Technolust or techno paranoia - when does the love of technical development turn into fear of your gear becoming outdated? Tim Goodyer takes a short course in techno-psychotherapy.

Advance information on some of the developments due to appear at this year's Frankfurt music show appears in this month's helping of news from the hi-tech music industry.

Readers' writes on matters hi-tech and musical - a leading London retailer replies over computer viruses while the women have the last word on sexism in music.

Reviewed as the TG55 expander last month, one of Yamaha's new children has grown a keyboard and sequencer and become an instrument in its own right. Ian Waugh gives a SY of relief.

Now some five years old, MOTU's Performer Mac sequencing software has undergone a series of significant upgrades. Kendall Wrightson boots up version 3.2.

Yamaha's new SY22 combines RCM synthesis with elements of the Prophet VS's vector synthesis to give us Dynamic Vector Synthesis. Simon Trask previews the return of the joystick synth.

When Soft Cell disbanded, Marc Almond quickly established himself as a solo artist, but what became of his keyboard-playing partner? David Bradwell talks to David Ball about his latest project.

Ignoring the sunshine and the siestas, this month's On The Beat concentrates on the sounds and the instruments of Brazil. Nigel Lord guides us through the samba Batucada and the Maracatu.

Son of TDM's Virtuoso ST sequencing software, the budget Prodigy retains many of its parent's best features. Ian Waugh checks out the fastest little sequencer in the west.

Been to the flicks recently? Impressed by the sound system? Thought not. Tim Goodyer looks at the current plight of cinema sound and some of the digital alternatives.

Eventide call it their Ultra-harmoniser, but is it worthy to follow in the footsteps of their standard-setting model 910? Vic Lennard and technology in perfect harmony.

Meanwhile, at the other extreme of ST sequencing, Steinberg's Cubase program gains a real-time MIDI Manager and a large-format monitor. Nigel Lord touches a new base.

You can't discuss the Manchester dance movement without A Guy Called Gerald. Simon Trask talks success and setbacks to one of Britain's most influential young artists.

A synth is only as good as its sounds - and that goes for any synth controller too - sax, violin, guitar... Ollie Crooke And Simon Thomas look at sound programming for MIDI controllers.

From the R8 Human Rhythm Composer comes the Total Percussion Sound Module "humanising' without a sequencer? Simon Trask investigates Roland's latest beat box and a selection of sound cards.

Turning your ST into a sampler is one way of getting into sampling on the cheap. Ian Waugh sounds out an improved version of Microdeal's successful Replay sampler.

A hot new discovery from one of Britain's oldest universities threatens to revolutionise music broadcasting. Tim Goodyer's exclusive on a development that could change the world - literally.