Electronic Guitar Bow

Review by Bill Nelson.

Stuck for a good string sound or one you haven't used a hundred times before? Tom McLaughlin explains how an old guitar, a violin bow and a little ingenuity can work wonders.

Home-Made Percussion

Go bang yourself

can synths do the samba

Synth Techniques

improve your keyboard chords

Double Basses

Those large wooden things that are becoming surprisingly trend. How to cope.

Upsetting things that you've done to your own instruments.

how to ensure your guitar will give its best - and keep on giving it

Attack transients can bring a new level of interest and realism to your samples. The London Sample Workshop's Tom McLaughlin explains this trick of the trade.

A string arrangement can make or break a song — Ian Gardiner digs up a few basic rules for right-on arranging.

Mono/poly preset with orchestral voices

Six years have passed since New York's best-known performance artist leapt to fame with 'O, Superman'. Tim Goodyer finds she's still stretching technology to its limits in her new film 'Home of the Brave'.

The Chieftains In China

Janet Angus reports on what happened when Irish folk group The Chieftains took up an offer to do a concert tour of China and decided to record the event.

Shake with disbelief as you find out Korg have produced a 12 oscillator, 64 memory polyphonic for under a grand.

Is there life after Limahl? Yup. The four shy boys take turns to explain how they do it, and what they do it on.

This premier producer, conductor and arranger discusses his solo album 'The Best of the Alan Parsons Project'

Yamaha VL1m

Virtual synthesis in a box

Keep on running.

Tim Goodyer talks to the man who's programmed Peter Gabriel's synths, recorded a host of electronic albums under the name Synergy, and started up his own record label for instrumental music.

Vince Hill random samples new keyboard

Multi-media artist Laurie has come a long way since O Superman. But has the heart gone out of her Art? Mark Dery and Tony Reed find out

The benefits of additive synthesis software as a means of imitating natural sounds, creating new ones and tidying up your sample loops. Tom McLaughlin adds it all up.

McPopsters strike back