Marcus works in the software, recording and synthesizer worlds. In addition to writing for GEARNEWS (editor-in-chief of GEARNEWS.com & GEARNEWS.de), bonedo and DJ Mag, he is a music producer, mix & mastering engineer, sound designer, live performer, DJ and lecturer (including SAE). Based in Mainz, Germany, the music producer brings decades of experience and a diverse musical background to his various music projects. He has had countless releases on various prestigious labels and produces music for film, radio and advertising companies in genres such as pop, dance, techno, house, downbeat and more. Marcus has toured as a solo artist and under various pseudonyms such as Broombeck and Guardner. He has over 30 years of professional studio experience, plays numerous instruments and has made a name for himself in the field of electronic music with hits such as "Alone" by 2pole, which spent several months at number one on the Beatport Top 100 chart, as well as gold records. His technical skills and deep understanding of musicality are unmistakable in his productions, and although he already has an impressive career and some early successes behind him, the story of Marcus Schmahl is far from over.
Budget clone for $30 or boutique version for $350 - the big Tubescreamer shootout shows the truth.
Wavesfactory Trackspacer, Excite Audio VISION 4X, and Plugin Alliance Black Box HG-2MS heavily discounted. Smart mixing tools at a serious deal price!
Are locking tuners a worthwhile upgrade for every guitarist? What's actually true about the tuning stability myth? Let's find out together.
suru.music wants to bring SoundCloud, Dropbox, and Discord together into one ecosystem for music producers. Here's my take after months of testing.
Less latency, more precision when isolating: zplane's PEEL STEMS 2 takes a big step closer to genuine real-time stem separation.
FREEWARE
BEATSURFING VRAC turns any audio source into a complete drum kit via XY morphing. Kicks, snares, and hi-hats from your own sounds. Free!
Ableton Live, Push, and Move each play a distinct role in the same ecosystem. Here's how the trio covers beat-making, songwriting, and live performance.
Available now!
Teenage Engineering OP-XY 1.1.15 brings project templates, rotate trigs, a new system monitor, and up to 16 patterns per track. Here's what's in the update.
Logic Pro 12.3 updates Beat Breaker with new filter and panning modes, adds Granular Sync to Alchemy, and throws in a fresh sound pack. Here's what's new.
Korg synthesizer plugins, XLN Audio DB-30 Drum Butter, and Mastering The Mix REFERENCE 3 are heavily discounted right now. These deals are worth it!
Apple's M-Series skips the M6 Pro and M6 Max entirely. An M7 is already in the works. Here's what that means for the long-awaited touchscreen MacBook, Gurman explains.
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Tracktion Waveform Free 14 brings a new interface, an AI assistant, and a reworked audio engine. And it's still completely free.
D16 Group's PunchBox 2 brings a wavetable engine, a new FX rack, and pitch detection to kick design. What does the sequel bring to the table?
No outlet, no problem: pack a battery-powered speaker, a standalone controller, and the right headphones, and your DJ setup to go is ready to roll.
The Thomann Beatmaking Contest 2026 challenges you to build your own beat from an exclusive sample pack. Got what it takes to win? You've got two weeks!
The Atlantic's AI training data investigation into Suno and Udio uncovers over 20 million songs. Is your music in there too? Test it for free right now!
Celemony Melodyne 5, SSL Native Channel Strip 2, and Plugin Alliance Shadow Hills Mastering Compressor Class A are heavily discounted right now. Don't miss out!
The world's largest music retailer is defending Harley Benton and other manufacturers in court. Here's the official statement: Thomann Sues Fender.
The best guitarists of all time without the Pink Floyd mastermind? Unthinkable. We dig into David Gilmour's gear: guitars, amps, and more.
TourBox Elite Plus review: is this little multi-button dial controller worth it for DAW, video, and photo editing? This is my review!
Melodic Techno Hardware: Three gear combos for wide pads, synth melodies and driving grooves, with a budget and higher-end option for each. Our perfect match.
Bitwig Studio 6.1 completely reimagines the Sampler: slicing, time-stretching, and granular synthesis in one device. Now in public beta.
Tim Cook calls the Apple price increase "unavoidable." What's really going on, and what does it mean for your next studio Mac?
Moog Mariana, Sonnox Oxford Inflator Native, and Slate Digital Virtual Tape Machines on sale: bass synth, loudness plugin, and tape emulation at a discount.