Updates from Carlsbro. The Cobra 90 Twin improves on the original Lead by adding another channel and supplying electronic switching for setting up clean and overdriven sounds. Reverb and effects loop also on board. Price £274.50. Five (not three) channels on the new 150W keyboard combo called the Keyboard 150 (love to have been at the christening of that one). Features include a six band graphic, reverb, one 15in speaker and two bullet tweeters. One Z FET input is contoured for electric pianos. And more of a surprise, the D9000 digital echo unit. £481.28 and £282.52 for the last two, respectively.

---

Good to see MIDI escaping from the clutches of the synthesiser. Yamaha claimed to have created the world's first 'MIDI compatible' digital delay. There are 16 programmable memories which can be called up from the memory buttons of your keyboard. When you select a new sound on the synth, the MIDI links will tell the Yamaha D1500 to pull out a fresh echo/chorus/flange effect. Max delay time is 1023msec, frequency response of the delayed signal is 20Hz to 18kHz ±3dB. It comes ready programmed with six settings but they can be edited. Also has a copy function to move programmes from one memory location to another. Nice idea.

---

If you're stepping up your stage monitoring consider Allen and Heath Brenell's new SRM 186 desk. The 18 channel, six sub-group mixer makes extensive use of patch and insert points and has an internal microphone splitter that saves on more expensive external systems. Outside EQ can be patched into any of the sub groups and the signal monitored through the Pre-Fade Listen system as the player hears it. AHB stress that layout and colour have been chosen for ease of use under low light conditions — something other mixer makers could consider. It should sell for £1220 ex vat.

---

Keep the dust off your disc drive. Bib now make an £8.74 computer care kit with a head cleaner for the cassette, cleaning fluid and aerosol for getting grime out of the keyboard and anti-static cleaning fluid plus a cloth for the screen. Must be Christmas time.

---

What is it with these freelance writers? Now Jenkins has an album out called 'Piano Sketches 1973-1984'. But you're a guitarist, Billy. Exactly, he said. "These sounds are the result of musical suppression. I have been told I cannot play this... this is not what the public wants." That's the spirit. Write to Jenkins at Woodwharf Studios, (Contact Details) if you want to hear the sound of suppression uncorked. And while we're on unusual exploits tape-wise, stories filtering back that the very famous and Wonderful Troggs Tapes have been revitalised. For the few who don't know, the tapes are out-takes of a Troggs' recording session where band and producer were perhaps not seeing eye to eye. (One Two, January for full transcript.) Now there's a dub version called 'Dubba-Dubba-Dub'. We wait with bated ears.

---

How would you feel if your kid sister covered her bedroom wall with full colour, life sized posters of... computer programmers? Weird, eh? Island are the latest record company to give software writers that star treatment. Island Logic, their sister company is launching with some razzmatazz The Music System, a complete music package for the BBC Micro.

The £24.95 disc should be in the shops about now. It divides into five sections — The Editor writes notes on a stave and stores compositions using the four notes and 15 sound envelopes of the BBC's internal sound source; The Keyboard uses the QWERTY typewriter keys to play sounds and 'multitrack' them; The Linker strings sequences together; The Printout you can all guess, and The Synthesiser programmes up the BBC sound source. Commodore 64 version on the way.

Meanwhile, glossy pictures of the programmers arrive by the cartload. First reports from a roving Honeybone OTT compu-lout, say that for 25 quid the system looks excellent value and has improved the fairly limited sound generation abilities of the BBC-B which were primarily included to provide the bings and bongs for games.

---

When ideas collide... Fender have combined the techniques of those lockable nuts that stop tremolo drift and fine tune tailpieces to produce the FTNL. Yes the Fine Tune Nut Lock. It fits just above the normal nut and is attached by three self tapping screws. Six knurled knobs depress or lift the strings to change the tuning. To you £28 including screws, keys and fixing instructions.

---

Akai's somewhat individual approach to the synth, sequencer and mixer business is about to bear fruit. The models they launched earlier this year at the Frankfurt Trade Fair should be arriving in the country even as we speak. Well... we write, you read.

The AX-80 is an eight voice poly with two oscillators and one sub oscillator per voice, 64 programmable memories plus 32 presets. It's analogue, it's MIDI-ed and it looks very cool with its elaborate LCD bar graphs for showing parameter values. The MS-08 music processor stores 10,000 notes (expandable by cassette or floppy disc), has a built in 32 note keyboard, and will presumably drive the AX-80. There's a 16 sound drum machine in rack form which appears to have preset rhythms, plus possibly the most fascinating slice of gear launched at Frankfurt — the MG-1212. This self contained, 12 channel, 12 track mixer/recorder uses purpose built Akai cassettes carrying ½in audio tape. Computer channel/track routing, memory and program auto search are all included. The tape can also take two additional tracks for control and sync. No prices as yet, but we'll keep you posted.

---

For those rumbling moments Frazer Wyatt Industries of Basingstoke have produced two extended bass cabs both promising 200W of boomless, unwoollied sound. The dxBass with its single 12in cone runs from 30Hz to 5kHz (£320), and the full range, keyboard cab handles the nine octaves lurking between 30Hz and 20kHz with the aid of one 12in and a bullet horn (£365). (Contact Details) if you're interested.

Competitions

Why are the people in these photographs smiling? (a) they are drunk; (b) they are being shown a copy of Dr Spliff's Hippycratic oath; (c) they are prizewinners. Yes, that's right, it's c. Pictured sitting underneath a Yamaha DX9 we have Jonathan Coles of Henley-on-Thames while behind him, Jerry Uwins from Yamaha rests following the gruelling presentation ceremony. The chap with the jacket is John Hill from CBS/Fender supporting a Fender Squier for the chap without the jacket. Spike Fahey, who lays his head to rest in sunny Ealing. Snapped atmospherically on his jack with a second Squier is Johnny McAndrew who missed the original presentation because he was rushed into hospital suffering from what we doctors call not-being-well. He was soon back at home in Watford, which, of course, would explain it all. The prizes were superb, the competitions mammoth successes and both Yamaha and CBS/Fender will be remembered in our wills as the thoroughly fine bunch of human beings that they are.

In the time being if your name is Peter Skiba (Blackpool), Tom Vinelott (London) or P. A. Kitchen (Carmarthen) then your parents had a strange sense of humour. They put cities in brackets after your name. Not to worry, though, there is justice in the world because all three of you are winners in our Casio competition (OTT July) and will shortly be receiving letters of happy congratulation with promises of keyboards to come. One day you, too, will have your pictures in the magazine.

MARK KING COMP

Finally, due to general buffoonery on our part, some of the instructions for last month's Mark King Jaydee Bass competition went missing. Generous to a fault we're giving everyone a second chance to enter, in case they didn't understand the contest first time round. The grid contains the surnames of six bass players. The letters are jumbled and need to be rearranged (you can only use each letter once). Write them down then estimate how many parts go into making a Jaydee bass (every wire, screw, button, fret, length of wood etc). Send the entries to us at: One Two Testing — Jaydee Competition, (Contact Details), and write the estimate on the back of the envelope. You've got three weeks. Go for it.