"The customer is always right", runs the well-known phrase. But from what we hear this month, musical instrument retailers don't seem to pin much faith in it.

The tension mounts as the countdown to August's British Music Fair begins, and our news pages are packed with early news of some of the exhibits.

Readers' letters on a variety of topics, from the virtue of pop to the affordability of modern musical instruments.

Technical queries are answered by our resident team of experts - while MT readers find the odd solution of their own, too.

At last, Hybrid Technology unveil a music keyboard specifically designed for their Music 5000 computer-based synthesiser. Noel Williams caresses and assesses.

There can be few musicians who've amassed such a huge collection of synthesisers as the ex-Buggles keyboardist. Paul Wiffen talks to him about his machines, and finds he still finds a use for most of them.

...Beating Like This. In the fourth part of our series, Matt Isaacson casts a critical eye over some of the electronic drum pads now available; will using them create a better beat?

If you already own a Mk1 DX7, you're now faced with an agonising dilemma: do you risk everything and chop it on for the MkII model? Howard Massey weighs up the pros and cons of taking the plunge.

After April's In Brief review, Rick Davies sends us a user report on the latest FM synth module, and throws in a review of the MDF1 MIDI data filer for good measure.

Leading the battle against planned obsolescence are the sampler manufacturers, whose machines receive updates almost monthly. We re-test three samplers to find out how they've changed.

In an exclusive review, Rick Davies tests three Commodore-based packages from an American company whose programs are new to the UK. Do they stand up against stiff competition?

Are record producers losing their touch now they've regained their influence? Are DJs better-equipped to make music that moves? Simon Trask gets the answers from an objective source - one of Britain's top remix DJs.

Few software houses have been in the music business as long as Passport, yet only now have they designed a package for the sophisticated Apple Macintosh. Jim Burgess checks it out.

The marriage between MIDI and SMPTE is now complete, but the burning question remains: how will musicians and engineers benefit from it? Chris Meyer traces the link from its source to its users.

After last month's preview, Simon Trask gets to grips with FM's friendlier face. Can simpler programming compensate for the deficiencies of four-operator sound?

Six years have passed since New York's best-known performance artist leapt to fame with 'O, Superman'. Tim Goodyer finds she's still stretching technology to its limits in her new film 'Home of the Brave'.

The place where MT readers exchange synth sounds with their fellow programmers; this month's featured instruments include the Akai AX73, the EMS AKS, and the Ensoniq ESQ1. Plus an assessment of storing sound data on CD.

Not quite a household name, but an American jazz fusion guitarist whose attitude to improvisation and performing with new technology is starting a quiet revolution. Dan Goldstein gets the lowdown.

No space left in the rack for another Simmons module? After testing their latest percussion voice unit, Nick Rowland suggests you buy another rack to make room for it.