From the New York roots of hip hop, KRS One talks about street-level production values and samples as the poor musician's alternative to real musicians. Simon Trask listens to the Music of the Spheres.

Making Music Keyfax 4: Samplers & Controllers by Julian Colbeck Computer Manuals Windows Stuff Microsoft Forgot! by Ed Tiley Music Of Life George Clinton sample CD

Coldcut, David Ruffy

Wilf Smarties looks for the perfect beat in two new HitSound sample CDs, from production team Coldcut and drummer David Ruffy.

After five years in the wilderness, Orchestral Manoeuvres in the Dark are back with a new LP and tour. Tim Goodyer talks to Andy McCluskey about the value of technology.

Groove guru Wile Smarties reports on the latest sample CDs.

From his remixes of dance music through his record releases with LA Mix, Les Adams has specialised in making a lot out of a little equipment. His latest project is a solo LP, as Simon Trask finds out.

From the humblest of 4-track cassette recorders to the might of 48-track digital, multitrack is the technique used for 99.9% of all commercial recordings. David Mellor looks at the background to this powerful tool and wonders how we ever managed without it.

Turning digital dreams into reality

Ian Boddy is one of this country's foremost independent 'electronic music' composers. David Hughes talks to him about the recording of his new CD 'Odyssey'.

On a Moroccan roll

Fly-on-the-wall vision of an ethnic recording expedition

why drummer stephen morris prefers programming computers to bashing skins

the subtle differences explained

PART 3: What is it like to sit down at the Synclavier - the world's most expensive instrument - and create a piece of music? David Mellor finds out and tells the whole story.

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".

Sampler test

Three big names, but which one’s the best?

Wilf Smarties kicks off our regular look at new sample CD releases.

Chrysta Jones & Mike McDermot

Mackie Designs 1202 Mixer

This compact, inexpensive mixer boasts an impressive audio specification and offers a host of applications.

Sound Module

Take 20 classic keyboards into the shower? Now you can just trigger and go with E-mu's Vintage Keys sound module, provider of sampled keyboard sounds from the Minimoog to the Mellotron. But who would you have in goal?, asks Peter Forrest

Questions & Answers

PART 8: David Mellor expands on some of the points that have arisen so far in the series and looks at some alternative patchbays from Connectronics.

Rugged adventures recording Balinese music

Urban Guerilla

Paul Tingen meets William Orbit, re-mix maestro and the man behind Bass-O-Matic.

Behringer Multifex • Ultrafex • Bassfex • Multiband Enhancers