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.

How our seminars rocked London’s APRS Exhibition

Digital voice editing

How to swing the on-screen scalpel

Tony Oxley sneers commendably at commercialism in music.

Cassette Multitracker

If you're looking for a cost-effective way to add multitrack tape recording to your sequencing setup, it couldn't come much more cheaply than with Fostex' X18. Simon Trask goes back to basics with this new cassette multitrack.

Continental Touring: Pitfalls & Problems

A pro studio that's offering its facilities to new bands for free? Mike Myers tells Nicholas Rowland what's wrong with the record biz and how he's trying to put it right.

The machines that stole the musicians' feel from your music are the same machines that you can now use to restore it - once you know how. Travis Charbeneau investigates the subtleties of the human touch.

BUYING & USING: percussion

how to choose percussion instruments, and how to use them once you’ve got them home

A Step-By-Step Sequencing Project

Stephanie Sobey-Jones takes you through a step-by-step sequencing project and explains some sequencer jargon along the way.

European singer Ronny makes her U.K. concert debut with Warren Cann and Hans Zimmer and the trio talk about their musical adventures.

More about mixing consoles

Sound Module

Take 20 classic keyboards into the shower? Now you can just trigger and go with E-mu's Vintage Keys sound module, provider of sampled keyboard sounds from the Minimoog to the Mellotron. But who would you have in goal?, asks Peter Forrest

A chorus line or two

OCR music software for the PC

Imagine what it would be like to scan a piece of sheet music and have it turned into a MIDI file. Imagine the MIDIScan.

Live sound levels

Keeping the law enforcers sweet

From the manufacturers of the first cassette multitracker comes the Midistudio: a single unit integrating MIDI into a four-track cassette recorder. Nigel Lord calls it "revolutionary".

Not, as you might have thought, a guide on how to run a protection racket (Sorry, Squire, I scratched the Westlake), but how to make them cost-effective.

The Wires and Wherefores of Connecting up Your Studio

If you're spending hundreds or even thousands of pounds on studio equipment, you might as well spend a little time to ensure that it's actually connected up properly. Wilf Smarties explains how to avoid hums, buzzes, earth loops, and all those other nasty shocks...

Make music with the ZX81

Resonant Filters

Is Hybrid Arts SMPTETrack for the Atari ST keeping pace with the front runners? David Mellor upgrades his sequencer package to version II software and hardware.

Even the biggest sample library never seems to have quite enough drum sounds. The solution? Roll your own. Craig Anderton passes on some hot hints and tips on how to get the best possible drum sounds out of your sampler.

Real-time Sequencing

Paul Wiffen gives some useful tips on how to record sequences in real time.