From the New York roots of hip hop, KRS One talks about street-level production values and samples as the poor musician's alternative to real musicians. Simon Trask listens to the Music of the Spheres.

The world's best known engineer

Ray Dolby's name appears on almost every recording device imaginable, yet few people outside the industry know much about this most famous engineer. In a rare interview he talks to David Mellor and explains the evolution of Dolby noise reduction.

A little-known American drummer who played on such classic recordings as 'Rappers' Delight' and 'The Message' talks to Dan Goldstein about "stretching" technology.

Upcoming systems music composer chats to Simon Trask about modern technology, Renaissance music and Belgian pop.

Digital Drum Machine

Competition is fierce in the budget drum machine arena. Nicholas Rowland takes a look at the British answer to the Japanese and American machines that have been in the limelight recently.

You can always get more out of your equipment if you know more about it. David Mellor begins a new series that explores the innermost workings of various studio devices. This month: the Tape Recorder.

Vintage technology strikes back

The retro-lover's playground

Digital Multi-effects Processor

Following the success of their Midiverbs and Microverbs, Alesis have developed a unit capable of providing no less than four audio treatments simultaneously. Ian Waugh practices his four-play.

The Mellotron: A Historical Perspective

How much do musicians really earn? The rich ones (ahem) the poor ones (definitely).

Speakers break sound barrier, Fender replace guitar range, Rama amps to shatter prices and more!

MIDI and SMPTE

Two industry standards settle their timing differences and agree to work together. Chris Meyer checks it out and discusses proposals for the MSMPTE.

There's more than one way to a living out of music. Nicholas Rowland talks to the Pync Brothers about writing and recording music specifically for use in TV and radio advertising jingles.

PART 3; David Mellor looks at how the requirements of different types of music for TV and film can dictate the sophistication of your synchronising capabilities, and at how machine synchronisation works in practice.

Systems Music

Musical mathematics made easy

As you've probably already got your sampler playing drums, horns and strings, getting it to sing to you may sound deceptively easy. Tom McLaughlin explains there may be more to sampling the human voice than you'd heard.

The latest scare in the computer world is a series of programs that behave as if they are a human disease. Roly Pickering describes the background to computer viruses and what you con do to protect yourself from them.

PRS - The Performing Right Society

The first of an occasional series in which David Mellor takes a look at the organisations that help musicians and composers earn an honest crust in this hard world. This month: the Performing Right Society.

Sleuth journalist Tim Goodyer tracks down video nasties Kevin Godley and Lol Creme in a disreputable part of town. Raymond Chandler would turn in his grave.

Beat Box Hits

Or, the much-maligned art of drum machine programming. Tony Reed talks to the experts, and Richard Walmsley dissects some classic tracks.

Picking up the signals from the world of music and technology...

With algorithmic composition sotware finding commercial use at last, the question has to be asked "will it write a tune?". Greg Truckell takes a close look at the applications of M.

Continuing our series that looks at hi-tech companies and design personnel working in the field of music and recording technology, Paul Gilby talks to Marco Alpert, Director of Marketing & Sales for E-mu Systems of America - the company behind the Emulator and Emax samplers.

Computer Music System

Gerry Queen brings us an exclusive preview of what will be Britain's first custom-designed computer music system - from the people who brought you the OSCar monosynth. It's capable of combining analogue, digital and sampled sound sources, and it's cheap.

In keeping with the ideals of the hip hop movement, the Stereo MCs new LP sees ingenuity and talent used to wring the most out of a minimum of equipment. Simon Trask elevates his mind.