Five cards currently make up the Sound Source Unlimited library for the 01/W. Each card contains 100 programs and 100 combinations along with at least one demo tune called up by pressing the 'Bank' button when in sequencer mode. Every card comes with a comprehensive list of programs and provides a good description of each sound. Where the joystick or aftertouch have been programmed to alter the effect parameters, this is also mentioned.

The first of the cards, New Age Textures appears to be dedicated to providing sounds for new age, jazz and easy listening music (...and who could say with any certainty where new age ends and jazz begins? - Ed). There are some good acoustic instruments here, as well as some excellent basses, pads - and a shakuhachi with a difference only the 01/W could provide. The star of the show, however, is the 'Piano Octav' combination, which I'd go so far as to say is the most incredible piano sound you'll ever hear from an 01/W.

Radical Film Textures is, as its name suggests, aimed primarily at those engaged in the writing of film and TV soundtracks, and is full of mood-evoking atmospheric and industrial sounds. There are too many nondescript pads in here for general use, but they are perfect for soundtracks, and some of the combinations are superb, demonstrating what the 01/W is capable of. Similarly, Non-Linear Explorations is a collection of sounds which defy categorisation. It contains massive digital and analogue synth voices, moody pads and hard, percussive noises. It's probably the most 'general purpose' of all the cards, but didn't, I felt, make the best use of the 01/W's waveshaping capabilities.

As a title, Urban Dance/Pop leaves little to the imagination and this is reflected in the card which contains some excellent piano sounds, hard 'n' heavy basses, guitars, 'cheesy' organs and analogue synths. The drum kits are, as you would expect, quite different from the basic 01/W kits, and include scratches and other sound effects. Finally, we come back to earth with the Symphonic Collection which introduces an excellent selection of orchestral sounds, both solo and ensemble, which would be equally at home in a symphony or a pop song.

The programming on all these cards is superb, and all of them are significantly different from the basic 01/W sounds to make them worth having. It is unlikely that one person would want to own them all, since each appears to serve a specific function with little overlap between them, but I could envisage studios opting for the full set. My favourite? That would have to be New Age Textures for the aforementioned 'Piano Octav' and a superb pad sound, called 'Glasspad', that almost makes you cry!

Price: ROM card. £49. Disk, £29

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