Recording

Songwriting today is about collaboration, capturing moments of inspiration and polishing them ’til they shine. Blake Slatkin is a master of the art.

Across 17 years and eight albums, Field Music have become one of Britain’s best-loved guitar bands. They’ve also evolved a...

Karl Marx predicted that history would repeat itself as farce — but he never saw a role for expert pop parody!

Blockbuster video game Horizon Zero Dawn took six years to make, and required its three composers to invent an entirely new sound world.

This month, our engineer gets roped into the writing and arrangement process as he tracks cello parts in a living room.

For his latest album, musician/producer Brian Eno has returned to the world of songwriting. But his ideas about music are as radical as ever...

From Rain Man to The Lion King, and Gladiator to Mission Impossible 2, Hans Zimmer's music is known by audiences worldwide. With business partner Jay Rifkin, Zimmer is also responsible for Media Ventures, a music studio that offers a unique environment for media composers.

Do hit songs have a hidden ingredient that makes them successful by appealing directly to our emotions? It's a question that musicians and scientists have sought the answer to for many decades. Acoustic researcher Ernest Cholakis has a new take on the theory...

Richard Buskin talks with two of Sweden's hottest writer-producers about their ongoing work as part of the Murlyn Music Group, including recent hit recordings by Jennifer Lopez, Samantha Mumba and Jessica Simpson.

The first album from this chart-topping pianist and chanteuse was a million-seller; her second looks set to continue the trend. Ian Gilby was invited into the Craven home studio to discuss the enduring appeal of MOR.

Headlining the biggest electronic music festival in Europe was a US composer almost unknown in the UK. A contemporary of synth pioneer Don Buchla, Suzanne Ciani enjoys enourmous success in America, yet such recognition has eluded her so far this side of the Atlantic.

In between tours with Ultravox and appearances on Live Aid, Midge Ure somehow found the time to discuss the writing and recording of his first ever solo LP 'The Gift' and his No.1 single with SOS Editor Ian Gilby.

You don't know his name but you'll have heard his refrains. Composer Paul Bliss writes hits for the best of 'em using a UMI-2B sequencer package and several synthesizers. Ralph Denyer finds out how.