SOUND ON SOUND
Everyone is looking for that elusive extra dimension to their mix, and Roland's latest unit claims to deliver it right out of the box. Dave Lockwood assesses dimensional expansion for himself.
Given the scarcity and high prices of Roland's seriously trendy TB303 Bassline, the field has been wide open for enterprising manufacturers to fill the demand for a cheap and funky bass synth. Novation's BassStation is but the first of three contenders.
Waldorf's dream machine is finally off the drawing board and in the real world, and looks sure to set synth players' hearts beating a little faster.
With so many compressors already on the market, does this newcomer from Phonic deserve a look in? After balancing performance against price, Paul White thinks it's in with a chance.
Exploring Twiddly Bits, a collection of musical fills, riffs and embellishments played by leading session musicians and stored in MIDI file format.
The latest SoundBlaster from Creative Labs benefits from Emu synthesis power. Steven Helstrip checks it out and finds a PC soundcard with a bit more class.
Born-again Vision user Mike Collins runs down the new features in the latest version of Opcode's pro Mac sequencing package, and reveals why he now believes it's the standard to beat...
Lexicon's new Vortex effects processor takes the concept of video morphing and applies it to audio effects. Paul White takes it for a spin.
This new mixer from Samson can't lay claim to much originality but does offer a good array of features for its sub-£1000 price tag. Derek Johnson checks it out.
Exploring the Milli Keyboard interface.
Genelec are better known for their medium and large-sized pro studio monitors, but as Paul White discovers, their new mini active monitor could be tailor-made for the smaller private studio.
Want that Mesa Boogie guitar sound for a fraction of the usual price — and from a foot pedal? Vic Lennard plugs in his trusty Strat...
The TX16W was about to go down in the annals of electronic instrument history as a brilliant-sounding sampler handicapped by a pig of an operating system — until a group of Swedish users took matters into their own hands. Duncan Werner investtigates the ultimate in third-party development.
The Oberheim Matrix 1000 analogue synth module recently enjoyed a relaunch, resplendent in a new cream livery. Self-confessed Matrix 1000 owner Paul White extols its virtues and exposes its vices.
Kurzweil's flagship synth was introduced to wide acclaim in 1992. Last year, sampling was added to its list of capabilities, and now the first of the long-awaited ROM expansion boards is available. Tim James listens in and wonders if it might be time to give up his violin lessons...
Soundtracs' new studio gem falls in with the current trend in mixer design — more features and better performance for less money — and adds that special Soundtracs polish. Paul White takes a shine to it.
The JX10 was Roland's 'final analogue statement' before the advent of their ground-breaking D50. Derek Johnson reveals the good, the bad and the ugly aspects of this supersynth, now available on the secondhand market for less than a third of its original asking price.
Paul White digs out his patch leads and powers up Allen & Heath's new general purpose, 4-bus console.
The Proteus series of sound modules have gained a reputation for being all things to all musicians — but they've never had on-board effects. The newest addition to the family takes care of that. Nigel Humberstone checks it out.
Derek Johnson takes a look at a new addition to the still-growing Sound Canvas family.