Given that an open mind is the key to getting the best from hi-tech musical gear, too many of us could be guilty of limiting our music and our enjoyment. Tim Goodyer asks "how narrow is your mind"?

Hot news in this month's Newsdesk includes word of a Proteus upgrade, new Cubeat sequencing software from Steinberg and the winners of MT's Sequencer One competition. Get informed.

Letters of praise, letters of admonishment, begging letters, love letters, chain letters, poison pen letters, solicitors' letters, French letters. . . We get 'em all in MT's regular readers' letters page.

Already a well-established Macintosh sequencer, Mastertracks Pro has now been ported across to the IBM PC and clones. Ian Waugh gets acquainted with a Pro.

Once an underrated underground movement, hip hop has turned out to be one of the most influential musical developments of the last decade. Nigel Lord takes the rap in MT's regular drum programming series.

In their days at the top, Sequential pioneered an exciting form of sound generation called Vector Synthesis. Simon Trask witnesses its revival in Korg's Wavestation.

In the battleground that is the record business, one band have managed to find the space to be one of the most individual and resourceful of British talents. Nigel Lord talks uncommerciality in an Immaterial world.

When your MIDI setup starts to look more like NASA's mission control than a music studio, a MIDI patchbay is essential. Vic Lennard tests one of the best.

When IBM - the Big Blue - conquered the business computer market, music was the last thing on their corporate mind. Yet in 1990, the PC is gaining ground as a music machine. Ian Waugh reports.

Meeting the music business and business of making music on their own terms saw one London band building a studio as well as a reputation from the ground up. Simon Trask gets in deep with Double Trouble.

With sequencing and tape recording becoming equally important to many musicians, any means of integrating the two is likely to be a welcome development. Vic Lennard looks at a unit that allows Fostex' R8 to be operated from within Steinberg's Cubase.

When it comes to sound editing on today's synth modules, there's no alternative to using a software editor. Vic Lennard explores the benefits of Steinberg's editor for the E-mu Proteus.

Once infamous as a roadie's nightmare, the CS80 has settled in synth history as an instrument of almost unmatched character. Peter Forrest rediscovers the pain and the pleasure.

It's not often a new program enters the Macintosh stable of sequencers, but one notable newcomer is this package from Dr T's. Mike Collins dons Mac and boldly goes...