With S+S instruments giving way to the new wave of physical modelling synths, does Alesis' new 'QS-in-a-box' still have what it takes to turn heads? Paul White tunes in, turns on and finds out...
The first in Drawmer's new budget range of processors aims to give you high-quality gain reduction at a compressed price. Paul White comes to the conclusion that they've got the balance right.
Emu's latest swingbeat sample player is home to a colony of wicked sounds for hip-hop, trip-hop and acid jazz fans. Dominic Hawken puts on his space suit to explore this strange new world.
The Dimension Beam translates physical movement into MIDI data, offering theremin-style control over your keyboard rack. Dominic Hawken explores this new device.
Is it a hi-tech bathroom scale? Is it a 21st-century computer game? Is it Darth Vader's toilet seat? No, it's an innovative LED-laden MIDI step sequencer, with the power to wring new life from your old synths. Paul Nagle pulses and flashes with excitement.
When it comes to cloning people, or even sheep, there's always an outcry, but where do you stand on the issue of plug-in card that effectively turns your Lexicon PCM90 into two Lexicon PCM90s? Paul White feels that first in the queue would be the appropriate location!
This mid-priced DAT shares some rather higher-class innards with its more expensive siblings, and is also equipped with Sony's Super Bit Mapping technology for improved noise performance. Hugh Robjohns checks it out.
Take an Atari Falcon, strip away the outer casing, add some major circuitry and a host of external connections and package in a sturdy rackmount box. Stir in a copy of Cubase Audio, connect up a CD recorder, and the result is the new Sunrise Audio Workstation. Dominic Hawken checks out this unique new recipe.
The Native Power Pack from DSP software specialists Waves gathers together several plug-ins previously only available for Mac-based TDM systems, and makes them available at a Knock-down price, instantly widening the appeal of software based processing. Janet Harniman-Cook plugs in.
Yamaha brought the price of an automated digital mixer crashing to below £2000 with the release of the ProMix 01. They then followed up with the fully-featured 02R, but at over £7000, it wasn't cheap. Now there's the 03D, which seeks to combine the features of the 02R with the amazing value of the 01. Hugh Robjohns checks out the 03D's zeros and ones...
Using SoundFonts with your AWE32 or AWE64 soundcard makes them totally open-ended — if you want a new sound for MIDI use you just sample one. Martin Walker guides you through the wonders of personalised SoundFont creation.
Do you fully appreciate your mixer's capabilities when it comes to using effects and signal processors? Craig Anderton reminds you of a few tricks your desk might have up its sleeve.
MOTU software specialist and UK distributor Simon Stock passes on some useful info for users of Performer, Digital Performer, Composer's MOSAIC and Freestyle.
Modelling is the current big thing in digital synthesis, and it's being used to recreate the sounds not only of traditional acoustic instruments, but also the analogue synth timbres electronic musicians know and love. So just how are the manufacturers making numbers behave like nose-flutes and maths sound like Moogs? Super modeller Martin Russ provides the beginners' guide.
After all the political talk in recent years about a return to traditional values, Paul Wiffen kicks off a major new series on synth programming by arguing the Analogue Fundamentalist Party case — that an understanding of the basic elements of traditional analogue synths is essential to fully exploit the various types of synthesis available today.
When you've got both hands on the keyboard and you want to add real-time expression, you need an extra limb, an abnormally long tongue, or some practical advice from Martin Walker.
Artist, producer and remixer Arthur Baker must surely be one of the seminal figures in electronic music history, with a career that initially took off with the production of Afrika Bambaata's hugely influential 'Planet Rock'. Now he's taking a new direction, as boss and A&R executive of his own record label. Richard Buskin goes all starry-eyed...
Synthetic strings, artificial oboes, machine-made drums... Ian Stewart wants to stop faking it and get real — or go all the way and fake it completely.
Karl Jenkins' music mixes ethnic and classical influences with rock's production techniques; his unclassifiable first album sold a million copies. The latest master crossover tells Paul Tingen why he doesn't care about categories.
Samples taken from other people's records are now big business, but if you're contemplating commercial release of a track featuring a copyright sample, you ignore the legal implications at your peril. Big George Webley investigates.
Alesis' ADAT digital recorder format takes another step forward with the launch of a truly professional high-end machine, the Meridian. Fast Forward's Marcus Ryle is responsible for much of Alesis' software design, making him the ideal person to give Paul White a guided tour.
In the spring of 1987, Mark Cunningham took on the most bizarre project of his musical career: re-recording The Beatles' Sgt Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band. Ten years later, as we celebrate the 30th anniversary of the original album, Mark revisits his curious sessions.
Imagine you've spent a lot of time and money setting up a one-off gig in a historic castle, for a select audience, with the aim of recording and videoing the performance for future release. Then disaster strikes: catastrophic equipment failure leaves you with half a gig on multitrack tape, and major rebuilding work is needed later in the studio. Phil Bates mixes some cement, rolls up his shirt sleeves and tucks his pencil behind his ear...
If you remember seeing fresh-faced popsters Altered Images bouncing around the TOTP stage back in the '80s, you may already have seen Stephen Lironi. Nowdays, though, he's all grown up and carving himself a production career with the likes of Space, Jon Bon Jovi and Brian Wilson's singing daughters, The Wilsons. Richard Buskin finds out about the new image.
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