Reviews
BOSS DR PADS
Boss DR Pads: Sample Percussion Pads Mark Jenkins reviews this handy set of power-packed sample percussion pads.
DRUM MACHINE SURVEY
Drum Machine Survey Mark Jenkins surveys the drum machine market, from old favourites to exciting newcomers...
JBL CONTROL 1
JBL Control 1 Monitors Near-field monitors, or 'reference' monitors as some people would call them, have been with us for some years now. We can thank the Auratone cubes for starting the craze which has since developed into an important market for all loudspeaker manufacturers worldwide. Most recently the Yamaha NS10s (with or without tissue-paper covered tweeters) have taken this market by storm, but now the big boys in the studio monitor game, JBL, have stepped in with their very own Control 1 miniature monitor system. Paul Gilby listens in!
KORG DS8
Korg DS8 Digital Synthesizer (Preview) Korg's very latest keyboard is non other than a touch-sensitive, sub- £1000, 8-voice FM synthesizer! Mark Jenkins manages to catch a sneak preview.
STAR SAMPLES
Star Samples Bored with your sampler's factory disks? Looking for a new source of sounds to expand your repertoire? Mark Jenkins spools through the current range of Star Samples cassettes to see what they offer...
THE SNAP SHOT MIX
Akai MPX 820 The compact Akai MPX820 MIDI -Programmable Mixer may not compare with a top-class SSL desk but its automated controls and on-board memories offer the budget-conscious user similar benefits to the 'Total Recall' system. Paul D. Lehrman investigates.
YAMAHA DX7IID
Yamaha DX7IID: The Legend Lives On The DX7 has become both one of the best-selling synthesizers of all time and a truly 'classic' instrument. So how do you improve on it? Jay Chapman reports on Yamaha's long awaited attempt...
| People + Opinion
BATTERY
Battery Studios: The Ever-Ready Studio Complex Ralph Denyer takes the lid off this top London studio complex to discover how it and the people that work there tick.
BEHIND THE SYNTHESIZER EXPERIENCE
ESSP: Dave Tuffnell Richard Elen talks to Dave Tuffnell, the man behind a unique electronic music information service - ESSP.
DAVID SYLVIAN MASTER CRAFTSMAN
David Sylvian Master Craftsman At the tender age of 28, David Sylvian has managed to achieve a great deal of respect as a composer, arranger, player and producer of modern music. With the release of his critically acclaimed 'Gone To Earth' album last year, Sylvian proved that it is indeed possible to outgrow the narrow confines of the 'pop' world.
THE PROFESSIONALS
PRS: Performing Rights Society The first of an occasional series in which David Mellor takes a look at the organisations that help musicians and composers earn an honest crust in this hard world. Practically all professional songwriters and composers in this country are members of the PRS. What does it do for the music business and where would we be without it?
TOM NEWMAN
Tubular Bells, Bayou Moon And Other Stories Apart from his claim to fame as the co-producer of Mike Oldfield's hugely successful 'Tubular Bells' album, engineer/producer Tom Newman has most recently been making his mark in the New Age music field with two beautifully recorded albums. Mark Prendergast reports.
Technique
GATEWAY'S SOUND ADVICE COLUMN
GATEWAY'S SOUND ADVICE COLUMN: Mic Positions; Multi-effects; MIDI channels More readers' queries are answered by the expert teaching staff of London's Gateway School of Recording and Music Technology: Mic Positions; Multi-effects; MIDI channels.
HOW IT WORKS: (2) Digital Audio
How It Works: Digital Audio If it's digital, then it has got to be great, Right? Not necessarily so. David Mellor pulls his digit out and starts talking numbers...
MIDI MATTERS
MIDI Matters: Understanding MIDI Implementation Charts The best way of finding out what a new instrument can do is to look carefully at its MIDI Implementation Chart. Jay Chapman acts as your MIDI interpreter and takes you on a guided tour.
| 
