Paul Young's Royal Family

Guitarist Steve Bolton and bass player Pino Palladino explain the importance of being a Swedish Chef.

10 CC, LGT, Mainframe, Ian Boddy

The Big Five

Paul Gilby opens our music software special with his thoughts on the 'big five' micros that are currently vying for the musician's money.

Take It From The Top

Tony Mills with more up and downmarket software

The Mellotron

Once considered an instrument no keyboard player should be without, more recently regarded as a mechanical monstrosity, the Mellotron was definitely an early sampler, but was it the first? Dave "Crumbly" Crombie reminisces.

Ambient, techno and the internet

Guitars Go Avant Garde

The best-known instrumentalists aren't necessarily the ones with the most to say. We chat to American avant garde guitar player Steve Tibbetts via the postal service, and find he's got a lot of views worth hearing.

A mixer from Simmons? Why not? The application of MIDI control to audio mixers is resulting in a radical departure from traditional designs, as Tony Hastings found out when he road-tested the SPM8:2 recently.

MIDI Percussion Controller

The indisputable leader of the gang

Milton Keynes adman draws up Draughtsman's Contract

More beats per pound

Weller and Talbot collectively swapping shopping stories with Adrian Deevoy

A gentleman and a scholar

ADAT for all seasons

In the desert of new age there are oases of music. Scott Wilkinson talks to an American guitarist with a story to tell and the technology to tell it.

Don Larking guides you through the various equipment that goes to make up a home studio.

news from the front

newsworthy items for your interest

Penguin Cafe Orchestra

Obscure orchestra leader, Simon Jeffes intrigues Paul Tingen with stories of self-discovery in Japan, and finding music in one note.

Radio drama relies heavily on the skills of the sound engineer as you can well imagine. Janet Angus spoke with one of its leading exponents, John Rowland, aboard The Barge Studio to discover what special techniques are involved.

Everything you didn't want to know and couldn't be bothered to ask

The second part of MT's in-depth examination of the sample CD phenomenon. Simon Harris, Norman Cook, Coldcut, Ed Stratton and Pascal Gabriel confess all to Tim Goodyer.

Producer & Composer

Janet Angus talks to Dave about making the change between audio and video recording and the issues and problems involved.

Fela Kuti And King Sunny Ade

The King and the President of Nigerian music explain the effect Juju and Afro-Pop have had on white Rock music. Report by Michael Shore

American trumpeter extraordinaire talks to John Diliberto about horns, electronics and Indian ragas; '60s experimentation meets '80s chic.

The feasibility of putting your own records out; Richard Dean tells how to beat them at their own game.