Cult reggae band or Top Of The Pops heroes? Nick Rowland talks to the men who've spent 14 years together and brought MIDI to reggae, and reggae to the pop charts.

Martin Russ loops the hours away with Version 1.2 of this new MIDI sequencing package for the Atari ST computer from Germany's C-Lab.

The buyer's guide with a difference, with listings, prices, specifications, and comments from E&MM's reviewing team. Polysynths, expanders and controlling keyboards are this month's subject.

Alesis D4 16-Bit Stereo Drum Module

Alesis' new D4 offers 500 16-bit drum sounds, external audio triggering and extreme ease of use — what's not to like? Julian Colbeck investigates.

Cutting a record

Make your own music, make your own record, make your own luck

How To Write Lyrics

Richard Walmsley takes a look at the under-estimated art of lyric writing

Producer of Style Council, The Jam and Comsat Angels explains his working techniques in the studio, production skills and the ins and outs of various effects.

David Mellor concludes his exploration of the world's most expensive musical instrument with an interview with a musician who can actually afford one, Simon Franglen.

Marantz PMD740 Cassette 4-Track

Can this stylish-looking cassette multitracker find a niche in an already crowded market? Check out our review...

Korg DSS1

A synth that samples, or a sampler with a built-in synthesiser? Either way, the DSS1 takes music-creation a step further, with sampling, waveform synthesis and analogue processing. Paul Wiffen fiddles to his heart's content.

Ian Gilby collates the more interesting responses to his editorial request for manufacturers and retailers to look towards the 'video manual' as a complement to printed equipment manuals.

A multitrack sequencer with a built-in synth or a velocity-sensitive 8-voice polysynth with a built-in 8-track step/real-time MIDI sequencer? Tony Hastings tries to make up his mind about this versatile and well-priced instrument.

Jay Chapman sets the scene for a regular series written to help you better understand the practicalities of life with the Musical Instrument Digital Interface.

C.F. Martin Interview, Profile

Recording your own music is only the first step to getting it heard; to do that, you need to deal with A&R people at record companies. Paul Tingen meets them, and discovers why so few bands succeed in impressing them.

Recording/PA Mixing Console

through the year darkly with One Two

A Guide to Programming Music with Soul

How often have you heard synthesized, sequenced music described as 'cold' and 'mechanical? All of us want to compose a tune with good 'feel', but few people know exactly what makes for a good 'feel'. Yet it's not a mystery - as this timely article by Michael Stewart, designer of the Kahler Human Clock, reveals.

BMF Report

Lager bottle in hand, the Editor guides you through the gallery of new music technology on demonstration at last month's newly-public British Music Fair. Plus lots of photographs so that those who missed it can find out what the gear looks like.

Music Production System

Is it a bird, is it a plane? No, it's a multitimbral synth module, it's a sequencer, it's an automated mixer... Simon Trask puzzles over Roland's Studio M.

It's the talk of Paris' hep musical set, Peter Gabriel set up a new record label for it and Ray Lema is one of its greatest exponents - Simon Trask discovers hitech ethnic music is about to make its mark on popular culture.

The first of an innovative new series on musical applications of your home micro

Playing the Rhodes Chroma with the Apple II Sequencer