Life on the road with a successful pop band, described in graphic detail by King keyboardsman Mick Roberts. Interview by Tim Goodyer.

Getting active with the axe

Performance Synthesiser

If you'd begun to believe that you needed a degree to use any modern synth, think again: think JX1. Simon Trask discovers the truth behind the Japanese "Think SynX Concept" adverts.

Dave Stewart

Eurythmics’s main man rips the lid off

Guitarcheck, Basscheck

The latest offering from the Manson family, and a beautiful instrument from the country's classiest axe-builders

Part two of our natter with a couple of blokes who fix old keyboards every day. Common problems need common solutions

A step-by-step guide to wiring phono connectors.

including The A-to-Z of Analogue

Washburns for tomorrow — Top guitars in triumphant return? 54

DIN Connectors

off at a tangent

It's called a studio; it could be called a workstation; but actually it's a serious keyboard. Nicholas Rowland identifies a product with several possible identities and several possible markets. Have Ensoniq weighted in vain?

Shake with disbelief as you find out Korg have produced a 12 oscillator, 64 memory polyphonic for under a grand.

Wiring A Patchbay

Part 5: Patchbay wiring. David Mellor proposes a more practical wiring system for your studio.

PART 1: Ace programmer Greg Truckell begins a power user’s guide to this popular LA synth expander.

Yamaha SY35 Dynamic Vector Synth

Yamaha's SY35 may be little more than an updated version of the SY22, but new sample ROM and a price tag of under £600 make it an ideal choice for the serious synthesist on a budget. Derek Johnson checks it out.

Who's using what

A breakdown of the gear that will be on stage at the Jazz and Blues festival at Reading this year.

There may be few instruments in the world that have not yet been sampled, but there is still an infinite number of ways it can be done. David Mellor auditions the Sonic Images sample library volumes 2 and 3.

Secondhand Polysynth Guide

Whether you can't afford to indulge yourself in this month's Polysynth Checklist or simply prefer something that's now out of production, E&MM's guide to things secondhand could save you a lot of time and trouble.

John Renwick strums away on a unique MIDI controller which may well interest any keyboard players with guitarist tendencies

MD511 • MD512 • MD515 • MD516

Heave off One, bolt on Two.