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FM synthesis was the success story of the mid-'80s, and synth based on its principles, like Yamaha's DX7, sold by the bucketload — until affordable sample-based synths arrived at the end of the decade. Now, with their new FS1R, Yamaha have updated the technology for the late '90s.

Users of computer-based recording systems often feel restricted by the limited degree of physical control available when it comes to mixing, especially when compared to a traditional setup centred around a hardware mixer. Mike Collins tries out a new system from Mackie which aims to improve matters.

Imagine a sampler with almost unlimited memory that doesn't cost a fortune, and runs on a PC using a standard soundcard. Martin Walker installs Gigasampler, and prepares to be amazed.

Roland's latest high-end arranger is the company's first for three years, yet it looks strikingly similar to its predecessor. Does it have anything new to offer in an increasingly sophisticated market? Simon Trask arranges some time with the G1000...

Spirit's 328 is a digital mixer designed to retain the intuitive feel of an analogue desk. Paul White takes the controls, while Hugh Robjohns explores the 328's comprehensive digital interfacing.

There are loads of handy gadgets out there to make a musician's life more fun, and every one of them is more desirable than socks or aftershave. Derek Johnson & Debbie Poyser present you with a few ideas...

The Honeyz are a new R&B act, but behind the smash success of their debut single 'Finally Found' sits a familiar figure — Culture Club producer Steve Levine. Matt Bell dissects the track, and finds out how it was put together in Steve's compact digital home studio.

These days, samplers are the electronic musician's bread and butter — but they need not be used in commonplace ways. In the first part of a short series, Nicholas Rowland looks at ways to spice up your tracks with samples from unusual sources.

Paul White meets the latest version of Alesis' Quadraverb concept, and finds it respendent with 20-bit I/O, improved digital and analogue interfacing, and a proper internal PSU.