It's been a while since Yamaha revolutionised synthesisers with the DX7 but now they're making ambitious claims about their SY77. Simon Trask gets a glimpse of Yamaha's latest synth.

Long awaited and long overdue, the SY77 is Yamaha's real successor to the DX7; it combines advanced FM synthesis, AWM sound modelling, digital filtering and musical usefulness. Innovation with Simon Trask.

SY77 Editor/Librarian/Manager

The first of the software assists for editing and archiving on Yamaha's flagship SY77 comes from Germany. Ian Waugh breaks out the schnapps.

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.

Acoustic drum samples from producer Bob Clearmountain rub shoulders with Mega Beats drum machine samples, while SSU sounds for the Yamaha SY77 complete the lineup in this month's Patchwork.

RCM Synthesis explained

In this second part of our in-depth review of the SY77 synthesizer, Martin Russ delves into Yamaha's ultra new synthesis method: Real-time Convolution and Modulation.

Voice Crystal SY77 Disks 1 & 2

Martin Russ takes a break from programming sounds and auditions someone else's instead.

Yamaha TG77 Tone Generator

Yamaha's flagship workstation, the SY77, has now given birth to a new top-of-the-range expander, the TG77. Martin Russ conducts the examination.

Looking back over ten years' worth of magazines, it seemed that there were certain moments worth reliving - here are the edited highlights.

There are more sound options available to today's synthesist than ever before. But should you buy off-the-peg or custom designs?

A colourful round-up of what's new in the hi-tech recording arena.

A colourful bonanza of newly released and forthcoming new products.

(But Were Too Afraid To Ask!)

PART 10: Martin Russ continues his in-depth demystification of these powerful MIDI messages with a look at 'handshaking'.

If you're tired of sampled sounds and are searching for a source of non-imitative synthetic voices to balance your repertoire, these low-cost instruments could well deliver the goods. Martin Russ finds out.

From the Midlands' techno culture comes the hardcore sound of Rhythmatic. Simon Trask investigates one of the bands on the ground floor of Britain's fastest-growing musical movement.

Ryuichi Sakamoto was a founder of the YMO before becoming one of David Sylvian's favoured partners. Now, fresh from a Japanese and a series of film scores he tells Tim Goodyer about his latest LP.

On completion of a new solo album and the soundtrack to the latest screen version of Wuthering Heights, Ryuichi Sakamoto finds himself centre stage yet again. Paul Tingen talks to the Renaissance Man of modern music.

Hints, Tips & News From The World of Music Software

More hints and tips from the software publishers themselves. This month: C-Lab; Steinberg; Opcode.

This month's overview of all the new products worth adding to your Christmas list!

Part 3: Martin Russ hacks his way deeper into the heart of the MIDI jungle. This month: Buffer size, and how to deal with status swaps.

Wendy Carlos still loves digital synthesis. Through her pioneering soundtrack work on movies like Tron, and her synthesised interpretations of the classics, she has done as much as Jarre, Kraftwerk and Eno in making synthesisers both respectable and popular. She also used to be Walter Carlos. Daniel Rue investigates

Frohlich Freestyle Accompanist Software

Martin Russ gets to grips with Freestyle, an auto-accompaniment program with a winning combination of flexibility and customisation options.

Eccentric Swiss pioneers Yello follow 1989's Flag with another long playing sound fantasy. Simon Trask talks to Boris Blank about his old Fairlight and his new Baby.

Ensoniq VFX-SDII

Ensoniq's flagship workstation has recently received some very welcome updates — new piano samples, extra stereo outputs, multitrack sequence recording and step-time entry, and more. Paul Ireson satisfies his curiosity!