Fostex MC102 Keyboard Mixer/Cassette Recorder

What a good idea — a stereo mastering cassette machine and a mixer in a compact rack package!

(Sometimes)

Just as MIDI has made it as easier to produce great music, so it has facilitated the production of worthless garbage. Paul D. Lehrman explains the problem and how to avoid it.

DX7-owner Jason Chapman and the first of a new series on how to find your way round these revolutionary Yamaha synthesisers. Part 2 next month.

The PPG Wave was one of the most powerful synths of the early Eighties, but it died a death along with so many other dinosaurs. Now its particular method of wavetable synthesis lives again in an entirely new rack expander, which combines the best of the Wave's original audio architecture with full MIDI control. Paul Ireson learns how to cook better sounds, faster.

Peter Maydew

Henry Priestman: the word

Back in the '60s it was Jefferson Airplane, then it was Jefferson Starship, then it was simply Starship. Brad Leigh Benjamin compares notes with the Synclavier king of one of rock's institutions.

Sample sultan Wilf Smarties reports on the latest sample CDs.

Paul White talks to Tony Visconti about his career, his production methods and his plans for the future.

Digital Audio Tape Recorder

After months of waiting, speculation and peering at display models hidden behind bullet-proof perspex screens, R-DAT has finally appeared in Britain. Are we all ready for digital recording yet or should we stick to the tried and trusted Revox? David Mellor looks at the first product from Sony, the DTC-1000ES, and gives it a taste of professional abuse.

Build this noise reduction project

The CDP is a non profit-making co-operative formed by a group of professional composers and researchers at York University, whose intention was to create an affordable personal workstation — a ‘desktop IRCAM’ - on which to run powerful synthesis and signal processing programs. Richard Dobson reveals the power of this Atari ST-based system.

Using the Kurzweil K2000 to create and perform a tribute to John Lennon

The science of the drum machine.

808 State - Absolutely Gorgeous

Roland's flagship sampling module boasts an impressive specification, and its page-based screens are oddly reminiscent of the famous Fairlight. Kendall Wrightson finds out how impressive it is in the flesh.

sampler

A mid-priced sampler with a spec that'll worry the high-priced competition

Will the new-look ABC find success as easy as 1-2-3? Or will their latest Lexicon of Love lose something in the translation? Philip Bashe finds out.

Exclusive words and pics

Recording Drums

Part 8: David Mellor explains several techniques for taming that most difficult of instruments to record - the drum kit.

Abolish sibilance with this well designed, cost-effective addition to the Tanrak.

Studio Layout & Acoustics

PART 7: Badly positioned equipment in your home studio can mean the difference between a good working environment and a bad one. This month, David Mellor provides some useful guidelines to help make your home studio as efficient as possible.

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.