Percussion Voice Expander

Nick Rowland takes sticks to Simmons pads - and finds a whole load of tuned percussion sounds appearing at the other end. Will drummers start putting xylophonists out of work?

Percussion Voice Expander

No space left in the rack for another Simmons module? After testing their latest percussion voice unit, Nick Rowland suggests you buy another rack to make room for it.

Yello made the sort of music everyone had heard of but few people heard - until Shirley Bassey helped them into the pop charts. These obscure Swiss art rockers reveal all to Nicholas Rowland.

Take the Fostex X15, restyle it, add new features, raise the price by the cost of a dirty weekend in Blackpool and you've got their new X30 multitracker. Nicholas Rowland finds out if they're on the right track.

Portable Keyboard

Budget polysynth or home organ accessory? Casio attempt to find another gap in the market with Spectrum Distortion synthesis. Nicholas Rowland finds it's not too far from old-fashioned analogue.

Rhythm Composer

Beat crazy. As yet another drum machine arrives on the market, Nicholas Rowland wonders if it's time to get away from the present format.

Electronic Drums

Pick up sticks; the latest electronic kit from Roland doesn't come with its own voices but Nicholas Rowland discovers its MIDI converter may have other uses in the studio.

An English playwrite talks to Nicholas Rowland about the lure of electronic sampling techniques; the sounds of the theatre come of age.

Cult masters of industrial funk talk hi-tech sounds, performance CDs and popular commerciality to Nicholas Rowland; the code of the '80s.

Personal Multitracker

The intrepid Nicholas Rowland continues his search for the ultimate in personal multitrackers; armed only with a blank cassette and a bedroom's worth of gear, he tackles Tascam's latest budget baby.

Once singer with The Pop Group, Mark Stewart has now joined forces with drummer Keith Leblanc and producer Adrian Sherwood under the title of The Maffia - Nicholas Rowland listens to the sounds of hell.

From being early Fairlight programmers, Simon Climie and Rob Fisher have pursued their songwriting career into the pop charts. Nicholas Rowland conducts the occasional interview.

The analogue synth is alive and well and living in Patchwork. The Minimoog, ARP Odyssey and Korg Mono/Poly make a welcome return to our monthly selection of readers' patches.

House from home. Nicholas Rowland talks to a British house band who have developed their music from television advertising jingles to chart success.

Talking Heads keyboard player Jerry Harrison talks to Nicholas Rowland about a forthcoming Heads LP and a solo project he calls The Casual Gods.

A drum machine that sounds more like a drum kit than anything Ludwig ever made? True or not, Alesis' beat box is going to find its way into a lot of recording studios. Nicholas Rowland returns to his roots.

Take an eight-track tape deck and a 128-track MIDI sequencer and you've got the basis of 2nd Sense studio. Nicholas Rowland visits a studio taking full advantage of what modern technology has to offer.

Electronic Percussion System

The company that pioneered the electronic drum kit bring us the next generation of electronic percussion. Nicholas Rowland investigates Zone Intelligence and tracker balls.

Digital Drum Machine

Competition is fierce in the budget drum machine arena. Nicholas Rowland takes a look at the British answer to the Japanese and American machines that have been in the limelight recently.

Cult reggae band or Top Of The Pops heroes? Nick Rowland talks to the men who've spent 14 years together and brought MIDI to reggae, and reggae to the pop charts.

From his Vox Continental days with Elvis Costello, to a regular spot on Jonathan Ross' The Last Resort, and now on to film scores, Steve Nieve has retained an objective approach to technology.

From his involvement in the infamous Frankie Goes To Hollywood sessions, Andy Richards has become an accomplished producer and programmer in his own right. Nicholas Rowland listens to a rationalisation of technology.

Man Jumping sticksman Simon Limbrick talks about tuned percussion, sampled percussion and technology on the stage. Nicholas Rowland tunes in to the rhythm of technology.

There's more than one way to a living out of music. Nicholas Rowland talks to the Pync Brothers about writing and recording music specifically for use in TV and radio advertising jingles.

A pro studio that's offering its facilities to new bands for free? Mike Myers tells Nicholas Rowland what's wrong with the record biz and how he's trying to put it right.