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Yamaha DX7IID

The DX7 has become both one of the best-selling synthesizers of all time and a truly 'classic' instrument. So how do you improve on that? Jay Chapman reviews Yamaha's recently launched and long awaited successor to the DX7.

Mixing in the MIDI Age

This two-part feature covers both the art and technology of mixing. The first article on page 48, 'Mixing Essentials', covers audio mixing in general, from a more basic level, and applies to any sort of studio mixing task. The second part, 'Mixing With MIDI’, starts on page 54 and covers techniques made possible by MIDI, specifically automated mixing and sending MIDI instruments direct to your master tape. Craig Anderton is your guide.

With the predominance of the workstation synth, and the rise and rise of essentially preset instruments, what has become of the 'traditional' synthesizer? Paul Hazel turns the spotlight on Roland's JD800 and Korg's Wavestation, two recent instruments which answer the question — but in very different ways.

MIDI Composition via Computer

The tale of two songwriters on opposite coasts of America, using different computers and musical instruments, writing and producing a single without face-to-face collaboration until the final mixdown. Al Hospers reveals what happened.

Peavey DPM2 & DPM3SE Plus

Peavey's DPM3 synth now has a little brother in the DPM2, and the DPM3 itself has been upgraded with new features that increase its powers dramatically. Martin Russ looks at a dynamic duo.

Improvements and additions to the SY77 concept have produced a new instrument — the SY99. Martin Russ Looks at Yamaha's new flagship synth.

(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.

Few instruments have caused as great a stir in the marketplace as the futuristic-looking DG1. Stepp describe it as "a radically new instrument that plays like a guitar, and which can produce some of the most phenomenal sounds you're ever likely to hear." Ian Gilby visited Stepp to find out for himself and talk with its creator, Stephen Randall.

MIDI has revolutionised the way we make and record music. But it has developed at such an incredible pace that it is easy to lose sight of MIDI's many benefits. In this lengthy article, Craig Anderton provides a lucid explanation of how you can make MIDI work for you - whether you have a small home studio set-up or a full-blown professional system.

If you own an MT32 then you really should be using a computer-based voice editing program to make the most of its facilities. Martin Russ compares three possible contenders for your money from Tigress Designs, Dr T and Steinberg.

A Round-Table Discussion With Major Japanese Instrument Manufacturers

The idea of putting a group of rival Japanese manufacturers together in a room to openly discuss their future directions may seem more akin to an explosive science experiment than a realistic idea. Gregory D. Moore reports on the outcome.

Yamaha SY22 Dynamic Vector Synthesizer

If you're one of those musicians who recall the Prophet VS synthesizer with misty-eyed affection, then you'll probably welcome Yamaha's decision to resurrect vector synthesis on this latest addition to their SY range. Paul Ireson checks out this blast from the past.

How Good Are They?

Over the next two issues Graham Hinton tests five mixer automation systems which all provide control of audio signal level by means of Voltage Controlled Amplifiers (VCAs) and are accessible to some degree by MIDI. This month it's the turn of the Akai MPX820 and Simmons SPM8:2.

Last month we gave you advice on choosing a computer for musical applications; as a follow on, this month Mike Barnes provides a comprehensive rundown of available music software for the Atari, Macintosh, IBM PC, and Amiga computers.

The new heir to the ST sequencer throne?

After a change of name and a long wait, Steinberg's successor to Pro24 is finally here. Has it been worth the wait? David Hughes thinks so...

A pictorial taste of some of the hot new products unveiled at last month's British Music Fair.

Sounds, samples, & software upgrades for the modern studio

New software, updates, sounds, and samples

The most comprehensive review of Europes biggest Music Fair

The assembled masses of the IM review department wax lyrical over their selected favourites from this year's music fair.

Digital Keyboard

How can the principles of Artificial Intelligence be employed to make a computer musical instrument sound like a grand piano? David Ellis delves deep into the workings of a £10,000+ Stateside keyboard.

Yamaha CX5M Software

Three packages for the CX5M — eight-track real-time sequencer, DX21 voice editor and RX editor — are put through their paces by E&MM’s review team.

RCM Synthesizer

The DX7 captured musicians’ imaginations like no other synthesizer before or since. But the legacy of releasing endless variations on the DX theme has turned some musicians away from FM synthesis and into the waiting arms of a new generation of 'sample plus synth' keyboards. Now Yamaha are back with a vengeance, an even more powerful method of synthesis (Real-time Convolution and Modulation), and a spanking new flagship synth. But has the SY77 got what it takes to regain the hi-tech musician's vote? Martin Russ finds out.

Sounds, samples, & software upgrades for the modern studio

Disks, gadgets, samples and bits for the computing musician

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