SOUND ON SOUND
If you'd love a modular synth, but couldn't possibly afford a real one, it's possible that virtual salvation is at hand.
If you own a VS880, you can already record, edit and produce a stereo mix of your masterworks, all with out leaving the 880's tape-like hard disk recording environment, but now Roland have added the ability to make a CD master in the same way. Paul Nagle goes for the burn.
Access's strangely-named Virus is another digital synth emulating the analogues of yesteryear — but this one might be the best of the bunch so far. Paul Nagle brings you a sneak preview of the first Virus to hit the UK.
Clavia's little red devil bought its Swedish creators a fair measure of fame and fortune on its release almost two years ago. But times have changed, and the Nord 2 now has many more competitors in the virtual analogue stakes. Paul Nagle leads from the front.
Waldorf have been cooking up something special for the son of their acclaimed synth dynamo, the Microwave. Paul Nagle gets quite a taste for it...
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.
The price remains the same, but Roland's VS880 is now different in many ways. Original 880 owner Paul Nagle's movin' on up...
The British-made single-oscillator monosynth is unashamedly retro in both its knob-laden styling and its lack of MIDI. Paul Nagle gets orgon-ised.
People keep on making 'em, people keep on buying 'em. Is there no end to the appetite for TB303 clones? Paul Nagle checks out one of the cheapest yet, and concludes that FAT is good for you after all.