You know all those classic sixties and seventies songs you keep hearing on TV ads these days? Well, almost every one you hear is not in fact the original recording but a completely new version. To give you an idea of how such reconstructions are produced, Nigel Beaham-Powell of Streets Ahead Music Productions recounts how he went about reproducing a Bryan Ferry track.

Want to add multi-mode filtering, additive synthesis, three extra envelopes, microtonal and fixed frequency tunings, and eight independent effects units to your Ensoniq ESQ1 or SQ80, without invalidating your warranty? Greg Truckell reveals how...

Casio's DA1 is the smallest and cheapest Digital Audio Tape recorder on the market, and an ideal addition to any home studio. Paul Ireson swoons in its presence.

Philip Glass is best known for his work as a minimalist classical composer, but recently he's been completing work in fields as diverse as opera, piano recitals, film and synth ensembles. Mark Jenkins talked to the minimalist maestro during a fleeting visit to London for his latest opera, 'The Making Of The Representative From Planet 8'.

Roland have left the business of making MIDI controller keyboards up to others for at least three years, but have now just released two new models. Paul Ireson gets carried away with Roland's latest mother keyboard, the A50.

Looking for an editor to help you plumb the depths of your LA sounds? David Hughes uncovers a real gem of a program for the Atari ST that makes light work of editing Roland D10, D20, and D110 synths, and can even be used with the MT32.

Four simultaneous effects and real-time MIDI control are features found on several recent effects processors, but the Alesis Quadraverb is the first to bring both together in a single unit. Paul Ireson lends an ear.

David Mellor dabbles in a spot of SMPTE/MIDI troubleshooting with the Friend Chip SRC/AT processor.

Tony Wride takes a stroll down nostalgia lane and discovers two companies that can turn your prized antique into a thoroughly modern MIDI instrument.

Studio engineer Gareth Stuart puts this new VLM range of microphones through their collective paces.

Lexicon's MRC unit is much more than a fancy remote controller for their PCM70 and LXP1 signal processors - it also provides analogue-like controls for easy editing of DX synth parameters and manipulation of virtually any MIDI controller data. Martin Russ checks out the power behind the buttons.

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.

Oberheim's two Performance Effects units are something of a new direction for a company associated with classic analogue synths. Paul Ireson tries them out and finds a few surprises in store - not all of them pleasant.

Part 4: Building a 19" rack. There is only so high a temporary stack of equipment can get before it becomes a danger to life and limb. David Mellor explains how to give your rackmount gear a happy home.

Ian Gilby investigates this novel solution to your MIDI wiring headaches.

Martin Russ dishes up another concoction of MIDI hints and tips.

Paul Gilby reports on SOS activities on the run-up to the launch of The Music Network.

Rowland Jones mounts the soapbox this month to sound off about 'technolust'!