Comment / Opinion

Does knowing about production change the way we engage with music?

On paid sessions, every engineer has to get the job done. But it’s still important to find the time to learn your tools, discover new techniques — and foster creativity.

GG has worked with some of pop’s most formidable acts, from Little Mix to Madonna.

With its unique leftfield tones and engaging, unusual playing mechanics, it’s not hard to see why the Omnichord has become sought after by sonic experimentalists.

One of the good things about analogue gear, supposedly, is that it doesn’t suffer from built‑in obsolescence. But for how long?

Whether you’re playing music or just stroking your chin about it, do yourself a favour and check out the Nashville Number System. If you’re anything like the author, you’ll wonder what took you so long!

Now I don’t know about you, but I long ago gave up the idea that functionality was the most important aspect of guitar design, but does the same really hold true for studio equipment?

Japanese artist and producer Taigen Kawabe is best known as the frontman and bass guitarist of boundary‑destroying psych‑rock band Bo Ningen, whose repertoire ranges from experimental soundscapes to guitar‑driven chaos and screaming.

As Neuzeit Instruments, German designer Thomas Hutmann is creating marvellous, original designs for Eurorack.

Kiwi producer and songwriter Noema Te Hau III is based at Big Fan Studios in Auckland, New Zealand.

The adoption of the DAW as the central creative instrument in pop music represents a new era of using the studio musically and expressively.

Having teenage children is a great way to stay in touch with the next generation. So imagine my surprise when my eldest’s number one request for Christmas 2023 was... a CD player!

Back in the pre‑computer days, manufacturers saw the need for straightforward and affordable mixers to handle the stack of electronics and bring it all down to a simple stereo pair, or even just a mono output.

From this month we’ve decided to widen the scope of Inside Track, and where better to start than with perhaps the hottest producer of the moment.

Henrietta Smith‑Rolla, aka Afrodeutsche, bridges musical worlds like few others. The crossing of borders has always been a subject close to home for the British‑Ghanaian‑Russian‑German composer, DJ and producer, whose moniker was chosen after an exploration of her heritage.

Since a work trip to the Seychelles, I’ve created a sonic album of every trip I’ve been on and it’s glorious; I can’t believe I didn’t think to do it earlier.

If we’re not going to embrace new technologies, if we’re not willing to learn and exploit new tools, what are studios going to be for?

Paul White and Hugh Robjohns pick their software and hardware highlights from the last 12 months.

Mexican‑Canadian songwriter and producer Andrea Rocha was classically trained and has worked with some of pop’s brightest stars, including Ellie Goulding, Gabrielle Aplin and Becky Hill.

Our ears are so used to hearing music made in recording studios that it can sound quite different to hear something that was recorded with an ambience...