Nobody ever seems to think much about the art of disc-cutting: yet in reality the cutting-room is the final link in the chain that can really make or break your recording quality-wise. Ralph Denyer, therefore, takes some time out to talk to Strawberry's top cutting engineers, in an effort to demystify this vital area.

An excursion into the depths of dub with reggae master and sound manipulator The Mad Professor.

Hard Disk Recorder

Digital recording takes another step into your living room with this PC-compatible modular package, with four tracks in a 19" rackmounted unit. Bob Walder finds out if Soundscape have got this direct-to-disk business taped...

Paul White

Lock your sequencer to audio and video with a little help from Chris Smith's definitive guide

Janet Angus traces the career of this enterprising sound engineer which ranges from recording Mike Oldfield's 'Tubular Bells' and designing Virgin record stores, to his current pre-occupation with improving the quality of film soundtracks.

Zsa Zsa

Zsa Zsa defected from Hungary to Britain with very little knowledge of English. Now she has her own home studio in London, complete with Greengate sampler.

Toa MR-8T 8-track Cassette Recorder

If you thought eight tracks on standard cassette was an impossibility, think again. David Mellor assesses the world's first 8-track cassette recorder. Will it do to 8-track tape machines what the portastudio did to 4-tracks? Read on and find out...

Flanging, phasing, echo and reverb etc. all described in full.

DDA Interface Console

Yet another stratospheric studio name finds its way into the more modest recording setup; Paul White appreciates DDA's design for mixing.

Even more about Mixing Consoles

More about Mixing Consoles

New England Digital: A Company Philosophy

Most people have heard of the Synclavier but little is known about the company that produces it: New England Digital. Paul Gilby met up with its Vice-President, Brad Naples, who supplied us with a fascinating insight into the philosophy behind the development of this highly advanced digital recording system they call 'the Synclavier'.

The gear piles up in your home studio, and you realise you can't manage another mix without a decent desk - but how can you afford it? Nigel "Mixmiser" Lord puts Fostex' budget desk through its paces.

SSSH... From You Know Who

Following last month's review of the Tascam MSR24S, Dave Lockwood turns his attention to Fostex's new one-inch 24-track with Dolby S: The G24S.

Rosetti's 12-Channel Studio software for the CBM 64. A comprehensive disc-based package that can turn your MIDI gear into a floppy phenomenon.

After carving a career for themselves with their unique brand of anarchic funk, Shriekback have decided the time has come for a change. Barry Andrews tells David Bradwell about the importance of loving musical equipment.

Philip Glass is best known for his work as a minimalist classical composer, but recently he's been completing work in fields as diverse as opera, piano recitals, film and synth ensembles. Mark Jenkins talked to the minimalist maestro during a fleeting visit to London for his latest opera, 'The Making Of The Representative From Planet 8'.

From Sheffield's tradition as the home of industrial funk, come the Fon Force. David Bradwell talks to the men behind the cream of modern northern dance music.

Many people own one and even more would like to, for the E16 is the 16-track tape machine to aspire to. Gareth Stuart finds out why.

Secondhand synths

A buyers guide for the second hand market.

Riverside Recordings

Riverside Recordings — from bedroom Revoxes to 16-track slickness.

Facts on the Rak

Denyer gets the Rak job at last, figuring that Mickie Most really ought to know something about putting a studio together. Seems he does.

Take three musicians who like to remain anonymous, four film-makers and a stunning live show, and you've got one of the most original - if unsung - bands in Britain today.

EXCLUSIVE: Paul Gilby examines the very latest American audio invention for removing cotton wool from your ears!