes the circuit recipe and promises lower noise and a more robust performance
Silvertone resurrects the cult semi-hollow electric guitar loved by Elvis Costello, Hubert Sumlin and Chris Isaak
NAMM 2026: A long-lost catalogue classic is back from the dead and it might be the coolest release you'll see all year
Squier unveils huge Sonic Series refresh – super-affordable, beginner and child-friendly versions of classic Fender models
NAMM 2026: There are Sonic Mustangs with dual-humbuckers, vintage and modern colour finishes, classic Strats, HSS Strats... A 3/4-sized Strat too. But you'll have to wait until July
Guitar Lessons & Tutorials
How Tom Morello used his guitar to drill into the off-limits domain of the turntablist
The Rage Against the Machine axe-man’s most memorable moment saw him emulate a DJ scratch breakdown using a trick that few have fully mastered
With a massive 89% discount, $99 for a year's worth of Guitar Tricks online lessons is the best way to upgrade your guitar playing this Black Friday
Guitar Tricks is our number one online tuition platform for guitar players
What are the best online guitar lessons in 2025? I review guitar gear for a living and these are my favourite lessons platforms
My pick of the best online guitar courses will get your playing up to speed from the comfort of your own home, whether you're a beginner, intermediate, or advanced player
Ignite your inner guitar god for just 27 cents a day with TrueFire’s July 4th sale - save 60% on online lessons
With over 84,000 lessons at your disposal, this is one of the best value guitar tuition subscriptions online right now
Can you fix your guitar's frets yourself? We try three innovative approaches from MusicNomad to investigate how they might conquer a major cause of fret buzz
Uneven frets are a common issue with our guitars, but MusicNomad has come up with different ways to empower players to deal with it themselves
How to play like George Harrison on The Beatles' Abbey Road
Learn the guitar style of the most expressive and accomplished playing The Beatle would ever commit to tape
How to play guitar like David Gilmour: Bluesy diads, slides, quarter-tone blues curls and more
Tackle the expressive phrasing and minor pentatonic tricks of one of rock's finest guitarists, David Gilmour
Latest Tuition
How close listening to Chic can teach us about the integral relationship between the kick and bass
If you want to add more punch to your production, start at the foundation of your track, with the kick and bass
How to emulate the sound of Gary Numan’s synth-pop classic Cars
We lift the bonnet on a foundational piece of synth genius, and demonstrate how you can achieve its distinctive sound yourself in your DAW
How unquantizing your tracks can make them stand out from the AI-dominated crowd
If your music is sounding a little mechanical, maybe it deserves a sprinkle of organic nurturing. We invite you to un-click the quantize!
Stuck for ideas? Here's how to create fresh basslines and melodies with Ableton Live 12’s MIDI tools
In our latest video tutorial, we explore how to use Live generative MIDI tools and hardware-inspired sequencers to create riffs and patterns
7 great house and techno tips from Don’t Be Afraid label boss Semtek (aka DJ Persuasion)
The producer, DJ and founder of one of the UK's most respected underground labels revisits a 2012 release to explore what he's learned in 15 years of releasing house and techno
Four big-name guitarists spill their recording secrets
With insight from Paul Gilbert, John 5, Adam Dutkiewicz and Marty Friedman on their approaches to the recording process
37 heavyweight bass production tips
More than three dozen priceless nuggets of bass recording and production wisdom
Creating chords for electronic music: 3 ways to generate more interesting progressions in Ableton Live 12
Let’s explore how Live’s MIDI effects can help us write better progressions
25 recording tips and tricks everyone should know
Get better takes in the studio and on the stage, with our essential advice for producers and DIY music-makers
Produce better music with our ultimate compression cheat sheet
Confused about where to start with compressors and dynamics effects? We'll guide you through the essential features and settings
Ever wondered how a microphone really works?
If microphone terminology confuses more than it helps, this guide will illuminate the microphone basics
How to stress test a laptop for music production in any DAW - and why every producer should do it
Get the most out of your machine and find out how far your laptop can really take your recordings
Never miss a MusicRadar thing: Google has made it easier to keep us in your feed
How to make MusicRadar.com a preferred source
Why imposing hard limitations could be the secret to finishing more music
We’re all struggling to fit in music-making between our other time consuming responsibilities. Optimise your process by cutting back on the options
5 creative ways to use distortion in Ableton Live: From punchier drums to dub techno delays
Let's explore how devices including Saturator, Roar and Erosion can help bring a track to life
How to think like a human drummer when building software beats
Ditch the repetitive loops and unlock more dynamic rhythms
10 tips for recording perfect drums
Essential information for anyone who wants to capture a kit
Latest Reviews
“A perfect choice for podcasters, streamers and music users”: AKG C-Series microphones review
We associate AKG with quality mics, but can their new and most affordable mics to date really deliver? Let’s find out
“A good combination of comfort and sonics in a lightweight design”: Rode NTH-50 review
One model has dominated the on ear headphone market for years. Let’s see what these new arrivals have to offer
“You’ll smile broadly at the ease with which you can land on astonishing results”: Native Instruments Absynth 6 review
The trailblazing soft synth that we’d all but given up hope on has made a glorious comeback, but how does Absynth fit into a changed music production landscape?
"Like a good valve amp, it responds to your pick attack and guitar volume with proper character": Strymon Fairfax Class A Output Stage Drive pedal
The Californian pedal experts ditch digital in favour of a distinctive voiced all-analogue drive
“As much as a sterling job Arturia has done, there are some unfortunate casualties in the downsizing”: Arturia AstroLab 37 review
The AstroLab line has a new entry in its ranks. Can the baby of the group hold its own, or will it wilt under the seismic pressure of its otherworldly siblings
“A one-stop shop for almost everything a guitarist might need”: Universal Audio Paradise Guitar Studio review
Universal Audio curates a wide selection of its renowned amp models and effects to create a plugin that is a near-complete guitar studio
"Where this guitar truly shines is under the fingers of a blues or folk picker": Epiphone Blues King Studio review
Epiphone takes a swing at a regal pint-sized parlour, but unfortunately, there are some QC issues
"Its simplicity is a selling point": Funny Little Boxes Caught By The Fuzz review
A UK-built, two-knob fuzz for under a hundred bucks? We're listening...
“A solid upgrade, offering new features and streamlined controls”: Arturia KeyStep Mk2 review
A hardware sequencer can be a highly creative tool and this updated affordable option should have plenty to offer
"It isn’t just a collection of cool features; it’s a tool designed to make your recorded guitar sound better, right out of the box": Gretsch Limited Edition Abbey Road RS201 Studiomatic review
Gretsch packs the legendary studio magic of Abbey Road into a guitar that's also pleasantly playable, and competitively priced