Synthesizers

If you're tempted to try out the whole Spectrum of bass sounds, Peavey have updated and old favourite, and Nick Rowland has the lowdown...

The demand for Roland's TB303 remains very strong, given that the 'fad' of the acid line continues unabated. No surprise, then, that Dutch boffins Syntecno have updated their 1996 TB303 clone to make it even more attractive. Christopher Holder limbers up his tweaking finger.

The Nanosynth is a pygmy on the outside but a veritable Watutsi on the inside. Derek Johnson cuts a swathe through the undergrowth in search of tiny treasure...

Throughout the '80s, additive synthesis was the Holy Grail for synth purists; many machines aspired to it, but only one achieved it successfully. Paul Wiffen explains how additive works and looks at the various implementations, including the newly updated Kawai version.

Bass, how small can you get? Nicholas Rowland gives Alesis' new bottom end a good slap.

Having completed his study of analogue synthesis last month, Paul Wiffen takes a look at FM and its related digital synthesis types, which rocked the synth world throughout the 1980s.

Novation are championing affordable analogue synthesis again, this time with even more bells and whistles. Christopher Holder fills up with Super.

This month, Paul Wiffen looks at ways of modifying a filter's shape, both in terms of frequency response and over time, and considers the importance of routing in connecting together a synth's various sound-generating and -modifying components.

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...

A very, very big piano inside a very, very small box: Derek Johnson investigates Alesis' latest impressive conjuring trick.

Somewhere in the North-East of England, electronic musician and designer Ron Berry has been applying an old-style analogue modular synth to the creation of a very contemporary phenomenon — physical modelling synthesis. Jonathan Miller finds out how it's done.

Given the size of the Spanish-speaking world, it makes good commercial sense to produce a Latin-style sound module — but only if it's sufficiently authentic to sell to those in the know and sufficiently versatile to be attractive to other musicians simply looking for a bit of spice in their rack. Chris Carter and Joe Ortiz play with fire...

Paul White tries out Roland's MBD1 Bass and Drums Sound Expansion module and discovers a wealth of really useable off-the-peg sounds.

After all the political talk in recent years about a return to traditional values, Paul Wiffen kicks off a major new series on synth programming by arguing the Analogue Fundamentalist Party case — that an understanding of the basic elements of traditional analogue synths is essential to fully exploit the various types of synthesis available today.

Emu's latest swingbeat sample player is home to a colony of wicked sounds for hip-hop, trip-hop and acid jazz fans. Dominic Hawken puts on his space suit to explore this strange new world.

Yamaha have scooped the insides out of their well-specified MU80 half-rack GM/XG sound module and transplanted them into a full rack case, with a few extra features aimed at making the resulting MU90R stand out from the GM crowd. Christopher Holder is generally impressed.

Roland's JV1080 was a great success with serious synthesists, and recognising that if it ain't broke there's no need to fix it, Roland have provided more of the same with the new 2080. Derek Johnson's spoilt for choice.

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.

Roland's SC88 could be described as a Rolls-Royce in the world of General MIDI sound modules. So is the new upgraded SC88 Pro a luxurious stretch limo complete with mini-bar and luxuriant walnut veneer? Derek Johnson dons his chauffeur's cap and takes it for a drive...

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.

Perhaps 'more sounds for less money' is becoming a tired selling point, but Christopher Holder finds some features that set Korg's latest GM sound module apart.