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AutoTune is now available in FL Studio – even to free users

MusicTechGearAutoTune is now available in FL Studio – even to free users AutoTune is the quintessential pitch correction software, and it’s coming to FL Studio totally free. Image-Line – developer of the hugely popular DAW FL Studio – has partnered with AutoTune maker Antares on AutoTune Go,

BandLab’s mastering capabilities just got an upgrade – here’s what’s new

MusicTechGearBandLab’s mastering capabilities just got an upgrade – here’s what’s new [Editor’s note: BandLab Technologies and MusicTech are both part of the Caldecott Music Group.] BandLab has rolled out a new update, which focuses chiefly on the upgrade of its mastering capabilities. The popular DAW – w

My Forever Studio: Nick Hakim has your gear on long-term loan

MusicTechGearMy Forever Studio: Nick Hakim has your gear on long-term loan In partnership with Audient My Forever Studio Season 8 is here — produced in partnership with Audient — and once again, our hosts Chris Barker and Will Betts are transporting an eclectic mix of talented producers into St

Noble Audio FoKus Artemis review: Three is evidently the magic number

MusicTechGearNoble Audio FoKus Artemis review: Three is evidently the magic number £799 / $899 / €949, nobleaudio.com If you backpacked Thailand in the late noughties, there’s a chance you soundtracked your efforts to emulate The Beach with an early pair of Noble Audio in-ear monitors . While working a

Audient’s new flagship Horizon interfaces can run complex sessions in even the biggest studios

MusicTechGearAudient’s new flagship Horizon interfaces can run complex sessions in even the biggest studios Audient has just unveiled Horizon, its new flagship line of professional-grade Thunderbolt 3 audio interfaces. Aimed squarely at audio professionals, the range comprises three rack-mount models – the Horizon 8P, Horizon

Heritage Audio Herchild 670N compressor review: We’re going to need a bigger rack

MusicTechGearHeritage Audio Herchild 670N compressor review: We’re going to need a bigger rack $3,000, heritageaudio.com The original Fairchild is an ultra-rare valve compressor designed in the 1950s, famed for its flattering, gluey saturation, having risen to prominence when the Beatles used it in the studio . Th

“When you challenge the norm, you’re always going to have pushback”: Audima Labs’ Sway controller is an indie innovation

MusicTechGear“When you challenge the norm, you’re always going to have pushback”: Audima Labs’ Sway controller is an indie innovation I saac Jack and Jeremy Buckley don’t look like your typical CEOs. At 24 years old, the Australian-based co-founders of Audima Labs are more beach-casual than business-casual, with white T-shirts, permanent chin stubble,

Thomann is hosting a massive sale on guitars right now – but these synths and drum machines are also discounted…

MusicTechGearThomann is hosting a massive sale on guitars right now – but these synths and drum machines are also discounted… Thomann ’s Guitar Days sale is in full swing throughout the rest of September – but that doesn’t mean guitarists are the only ones having all the fun. Also at Thomann, there are a handful of solid deals for producers and

Roland celebrates 909 Day with free live workshop led by techno pioneer Kevin Saunderson

MusicTechGearRoland celebrates 909 Day with free live workshop led by techno pioneer Kevin Saunderson Roland is celebrating 909 Day 2026 with a live workshop in Detroit, led by none other than techno originator Kevin Saunderson . 909 Day is the annual celebration of the TR-909 Rhythm Composer, first introduced in 1983. T

The public Beta for Serato DJ 5.0 is here – these are the key new features and upgrades

MusicTechGearThe public Beta for Serato DJ 5.0 is here – these are the key new features and upgrades Serato has launched the public Beta for Serato DJ 5.0, bringing major updates to the software across BPM analysis and streaming service access. Developed with Serato’s users in mind, this Beta introduces highly requested

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About

XLR is a magazine, a radar and a diary about music gear and the making of music — for the people who make records and put on shows, wherever they do it.

The name is the three-pin connector that every signal in the business passes through: the microphone on stage and in the booth, the line to the desk, the DMX cable that runs the lights. Studio, stage and lighting rig share it, and so does this magazine. Every few hours XLR collects what the makers shipped, what the reviewers heard, what the studios and the touring crews are doing, which producers and collectives are surfacing and what they are saying — synths and modular, plugins and DAWs, guitars and drums, microphones, monitors, PA and lights, the rooms and the people — from a few hundred sources in English, German, French, Spanish, Japanese and more, then plots what is moving. The editor writes a letter every few days. Nothing is sold here; when a link leads to a shop, that is the maker's shop, not ours.