Test on the Best?

Disk Recorder / Sequencer

Mark Jenkins gets to grips with this unassuming dual channel MIDI sequencer from the States and unearths some interesting facts...

drum synth

Flying in the face of fashion, Oberheim's new Matrix-6 polysynth utilises traditional analogue voicing and offers some of the most powerful and versatile sounds around. Keyboards man Paul Wiffen checks out its pedigree.

Full of Audio Promise

Modern developments in audio reproduction

arpeggiator, delay, mixer

They're stylish, they're cute, they're magnetically shielded - but how do they sound?

Groove M4CV MIDI-to-CV Convertor

Old analogue synths never die — they just gather dust until you can find a reason to kick them into life again. As Chris Ankin discovers, the Groove M4CV MIDI-to-CV convertor could be just such a reason.

Do you like sampled instrument sounds, but hate all of that tedious disk loading, looping and general messing about? Then you'll love Roland's new U110 sample player. Paul Ireson takes it for a spin.

Timing

MIDI Patch Transmitter

This latest add-on for the popular MIDIVERB and MIDIFEX lets you control the effect patch selection remotely by hand. Tony Hastings wishes he had thought of the idea first.

New synthesisers from across the Atlantic

Alesis Quadraverb Plus and Datadisk SQ

Upgrading your equipment doesn't always mean selling the old stuff and replacing it entirely: new facilities and features may be only a chip away. Tony Hastings looks at updated versions of two Alesis units.

Three jam-packed pages of hot new products.

Electronic Drum Module and Super Pads

To complete their recent flurry of new products, the Cambridgeshire company have come up with a programmable drum synth module and a set of 'Super Pads' specially designed for it. Nigel Lord takes the system for a trial run.

Programmable Rhythm Machines

Yamaha's first-ever self-contained programmable drum machines have PCM-encoded voices and MIDI. Kendall Wrightson gives his verdict.

Akai EWI 3020/3030

Wind controller and sound modules

Zoom 9001 Multi-Effects Processor

Big effects, small package — Mike Simmons thinks it must be a Zoom.

Roland M480 & M240R Rackmount Line Mixers

The competition to squeeze the maximum number of inputs and effects busses into the smallest possible rack space continues, as Kendall Wrightson discovers.

The best music program ever?

Part 1: In the States, Coda's Finale has been hailed as the "the most exciting use of the Apple Macintosh to date" and "the most powerful, most intelligent, most flexible music software available today". In this lengthy two-part review, Kendall Wrightson cuts through the hype to discover whether the claims are fact or fiction.

The second, and final part of Jay Chapman's Monitor program for E&MM's own BBC-MIDI interface. This month's instalment gives the program listing and explains how it was written.

Using Sequencers with Modular Systems

Steve Howell looks at different methods of triggering modular sequencers from click-tracks on tape.