Sampling The Emulator

Share reality with Culture Club producer Steve Levine, the Attractions' Steve Nieve, and keyboard whizz Dave Stewart.

Greater reliance on hi-tech instruments in the studio means there's more demand for people able to programme them. Paul Gilby spoke first to Karin Clayton about her recently formed agency that supplies programmers for studio sessions, and then to Fairlight programmer Simon Lloyd about his work.

Readers' patches for DX7, CZ101 and Bit One synths, and the Yamaha CX5M micro. Keep 'em coming...

Ideas, asides, impertinences, and that.

A half-page of wit from Adrian Deevoy. Or should that be...

Wonderful Radio Mike Hrano brings you a bulletin on how to get fair play on your airplay

How much do musicians really earn? The rich ones (ahem) the poor ones (definitely).

Nominated by Steve Levine, Steve Lillywhite, Peter Collins, Hugh Padgham, Swain and Jolley

Their trials and tribulations.

On the hour, every hour.

can you tell a real drummer?

Another year, another host of hardware to look back on. We take you through the goodies and the baddies that came out during '84, just in case you missed any of them.

An evening performance

Bass modes

Perfecting the acoustics of your studio

Free of Culture Club, guitarist Roy Hay declares his infatuation with soul music and forms a new band. Tim Goodyer listens to his tales of "programming madness".

An interview with, the BPI's Producer of the Year.

Culture Club producer Steve Levine discusses his attitudes to modern music-making, and how the new interface makes his life easier.

Why has this top record producer - the man behind Culture Club's phenomenal success on vinyl - given up using the Fairlight in favour of a Steinberg Pro-24 system? Why is he so upset about the myths that surround digital recording? Ralph Denyer went along to Levine's new studio to find out...

UB40 exclusive... the drums go digital... Plus Dread at the Controls - top producer Mikey Dread dubs it up, and reveals some trade secrets...

Learn about Arif Mardin, Glenn Miller, Afrodiziak, DX7s, PCM70s, 9000s, and "One On One".

Rapino Brothers

Kylie and Take That’s remixers talk technique

Question: What do Phil Collins, Howard Jones, Chaka Khan and David Bowie have in common? Answer: They have all recorded with Arif Mardin, one of the world's top record producers. Robin Tolleson chats to the man himself...

John "Jellybean" Benitez is the leader of the current trend of DJs turned recording artists. Tim Goodyer talks to him about the relationship between the dancefloor and the recording studio.

Is there life after Limahl? Yup. The four shy boys take turns to explain how they do it, and what they do it on.