The Music Works

Patrick Hunt gives Music Works the once over

New products from the States

After an apprenticeship under the wing of the Frankies' Trevor Horn, Simon Darlow spreads his own; he talks to Paul Tingen about the hazards of writing, playing and producing your own album.

10 CC, LGT, Mainframe, Ian Boddy

Following on from last month’s praise-filled preview. Paul Ireson takes a longer, harder look at Ensoniq's new VFX synthesizer, and finds that the beauty of this machine is far more than skin-deep. Is this the synth of 1989? Read the review to find out...

The sort you don’t want — noisy, howlround stuff — and how to stop it

Tony Banks samples the "Invisible Touch" album, keyboard by keyboard.

Sequential step up with a sampling keyboard

The successor to Akai's industry standard S900 hits the streets.

Programming Clinic

Most of the current generation of digital synthesizers use a blend of sampling and synthesis techniques to produce their sounds — a powerful combination, but perhaps less easily understood than analogue synthesis. Synth guru Craig Anderton offers some hints and tips on how to get the best out of 'S+S' instruments.

Beyerdynamic MC834 Capacitor Microphone

The Producers

André Jacquemin stars in "The Python and the Redwood Stage", introducing Doris Day as Fred Dellar, and a supporting cast including Dame Edna Everage and the Leyton Buzzards. Whipcrackaway, whipcrackaway!

Programmable Digital Waveform Polysynth

An intriguing new synth design that tries to combine digital waveform generation with analogue control. Does it achieve its objectives? Dan Goldstein thinks it does - just.

Roland Alpha Juno-1

If you're not an FM fan, but are looking for a low-cost polysynth that can double as a MIDI expander, you won't need to look further than Roland's new Alpha Juno-1 according to Mark Jenkins.

MIDI Interface

Famed for playing its part in the MIDI Chapman Stick, IVL's pitch-to-MIDI system is now opening the world of MIDI to the pedal steel player. Vic Lennard picks his words.

A Software Sequencing Tutorial

Continuing from last month's step-by-step guide to sequencer recording, we look at the more advanced features and facilities of a typical sequencing system.

Digidesign MacProteus And InVision ProtoLogic

Kendall Wrightson looks at two new Proteus-related products — the ProtoLogic Sound Memory Expansion Unit from InVision, and Digidesign's MacProteus NuBus card for the Apple Macintosh II.

Technical details from Jezz

news from the front

new gear releases

In the days before Roland established their reputation for consistently delivering the goods, they turned out some weird and wonderful synths. Peter Forrest lifts the dust cover on the old SH7 monosynth.

Yamaha SY22 Dynamic Vector Synthesizer

If you're one of those musicians who recall the Prophet VS synthesizer with misty-eyed affection, then you'll probably welcome Yamaha's decision to resurrect vector synthesis on this latest addition to their SY range. Paul Ireson checks out this blast from the past.

More bits that won't be at Frankfurt