When Soft Cell disbanded, Marc Almond quickly established himself as a solo artist, but what became of his keyboard-playing partner? David Bradwell talks to David Ball about his latest project.

Fairlight screens, machines and Green. Interview by Adrian Deevoy

Anne Dudley rearranges the alphabet.

Tim talks to Janet Angus about his work as engineer at Marcus Studios and gives his views on microphone technique and natural ambience.

John Harris and Shirley Gray take a look behind the scenes to find out how the tube is recorded and how much planning is necessary to produce the apparent unrehearsed chaos that we all know and love.

Reader Peter Forrest relates his delightful tales of woe.

This month, guest producer Gary Langan speaks of his recording history and the loneliness of the long-distance producer...

Part two, in which we meet the fifth Beatle, George Martin, and also brush with Trevor Horn's Fairlight.

Trevor Horn considered

To help you get into the festive mood, we asked a few artists and producers, and a handful of our regular contributors, what they'd like for christmas this year... In a hi-tech music kind of way. Paul Tingen collected the wish-lists.

A successful composer of minimal music or would-be writer of pop instrumentals? Tim Goodyer isn't sure so he challenges the man himself for the answers.

Torch Song; aspiring musical and studio entrepreneurs

Visage's Rusty Egan reveals a change of face

Disturbing tales of everyday studio folk

Stephen Duffy & Stephen Street

cocksure ex-tintin ex-duran talks tech

A long-awaited replacement for Roland's discontinued M-64C RAM cartridge joins the Dangerous CD Company's Danger 1 sampling CD on the spot in this month's Patchwork.

Adrian Deevoy on lead typewriter

Martyn Ware flatters Fairlights

The drug culture of the rave scene continues to attract the attention of both the pop charts and the tabloid press. Tim Goodyer talks Ecstasy, agony and technology with one of the genre's heroes.

The band called it music, the press called it confrontational noise, and the public bought it and danced to it. Stephen Hillier talks to the men behind Renegade Soundwave.

Greater reliance on hi-tech instruments in the studio means there's more demand for people able to programme them. Paul Gilby spoke first to Karin Clayton about her recently formed agency that supplies programmers for studio sessions, and then to Fairlight programmer Simon Lloyd about his work.

Working again after two years of legal trench-warfare, The Spands talk about their comeback album, the defiantly-titled Through The Barricades. Observation post: Chris Maillard

When Norman Cook walked away from The Housemartins he walked into hi-tech record production and remixing: now he's topped the charts with Beats International. Tim Goodyer talks to a computer convert.