SOUND ON SOUND
Koblo's software instruments are fun and easy to use, with brightly coloured, single-screen user interfaces. Derek Johnson and Debbie Poyser try out their latest, a virtual drum machine which can be run as a stand-alone application or alongside a MIDI + Audio sequencer.
MIDI can be a creative tool as well as a functional one, and Kurzweil's new stand-alone ribbon controller is designed to help you exploit its artistic possibilites. Derek Johnson & Debbie Poyser open up a new world of expression.
The latest addition to Lovetone's range of bizarrely named stomp-boxes is a surprisingly well-specified ring modulator. Will it sting Derek Johnson & Debbie Poyser into musical action?
Success in the music business is, as everyone knows, as much about packaging as it is about content — but it can be hard to find the right look for your CD, especially if you're working on a tight budget. Debbie Poyser gets some advice from one of Britain's top professional sleeve designers.
Yamaha's former sampling flagship, the A3000, represented a novel but very powerful approach to sampler design. The new A4000 and A5000, as Derek Johnson & Debbie Poyser report, maintain the distinctive design ethos, but should provide even stronger competition to the established names.
If something's letting down your pop tracks, it could be the arrangement rather than the song itself at fault. Derek Johnson & Debbie Poyser offer some advice on how to make sure your music gets the star treatment it deserves.
Debbie Poyser has just about had it with Apple. Here she explains why before going off to buy a new G4.
Hi-tech gear companies have set up shop on the web and offer all manner of downloadable goodies, plus FAQs, tips and techniques, to support their users. Derek Johnson & Debbie Poyser take their pick.
The CS6X has more features than any previous Yamaha Control Synth, with plenty of polyphony, real-time controllers, onboard effects, and basic sampling. You can even fit PLG expansion cards, giving you access not only to fresh sounds, but also other forms of synthesis.