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Take a letter... Readers' writes on the cost of a home studio, Keith Emerson, new age music and remixes.

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The latest addition to the company's family of 12-bit samplers offers many of the features of their top-of-the-line S50 in a less expensive, rack-mount format. Aaron Hallas reports.

A clever pad-to-MIDI converter takes some stick from Matt Isaacson. A blow-by-blow account.

Simultaneously making the transition from Mac to Atari ST and crossing the Atlantic, this software package gives sampling a new slant. Chris Jenkins boots it up.

More than just a vocoder, this voice processor incorporates pitch shifting and pitch-to-MIDI conversion. Bob O'Donnell listens to what it has to say for itself.

The first of three personal views of a nation that's revolutionised the development and manufacture of hi-tech musical equipment. Hugh Ashton checks out the gear and the music.

Making new music from old. Simon Trask talks to the musicians and DJs who made a No. 1 hit from a drum machine and other peoples' records.

Thought you'd seen the last of the electronic piano? Simon Trask rolls up his sleeves and finds out there's life in the old dog yet.

Sound quality has long been a grey area in the world of sampling. Chris Meyer finds out it takes more than "bits" to make a sampler sound good.

Beat crazy. As yet another drum machine arrives on the market, Nicholas Rowland wonders if it's time to get away from the present format.

A little-known American drummer who played on such classic recordings as 'Rappers' Delight' and 'The Message' talks to Dan Goldstein about "stretching" technology.

Take the Fostex X15, restyle it, add new features, raise the price by the cost of a dirty weekend in Blackpool and you've got their new X30 multitracker. Nicholas Rowland finds out if they're on the right track.

Budget polysynth or home organ accessory? Casio attempt to find another gap in the market with Spectrum Distortion synthesis. Nicholas Rowland finds it's not too far from old-fashioned analogue.

The software catalogue for the Atari ST continues to grow. Ian Waugh checks out a sequencer package that may give Steinberg and Hybrid Arts serious competition.

In part four of this series Bob O'Donnell deals with rhythm by linking a drum machine into the expanding MIDI system.

Free of Culture Club, guitarist Roy Hay declares his infatuation with soul music and forms a new band. Tim Goodyer listens to his tales of "programming madness".