Following in the footsteps of their highly successful Instant Replay digital sampler, Electro Harmonix have now released details of a more refined version, the Super Replay. This features a maximum sample time of four seconds, with a bandwidth (-3dB) of 3.1 kHz. Sampling rate is 9kHz to 36kHz, sampling itself being carried out using 12-bit words.

The Super Replay accepts audio signals from several different sources: microphones, electric guitars, keyboards, tape decks and so on. Once sampled, sounds can be triggered from pads (eg. Simmons drums) or from the electronic pad included in the Super Replay's RRP. Alternatively, the unit will work off the trigger output of a drum machine, but more excitingly, you can also control the pitch of a sampled sound using any one-volt-per-octave synth with CV and gate outputs.

A unique sound-on-sound feature enables the user to layer samples on top of one another, and the characteristics of all samples can be altered onboard using the unit's built-in decay time and pitch slider controls. RRP of the Super Replay in the US is $675, and further information can be had from Electro Harmonix, (Contact Details). No details of UK distribution have yet been finalised.


Hire company Advanced Sounds have informed us that several pieces of music hardware were stolen from their premises recently. Rewards are in the offing for anybody who supplies information leading to some or all of this equipment being recovered, and the items in question (complete with serial numbers) are as follows:

Simmons SDS7 (70052)
Yamaha DX7 (5096)
Emulator (244)
Roland SDE1000 Delay (352831)

Any readers who might know of the whereabouts of any of the above instruments should contact Advanced Sounds, (Contact Details).


The latest news and interviews in the electronic music world are included on Inkeys number 8. As always, the tape is well recorded and packed with lots of goodies.

It includes material from Klaus Schulze and others on his new InTeam label, Robert Schroder, Mainframe talking about their Apple computer drum system, Jade Warrior's Tony Duhig, himself featured elsewhere in this issue of E&MM, and excerpts from tapes released on the Darkstar label, plus a good deal more besides.

The cassette costs £2.50 including VAT and UK postage and packing.

Inkeys have also just released the programme for this year's UK Electronica festival. The festival will be held on Saturday September 8 at Sheffield University, a welcome change of venue.

The day's events have been organised on a similar basis as last year, with a main evening headlining band, Neuronium, and daytime acts which will include ex-Tangerine Dreamer Steve Jolliffe (see interview elsewhere this issue), Carl Matthews, Paul Nagle, Progressive rock band Tamarisk, Dr Phil from France and Konstruktivits. Two separate types of ticket are available, daytime tickets cost £4.00 (this includes a £1.00 food voucher) while evening tickets are £3.00. This year accommodation will be available on the University Campus and will cost £11.73 per person for bed & breakfast; accommodation is in single rooms only. All accommodation must be paid for in advance, and cheques should be made payable to UK Electronica for both the tickets and accommodation, including an SAE.

Organisations interested in display stand space should contact Inkeys directly at (Contact Details).

Finally, E&MM will be at the show with our own stand, so come and have a chat with the staff - we'll be pleased to see you.

Having successfully applied Pulse Code Modulation techniques to their range of upmarket home organs, Technics have now released two personal keyboards that utilise the same technology. The models in question are titled SXK150 and SXK250, and the latter incorporates eight monophonic PCM factory preset voices, Clarinet, Pan Flute, Trombone, Flute, Saxophone, Trumpet, Synthe Chopper, and Cosmic Wah(!)

Both instruments are provided with PCM-generated percussion sounds in their built-in rhythm machines. Like most members of the personal keyboard species, the Technics models feature auto-accompaniment, and in this case the facility goes under the guise of the 'Fullband Setting Computer'. Accompaniments can be created by the musician using this system and then stored on Technics' custom RAM packs, one of which is supplied with both the 150 and 250.

Further information on both instruments is available from Panasonic UK, (Contact Details).


The British Paraplegic Sports Society might not sound like a group of budding concert promoters, but in fact they've already organised six annual music festivals to tie in with the British Wheelchair Games at Wandsworth in South London. This year's events looks like being the best yet, with one of this month's featured artists, Steve Jolliffe, heading a line-up of acts that includes Mark Shreeve, Mainframe, Classix Nouveaux and Mensana.

The event takes place over the weekend of July 14-15, and tickets (£9.00 each for both days) are available by mail order only from one of the festival's sponsors, Upstream Computer Systems Ltd, (Contact Details).

All proceeds go to charity, of course.


As part of the annual Peterlee Festival, Ian Boddy will be performing a concert of live electronic music on Saturday July 21 at 7.30.

Boddy, who won the Brightest Hope for 1984 nomination in E&MM's readers' poll and penned this month's Stagefright article on playing electronic music live, will be performing excerpts from his last album The Climb plus new works from a forthcoming LP release. The concert will take place at the Peterlee Leisure Centre and tickets (£1.00 plus SAE) and further information are available from Peterlee Arts & Information Centre: (Contact Details).