I don't know who first said "If it ain't broke, don't fix it", but if anyone had actually taken the adage literally, we'd still be living in caves and using flint tools. Life is a continuing process that evolves and progresses at an accelerating rate, and there can be few areas where change takes place quite so quickly as it does in electronic music and recording hardware. Back in 1985, when I was first appointed as Editor of a certain recording magazine, MIDI was barely out of the development stage, synthesizers were mainly analogue devices and an 8-track tape recorder was a luxury enjoyed only by the select few. Samplers cost about the same as a semi-detached in Surbiton, digital reverbs cost about as much as a decent family saloon, and the phrase 'hard disk' meant nothing to those who worked outside the computer industry.

Looking back, there was nothing intrinsically wrong with any of the products at the time, but the designers went ahead and fixed them anyway. The result? An era of almost unbelievably sophisticated recording and sound generation equipment with real-term prices far below those of their much cruder forebears. Now virtually anyone with an interest in home recording or music-making can afford equipment that would have been beyond the wildest dreams of even the top professionals 15 years ago.

When Sound On Sound was launched almost a decade ago, it positioned itself squarely at the cutting edge of music and recording technology, not only reflecting change but in some cases helping promote it.

Today, the underlying aim of the magazine remains much the same, though its presentation and editorial balance is constantly being refined in order to provide the best possible service to all our readers. Under my guidance as the newly appointed Editor, that underlying philosophy will remain unchanged, and I'm very proud to be offered the helm of what is not just Europe's leading hi-tech music recording magazine, but in my view, the best magazine of its type in the world.

So, what changes can you expect to see in the near future? The most obvious change in recent months is clearly the physical size of Sound On Sound, which has grown considerably to incorporate Recording Musician. This expanded format will be maintained and may even grow further, and we have other plans to increase the value of SOS even more substantially — stay tuned!

What I intend to bring to the magazine is an even more practical approach to both electronic music and recording, though the dividing line between these two disciplines has now virtually evaporated. I also feel that you shouldn't have to be an electronics engineer or computer wizard to be able to make use of all this wonderful, new technology. If a topic is explained properly, even an apparently complex one, I feel that anyone should be able to grasp it. SOS has never been afraid to look at the technology of music-making in depth, and that's one aspect of our philosophy that won't change.

Sound On Sound is an invaluable asset for anyone wishing to become the true master of music and recording technology; without knowledge, even the most sophisticated piece of hardware is just a waste of time, space and money — and Sound On Sound's role is to continue to provide that knowledge.