John Chowning, inventor of FM synthesis and the man indirectly responsible for Yamaha's DX synths, receives an interrogation from Simon Trask. In the event, our man scarcely gels a word in edgeways.

Part 2 of an in-depth interview with Job Chowning, inventor of FM digital synthesis. Simon Trask gets in a few more questions than he did last month.

the man who gave FM to the DX7

From artistic oppression under Stalin to contributing to Stanley Kubrick's 2001: A Space Odyssey, György Ligeti has remained a true music pioneer. Simon Trask talks to a musical legend.

Severed Heads mainman Tom Ellard in conversation with Dan Goldstein - no one in the modern music industry is safe.

A Canadian guitarist with a low profile but a high pedigree pays a visit to Britain. Tim Goodyer finds out about the infinite guitar and the infancy of FM synthesis.

Simon Millward visits the world-renowned Centre for Computer Research in Music and Acoustics at Stanford University, California and talks to its famous director, Professor John Chowning, inventor of FM synthesis.

By Musicians for Musicians

The long-awaited book from John Chowning and Dave Bristow comes under close scrutiny; Martin Russ dons his white wig...

Music with Mainframe computers

Everything you didn't want to know and couldn't be bothered to ask

Stereo imaging has come on a long way from simply panning instruments between two speakers to create the illusion of a band on stage. Ernie Tello looks into state-of-the-art sound processing and what it can do for music.

Advanced Vector Synthesiser

In their days at the top, Sequential pioneered an exciting form of sound generation called Vector Synthesis. Simon Trask witnesses its revival in Korg's Wavestation.

New technology has already brought the music industries of East and West closer together, but how has that affected the music itself, and what will happen as the two cultures get closer still? Gary Larson gives his viewpoint.

Italian-designed keyboards have received mixed success over the years. Elka's old Rhapsody string synth was a popular instrument in the seventies but their main polysynth, the Synthex, failed to set the world alight. That may well be about to change with the release of their impressive 9-voice, multi-timbral, DX7-soundalike, the EK44, and the 6-voice analogue EK22. Or is it? Mark Jenkins offers his views.

What you may have 'missed' at the Los Angeles AES and the London Hands On Shows.

Los Angeles and London were the recent locations for two very different audio get-togethers. Paul Gilby reports on the proceedings and products shown at both the AES and Hands-On shows.

Korg's very latest keyboard is non other than a touch-sensitive, sub-£1000, 8-voice FM synthesizer! Mark Jenkins managed to catch a sneak preview.

Exclusive reviews of two avant garde music festivals that saw technology pushed to its creative limits, Ars Electronica at Linz and the International Computer Music Conference at IRCAM, Paris.

With the summer shows out of the way and the forthcoming new products all unveiled, Martin Russ looks into the crystal ball and plots out his version of where the world of synthesis might be heading...

The new FM synthesis

Having recently celebrated their first 100 years in the music industry, we thought it opportune to discover what Yamaha have planned for the next century. Paul Gilby investigates.

Computer music and electro-acoustic education in London.

Synclavier

The updated Synclavier with new software. We take it for a test run.

Part 6: The final episode of our series for FM synth owners, in which Martin Russ removes the mystique from FM programming. Operators at the ready!

RCM Synthesizer

The DX7 captured musicians’ imaginations like no other synthesizer before or since. But the legacy of releasing endless variations on the DX theme has turned some musicians away from FM synthesis and into the waiting arms of a new generation of 'sample plus synth' keyboards. Now Yamaha are back with a vengeance, an even more powerful method of synthesis (Real-time Convolution and Modulation), and a spanking new flagship synth. But has the SY77 got what it takes to regain the hi-tech musician's vote? Martin Russ finds out.

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