With nearly 25 years in the music business, Cliff puts his music making into perspective.

The World's Best Songwriters

four stars choose their favourite songsters - Fish, Vince Clarke, Edwyn Collins, Chris Difford

Rack Mixer

DJs know Phonic's mini-mixers well. Will the musician take to their new 16-channel, rackmounted offering? Nicholas Rowland racks his brains

Dimensional Space Reverb

Can a stereo unit create 3D ambience?

Having made your decision to opt for a software-based MIDI music system, which computer do you choose? Which is best? Are they all the same? Mark Badger considers the three prime contenders.

Phil Ward Xplores the Real World of CD-ROM and multimedia

The column that throbs, the finger on the pulse

Phil and Paul Hartnoll are Orbital, and their pioneering brand of user-friendly electronic dance music is a lot more fluid than the traffic on the motorway that prompted the name. So Phil Ward avoids the M25 and heads straight for the heart of the P&P music factory

mid tech drum machine triumph

Digital Filtering

PART 3: In this final part, Jim Grant builds upon the basic DSP operations of arithmetic and delay, covered in the previous articles, and concentrates on some modern day applications.

Software for the Atari ST

If your music's been demanding a Steinberg sequencer but your pocket's been denying you Pro24, this new budget package could be your salvation. Baby talk: Vic Leonard.

return of the solo

Intelligent Harmoniser

With four independent harmonies and its 'intelligent harmonising', Digitech's VHM5 pitch shifter promises much. Rowland Jones puts it to the test.

General MIDI sound module

Is there more to CM than meets the ear?

Software for the Atari ST

When it comes to sound editing on today's synth modules, there's no alternative to using a software editor. Vic Lennard explores the benefits of Steinberg's editor for the E-mu Proteus.

Recently voted 'Best Sampler' by SOS readers, Akai's S1000 has quickly established itself as the industry standard 16-bit machine. So who better to reveal the innermost secrets of the instrument than the creator of the new SWM and Workstation sample disks, Akai product specialist Steve Howell. This month he kicks off the series with an explanation of how to take your own samples.

here is

Our guide to Yamaha FM synthesis continues: this month, Jay Chapman looks at the delights of sub-algorithms.

Multi-effects Processor

ART's ever-expanding range of signal processors is intended to cater for musicians of all styles and financial means. Nicholas Rowland test drives a new effects unit whose price belies its power.

EMU ESI-32

Affordable sampling from an original thinker

Sound On Sound's DEFINITIVE guide to DX7 RAM & ROM cartridges

We bring you Sound On Sounds DEFINITIVE guide to all ROM/RAMs available for the Yamaha DX7 in the UK. Over 2500 voices tested and everything you need to know about the products revealed in a comprehensive round-up and table.

What's hot for '87

Techno music, the true successor to late seventies synth-pop, translates the desolation of post-Motown Detroit into electronic dance rhythms. Simon Trask listens to the programmer's tale.