Patchwork returns after one month's sabbatical to face a whole host of new patches, and to welcome a couple of newcomers in the Korg DW8000 and Oberheim Matrix 6. For those of you who've wondered if we 'test drive' the patches selected for publication, let's just say that we test sounds wherever possible. However, for obvious reasons, we don't have access to every make and model of synth ever produced, and this is where a short demo cassette of your submitted patches can be a deciding factor in whether we get around to hearing your creations for ourselves. And let's face it: programming a DX7 with 20 sounds is practically a day's work. Don't worry about your playing or recording technique - just concentrate on getting your sounds on tape, and whet our appetite...

Don't forget that if your patch gets published, a free year's subscription will wing its way to your front door with our compliments. Send us your favourite sounds on a photocopy of an owner's manual chart (coupled with a blank one for artwork purposes), including a good description of your sound and its musical purpose in life-and don't forget to include your full name and address on each chart. Remember, edited presets are all very well, but an original masterpiece is ten times more preferable OK?

The address to send sounds to: Patchwork, (Contact Details).

Korg DW8000 - 'Moments in Love'

Simon Lowther, Axford, Hants

No, 'Moments in Love' is not a new Mills & Boons title, but an atmospheric flute-cum-vocal sound for Korg's DW8000. Simon says it's 'great for those Art of Noise impressions' (hence the title), and it makes good use of Korg's ingenious built-in digital delay.

Oberheim Matrix 6 - 'Phaedra'

Gianni Godino, Italy

Nice to see the excellent Matrix range getting a look in. 'Phaedra' is 'dedicated to all Tangerine Dream fans everywhere', according to its creator, but before the rest of you reach for the hair gel, it's not so cosmic as to be confined entirely to that genre. The patch is well suited to atmospheric chordal work, and a little subtle variation can be introduced by reducing the amount of frequency modulation slightly (parameters 22 and 23). A good playing technique will make the most of the velocity sensitivity that's programmed.

Casio CZ101/1000 - 'Module Two'

R Davies, Notts

Christened 'the perfect CZ sound' by its creator (the things people will do for a free sub), 'Module Two' is the result of manipulating two 1+1 synth string sounds, merging them together into one patch, and fiddling with the Detune and Vibrato parameters until a strong Carillon-type of sound emerges. As usual, the patch lends itself to experimentation, and the programmer suggests you 'detune by two octaves for a powerful synth strings effect'. All in all, a distinctive, versatile sound.

Yamaha DX7 - 'Slaps'

Andrew Purdy, Moargreen, Notts

The ubiquitous DX7 comes up with another goodie, this time 'a mixture of deep rich grand and a light harpsichord', though it could be mistaken for a distorted electric piano on a good day. 'Slaps' works well over the full length of the keyboard, but as it's quite an attention-grabber, you may need to use it in moderation.