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

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

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.

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.

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.

In the third part of this series on the growing uses of multiple MIDI channelisation, Paul Wiffen looks at the advantage of using separate audio outputs on the Akai S900.

A preview of Roland's first software-based digital recorder. As Paul Wiffen reports, it takes over where the MSQ range left off.

Rack-Mount Sampler/Sequencer

A rack-mount version of the EPS was something Ensoniq swore they would never produce, but they have finally bowed to public pressure. Paul Wiffen looks at the extra memory, extra outputs and SCSI applications, and concludes it has been worth the wait.

Sampling Drum Machine/Sequencer

After last month's In Brief preview, Paul Wiffen gets his hands on a first production model of Sequential's new all-in-one drum machine, sampler and sequencer. Is it the master of all trades?

Korg DSS1

A synth that samples, or a sampler with a built-in synthesiser? Either way, the DSS1 takes music-creation a step further, with sampling, waveform synthesis and analogue processing. Paul Wiffen fiddles to his heart's content.

Ensoniq ESQ1 Polysynth

The Mirage people announce a synth that uses analogue and digital technology, throws in a multitrack sequencer, and costs just over £1000. Paul Wiffen checks it out.