Readers' replies to the second half of our survey, analysed by David Ellis.

Electronic Wind Instrument

State-of-the-art wind synthesis. Man Jumping's Andy Blake gets his fingers around Akai's wind controller and voicing module and finds a happy marriage between expression and analogue synthesis.

Software for Archimedes

If you're looking for computer scorewriting, Rhapsody could be what you need - as well as helping to save the Archimedes from musical oblivion. Ian Waugh gets to know Clare and Archie.

Atari ST Software

The ST's final score?

Software for the Atari ST

The first generation of generic sample editors for the Atari ST is led by Drumware's GenWave. Lorenz Rychner breaks the language barrier.

The phenomenal rise to success of Gary Stevenson came about through his dynamic production work on the first Go West album. Ralph Denyer extracts the details of the saga and discovers what Gary has planned for the future.

His successful production of U2 has brought musical sage Brian Eno back into the public eye. John Diliberto finds out what's become of his oblique strategies and how he approaches the latest technology.

U2's guitarist interrupts recording of their new album for an exclusive Making Music interview.

One of the stars of Channel 4's Fourmations, Brian Johnson's Improvisions combine musical performance with real-time manipulation of video images. Peter Ridsdale trips on this.

In the '70s, Can paved the way for a generation of experimental electronic musicians. Simon Trask talks to Holger Czukay and Michael Karoli amidst the CD rerelease of their entire back-catalogue and a new LP for '89.

Says it all really

A Musical Luminary

Bill Nelson remains largely unheard of by the record-buying public, yet his influence on modern musicians has been considerable. Nigel Humberstone visits him at his home studio in Yorkshire.

Having pioneered the Micro Composer in the '70s, Roland reaffirm the position of the hardware sequencer in 1990 with the MC50. Simon Trask is fatally attracted.

After calling it a day with seventies’ supergroup The Band, and an interim period spent scoring soundtracks for Martin Scorsese films, guitarist Robbie Robertson has teamed up with Daniel Lanois, Peter Gabriel and U2 to create an impeccable first solo outing. Mark Prendergast lends the album an appreciative ear.

Tubular Bells, Bayou Moon and other stories

Apart from his claim to fame as the co-producer of Mike Oldfield's hugely successful 'Tubular Bells' album, engineer/producer Tom Newman has most recently been making his mark in the New Age music field with two beautifully recorded albums. Mark Prendergast reports.

Never mind avoiding presets and programming your own patches... how about rebuilding the whole damn synth? Richard James - aka Polygon Window, Caustic Window, Diceman, Soit PP, Blue Calx, AFX and The Aphex Twin - isn’t happy with his hardware till he’s had the toolbox to it. Phil Ward enters the twilight zone of the lad from Cornwall who’s spearheading the ambient onslaught.

It's two years since the former japan frontman made his solo debut, but a new double album showcases both Sylvian's unique songwriting and his interest in ambient, instrumental music. Exhaustive interview by Tim Goodyer.

We look at internal sampling packages for all the top micros in this definitive round up

Ralf Hutter: This year's model

From artistic oppression under Stalin to contributing to Stanley Kubrick's 2001: A Space Odyssey, György Ligeti has remained a true music pioneer. Simon Trask talks to a musical legend.

Mutually exclusive?

INPUT: computer analysis/Fairlight/Emulator/PPG/Synclavier/edit and compare/explain FILE FOUND: guest reviewer/Tom Dolby... ASSIGN

Record Producer

The man who turned the music of Duran Duran, Kajagoogoo, Human League and Magazine into hits, discloses his hit-making formulae, recording methods and well-equipped home studio.

Inventor of the 'infinite guitar', this Canadian born player's haunting multi-layered guitar parts have graced the works of such luminaries as Brian Eno, Jon Hassell, U2's Edge, and Daniel Lanois, though Michael Brook's own music has yet to receive the recognition it deserves. Mark J. Prendergast reports.