Studio Test

Curtis Schwartz meets The Master Controller and lives to tell the tale

Cables

Part 2: Cabling. David Mellor reveals all the prospective home studio owner needs to know about cables.

A full run-down on what's happening to E&MM next month, how it'll look, and why we're doing it.

Passport Alchemy 3

Peace-broking sampling software

Dual Compressor/limiter Gate

A compressor/limiter with programme dependent characteristics.

Still trapped in the MIDI maze? Never fear - Vic Lennard has found another way Out

Dieter Meier is a writer, painter, performance artist and an ex-professional gambler; he's also the face and voice in front of one of the most influential bands of the '80s. Tim Goodyer joins the Swiss race.

Psychoacoustic Enhancer

Tangerine Dream give a piece of their collective musical mind to Matthew Vosburgh, who also took the pictures.

Digital Drum Kit

First there were Ddrums... Nicholas "animal" Howland returns to his skin-bashing roots to test a Swedish electronic kit that aims to replace its acoustic relative.

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.

Talks guitars, amps and playing to Tony Bacon

GuitarCheck

Busy Dave Burrluck, back again to bend a string or two on the new JHS. Encore!

Rack Mounting Versatility from Cutec

IN THE LAND OF THE RISING SUN

From indie rock to sampled success - this band have used technology to change their sound and get themselves into the charts. David Bradwell talks technology, samples and football to Beloved people.

Chris Meyer attempts to unravel the mysteries of MIDI's various operating modes, and dispels the myth that some recent instruments have new ones built into them.

Software for the Atari ST

If you're currently using a software sequencer you'll almost certainly remember the days of drum machine programming as sublimely simple. Ian Waugh investigates a program that returns to basics.

Digital Rhythm Programmer

Two years on from their impressive, RX5 drum machine, Yamaha have slimmed down their flagship to give us an affordable 16-bit beat box. Chris Many reckons it could be a hit.

Alembic is a word guaranteed to set bassists' teeth a-gnashing with envy. Steve York supplies the necessary.

With the increased use of direct-injected sound sources like drum machines on modern recordings, the role of the humble noise gate has gradually shifted from a purely corrective to a creative one. Sound engineer Dave Lockwood discovered even more creative applications when he tested this American four-channel expander/gate from US Audio.

Studio Test

A new name to challenge the Auratones of this world? Curtis Schwartz reports

House from home. Nicholas Rowland talks to a British house band who have developed their music from television advertising jingles to chart success.