Wind Controllers

Unveiled at NAMM and stars of the BMF, these two new instruments receive their exclusive preview in MT. Tim Goodyer takes a deep breath before taking a closer look.

Is heavy metal really all mouth and trousers, or is there music in there too? Gary Moore's keyboardsman discusses technology and the changing face of rock with Tim Goodyer - quietly.

Catch your breath before reading - a new age in synth controllers is dawning and they'll blow you away. But where do they fit into the present scheme of things? No MT, no comment.

The beat doesn't come much harder than from this respected London funk outfit. In the wake of their debut LP Tim Goodyer gets the hard facts about rhythm from a box.

Never a dull moment at the office, as the telephone keeps the world in touch with Music Technology.

Free of Culture Club, guitarist Roy Hay declares his infatuation with soul music and forms a new band. Tim Goodyer listens to his tales of "programming madness".

Pick a number, any number... With modern equipment sounding more and more like car number plates and less and less like instruments, it could be time to return to naming gear rather than numbering it.

The Editor's Tale

The second part of our investigation of Japan concentrates on the Roland organisation; Tim Goodyer meets mystery, "Mr Roland" and Sally.

Progress is finally challenging the oldest studio tradition of them all: the use of magnetic tape for recording. As direct-to-disk systems become more desirable and more affordable is it time to revise our attitudes to recording?

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.

This month's question: sounds or notes? Perhaps it's time for keyboard players to rediscover emotion in playing music instead of providing an intricate background for those musicians who never forgot it.

His time with Rainbow, Whitesnake and Ozzy Osbourne has made Don Airey a rock institution (rather than putting him in one). Tim Goodyer talks to him about music and machinery.

What is a producer's role in making music? Come to that, what is a producer? With today's technology bringing the recording studio into peoples' homes, the rules are changing.

With the dust just settling from his criticism of the Pet Shop Boys, MT's fearless editor sets his sights elsewhere. The postman has put in for danger money...

Really Big Men

The band tipped to make it BIG in '88. Tim Goodyer talks to a DJ/keyboard player with a unique place in rock 'n' roll and a singer/guitarist who's going to make Madonna and Lita Ford look like Dot Cotton and Hilda Ogden.

John "Jellybean" Benitez is the leader of the current trend of DJs turned recording artists. Tim Goodyer talks to him about the relationship between the dancefloor and the recording studio.

Frankfurt Musik Messe 1988

It's that time of year when the music fraternity descend on a frozen Frankfurt. Tim Goodyer and Simon Trask check out new gear, new ideas and tired feet.

A staff vacancy and a competition winner are only two items on another packed agenda for the music press' answer to Hill Street Blues. Sign in and check out the action.

Will Digital Audio Tape bring digital clarity to domestic tape recording or will the major record companies use it to impose restrictions on what you can do with recordings you've already paid for?

Four years on from the successes of The Flat Earth, Thomas Dolby has moved to LA for his follow-up LP, Aliens Ate My Buick. Tim Goodyer discovers that aliens have a lot to say.

The pace is hot; no sooner than there's a new technical development it's old hat. How do you keep up with the world that is modern music technology?

After three years out of the public eye, Scritti are straight back in the charts with a new LP and single. Green Gartside explains to Tim Goodyer why technology has replaced live performance.

Q: When is a guitar not a guitar? A: When it's part of David Sylvian's music. Taking time out from a hectic schedule David Torn talks guitar textures and musical crossovers with Tim "pretentious, moi?" Goodyer.

Is music education a good thing? Does it contribute to the general quality of music and if so, is enough being done to promote it? Tim Goodyer delivers the lecture.

Recently seen effortlessly blowing Bo Diddley and Ron Wood off stage, Ellis Beggs and Howard have been compared to the Rolling Stones in musical significance. Tim Goodyer rediscovers rock 'n' roll.