Pearl's Ice Queen kit

Blast from the past or power for the future? asks Gary Cooper

five stars pick their fave sounds

Vince Clarke, Jon Lord, Steve Levine, Bill Nelson, John Foxx... five heroes of the keyboard nominate their favourite synth tracks and sounds

Vox Setting Charts Choosing Strings And Pickups.

Drumcheck

An elongated addition to the Royale range at a reasonable price. Bob Henrit puts it through its paces

Optical Media International Universe of Sounds Vol 3 for Emax, DPX1 and Emulator II joins our regular selection of readers' own synthesiser patches in MT's regular Patchwork column.

Intelligent Harmoniser

With four independent harmonies and its 'intelligent harmonising', Digitech's VHM5 pitch shifter promises much. Rowland Jones puts it to the test.

at five

Jim Murphy

Rural recordee in Farmhouse sex romp with raving reporter

kits, rim shots, playing surfaces

You almost certainly haven't heard of him, but this man is one of the most inventive composers, arrangers and producers in modern Japan. Tim Goodyer listens to what he has to say.

Kurzweil K250

Sampling with the Kurzweil 250. Will it knock out the Fairlight?

A professional stereo enhancer at a affordable price.

news from the equipment world

Paul Wiffen tortures the CASIO MT-800

Electronic Keyboard

At long last, Casio have come up with a keyboard acceptable to both the pro and domestic fraternities. Paul White checks it out.

Founder of Ars Electronica, this Austrian composer talks about his work on 'Erdenklang' and his own approach to the Fairlight CMI

Wavetable Synthesis

Many of today's popular digital synthesisers use variations on "wavetable synthesis". Chris Meyer explains what this mystical but powerful method is all about.

An explanation of psychoacoustic signal enhancers and their possible applications.