Beat Magazine #235 – August 2025

33 Efficient Pro Level Hacks for Your Mixes – with Beat 08/25

Pure horror for some, an intuitive stylistic device for others: the topic of mixing affects us all. Whether it‘s a studio jam, live act or mixdown – in the end, all tracks should shine and the mix should press. Fun fact: You can do this without endless sessions or tedious listening in a continuous loop! In this month’s masterclass, we show you the fun side of mixing and how you can arrange and perform entire tracks “on the fly” – with desktop hardware, mixing software, modular mixers or via app from your couch.

Gratis download: 4 song templates for your DAW

Our four mixing templates for popular DAWs provide practical starting points for important mixing tasks. And to help you prepare your tracks for Apple Music, Spotify, and other platforms, we‘ll explain what to look out for in a workshop. Find the templates for Ableton Live, Logic X, Cubase, FL Studio, Reason and Studio One plus workshops in the magazine‘s downloads.

When Echoes Tell Stories: UJAM UFX Delay for FREE

Forget boring repetitions – with the UFX Delay, our software highlight of the month by UJAM, every echo becomes a creative statement! Musical delay modes and flexible effects make the plug-in a dream tool for sound design. Whether it‘s detuned repeats, octave jumps or rhythmically filtered echoes – UFX Delay is a delay, a filter, a multi-effect and a Surprise Machine all in one. Ready for new soundscapes?

Test: ESI Xsynth – World’s Smallest Synth … Controller … With Audio-Interface?

The world’s flattest synth? It‘s quite possible, because ESI uses the ultra-thin and compact keyboard of the Xkey series for the Xsynth, and this special design makes it a highlight in the studio or on the go. We took a closer look at the combination of controller keyboard, audio interface, and VA synthesizer in a practical test examined closely.

In Touch With JakoJako: Language of Emotions

It was only supposed to be a holiday. But then JakoJako‘s trip to Vietnam turned into a source of inspiration. On her new album Tet 41, the traditional, spectacularly colourful moon festival is the centre of a hypnotic, elegant sound trip in which impressions and moods pass weightlessly before the mind‘s eye.

Why your mix should be structured like a work of art

There are countless ways to describe the arranging and mixing of a piece of music. Most of these approaches are technical in nature: They involve frequencies, equalizers, volume balances – all measures to „clean up“ the mix and ensure every element is clearly audible. But what if we shift the focus?