in, out, in, out, in, out...

If you're looking for the sound of the Minimoog without the limitations of pre-MIDI gear, the MIDImoog could be for you. Tim Goodyer puts the 1989 version of Moog's classic synth through its paces.

A list of "classic" analogue synths could not be complete without Oberheim's OBXa. Peter Forrest reminisces about an instrument that won the hearts of many musicians.

arpeggiator, delay, mixer

Possibly the most timely and influential synthesiser development of the 70s was the Prophet 5. Dave Crombie takes a look back at the polysynth that was modelled on the Minimoog.

Prophet 600

While Sequential's Prophet 5 will always be regarded as a milestone in synthesiser technology, their Prophet 600 is almost forgotten already. Gordon Reid attempts to correct the history books.

Drumcheck

An abundance of features and digital sounds. Bob Henrit gets down to some serious TOMfoolery

As MIDI expands its influence, guidelines for improved compatibility between instruments are emerging. Vic Lennard examines the new General MIDI spec and Roland's proprietary GSS system.

Confused by MIDI - or even been hiding from it in the hope it might go away? Your prayers are answered and your fears dispelled by Bob O'Donnell in the first of a series that takes MIDI from the top.

One for the DIY fans. In this new series, Martin Russ penetrates deep into the heart of MIDI equipment and explores how they work, what chips they use and more...

A new studio standard?

The amazing musical instrument interface

A survey of trendsetters

Simmons SDX Drum Sampler

Lurking inside this angular-looking monster is a versatile computer system that will turn what is ostensibly an electronic drum kit (albeit a state-of-the-art 16-bit sampling one) into a formidable MIDI workstation. Ed Jones test drives Simmons' powerful, new SDX system.