Bill Collins looks at a new drum module from Phillip Rees plus this months selection of patterns for you to enter

What makes one of rock music's most eccentric and unpredictable characters lock his guitar in a cupboard and take to composing on a Synclavier instead? Rick Davies provides the answers in an exclusive interview.

Bit 99 Polysynth

The very latest from Chase has a lot to live up to in following the Bit One synth and Bit 01 expander. Can it cut it? Tim Goodyer thinks it can.

What goes on behind the hallowed portals of Bush House and the BBC's radio training department? Read this and find out...

big watts for ivories

Keyboard Mixer

Food fans flip out! Forget recording — what do Pop stars eat while they're working? Lovable liquid-luncher and hardened drinker Trynka tucks in. Bon appetit!

If you can't quite afford a lot of today's equipment but long to use it, you could always hire it. Here we present a rundown of the many UK hire companies and look at what's involved.

Voice processor processed

A clutch of Shures to see if we're certain

Valves

the detailed where and how of replacement

Songwriter.

Hooklines and singers analysed by Jim Betteridge

The Tapeless Recording Boom — Fact Or Fiction?

Is the 'Tapeless Studio’ fact or fiction? Yasmin Hashmi ponders the current state of the recording industry.

The Sequel

Recognising a hit when they make one, Kawai have added independent drum voices and a digital effects section to the popular K1 and called the result the K1 II. Kendall Wrightson plays spot the difference.

A sneak look at what you could well be buying in the forthcoming financial year

What's Hot - Not What's Not!

Technolust!

Rowland Jones mounts the soapbox this month to sound off about 'technolust'!

wang bar meets SG shape

The Sound Of (Live) Music

The acoustics of large venues are totally unsuited to modern electronic music, writes David Pickering Pick.

Joking apart, this one-off practical column makes the rest of the magazine look quite serious.

Whilst the race is on to MIDIfy every effect under the sun, Korg suddenly leap ahead of the rest with their DVP-1. Ian Gilby delivers an exclusive preview of this unique rack-mounting device that combines a vocoder, harmoniser and pitch transposer with MIDI control.

The concluding part of our short series on studio wiring based around the Fostex B16.

Whistle Test

One Two go see the Test.