An intriguing insight into just what is required of the home recordist when setting out to cut your first disc.

The First Single

and sensible use of mixing time

BUYING & USING: cheap drums

a buyer's guide to secondhand drum kits

Time to Play

Nottingham's Time Recording give an independent label's-eye view from the front line of dance music. Simon Trask checks his Swatch...

bass and guitar talk

...Beating Like This

If conventional drum pads sound old hat, Matt Isaacson and Chris Meyer might have a few ideas for you as they check out the alternatives in our series on creative drum programming.

Mik Sweeney talks about his guitars and Sal Solo describes how he is acquiring production skills.

Spraying

why guitars go lovely colours

Our series continues with the voice, whether synthetic, sampled or the real thing.

How to maintain your kit

Annabel Scott sits in on 'Donnerstag aus Licht’, the latest concert excursion from a name dropped more often than milk bottles. It’s four hours long, but it’s only a fraction of the finished article.

We conclude our series on synchronisation by looking at Time Code and its applications in the video and music industries. Film editor Richard Atherton is your guide.

Here's Health

musicians' ailments: how to get, how to avoid

Why is a MIDI?

forming your first band and don't know what to do? Read on...

Erasure head man Vince Clarke and his new band face the horror of a Tony Reed interview

Sgt Pepper

The Beatles' most celebrated LP is 20 years old this month: have a splendid time reading how it was made

A super-spy comes clean, but the questions go on

The whole music industry sliced into Twiglets

Martin Robocolor

Lights on a budget

A rare interview with the noted composer and lecturer in the month of his 50th birthday.