Reviews
AKAI S900 - Revisited
Akai S900 - Revisited S900 owner David Mellor receives a package in the post from Akai, which rekindles his enthusiasm in the sampler which was one of the first to combine a wealth of facilities with a reasonable price. Will the Version 2.0 software update bring the Akai into line with the latest samplers on the market or has it become old technology - just after its first birthday?
CASIO HZ-600
Casio HZ-600 Synthesizer Looking for a low-cost introduction to synthesis? With its simplified programming method and variant on the Phase Distortion sound, Casio's latest 8-voice, splittable, polysynth could well prove the ideal first choice. Mark Badger explores...
EMU SYSTEMS SP1200 SAMPLING PERCUSSION SYSTEM
Emu Systems SP1200 Sampling Percussion System Not just a sampling drum machine, more a solid state tape recorder! As things start to heat up at the top end of the drum machine market, David Mellor gives E-mu's successor to their popular SP-12 a thorough pounding.
PASSPORT MASTER TRACKS PRO
Passport Master Tracks Pro Sequencer for the Macintosh Passport were one of the first US companies to offer music software for any computer. Richard Elen wades through the extensive features offered by their first music software release for the Apple Macintosh - a MIDI control program called Master Tracks Pro.
Sony DTC1000ES
DAT Recorder After months of waiting, speculation and peering at display models hidden behind bullet-proof perspex screens, R-DAT has finally appeared in Britain. Are we all ready for digital recording yet or should we stick to the tried and trusted Revox? David Mellor looks at the first product from Sony, the DTC-1000ES, and gives it a taste of professional abuse.
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INSIDE VIEWS
J.L. Cooper The name 'J.L.Cooper' is little known in the UK, except perhaps to those who read his monthly MIDI column in the American 'Keyboard' magazine. So who is he and what does J.L Cooper Electronics company actually produce? Paul Gilby spoke to him about his back ground as a consultant to E-mu Systems and Oberheim, his own company's activies and his position as President of the world MIDI Manufacturers Association.
THE COMPUTER & THE SOUND HOUSE
Brian Hodgson The BBC Radiophonic Workshop's network of Macintosh computers handles everything from music programming to looking after the tape library. Richard Elen talks to Brian Hodgson, the head of the Workshop, about their musical Macintoshes.
Technique
AFRICAN MUSIC
African Music: Part 1 Sound On Sound reader Kofi Busia recently released his own indepedent LP called 'Oh Africa', funded entirely by himself. To encourage others to follow his shining example, we asked Kofi to write about his experiences. In this, the first of three parts, he presents a frank and revealing account of why the record came about, how he came to grips with using modern technology for African music, and why he chose the equipment he used.
HOW IT WORKS
How It Works: Loudspeaker explained: Part 2 In last month's article, David Mellor explained how loudspeaker drive units work and how manufacturers sometimes try to pull the acoustic wadding over our ears and make us think that their speakers sound more 'impressive' than theirrivals. Part 2 tells the story of how the loudspeaker works as a system and gives a couple of hints on how to make BIY (bodge-it-yourself) cabinets.
MIDI MATTERS
MIDI Matters: MIDI Back To Basics: Part 3 Jay Chapman continues his 'back to basics' description of MIDI with a light-hearted pot-pourri of handy hints and tips.
PRACTICALLY MIDI
Practically MIDI: Part 2 Part 2: Martin Russ shows you how to add extra MIDI ins, outs and thrus to a MIDI interface.
THE FEEL FACTOR
A Guide To Prgramming Music With Soul How often have you heard synthesized, sequenced music described as 'cold' and mechanical'? All of us want to compose a tune with a good 'feel', but few people know exactly what makes for a good 'feel'. Yet it's not a mystery - as this timely article by a Michael Stewart, designer of the Kahler Human Clock, reveals.
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