SOUND ON SOUND
Dave Stewart is an English keyboardist, composer, producer and author who started his career as a band member in the early 1970s. Since 1981 he has made 'pop music for grown-ups' with singer Barbara Gaskin, releasing seven albums on the duo's own Broken Records label and performing live in Japan, USA and the UK. He has also written TV & film music and created string and choir arrangements for various artists.
Dave is the author of two music books: The Musician's Guide To Reading & Writing Music (Backbeat 1992) and Inside The Music (Backbeat 1999). He has written for Sound On Sound (while resting between engagements) longer than any of us care to remember.
**** 4 stars. Although he's served time with vintage US rockers Aerosmith, there's more to Joey Kramer's playing than a 10-ton backbeat...
After creating the ultimate harp library, has Gary Garritan managed to succeed again with the most ambitious sampled string library ever undertaken?
***** Score = 5/5 stars. Categorised by emotions, Twisted Textures is a very useful and admirably varied collection of short, self-contained sonic mood pieces.
**** Score = 4/5 stars. Programmer Brian Transeau delivers 436 breakbeats, mostly four bars long, divided into two categories, "Dirt Breakz" and "Live Breakz", with tempos ranging from 66 to 180 bpm.
The GM, XG and GS sound specs are frequently derided for imposing boring uniformity on the synth universe — but in fact they contain many unusual sounds. Dave Stewart, a man who knows a gopi-yantra from gankogwe, sheds light on some of the lesser-known instruments in the General MIDID set, and provides some useful playing tips.
Continuing their tradition of themed rackmount modules, Emu have unleashed a 128-voice virtual orchestra in a box. A virtuoso endeavour or virtual insanity?
* Score = 3
Rating: ***** 5/6 Stars
Overall Comments: A 5‑CD set designed to make the...