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.

More than three hundred sources, in sixteen languages: 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

Universal Audio BlogMakers

Best Plug-In Chains for Vocals, Guitar, and Drums

09.15

Using multiple plug-ins at the same time can feel overwhelming. The good news? Once you learn the basics, a great signal chain can be surprisingly simple.

Electric guitars & amps Drums & percussion Plugins & DAWs

Read at Universal Audio Blog ↗

One letter a week, starting soon.

Latest

Best Plug-In Chains for Vocals, Guitar, and Drums

Related

DrumsGuitar Center crowns champion of Drum-Off 2026 following national competition Modern Drummer

DrumsSimmons unveils the Titan 90, the most advanced electronic drum kit in Simmons’ history Modern Drummer

MakersSt. Mary on translating emotion into production with Kontakt and Guitar Rig Native Instruments Blog

MakersThe Plug-Ins You Didn't Know You Needed Universal Audio Blog

Studios & prosRupert Neve Designs Debuts Three Plug-Ins: The Master Buss Processor, 551 Inductor EQ, and 542 Tape Emulator Rupert Neve Designs

DrumsModern Drummer Announces Celeste Fox as the 2026 Winner of the Neil Peart Spirit of Drumming Scholarship Modern Drummer