London Calling

Steve Jansen & Richard Barbieri

Following a brief diversion in the form of last year's Rain Tree Crow project, Steve Jansen and Richard Barbieri are once more pursuing their creative partnership. Paul Ireson reports on the recording of their latest album.

The Dawning Of A New Era?

The impact of new technology has brought many changes to the recording industry. It has equally brought problems. Why, for instance, are some studios failing to attract enough business to survive, whilst others seem to be flourishing? One West London studio that has foreseen the writing on the wall and implemented changes is Berwick Street Studios. So we checked them out.

Bryan Ferry

You know all those classic sixties and seventies songs you keep hearing on TV ads these days? Well, almost every one you hear is not in fact the original recording but a completely new version. To give you an idea of how such reconstructions are produced, Nigel Beaham-Powell of Streets Ahead Music Productions recounts how he went about reproducing a Bryan Ferry track.

The assembled masses of the IM review department wax lyrical over their selected favourites from this year's music fair.

Part five of our series on basic MIDI applications turns its attention to MIDI-controlled effects; Bob O'Donnell patches in the 19" rack-mounts with maximum delay.

Bokse SM-9 Timecode Event Controller

How do they manage to pack so many wonderful facilities into a 19" box? Paul Gilby sets the tempo, stripes the tape and explains why this MIDI/SMPTE synchroniser is a godsend to any studio.

Mike Skeet explains how to bring sound on sound recording into the 20th century using two video recorders and a Sony PCM processor.

Winter NAMM 1987

Our spectacular show coverage starts here, with masses of information - backed up by colour photographs - on the biggest Winter NAMM show there's ever been...

Tech Talk

Matthew Vosburgh takes a conducted tour around software for the Apple Macintosh with the author of The Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy.

In keeping with the ideals of the hip hop movement, the Stereo MCs new LP sees ingenuity and talent used to wring the most out of a minimum of equipment. Simon Trask elevates his mind.

Take two classically trained musicians, a studio full of hi-tech gear and a will to survive in the commercial world of music and you've got WBTM Music. Claire O'Brien learns how to be a musician and eat.

What's hot for '87

FX tutorial

Part one of Bob Dormon's effects tutorial

Who you (the readers) voted as best musician, and what you (still the readers) voted as best gear. We shake the world.

£600 (almost) buys you this boxful of MIDI-controlled digital effects processors. But can they be good quality? Ian Gilby dragged himself out of the studio long enough to give us his opinions.

From his formative days experimenting with Torchsong, William Orbit has made good through his remixes and a new outfit called Bass-o-matic. Tim Goodyer watches time catch up with a techno-prophet.

Who wants a programmable modular mixer and three-band sweep EQ system that offers full MIDI control of channel routing/muting and all fits neatly into a 19-inch rack? "I do!" shouts Paul Gilby. Read why...

ITs Guide To The British Music Fair

Ultravox: New improved formula

Dynamic MIDI control of EQ curves is only one of the creative benefits of this stereo 14-band equaliser, which offers tremendous tone-shaping power to those enlightened enough to explore its functions. Dave Lockwood sees the light and reports back.

Super LA Synthesizer

The D50 was never going to be an easy act to follow, but a successor to the title of Roland's flagship has now arrived. Richard Lamont puts it to the test.

Calum Malcolm: Going to Caledonia

It began with an illicit remix of Suzanne Vega and it's already earned them their own album release. Simon Trask tracks down the elusive DNA musical partnership to ask who, how and why.

NAMM Report

American software engineer Chris Meyer submits a personal, highly subjective and utterly biased report on Chicago's summer music extravaganza. Well, he was only there for a day.