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A few years ago, dedicated drum machines seemed in danger of extinction — but now they seem to be undergoing something of a renaissance. Derek Johnson gets hands-on with the latest addition to Boss's Dr. Rhythm range.

Up to 30 percent of SOS readers are planning to buy a CD recorder this year, so clearly many of you have designs on making your own album. Paul White talks you through the process of compiling an audio album on CD-R using a stand-alone CD recorder fed from a DAT source.

Algorithmic music generators can produce unique and unexpected results, and now Atari users can try out a well-programmed example, Charming Chaos from Electronic Cow, for just £15. Derek Johnson explains a little Chaos theory...

Sampled drums may be quicker and cheaper than the real thing, but there is something special about a real drummer hitting real drums. Hugh Robjohns passes on a few ideas and tips on capturing the best possible kit sound.

Most people expect that a digital input or output will simply provide a bit-for-bit copy of the original signal. After all, bits are bits, aren't they? Martin Walker sheds some light on the various things that can go wrong.

Looking into the future is never easy, especially where Operating Systems are concerned. Martin Walker ponders the possibilities.

dsTEC's eye-catching new analogue mono is bad — but in a good way. Chris Carter reaps the wages of Syn.

Emagic's new baby is a bargain cross-platform hardware and software bundle which includes a useful new CD-mastering package for Mac users. Paul White finds out whether they've delivered the goods.

In Part 1 we explained how the tones of most real instruments can be reduced to patterns of harmonics, which can be generated using sine, saw, square or pulse waveforms. This month, we consider the sonic raw materials needed to imitate unpitched percussion.