Digital Horn

Where Roland and Yamaha tried to create the state-of-the-art wind controller, Casio have gone for accessibility. Andy Blake blows the latest development in the latest line of MIDI controllers.

A crush on the wheels of industry.

Casio plug a gap in their range by introducing a CZS000 without the sequencer. Trish McGrath uses her fingers to see how it sounds.

Slow-Down at the O.K. Corral

Tense, nervous headache? Then you've probably got a patching problem in your studio. Vic Leonard looks at a cost-effective solution to MIDI-patching nightmares.

Mighty Meaty Metal Muthafucker

Those little snippets that make the musician's life worth living

six strings

At last, someone has come up with a sample-playing device that specialises in reproducing bass voices - from a double bass to a Moog synth. Brian Devereux reports.

Gajits' budget sequencer moves over to the Amiga and is joined by the company's new Hit Kit software. Ian Waugh plays along.

Roland's U-110 is proving to be one of the most popular expanders this year. Darrin Williamson finds out why

Our regular readers' demo page is packed with invaluable tips on how to record the perfect demo.

interactive music controllers

You move - it programs. A first step towards virtual reality music?

Introducing The Dots...

Is 4 getting you down? Dave Stewart puts rhythm in easy lingo.

The BBC's sound effects records have been the staple diet of many a film, TV and radio production. Now there is a new generation of digitally recorded sound effects available on compact disc which are ideal for sampling. David Mellor assesses their worth.

Digital Synth Module

The Wavestation A/D takes the digital and vector synthesis systems of its popular parent and adds analogue inputs. Simon Trask reports on the continued evolution of one of today's most flexible synths.

One of the most refreshing synths of '89 was Ensoniq's VFX, but how does it fare with a new keyboard, disk drive and a powerful onboard sequencer? David Bradwell looks at Ensoniq's workstation.

On the Emax Hard Disk Sampler

Unlike some samplers, Emax has stayed the course since its introduction over 18 months ago and has developed into a mature, well groomed specimen. Having released a Hard Disk version of the machine almost a year ago, Emu Systems have recently given Emax yet another lease of life with their Spectrum Synthesis upgrade, which turns the sampler into a powerful additive synthesizer. David Hughes tries it out

The Reverb Revolution Continues

Don't spend your Christmas money until you've read this! We bring you an exclusive in-depth review on Alesis' new secret weapon: a 16-bit, studio quality, digital reverb for little more than the cost of a spring unit.