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Paul Wiffen

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Emu Systems Emulator II

8-bit Sampling Keyboard, Part 2 (Retro)

Paul Wiffen continues his homage to the first 'musical' sampling keyboard, which brought sampling out of the dark ages of simple trigger playback and into the realm of filters, envelopes and performance controls which we take for granted on all modern samplers. The Emulator II was, as he explains, also responsible for other major innovations like on-board hard drives and CD-ROM libraries...

Published September 2000
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Emu Systems Emulator II, Part 1 (Retro)

8-bit Sampling Keboard

Unil the EII came along, Paul Wiffen had no time for sampling as a musical tool. But when he found all the filtering and enveloping he was used to from analogue synthesis, plus a sound fidelity which he hadn't heard before, he was a convert...

Published August 2000
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An Introduction To mLAN: Part 1

A New Interfacing Standard

A new interfacing standard is just around the corner which can carry digital audio, MIDI, timecode and hard drive communications down a single cable, in addition to the digital video and multimedia signals which the likes of Sony, Apple and others are already sending down it. Paul Wiffen, long an advocate of high-speed digital interfaces, investigates and finds that he may just have a new religion to evangelise.

Published August 2000
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NIGEL BATES: Mixing Vintage & Cutting-edge Technology

Interview | Producer/Engineer

Vintage producer/engineer Nigel Bates was one of the original devotees of the PPG Wave digital synthesizer, an instrument that is still a mainstay of his music. These days, he's also enthsiastic in his use of the latest software-based mixing tools. Paul Wiffen finds out more about his fusion of the classic and the cutting-edge. Extra material by Sam Inglis and Matt Bell.

Published August 2000
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Akai MPC2000XL

Percussion Sampler/Sequencer

Three years ago Paul Wiffen concluded that Akai had brought the concept of the sampling drum machine up to date with the MPC2000. Now he takes a look at its successor to see how much more you get when you XL.

Published December 1999
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Elka Synthex [Retrozone]

8-voice Polyphonic Synthesizer

Paul Wiffen made no secret of his fondness for the OSCar in September's issue, and now reminisces about the other great keyboard love of his life — the Elka Synthex, a synth whose reputation and influence far outweighs the number that were ever sold.

Published December 1999
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Oxford Synthesizer Company OSCar

Synthesizer (Retro)

Under hypnosis, Paul Wiffen regresses to an earlier life when he was involved in the development and marketing of what is now regarded as a British classic.

Published September 1999
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Synth FX: Part 3

Using Onboard Synth Effects

Having looked at the history and development of built-in effects on synths over the last decade and a half, Paul Wiffen now explores the practicalities of using them, and how to get the best from the keyboards and modules which contain them.

Published June 1999
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Synth FX: Part 2

The History Of Onboard Synth Effects

In Part 1, we saw how manufacturers realised that putting DSP effects on synths made for great sales. Subsequently, they twigged that it was also a good idea to let us take them off again (selectively), and route and adjust them ourselves.

Published April 1999
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Synth FX: Part 1

Introduction Of Built-in Effects On Synthesizers

These days, a new synth without some form of DSP effects processing is almost unthinkable — but it wasn't always like that. Paul Wiffen traces the introduction of effects on synthesizers and looks at making the most of the early implementations.

Published March 1999

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