THE COMPLETE JOHNNY CASH: Lyrics from a Lifetime of SongwritingJOHNNY CASH (1932 – 2003) was an American singer and songwriter who become one of the most important, influential, and respected artists in the history of music. From his monumental live prison albums to his commentaries on the American spirit to a mesmerizing canon of gospel recordings and his late-life artistic triumphs of will and wisdom, his impact on our culture is profound and continuing.

He blended country, rock, blues, and gospel in his music, ushering in the Countrypolitan and Outlaw country movements. Cash was also a successful actor, writer, and activist. A statue of Cash was unveiled in the U.S. Capitol in 2024, gifted by the state of Arkansas. He is the first musician to be represented in the National Statuary Hall.

Johnny Cash composed more than 600 songs and sold more than ninety million records. He’s been awarded twenty-nine gold, platinum, and multiplatinum records for his albums and singles and has been inducted into the Grammy Hall of Fame, the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame, the Country Music Hall of Fame, and the Hollywood Walk of Fame.

Book Cover Courtesy of Voracious

I’m a lifelong fan and record collector of Johnny Cash. We share the same February 26th birthday.

In the late fifties I watched a TV program Town Hall Party when Johnny appeared on a few episodes.  During 1965, I saw Johnny sing his Billboard hit record, “The Ballad of Ira Hayes” on The Les Crane Show. In 1968, Cash guested on The Summer Brothers Smothers Show at CBS Television City. My mother Hilda and I would occasionally go to TV tapings at the studio located on the corner of Beverly Blvd. and Fairfax Ave.

I later caught Johnny and June Carter Cash at the Anaheim Convention Center, Doug Weston’s Troubadour, and the House of Blues in Hollywood. I saw their show a dozen times over thirty years.

On August 16, 1975, Cash was in Southern California to promote his autobiography, Man in Black (1975), and performed a special concert for the Christian Booksellers convention. We then conducted an interview at the Royal Inn Hotel in Anaheim. It was then published in the now-defunct UK music weekly Melody Maker.

“It covers the ups and downs of my life and music career and my problem with drugs,” Cash explained candidly. “In the 1950s, people in Nashville thought I was a bit unorthodox. I came from Memphis, where Elvis, Jerry Lee Lewis, and Carl Perkins were doing some strange things on Sun Records.

“It was time to do the book and set the record straight. About a year ago, I was approached by the publisher to write it. I spent nine months writing it and shaping it. I wrote it by hand and worked with an editor.

“It was a whole new project for me. More discipline was involved. It was my main activity for months when I got up in the morning. It was hard lookin’ back through my life and trying to remember conversations and details. Remembering some of the nightmares that I had, especially gettin’ off drugs. I went through a total soul-searching experience lookin’ back. I went through all the pain again to a certain degree.”

Cash’s autobiography also contains twenty song lyrics which provide a musical guideline.

“The lyrics help tell the story. In concert, I sing ‘Sunday Morning Coming Down,’ the Kris Kristofferson tune. That’s so much of me that sometimes I feel like I wrote it. There are some songs that I must write for self-expression. If a song comes along, I must acknowledge it. I’ve recently recorded a song, ‘Strawberry Shortcake.’ It’s about a guy who went into the Plaza Hotel in New York and stole a cake. It’s a novelty song. But there are some songs that I had to write, like ‘I Walk the Line.’ In 1963, I used trumpets on ‘Ring of Fire’ [penned by June Carter and Merle Kilgore], which was quite a departure for a country song at that time.

“I like to go into the studio with my own musicians and record my own songs,” Cash reminded me. “I’m open to other songwriters. I like to do things differently in my career.”   

 In our 1975 Melody Maker dialogue, Cash discussed his friendship with Bob Dylan.

“I became aware of Bob Dylan when the Freewheelin’ album came out in 1963. I thought he was one of the best country singers I had ever heard. I always felt a lot in common with him. I knew a lot about him before we had ever met. I knew he had heard and listened to country music. I heard a lot of inflections from country artists I was familiar with. I was in Las Vegas in ’63 and ’64 and wrote him a letter telling him how much I liked his work. I got a letter back, and we developed a correspondence.

Johnny Cash TV Series DVD cover Courtesy of CMV/Columbia Legacy, a division of Sony BMG Music Entertainment

“We finally met at Newport in 1964. It was like we were two old friends. There was none of this standing back, trying to figure each other out. He’s unique and original.

“I keep lookin’ around as we pass the middle of the 1970s, and I don’t see anybody come close to Bob Dylan. I respect him. Dylan is a few years younger than I am, but we share a bond that hasn’t diminished. I get inspiration from him.

“We’ve gone fishin’ on my boat dock for hours and haven’t said a word.”

Dylan (birth name Robert Allen Zimmerman) had been a Cash fan since the very late 1950s, when, as a teenager, he hitchhiked the 75 miles from his Hibbing, Minnesota, hometown to Duluth to see Cash and the Tennessee Two at the Duluth Armory.

In his 2022 book, The Philosophy of Modern Song, Dylan wrote about two songs Cash wrote and recorded: “Don’t Take Your Guns to Town,” the first single from his 1958 Columbia Records debut album The Fabulous Johnny Cash;and “Big River,” a single from the Sings the Songs That Made Him Famous LP released by Sun Records earlier that year.

Dylan and The Band performed “Big River” in 1967 during The Basement Tapes sessions, officially released in 2014 on The Bootleg Series Vol. 11: The Basement Tapes Complete. Dylan and Cash then recorded “Big River” with producer Bob Johnston during the 1969 Dylan-Cash sessions, officially issued in 2019 on The Bootleg Series Vol. 15: Travelin’ Thru, 1967-1969.  

During Dylan’s 2024 tour, at the Ruth Eckerd Hall in Clearwater, Florida, he paid homage to Johnny Cash with a version of “Big River.”

In October 2025, I received a news announcement from Little, Brown and Company touting their 720-page Cash book THE COMPLETE JOHNNY CASH Lyrics from a Lifetime of Songwriting published by Voracious.

The volume is organized chronologically and with critical commentary from Mark Stielper, with a foreword by John Carter Cash. Hardcover: $60.00 

2025 book reviews hailed the literary achievement: “In this trove of song lyrics, Cash lore, images, and poetry, Mark Stielper returns the Man in Black to center stage and crafts a posthumous legacy befitting a legend. For both newcomers and diehard fans, this anthology is an opportunity to experience, in the words of Cash’s son, ‘the very essence of his soul.’ A comprehensive, must-have collector’s item.” –Kirkus Reviews

“A must for admirers of the Man in Black.” –Booklist

“This monumental tome compiling the lyrics of iconic blues, country, rock, and gospel musician Johnny Cash emphasizes his talents as a wordsmith…Essential for country music mavens and pop culture enthusiasts.” –Library Journal.

"Folsom Prison Blues" Courtesy of John R. Cash Revocable Trust. 

Johnny Cash, “The Man in Black,” one of America’s most beloved and iconic songwriters, captured the heart and soul of the nation as he spoke through his music to the human condition, sharing the victories and losses that marked his own life. Now, for the first time ever, the comprehensive and definitive book collects Cash’s song lyrics alongside never-before-seen reproductions of dozens of handwritten pages from his personal notebooks. This is the most complete catalog of his prolific, 55-year career as a songwriter with 526 songs, prose and poems he wrote.

Culled from countless notebooks, leather-bound diaries, elegant pronouncements, and his most private pages from the Cash archive, THE COMPLETE JOHNNY CASH includes never-before-seen handwritten lyrics and poems.

 Spanning over a half century of Johnny Cash’s songs, poetry, prose, and musings, from the 1940s to 2003, the essential collectible features material from his childhood in rural Arkansas, across the highs and lows of his public career and personal life, through to his last days. The book is sumptuously designed. Interest, appreciation and love for Johnny Cash and his timeless music are higher than ever.

The book catalogs Cash’s breathtaking range as a poet and storyteller. It traces his evolution from his earliest compositions to his last love song, through periods of personal struggle, political activism, and tests of faith. It paints an unprecedented portrait of Johnny Cash as a quintessential American artist—and America’s premier storyteller.

JOHN CARTER CASH is the only son of Johnny Cash and June Carter Cash. He is a singer, songwriter, and has produced five Grammy Award-winning albums. He owns and operates the Cash Cabin Studio in Tennessee. He is also the author of House of Cash: The Legacies of My Father, Johnny Cash.

MARK STIELPER has chronicled the life of the Man in Black for nearly forty years. Cash called him “my vault,” and said, “he knows more about me than me.” Stielper has collaborated on more than two dozen Cash biographies and documentary films, and given lectures across the United States, including at the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame, the Country Music Hall of Fame, and the Johnny Cash Museum. His most recent work was the companion to this book, Johnny Cash: The Life in Lyrics.

The Johnny Cash Show aired on ABC from 1969 to 1971. Cash invited a wide-ranging lineup of musical performers to join him, among them Louis Armstrong, Bill Monroe, Dusty Springfield, Judy Collins, the Monkees, Creedence Clearwater Revival, Stevie Wonder, Tony Joe White, Homer & Jethro, the Everly Brothers, Joni Mitchell, Neil Young, Derek and the Dominos, Roger Miller, Faron Young, Charley Pride, Loretta Lynn, Marty Robbins, Mickey Newbury, Neil Diamond, Conway Twitty, Tammy Wynette, Waylon Jennings, George Jones, and Doug Kershaw.

“One reason country music has expanded the way it has is that we haven’t let ourselves become locked into any category,” Cash told me in 1975. “We do what we feel.”

In his June 12, 1969, review for The Great Speckled Bird, the counterculture underground newspaper in Atlanta, Georgia, Gene Guerrero saluted The Johnny Cash Show premiere. 

“TV CASHES IN: OCCASIONALLY, television gives the viewer a glimpse of its potential as a creative medium. Usually, as with The Smothers Brothers Show, it is a fleeting glimpse before the owners of the public airways get uptight or commercialism subverts the creativity. With the inauguration of The Johnny Cash Show, country music has finally made it to network television. One can only hope and pray that it will take a couple of seasons before these corrupting influences set in.

“Dylan sang a couple of songs off his new album, including ‘Girl From the North Country,’ which he sings with Cash. In a non-contrived way, Dylan and Cash singing together remind you of two kids practicing for their first recital. In this time of super-slick entertainers, that’s very refreshing.”

Cash was directly involved in suggesting guests to book and songs for broadcast. He gave a forum to former HUAC blacklist victim Pete Seeger who sang the anti-war song “Big Muddy,” and Canadian singer/songwriter and social activist Buffy Sainte-Marie, who performed Peter La Farge’s “Custer” on the program. Cash also refused to edit the word “stoned” from Kris Kristofferson’s “Sunday Morning Coming Down.”

However, Cash eventually realized the obligations of his TV series hampered his creativity.

“It cut down on my touring, it became too confining,” he confided in our 1975 Melody Maker chat.

“We stayed in Nashville for two-thirds of the time. I really didn’t enjoy it all that much. If it was kept loose and spontaneous, it could have been great. But we had to do the same song eight or ten times before they would accept it. The show lost its feel and honesty. Consequently, I lost a lot of interest in it.”

In September 2006, CMV/Columbia Legacy, a division of Sony BMG Music Entertainment, released the two-disc DVD set, The Best of the Johnny Cash Show, hosted by Kris Kristofferson.

Intervention Records will continue its Sun Records Hi-Fi Series—featuring classic titles from the Memphis label, mastered to vinyl from original tapes — with a new pressing of Johnny Cash with His Hot and Blue Guitar!, the first long-playing record from this enduring country icon. The album, featuring “I Walk The Line,” “Cry, Cry, Cry,” and “Folsom Prison Blues,” has been given the ultimate treatment for this 180-gram, 45 RPM mono release. Out on February 20, 2026. 

(Harvey Kubernik is the author of 20 books, including 2009’s Canyon Of Dreams: The Magic And The Music Of Laurel Canyon, 2014’s Turn Up The Radio! Rock, Pop and Roll In Los Angeles 1956-1972, 2015's Every Body Knows: Leonard Cohen, 2016's Heart of Gold Neil Young and 2017's 1967: A Complete Rock Music History of the Summer of Love. Sterling/Barnes and Noble in 2018 published Harvey and Kenneth Kubernik’s The Story Of The Band: From Big Pink To The Last Waltz. In 2021 the duo wrote Jimi Hendrix: Voodoo Child for Sterling/Barnes and Noble. 

Otherworld Cottage Industries in 2020 published Harvey’s Docs That Rock, Music That Matters. His Screen Gems: (Pop Music Documentaries and Rock ‘n’ Roll TV Scenes) is scheduled for early 2026 publication).     The post THE COMPLETE JOHNNY CASH: Lyrics from a Lifetime of Songwriting first appeared on Music Connection Magazine.

“You ruined music!”: Engineers reveal how Loudness Wars peaked in the digital era in new Waves documentaryA new, original documentary from Waves explores how modern music got competitively louder as producers began to push volume to its limits with the introduction of digital tools.
The documentary, titled How Music Got Loud: The Untold Story of the Loudness Wars, is out now to watch for free on YouTube. This short and unique doc runs for 12 minutes and features interviews with the engineers who experienced Loudness Wars for themselves.

READ MORE: Waves’ secret free plugin revealed: Here’s how to energise your tracks with the new Magma StressBox

The film not only explains how this trend began but also examines how the pendulum swung back, and the pursuit of musicality returned to the fore. It explores the industry’s attempts at balancing its obsession with loudness while encouraging dynamic range.
“For three decades, the pursuit of loudness has redefined audience expectations. This short film exposes why Led Zeppelin now sounds relatively quiet compared to today’s chart-toppers like Sabrina Carpenter,” says Waves in a press release shared with MusicTech.
“It reveals how, starting in the early 1990s, digital tools gave producers unprecedented power and temptation to push volume to its limits. What began as innovation soon became an obsession, transforming the way records sound and how we listen.”
Though short, the doc features integral interviews with engineers Howie Weinberg (Nirvana, Red Hot Chili Peppers), Dale Becker (Billie Eilish, SZA), Gavin Lurssen & Reuben Cohen (of the mastering house responsible for releases by Metallica, Queens of the Stone Age, Foo Fighters and Robert Plant), as well as Jesse Ray Ernster (engineer for Doja Cat, Burna Boy, etc.).
Also featured are mastering legend Bob Katz, author of Mastering Audio: The Art and the Science, and Meir Shashoua, Co-founder and CTO of Waves.
You can watch the trailer and check out the full documentary in the videos below:

Learn more about Waves.
The post “You ruined music!”: Engineers reveal how Loudness Wars peaked in the digital era in new Waves documentary appeared first on MusicTech.

MuseScore Studio gains Cantai integration MuseScore Studio now includes a built-in Online Sounds tool that allows composers to type in lyrics during the writing process and have them played back in real time. 

When Live Music Happens in the Dark: Autechre’s Polemical 2025 PerformancesBritish electronic duo Autechre has been touring the world for the better part of this year, and will continue in 2026, but their performances have stirred some controversy among fans and casual listeners alike, namely for being set entirely in darkness.
The post When Live Music Happens in the Dark: Autechre’s Polemical 2025 Performances appeared first on Hypebot.

From UMG’s ‘robust remedy’ to address Downtown deal concern, to GoDigital Music’s Marc Anthony catalog buy… it’s MBW’s weekly round-upThe biggest headlines from the past few days...
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Independent Venue Marketing Lessons From Across the U.S.Hypebot’s 'In The Trenches' interview series highlights the on-the-ground realities of concert marketing - from tiny independent rooms to multi-venue regional operators. Across these venues one thing is clear: effective live-music marketing is more strategic, data-driven, and community-rooted than ever. Learn standout independent venue marketing lessons from the people battling to fill their rooms.
The post Independent Venue Marketing Lessons From Across the U.S. appeared first on Hypebot.

Spotify’s new AI Prompted Playlists feature lets users “control the algorithm”Spotify is rolling out a new feature that lets users provide text prompts to “control the algorithm” and generate personalised playlists.
The Prompted Playlists feature is currently in beta phase and only accessible for Premium subscribers in New Zealand. A blog post written by Spotify co-President, CPO, and CTO, Gustav Söderström, says the platform is “entering a moment where you don’t just listen to Spotify, you control it.”

READ MORE: You know how everyone cares when you share your Spotify Wrapped? Well, now you can do it every day

With the new feature, Premium listeners can describe what they want to hear and set rules for a personalised playlist using a chatbot-style interface. Spotify says that “unlike anything before it”, this feature taps into your entire Spotify listening history, right back to day one.
Spotify Prompted Playlists. Image: Spotify
This isn’t Spotify’s first use of AI, with its AI-powered DJ having launched in 2023.  The feature was later upgraded to be able to take requests via voice or text, and it also introduced AI playlists in 2024. So far, ultra-specific prompts haven’t worked so well with these features, and it looks like that may change with this new tool.
Spotify suggests that you could ask for “music from my top artists from the last five years,” then push it further with “and feature deep cuts I haven’t heard yet” as an example of how to interact with Prompted Playlists.
It can also be set to refresh daily or weekly, so you can essentially use it instead of Spotify’s longstanding Discover Weekly feature, in which it decides on new music you might enjoy for you. Each song in your Prompted Playlist will also be accompanied by descriptions and context that tell you the story behind the recommendation.
In his blog post, Söderström goes on to add: “We believe that technology is only as good as the humans behind it. Spotify listeners have created nearly nine billion playlists, which is proof that human curation is still the heartbeat of the platform. But until now, unless you were a developer at Spotify and could write your own playlist algorithm, your best ideas might have stayed in your head.
“Prompted Playlist brings those ideas to life using just the English language. There’s no longer a tradeoff between control and convenience. You finally get both. And for artists, this unlocks smarter, more inspired discovery, surfacing their music for the right listeners and opening new ways to deepen their fan bases.”
No further details on when this feature will broadly roll out have yet been revealed.  To read the full blog post, head over to the Spotify Newsroom.
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Why you should – or should not – upgrade to Cubase 15It happens every year. The leaves start dropping, the winds start blowing, the nights start drawing in. All the signs are there that a big day is coming. No, not that one — I’m talking about Cubase receiving its annual upgrade, of course.

READ MORE: I’ve used Cubase for 36 years — here’s what I honestly think about Cubase 15’s AI tools

I’ve already gone into some depth on what I see as the two biggest additions in Cubase 15 – stem separation and the Omnivocal plugin instrument – but there are many other tweaks and changes. Are these sufficient to justify the upgrade price? Your mileage may vary, but I certainly think so – here’s why.
New expression maps in Cubase 15. Image: Press
What do I prefer about Cubase 15 compared to 14?
Pattern Editor
One of the big-ticket additions to Cubase 14 was track-level pattern sequencing courtesy of Pattern Events and the Pattern Editor, introduced to support the also-new Drum Track track type. In my review of that release, I commented on how Pattern Events could also be used with pitched instruments, but that the Pattern Editor was not well-suited to this usage. I also lamented that patterns were stored at the project level and couldn’t be saved and loaded independently, making them awkward to share between projects.
I’ve got used to working around these shortcomings over the last year, but am nonetheless very pleased that Cubase 15 deals with both of them. The Pattern Editor now offers a choice between drum and melodic modes, the latter now geared toward creating basslines, arpeggios, etc., and offering a choice between monophonic and polyphonic patterns. Better still, the set of patterns associated with a Pattern Event can now be stored and recalled as Pattern Banks, making those patterns much easier to transfer between tracks and projects.
Modulators
Another major new feature introduced in Cubase 14, and which has kept me happily occupied since, was Modulators. These have been transformative (no pun intended) and allowed me to do with Cubase things I would previously have turned to Bitwig Studio to achieve. The addition of six new modulators in Cubase 15 has brought with it a wealth of tantalising possibilities, especially the Sample & Hold and Crossfader modulators, which combine with other modulators to create unique and dramatic effects.
Expression maps
Expression Maps have received a much-needed overhaul in Cubase 15, so it’s now much easier to work with maps overall. What I like here most of all is that each articulation defined in a map can now have its own set of MIDI modifiers applied to it. So you can, for example, add attack compensation and length adjustment to a violin’s legato articulation so that it stays in time with pizzicato and staccato articulations.
Sure, when performing and recording, you would make these compensations yourself, but by wrapping the options into Expression Maps, you can experiment with different articulations on the fly as the music develops.
Volume and pan on track heads
Cubase 15 now allows small volume and pan sliders to be shown on track heads. This is something most other DAWs offer, but personally, I’m not so excited by this, preferring the full-sized fader available in the Channel zone. In fact, prior to the Channel zone’s introduction in (I think it was) Cubase 11, I was perfectly happy with the option to show a fader and pan control in the Track Inspector.
Nevertheless, this is proving to be a very popular new feature, so I will bow to the group wisdom on it… Although I suppose from my own point of view it highlights the benefits of Cubase’s customisability, because I can leave them switched off!
Melodic and polyphonic patterns in Cubase 15. Image: Press
What’s missing that I hoped to see, and what could be better?
Drum track management
Drum Tracks, introduced in Cubase 14, allow you to create drum machines directly in the timeline, where they can be triggered and controlled by Pattern Events. Yet despite being fundamentally an instrument, the drum kits themselves are stored and recalled as Track Presets, and I find this confusing and inconvenient. Confusing because… well… why?! And inconvenient because the panel for loading Track Presets, while similar in layout to a standard instrument preset panel, closes automatically as soon as you choose a preset. These are small gripes, sure, but I’ve been haunted by them for a year now, so I had hoped that Steinberg would tidy this up.
Modulators
As I mentioned in my Cubase 14 review, one thing lacking from the Modulators system is the ability to create global modulators that can control global-level parameters and plugins, and can reach into multiple tracks simultaneously. I had hoped maybe Cubase 15 would have gained this ability… oh well, perhaps it’ll come in Cubase 16.
I was also hoping that, by now, Steinberg would have provided some documentation to support the ModScripter modulator. This generates its modulated output from scripts, and some basic notes are included in the default script that loads with a new instance of the modulator, but the distinct lack of any proper documentation makes it difficult to learn how to work with the scripting API. Publishing such documentation needn’t wait for a Cubase update, but the v15 release would have been a good opportunity to address this.
Controller mapping
Steinberg introduced a new controller mapping system in Cubase 12 that was a massive improvement on what had come before. Nevertheless, I find it can still be awkward and frustrating to configure, and the Cubase documentation doesn’t shed much light either (it’s proficient at covering the ‘how?’ but rarely bothers with the ‘why?’ and ‘when?). Controller mapping is an unavoidably complex issue in the modern studio, for sure, and Cubase 12’s updates were a big step in the right direction, but I had hoped that, by now, Steinberg would have turned its considerable user experience skills towards making this something that’s easier to manage and navigate.
Loading pattern banks in Cubase 15. Image: Press
What are the upgrade options, and are they worth it?
Cubase is still one of the most expensive DAWs when buying a full license, but its upgrade pricing is amongst the best, and hasn’t changed for quite some time despite the rampant inflation plaguing most of us.
The £63 to update from Cubase 14 Pro (and less to upgrade to new Elements or Artist editions) is extremely reasonable, as there’s easily enough here to justify such a minimal outlay. Upgrading from older versions and/or lesser editions adds to the price, but if you do the math, you can see that Steinberg keeps these prices fairly balanced.
Nothing’s ever perfect, but the new features in Cubase 15 are significant and bring a lot to the table for a minimal upgrade cost.
The post Why you should – or should not – upgrade to Cubase 15 appeared first on MusicTech.

Learn how to layer monosynths to give your music more impactYou might think a polyphonic synth keyboard is a more expansive live instrument than a monophonic one, but this isn’t true in the context of recording — especially in a DAW environment where we have limitless tracks. When we start to think of the sounds we create as parts that make up the leads, basslines, and soundscapes within the music we produce, a monosynth can become a finer brush for your palette.

READ MORE: How to make better mixes in your bedroom studio

How to approach sound layering with monosynths
Naturally, when it comes to layering any sound, whether it comes from a synthesizer or an acoustic instrument, simple notation is a key factor in getting a lush, unified sound. If our notation is over-complicated, either melodically or rhythmically, the listener easily loses the connection with the picture we’re trying to create.
Layering monosynths is similar to layering drum samples, a process in which we separate the initial attack point or transient, the main body of the sound, and the decay. The difference is that with synth leads, we are working with a longer time frame, and we can use envelopes to shape each part so it occupies the exact space we need it to in the mix.
Also, the orchestration style and song tempo are crucial because we need to write parts that sound good in layers. If we use short, repeating staccato notes, like a 150 BPM Psy-trance bassline, it gives us very little room to build expressive and distinctive layers. Instead, a simple ostinato consisting of three or four sustained notes provides more space to get creative, especially at a tempo of around 116 BPM or lower.
Layer 1 settings. Image: Press
Getting layering right
One of the best examples of monosynth layering that I’ve heard by far is Goldfrapp’s Anymore, the lead single from the UK group’s seventh studio album, Silver Eye (2017). The entire song revolves around a simple three-note melody, which expands into chords through clever layering, while the vocals provide contrasting harmonies that extend the reach of the song’s emotive depth.
From the song’s first verse (0:18), there are two monophonic synth layers carrying the melody, a fifth apart, which creates power chords. However, because the root notes are played by a filtered synth occupying the sub bass range, the harmony synth layer spread across the stereo becomes more pronounced. As a result, the lead vocal melody, which is similar to the root notes, is pushed into focus.

As the song moves into the second verse (0:52), we see the use of descending and ascending transitional synth parts, as well as groove-oriented synth bass fills which add spatial dimension, as these sounds jump out of the mix. Then, from the second reprise (1:09), things start to ramp up considerably, with textured evolving pads sitting above the vocal range, followed by yet another screaming synth harmony in the chorus (1:26).
At this point, the culmination of synth layers creates a swarming sea of euphoric textures and colours without ever feeling busy or cluttered. As you can see, the use of monophonic synth parts can create an incredibly detailed and animated sonic tapestry with the right compositional approach and feel.
Layer 2 settings. Image: Press
How to start layering monosynths
Monophonic synth layering can be done with any synth, from hardware synths like the Korg Monologue, the Novation Bass Station, and the Arturia MicroBrute, or you can use the stock subtractive synth in your DAW, such as Analog in Ableton Live setup in monophonic voice mode. To get started, we need to create a simple 4-bar progression. I’ve chosen a slow boom-bap tempo around 92 BPM to focus on micro-timing aspects, but we can speed up the tempo at a later stage if necessary.
Layer 2 low cut filter. Image: Press
Timing is the first tool we can use to differentiate each layer, so playing the individual parts in or varying the timing of the MIDI notes ensures the layers don’t all hit you at the same time. Also, because we’re using such simplistic notation, we want to avoid sounding robotic or homogenised, especially if you’re only using software. Start by setting the sustain of your amp envelope to full, adding some release time (around 15%), and introducing some portamento/glide (around 15%) to create a more organic feel.
If you’re programming your MIDI notes, you’ll need to ensure that they overlap slightly to activate the portamento effect. To create the bottom synth layer, we can set the filter to around 100 Hz or lower, with very little filter envelope interaction (around 15%). Then, you can simply duplicate the track in your DAW and start working on the next layer.
Layer 3 settings. Image: Press
To separate the second layer, we can roll off some of the bass with a low-cut or low shelving filter (around 120 Hz) and then re-voice the synth layer. Start with only one oscillator active, and then raise the pitch by 5 semitones to create 5ths or power chords, and lift the filter to release more harmonic content. Now, with the second oscillator, use the same tuning settings but up an octave, and notice how the two oscillators begin to beat and move around. You can also add some fine detuning for a more chorussy effect.
MIDI notation. Image: Press
To create the third layer, simply duplicate the second and, using a single oscillator, raise the pitch to 9 semitones above the root note. Now, to make it stand out, we can lift our low-cut (around 240 Hz), introduce some filter modulation (around 20% depth) from the LFO, and add some signal from the noise oscillator for texture. Your 3-note melody should now sound like a chord progression, spread across the three monophonic synth layers. Remember that the impact comes from taking a compositional approach, so you might only need to use the third layer in the chorus to enlarge the sound scape. Also, be sure to experiment with different effects, as this can give the layers space in the stereo or reverberant field.
The post Learn how to layer monosynths to give your music more impact appeared first on MusicTech.

How Roland’s TR-1000 revives analogue drum machines for modern producersAd feature with Roland
It’s been over 40 years since Roland released an analogue drum machine, and there was always a danger that any new product would end up retreading old ground. On the other hand, if Roland strays too far from the originals, then it risks not satisfying the drum machine purists.
It’s a tricky tightrope to walk, but with the TR-1000, Roland has somehow managed to satisfy both crowds; modern producers get a comprehensive package with cutting-edge sounds, effects and connectivity, and the purists get the authentic analogue circuits.
Here’s how this flagship drum machine distinguishes itself from its predecessors and puts more power into the hands of modern-day producers.
Extended Analogue Sounds
The analogue sounds of the 808 and 909 have endured since the 1980s, so Roland didn’t need to reinvent the wheel here. A range of original units were tested to try and extract the essence of the originals, without trying to be exact copies. The controls have been extended to include wider tuning, decay and velocity response, making these sounds more flexible.

A prime example is that you can now tune your 808 kick drums to make genuine analogue 808 basslines. If you just want it to sound like a classic drum machine, though, then you can do that too.
New FM engines and Circuit-bent ACB
However beautiful they sound, analogue circuits will always be more limited than their digital counterparts. To widen the sonic palette further, Roland includes new circuit-bent versions of its ACB modelled drum machine sounds. Extra controls allow these to be pushed further than before into new experimental territories.

You can do interesting edits like individually tuning the three layers of a 909 Rim Shot, or play with the pitch envelope and wave folding on an 808 kick drum to get zappy, synth-like sounds. On top of this, there are seven FM percussion models that perfectly complement the rounded analogue sounds by generating precise, bright and aggressive tones. This variety, combined with the potential to have two layers on four of the ten tracks, allows you to quickly break away from the more familiar TR sound.
Sample Tricks
The ability to load up your own samples and loops massively opens up the TR-1000 and turns it into more of a workstation than its predecessors.
With a massive 46GB of user hard drive space, you can store thousands of samples, with a maximum length of 16 minutes. This means you could easily perform whole tracks live, using the sample playback to add extra instrument layers, effects or vocals.

You can also slice, stretch and resample the internal sounds, which could be used for wild sound design, or simply to sample off a bunch of analogue hits so that you can reuse the more limited analogue resources elsewhere.
The Sequencer
Hardware sequencing has come a long way since the original TR drum machines. The basics are still present, allowing you to quickly lay down patterns for each sound and add accents and fills. However, many extra features make this the most advanced Roland drum sequencer yet.
You now have extra per trig features such as probability, nudge and parameter editing, plus parameter motion recording and, for the first time, a fully fledged Song Mode. Being able to work off the grid and to add a touch of unpredictability can help to make your patterns feel much more alive than with older drum machines.
Image: Press
Performance Controls
The 808 and 909 have always been very hands-on machines, as anyone who’s seen a Jeff Mills performance will know. But the TR-1000 dramatically expands on this concept, allowing you to set up macros and assign any parameter to its many dials. Each sound can have up to 16 Snapshots that can be performed, and the incredibly fun Step Loop feature lets you loop any section of the sequence on the fly for instant glitch and stutter effects.
There’s also a mega macro that’s controlled with the Morph crossfader. This can control multiple parameters that completely transform the whole pattern for engaging live transitions and switch-ups. The vast array of options allows you to experiment with new ways to perform your beats.

Software Editor
Plugins didn’t exist back in the 80s, but these days, we’ve become accustomed to editing sounds on beautiful GUIs. Although it’s entirely possible to navigate the TR-1000 using its small screen, some may find it easier to do the bulk of the editing using the included software editor.
You simply connect via a single USB-C lead, and you’re good to go. This makes accessing the parameters much quicker, and can also be used to back up projects and transfer samples from your computer.
TR-1000 with companion app. Image: Press
Audio Over USB
Perhaps even more useful, though, is the ability to send audio over USB-C. You no longer need to have a wild spaghetti of leads connected to be able to stream high-quality audio for each of the 10 tracks. There are individual audio outs available should you prefer to go the old school way, or to process certain sounds through outboard gear.
However, if you have limited studio space or an interface with just a single stereo input, then having all the audio in one USB lead is a godsend.
Lots of Effects
Although there’s something to be said for the raw sound of an analogue drum machine, most modern tracks will include some kind of processing to get everything sitting right and sounding its best. Whether you’re looking to simply refine a sound or give it more character, Roland really pushed the boat out with the range of post-processing and effects that can be added.

Every track has its own filter or EQ, compressor, and insert effects slot, plus there are high-quality reverb and delay send effects, and an array of creative, sound-mangling master effects.
Finally, if you’re looking to beef up the output and give it some final weight and polish, then there’s an analogue state-variable filter and an analogue drive circuit. The end result is that you can get a balanced, characterful and production-ready sound straight out of the box.
Visit Roland.com to find out more about the TR-1000.
The post How Roland’s TR-1000 revives analogue drum machines for modern producers appeared first on MusicTech.

Strymon announce the Fairfax Inspired by a little-known valve device from the 1960s, the Fairfax is said to take an altogether different approach to overdrive, and marks the introduction of a new Series a line-up that contrasts the company’s DSP-based offerings.

Cast Your Vote in the AllMusic 2025 Readers' PollAs we review our favorite albums of the year, we turn it over to you to vote in our annual readers' poll. ​Each of you has five votes to spend in our annual year-end poll, with a ballot built from our readership's best-rated albums of 2025.

Jim "Kimo" West Earns Global Grammy Nod with "Sounds of Kumbha"Pictured standing is Jim West and (seated L-R) are Siddhant Bhatia, Kala Ramnath, Charu Suri.

According to news on Thursday, "Jim 'Kimo' West, well known as the versatile guitarist for 'Weird Al' Yankovic, is also recognized as a Grammy-winner who brings his own unique musical perspective to world music, nominated for the 2026 Global Album Sounds of Kumbha."

"Sounds of Kumbha is an historic 12 track / 12 video 'sonic memoir' that celebrates this year's Maha Kumbh, the world's largest-ever spiritual gathering, and features seven producers and over fifty world-class artists."

"Being there in India at the Kumbh was truly an unforgettable experience," says West. "As a co-producer and featured artist I'm really proud of this - both the sonics and the cinematography are top notch."

"West utilized his TELEFUNKEN ELA M 260 Stereo Set, which features two small diahragm matched condenser mics and a custom dual power supply."

"I've been doing all my own recording as long as I've played guitar," says West. And the instrument, the player and the microphones are equally important. I've always loved great mics and especially Telefunken." 

"Sounds of Kumbha is a 12-song and 12 music video living memoir of the Mahakumbha, the world's largest gathering of humanity devoted to peace, prayer, and spiritual unity, led by Indian classical singer, composer and producer, Siddhant Bhatia."

"With seven creative producers, Jim 'Kimo' West, Ron Korb, Madi Das, Charu Suri, Raghav Mehta, Siddhant Bhatia, Devraj Sanyal; and over 50+ global artists, Sounds of Kumbha is an unforgettable immersive experience."

"Acoustic guitar is a complex instrument and you have to be very careful of boominess, and sometimes it can just be too big sounding," West explains. "So mic placement is really important. You want to make sure you stay away from the sound hole. There's something about small diaphragm condenser mics that makes them really responsive. I like all the little nuances, and things really pop out with a small diameter condenser. With the shape of the 260 plus the tube there's a richness there. These mics just sound really natural."

Looking back, West remembers, "I was at a Weird Al session a few years ago and the engineer was using a pair of these Telefunken M 260 mics on different instruments and I really thought they sounded great. I've always loved the idea of tubes in the chain somewhere, especially for acoustic guitar, because it adds a really nice harmonic richness. When I redesigned my studio I thought it was time to get a pair of new mics. These 260s were my first choice, and they are really spectacular sounding."

"Sounds of Kumbha" is entered in the Best Global Album category. Learn more: https://soultraxstudios.com/sokfyc/    

The post Jim "Kimo" West Earns Global Grammy Nod with "Sounds of Kumbha" first appeared on Music Connection Magazine.

1X struck a deal to send its ‘home’ humanoids to factories and warehousesDespite launching as a humanoid robot designed to help consumers around the house, 1X's Neo robots are heading to industrial use cases.

Terraform co-founder sentenced to 15 years in prison after guilty pleaA federal judge heard statements from some of Terraform Labs’ and Do Kwon’s victims for hours before deciding on the co-founder’s sentence.