Marcus feels at home in software, recording gear, and synthesizers. Beyond his work as an author, he's a music producer, mix and mastering engineer, sound designer, live performer, DJ, and lecturer (including at SAE). At GEARNEWS.de & GEARNEWS.com he's Editor-in-Chief, and he has also written for bonedo, DJ Mag and other magazines. Based in Mainz, Germany, he's worked across strikingly different projects over the decades: touring as Broombeck and Guardner (including a live show at Berghain), as one half of 2pole with the Beatport number one hit "Alone feat. Ursula Rucker", and under his own name as Marcus Schmahl. He's released on a wide range of respected labels, produced music for film, broadcast and advertising across genres from pop to techno to ambient, and holds two gold records. His technical background as a graduate electrical engineer shows in his productions just as much as his musical instinct. And even though his catalog already runs to more than 2,000 releases, the story of Marcus Schmahl is far from over.
Monitoring setup for electronic music producers: studio monitors, headphones, room acoustics, and referencing for mixes that translate anywhere.
We're showing you a setup for producing trap that holds its own against the pros. A genuine Perfect Match for trap beats!
DJ and producer deadmau5 has released his DJ and performance platform AUTO/PILOT into public beta. Is this the next big thing?
Ableton Push Hack gives the Push 3 Standalone full SSH-based control over its display, MIDI, and LEDs. Unofficial, but genuinely fascinating.
Register your IK Multimedia ARC ON-EAR by August 31 and get T-RackS 6 Pro worth $199 completely free. Review!
Save a whopping 30 percent on Teenage Engineering products at Thomann: OP-XY, OP-1 Field, TX-6, only until Friday, August 7!
Roland opens this week's software deals with the Cloud version of the TR-808, the definitive emulation of arguably the most influential drum machine in music history. You can grab it for a solid 55 Euro. Next ...
Reaktor 7 turns out to be a no-go: Native Instruments denies its own speculation, saying a comment got taken out of context.
GEMA vs. Suno: Munich's Regional Court rules AI music training illegal, the first European ruling to establish a licensing requirement for music AI.
We're showing you three plugins for producing drum and bass in the box, beyond the usual synth suspects like Serum and friends.
Dangerous Music's BAX EQ Plugin brings the legendary mastering EQ into software form, certified by original designer Chris Muth himself.
Stem mastering vs. full mix mastering: what's the difference, when does it pay off, and what do you actually need for a professional-sounding track?
Erica Synths x Ninja Tune Zen Delay, Mäag Audio EQ2/EQ4-MS, and Three-Body Technology Future DS on sale: delay, mastering EQ, and de-essing, cheap.
Available now!
The Quad Cortex mini offers many of the same features as the QC, but is almost as small as the NC. And it's now available from Thomann!
Brainworx Sale: Up to 81% off plugins like bx_console and bx_masterdesk and more. Only until July 31.
Beyond turntables, mixers, and controllers, there's DJ gear that genuinely levels up your setup. Here are three underrated tools worth adding to your rig.
Sterile hi-hats, flat basslines, static pads: SINEE Noisquito fixes that with noise as a modulator instead of a second layer. Not just for techno.
This year's Arturia Summer Sale has landed. And that means big discounts on effects and instruments once again!
SUPERBOOTH
Superbooth 27 is coming to the FEZ Berlin from May 6-8, 2027. All news, rumors, announcements and videos about the synth festival in one place.
D16 Group Devastor2, Pulsar Audio Echorec, and Klevgrand Skaka on sale: distortion, vintage delay, and shaker percussion at a serious discount.
Guitar Summit 2026, September 25-27 in Mannheim: Seven new masterclasses are now bookable. But move fast, spots are strictly limited!
Recording on the go doesn't need a full studio. A compact interface, a rugged mic, and solid headphones get you covered anywhere. Here's our Perfect Match.
Available now!
Native Instruments Super*Saw turns A. G. Cook's signature supersaw sound into a playable synth. The first new NI synth in years.
Dirk Ulrich has bought back Brainworx and Plugin Alliance through his new company RCKFRC. A genuinely emotional moment for the whole community.