News from the front

the rest of the instrument news

Where would Madonna, Giorgio Moroder or Stock, Aitken and Waterman be without sequenced bass lines? Rudi Cazeaux provides some guidelines and practical examples to help you create better bass lines.

Studio Necessities

Leads, connectors, tapes and floppy disks might seem pretty mundane, but even the most modest studio is stuck without them.

Fun and Frolics

Part three, and the introduction of a double-triggering circuit that enables more than one sample to be triggered without the user having to buy multiple EPROMs.

Welcome to your new free musicians' magazine: what's in it for you?

The pro-standard SMPTE sync code is now working itself down to many semi-pro and amateur studios - but even the best systems bring their problems. Vic Lennard presents a SMPTE troubleshooters' guide.

Confessions Of A Home Recordist

Confessions of a home recordist. Stephen Bennett on the delights and dangers of bedroom recording.

AmpCheck

Paul Francis in cult classic Frazerhead!

SMPTE Events Controller

The increasing popularity of SMPTE has meant a corresponding growth in sync units. We take a look at this one from Bokse.

a preview of '84's secret gear

There's an awful lot of hi-hi-history involved, y'know

This month’s Checklist turns its attention to the world of electronic drum kits and drum machines. Price guides will never be the same again.

MIDI Merge Box

Two into one will go...

Steve Howell (again) continues our series on interconnection by describing solutions to problems that arise from interfacing synths from different eras and manufacturers.

Reading MIDI Implementation Charts

In spite of MIDI's promise of compatibility between hi-tech musical equipment, few of us have found this to be the case. Vic Lennard takes his second look at MIDI Implementation charts and how they can solve your MIDI problems.

IT's guide through the MIDI jungle

Part two of this series on combining live instrument performances and MIDI recording looks at a typical session in the studio of Ollie Crooke and Simon Thomas.

Yamaha MCS2 Control Station

Missing performance wheels on your MIDI instrument? Yamaha's MIDI Control Station could solve your expression problems, as Simon Trask reveals.

Simple But Not Obvious

Part 3: Famed keyboardist Dave Stewart continues his monthly column designed to get you thinking more about your music.

Getting philosophical about the new British hip hop. Tim "homeboy" Ponting raps with Wize man DJ Jemski about sampling, sequencing and bringing the drum kit into hip hop.

The new Human Rhythm Composer goes where no TR808 has gone before, into previously uncharted territories of feel and nuance.

John Renwick guides us through the Cheetah Series of keyboards

An all-British sound-sampling and drum-synthesising MIDI percussion machine with built-in sequencer gets an exclusive preview courtesy of David Ellis - there's even comment from the designers.