Aha! Another issue, more changes, (hopefully) another stride ahead. I think we've really got some goodies lined up for you this year.

First, my apologies for the extreme lateness of the last issue. Last fall was not exactly an easy season for us. The press broke down, new employees needed to be trained, the new word processing system needed to be set up and checked out, and on and on. But, as you can see, we had already started on this issue and pushed it through "in quest of the holy deadline" before the last one was even off the press. Hold on, we'll make this thing bimonthly yet!!!

You should note several interesting changes and additions to the POLYPHONY format starting with this issue. MORE COLUMNS. We have several new columns this time which will become regular features in each issue. Craig Anderton (the proverbial 'No introduction is needed') will be talking to you each issue about HOME RECORDING (more about that later); David Ernst will present a COMPOSER PROFILE with biographical info, pictures, and discographies in each issue so we can all expand our interests a bit; Gary Bannister will offer EXPERIMENTERS CIRCUITS, along with IC ap notes, and bunches of experiments for all the hard-core hobbyists. We will continue our regular columns: POLYPHONY REVIEWS (with an even heavier emphasis on home recorded and self produced music), INDUSTRY NOTES, LAB NOTES (with more frequent software), LOCAL HAPPENINGS, and PATCHES (with more patches for more types of synthesizers). In addition, we are working on other possibilities for future columns. If you have suggestions for topics of new columns, or authors you would like to have do a column, please let us know. Possible columns include THE SCIENCE OF MUSIC, dealing with such varied topics as acoustics, math and music (microtone systems, etc.), and properties of physics which apply to synthesis systems; perhaps a column on VIDEO SYNTHESIS; COMPUTER BASICS so you can learn how to write your own music programs; and who knows what else. Let us know what you want!!

Some of you may have noticed on the last issue that the newly added by-line on our cover reads "Electronic Music and Home Recording". This may warrant a few words of explanation. Anyone who has been even moderately active in the field of synthesis or electronic music realizes that tape recording and tape techniques are an integral part of the electronic music process. Additionally, most synthesists have done their studio work by themselves — engineering, producing, arranging, and so on. Regardless of whether your work was done on a 24 track machine with computer mixdown or a portable cassette recorder, this "do it all yourself" atmosphere is what the new home recording craze is all about. Synthesists, by nature, have been "home recordists" for years. It seems natural, then, that POLYPHONY, the applications oriented magazine for synthesists, should be one of the first magazines in the country to acknowledge the increased interest in the subject and begin providing regular columns and features for the advancement of this artform. Last issue we featured Larry Fast talking about how he did "Cords"; all the basic material was done in his home studio. This issue we start a regular column on Home Recording by Craig Anderton. Craig is the author of "Home Recording for Musicians", one of the industry's few handbooks dedicated to the person who wants to do his own recording on a limited budget. In the future issues we are lining up additional features about setting up home studios, equipment considerations, recording techniques, marketing your music, and much more. POLYPHONY is happy to welcome our new crowd of 'recording' readers.

I hope all of you had a good holiday season and are ready to jump into a new year. I don't know what it is, but something tells me that 1979 is going to be a really intense year for electronic music. Here we go...