Not a household name perhaps, but this man is behind quite a lot of musical projects that you will no doubt recognise - as Janet Angus explains.

Digital Audio For The Atari ST

Kendall Wrightson examines an inexpensive Atari-based tapeless recorder offering digital audio editing, plus MIDI controlled hard disk recording with Notator/Creator, Cubase/Cubeat or Virtuoso.

Continuing the tradition that began with their 144 Portastudio, Tascam have created a combined package of mixer and 8-track recorder - the 388 Studio 8 - whose compact dimensions belie its true versatility. Dave Lockwood assesses its performance.

Continuing on from last month's review of the Roland D-50 Linear Arithmetic synthesizer, Martin Russ takes a detailed look at the technical aspects of the D-50, liberally sprinkled with excerpts from a rare interview with Mr Ikutaro Kakehashi, President of the Roland Corporation.

Ensoniq ASR10 Stereo Sampling Keyboard

in Anderson Bruford Wakeman Howe

Session player Julian Colbeck tells the tale of how he got the gig as support keyboard player for Rick Wakeman on the recent Anderson, Bruford, Wakeman, Howe world tour, and runs through the instrumentation he and Rick used on stage.

A Soft Touch

Jay Chapman discovers why this 16 track MIDI sequencer package for the BBC B micro, described as the musical equivalent of the humble word processor, is receiving so much acclaim from studio users.

Dave Stewart On Going It Alone In The Music Biz

The major record company route is not the only one to musical success. Dave Stewart has successfully avoided the majors and still manages to make a good living from his home-produced music. Here, he charts his musical history.

And what news there is. A special preview on the Frankfurt fair, lifting the veil on 1987's most important gear.

Super LA Synthesiser

The latest addition to Roland's D-series synths is its new flagship - the D70. Simon Trask puts the "Super LA" synth through its paces and discovers its new Analogue Feel facility.

How Good Are They?

Over the next two issues Graham Hinton tests five mixer automation systems which all provide control of audio signal level by means of Voltage Controlled Amplifiers (VCAs) and are accessible to some degree by MIDI. This month it's the turn of the Akai MPX820 and Simmons SPM8:2.

A pictorial taste of some of the hot new products unveiled at last month's British Music Fair.

Thomas Dolby is back after a four year break, without the mad professor image but with an excellent new album in Astronauts & Heretics, his most personal recording to date. Paul Tingen spoke to him about the long road from solo synthesist to globe-trotting collaborator.

News from the cutting edge of music and multimedia technology

In this lengthy article, Craig Anderton explains all the features found on sequencers, from the simple to the esoteric. It is intended for those who are trying to make an intelligent purchasing decision about a sequencer and don't fully understand all the options that are available.

Mark Prendergast begins a two part in-depth appraisal of the thoughts, words, music and art of one of the most influential artists of the last decade: Brian Eno.

Soundcraft Spirit Automated Mixer

RCM Synthesizer

The DX7 captured musicians’ imaginations like no other synthesizer before or since. But the legacy of releasing endless variations on the DX theme has turned some musicians away from FM synthesis and into the waiting arms of a new generation of 'sample plus synth' keyboards. Now Yamaha are back with a vengeance, an even more powerful method of synthesis (Real-time Convolution and Modulation), and a spanking new flagship synth. But has the SY77 got what it takes to regain the hi-tech musician's vote? Martin Russ finds out.

Sounds, samples, & software upgrades for the modern studio

Software, sounds and samples

The pick of 1983's equipment releases.