Secondhand synths

A buyers guide for the second hand market.

Interconnect

To Open My Mouth

MDB Window Recorder

A specialised sampler for specialised tasks — but will the arrival of cheaper sampling keyboards diminish this rack-mount unit’s appeal? Annabel Scott finds out.

A Man With A Gift

In between tours with Ultravox and appearances on Live Aid, Midge Ure somehow found the time to discuss the writing and recording of his first ever solo LP 'The Gift' and his No1 single with Ian Gilby.

Four years on from the successes of The Flat Earth, Thomas Dolby has moved to LA for his follow-up LP, Aliens Ate My Buick. Tim Goodyer discovers that aliens have a lot to say.

We get the artists' views

If the sound of your kid sister hitting a biscuit-tin lid is your idea of what a snare drum should sound like, Simmons' new EPROM blower should make your sampling dreams come true. Paul White reports.

An exclusive interview with Rick Wakeman plus music from '1984' for you to play.

Programmable Phase Distortion Polysynth with Sequencer

Continuing their fight for pro keyboard acceptance, Casio double the CZ1000's voices and throw in a multitrack sequencer for good measure. Simon Trask casts a critical eye over the results.

ADD-ON KEYBOARDS

Tony Mills weighs up the pros and cons of augmenting your home micro with an add-on keyboard

mixing classical with digital

Ben Duncan goes through one of his phases...

Established as a top keyboard player in Deep Purple and Whitesnake, our interview analyses the music of his new LP ‘Before I Forget’.

With some 17 solo albums to his credit, as well as two ballets, five collaborations with Jon Anderson, and film soundtracks that include 'Blade Runner' and the Oscar-winning 'Chariots Of Fire', Vangelis has continually explored the creation of musical forms via the integration of the acoustic with the electronic. Recently, he took time out to talk about his own work methods and express his views on the current technological scene. Richard Buskin asks the questions.

Roland Mother System

Roland's innovative MIDI set-up; Mother Keyboard, Planet-P piano voice module, Planet-S synth module, and the impressive Super Jupiter... an in-depth test.

programmer and composer

Boss Micro Rack

Five new effects for the home studio

Masterclass - Noise Gates

With the development of their Series 4000 range of studio mics, Bruel & Kjaer have earned a reputation as one of the top manufacturers of versatile, high performance microphones. In this article Ralph Dunlop, B&K's UK Sales Manager, makes a case for the use of quality microphones and outlines a useful guide for determining microphone choice and application.

Making their presence felt in the singles charts once again, New Order are celebrating eight years together with a new album and forthcoming tour. David Bradwell and Chris Williams investigate the Order of things.

Programmable Drum Machine

The world's cheapest programmable digital drum machine looks on paper to be a fine companion for Korg's similarly-priced Latin percussion machine. Paul White checks out the reality.

Jon and Helena Marsh in their natural habitat

Often criticised for its shortcomings. MIDI is still being developed to meet musicians' needs. UK MIDI Association chief Vic Lennard brings news of the latest updates and their applications.

A Series By Warren Cann.