Digital Sampling Keyboard

The competition is tough for Roland's upmarket sampler. Paul Wiffen discovers if 16 voices, a fine keyboard, and direct monitor connection are enough to put it at the top of the tree.

Wave goodbye to constant repatching of MIDI cables and problems with the delay-inducing Thru socket using these useful MIDI routing boxes from Quark. Paul Wiffen enlightens us.

Tired of lurking in the shadows of the contemporary music scene, Keith Emerson, one of the synth world's most influential figures, is now on the verge of re-forming ELP, the band that earned him his reputation.

AWM Expander

Every so often a product comes along which changes everyone's idea of what they can expect at a certain price. Yamaha’s new £250 box sets a new standard in price/performance for sampled piano (and other) sounds. Paul Wiffen gets excited enough to spend his own money!

Peter Gabriel at Selhurst Park

At last, the CMI frees itself from the constraints of an analogue interface and starts talking MIDI. Paul Wiffen checks out the results.

Getting the Most from... MONO MODE

Only one drum machine has so far been given an implementation of MIDI's multi-timbral Mode 4 - the Sequential Tom. Paul Wiffen reveals how it can be used.

Swing

Part 1: The Casio CZ Series

Baffled by MIDI Mode 4 on the Casio CZ synths? Paul Wiffen plots a path through one of modern technology's minefields, and explains how to get the best from it.

Reverb: Too much of a good thing?

A new column that allows music industry figures to air their views on whatever it is that bugs them! Keyboard programmer, music consultant and author Paul Wiffen kicks things off this month.

Portable Amp designed by Tom Scholz

At last - the instrument with a name on everybody's lips receives an in-depth examination of its European version. Man-on-the-spot is Paul Wiffen.

Polyphonic Sampling Keyboard

An exclusive, in-depth report on the machine that promises to bring Emulator quality to the masses. Paul Wiffen, Emulator fan, finds out if the promises are fulfilled.

Paul Wiffen peers inside the latest SP12 to find a host of clever modifications: they help keep the E-mu machine at the top of the beat-box tree.

Akai's super-sampler carries on where their S612 left off. Paul Wiffen finds its ease of use belies its sophistication.

The Return of the Modular Synthesizer

Digidesign continue to add to their innovative range of synthesis programs which use the flexibility of computers for sound creation and the hardware of MIDI samplers to replay the sounds. Paul Wiffen finds he loves the former but hates the latter.

Touch-Sensitive Polyphonic Synthesiser

The new Sequential Circuits touch sensitive programmable poly synth

...in New Orleans, Paul Wiffen takes time out to visit the NAMM show, and returns bearing news of the Series III Fairlight, the Emulator SP12 and the OSC Advanced Sound Generator, and more.

AES Report

Dan Goldstein and Paul Wiffen go down and out in Beverly Hills - and drop in on America's biggest recording convention along the way. Within its walls, a quiet revolution is taking place...

Digital recording direct to hard disk, from the company that built its reputation with the Wave synthesisers. Paul Wiffen examines the new direction.

Sampling Keyboard

The 'baby Emulator', announced only a month ago, gets put through its paces by Paul Wiffen at E-mu's Californian HQ. It's good.

AES Show Report

Forthcoming new products from the hi-tech music recording field.

Judie Tzuke, Tangerine Dream, Depeche Mode, Dio

Emulator SP12

What happens when you give a drum machine the sound-sampling capabilities of an Emulator keyboard? Little short of a miracle, according to reporters Paul Wiffen and Annabel Scott.

Sample Replay Unit

In a musical climate dominated by preset sounds, why not produce a rack-mounting unit that simply replays other people's samples? Paul Wiffen analyses Oberheim's attempt at doing just that.