RhythmCheck

Future perfect and future possibilities. Bob Henrit on Simmons' new trigger unit

'Can you benefit from something that doesn't make a noise?' asks Paul Gilby in his in-depth review of this interesting MIDI trigger device from the pioneers of the electronic drum. It might not generate sounds of its own but this unit certainly makes possible some marvellous effects when MIDI'd up to synthesizers. Check it out.

On the face of it, Dynacord's MCC-1 looks a worthwhile investment for those who wish to by-pass the Spaghetti Junction of MIDI cables in the studio. But it faces stiff competition from other manufacturers' products. Paul Gilby fathoms its depths and draws his conclusion.

Leaving the comforts of the studio behind, the Art of Noise step out into the real world of live music, taking their MIDI technology with them. Chris Meyer lends an ear to see how they fare.

Beating Like This

...Beating Like This. In the third part in our series on creative drum programming, Chris Meyer and Matt Isaacson take a detailed look at the various trigger-to-MIDI converters now available.

...Beating Like This. In the fourth part of our series, Matt Isaacson casts a critical eye over some of the electronic drum pads now available; will using them create a better beat?

Dynacord ADD-One Advanced Digital Drum System

As it stands, the ADD-One is a new 8-channel sampled sound expander designed to be triggered from Dynacord's own drum pads. But user-sampling and disk storage promise to extend its range of applications in the near future. Chris Everard reports.

Casio's first foray into the digital drum machine market, the RZ-1, offers all the usual rhythm features plus one extra - the facility to sample four of your own sounds. Mark Jenkins finds out if it matches his expectations.

...Beating Like This

...Beating Like This forever, and so Matt Isaacson's examination of "drum bugs" (and other nasties) and their applications for triggering electronic drum brains brings this series to a close.

Technical excess brought them success in the 70s, Trevor Horn rejuvenated them in the '80s, now they're working towards the '90s. Deborah Parisi asks the Yes men if there's anything left to say after 20 years.

...Beating Like This

...Beating Like This. If your drum machine is too robotic and your drum kit is too static, Matt Isaacson and Chris Meyer's tour of 'alternative' percussion controllers may be right up your street.

It's the biggest! It's the best! It's the 1986 British Music Fair! Our man on the inside, Tony Mills tracks down the hottest gear of the year

Sequential's One Man Band

Paul Wiffen first encountered the Studio 440 sampling drum machine several months ago when he was called in to help Stevie Wonder suss out his! It has since become the mainstay of his own programming armoury. Here he tells why...