are the still online magazines you rely on? Are there still ones not owned by thomann? Or do you only watch synthfluencers?
As in covering synths and other musical devices; or music in the wider sense of coverage of concerts, albums, singles, interviews with artists (or both) ?
both , instruments and music in general
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I’m partial to Sound on Sound, although I read it less these days that in the past.
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I read every article in Tape/op. I think they publish it online, too.
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They do and subscription to the monthly PDF edition is free as well - it’s really good.
My preferred choice for reading text reviews of synths and so forth.
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Sound on sound for sure.
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I asked a similar question on another forum …
Mixmag ?
Nme
Resident advisor ( tiny set of music reviews each month , it’s mostly geared around ticket sales )
Music radar ( they had a questionable Tonverk review recently )
Twgeema on Facebook ( good electronic discussion / album thread )
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it’s really weird that here in GER besides Moogulator’s in-deep podcast, there is only xxx, most of them owned by thomann. amazona, bonedo, all quite terrible. A few of the reviewers are ok, but most of the articles are really missing a LOT. like extensive testing, well made and exciting sound examples, deep technical facts, good writing and more.
I’ve written for a couple of music tech magazines in the past, including SOS back in the day, and I do miss those days where in-depth and honest journalism was well paid and the results were a legitimate source of unbiased information when buying something. At the same time, most “print based” online magazines tend to review something one time only near to the initial release (and I do read those reviews, btw) but it’s soon outdated with firmware changes and the modern trend for letting the public beta test products before they’re refined and finessed. So, anyway, nowadays, it’s mainly forums like this and Reddit comments that dominate the written word about music tech.
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This is very true, but I’ll always go back and read the SOS review of something unfamiliar to find out the basics, even if the details change over time, and far quicker and quieter than watching a video too. This is why a written magazine will always be preferable for me.
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Yeah I love reading about something instead of watching hands gesticulating over a box with a disembodied voice talking over it. Maybe I’m old
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Being able to jump around the text or re-read it rapidly without messing about with finding a particular bit of a video is unbeatable.
This is also probably a good thread to bring up the wonderful resource of mostly 1980s-1990s magazine scans at Muzines, and it’s remarkable how many of their conclusions and concerns resonate still today. The interviews about how the likes of Ultravox for example recorded albums in particular are wonderful.
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They way the reviewers and the readers approached a new piece of gear was very different then. I know it is with rather mass produced SND robot soldered boards not the same as when a magazine showed the guts of a new analog flagship in 1981, but the reviewers today could instead at least take their time to really check out the sonic possibilities then and do something with the gear they review instead of the poor noodling they usually deliver (as said, i’m especially pixxed by the german “magazines” nowadays)
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Robin Vincent at Sound On Sound is particularly good for this because you can always go and watch his extended noodling and tweaking or quite often DIY building of the devices he reviews for them on his own Molten Modular channel on YouTube.
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CDM is excellent. Peter Kirn is a legend.
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If you know the beat magazin, they have Marco Scheerer also known as Datacult, he records modular and regular synth for his main Project a very dark and groovy psytrance act. He is very credible as writer, as he clearly knows his stuff. His music is just great.
I personally like ADSR for their tutorials, worthwhile reads. Attack magazin had some goodies aswell.
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on a slightly different bent, I love the Tape Notes podcast - sometimes it’s technical, sometimes gear focused and sometimes purely about creative process, depending on who they have on. There are people with expensive state-of-the-art, some with much more humble setups.
It’s also a good way to way to see different techniques, hop out of your usual genres and sometimes just to be excited about the vibe some artists give.
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some great tips here thanks !
I like Attack magazine and have a few of their collected drum beat making electronic music books.
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