There seem to be two main trends in the recording business at the moment. One is the increasing dialogue between people on both sides of the glass: a welcome development, because we're all involved in doing the same thing, making music. The growing recognition of this fact is most encouraging.

The other thing that's going on is an increasing realisation that over-investment in super-high technology (46-track recording, more and more gadgets that replicate boxes you already have, etc) doesn't necessarily make for better sounds. Too often studios are judged on their gadgets and not on their quality. The backlash to this has been the growth of small, high-quality studios, often little more than eight-track, and often owned by musicians. This results in cheap, but good-quality, work, and a lot of today's music is being recorded in this way.

It is these developments that will cause a great deal of change in the recording industry, from equipment to ideas and techniques, but there is a distinct need for a dependable reference point for creative people working - and playing - on both sides of the glass. This reference point is in front of you now - SOUND INTERNATIONAL.