Reasons for our increase in cover price.

A selection of opinions and queries from the E&MM postbag.

Upcoming electronic music products and events.

How can the principles of Artificial Intelligence be employed to make a computer musical instrument sound like a grand piano? David Ellis delves deep into the workings of a £10,000+ Stateside keyboard.

What the world has been waiting for - Roland's first-ever digital drum machine. Exclusive review by Dan Goldstein.

A cosmetic overhaul, some additional facilities and a price reduction for Siel's Opera 6 polysynth. Geoff Twigg reports.

Innovations abound on Panasonic's first entry into the pro keyboard stakes. Trish McGrath finds out if it really is four pianos in one.

Paul White looks at the first musical instrument product from a Japanese giant. Has Akai's poly got the sounds and the facilities necessary for it to make an impact on today's synth world?

A British-built electronic drum kit for under £500. Sounds good, affirms reviewer Paul White.

The world's cheapest programmable digital drum machine looks on paper to be a fine companion for Korg's similarly-priced Latin percussion machine. Paul White checks out the reality.

Or how to get perfectly-timed, programmable fill-ins from a single electronic drum pad. Paul White and another clever piece of design by MPC.

Tangerine Dream give a piece of their collective musical mind to Matthew Vosburgh, who also took the pictures.

Win a copy of the Tangs' new double album, 'Poland', in a competition so easy even the advertising staff know the answers.

A December vinyl overload, as releases from Chaka Khan, Frankie Goes To Hollywood, Alison Moyet and others come under scrutiny.

A special report on one of Britain's premier avant garde music festivals, Musica Nova.

Vangelis, one of the synthesiser world's most influential figures, reveals the long-hidden facts about his approach to modern music-making. Interview by Dan Goldstein.

What goes on behind the apparently calm world of soundtrack-writing, by Steve Howell, who's been through it all himself.

Part three, and a look at the design thinking behind this astonishing MIDI-controlled sampling unit.

The last instalment, not only of Steve Howell's look at using sequencers, but also of the series as a whole.

Steve Howell (again) continues our series on interconnection by describing solutions to problems that arise from interfacing synths from different eras and manufacturers.

Audio and CV trigger circuits for E&MM's ever-popular digital percussion module. And there's talk of a Syndrom II on the way...

Readers send in their own synth sounds and details of how to play them. Sounds this month for the SCI Six-Trak, Roland JX3P, and a rather special patch for Yamaha's DX series.