June 1994 Magazine Contents

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.

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.

Exploring Twiddly Bits, a collection of musical fills, riffs and embellishments played by leading session musicians and stored in MIDI file format.

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...

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.

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...

Exploring the Milli Keyboard interface.

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.

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...

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.

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.

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 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.

You don't have to stick to library samples all the time, and you needn't spend hours creating your own. Paul White reveals a few short cuts.

Paul Austin looks on as the Amiga's ultimate direct-to-disk sampling system finally gets the software it deserves...

Having surfaced from the depths of the previous instalment, Steve Howell takes a deep breath and plunges back into his explaination of some of the modulation possibilities afforded by modular analogue synths...

Do you have countless disk boxes, and definite problems finding that song file you started last month? Vic Lennard explains why you should consider a hard drive, especially at the current low prices...

This month, Brian Heywood presents his round-up of the MEMS show, and takes a look at Media Vision's Memphis multimedia upgrade.

Although much more widely used than ever before, the multitimbral ability of electronic instruments to produce several different sounds at the same time is still not always fully exploited. Paul Wiffen traces the evolution of this powerful feature.

Martin Russ talks you through what to do when you've just bought a new piece of hi-tech gear.

In a packed column this month, Martin Russ looks at MIDI machine control, FreeMIDI, the Mac serial port, and even manages to mention the latest Apple news. He kicks off with a look at Performer 5.0.

Sean Kenny is an experienced programmer, and has devised a method for emulating guitar strumming using a sequencer. Though the methods described here relate specifically to C-Lab/Emagic Notator and Creator, they could be adapted for use with other sequencing packages.

Recording the spoken word requires a slightly different approach to recording vocals, and intelligibility takes over from musicality as the prime consideration. Paul White spreads the word.

Expressive sequencer parts for monophonic instruments like bass and wind can be difficult to achieve — unless you understand how bass and wind players approach their instruments and how your sequencer's facilities can help you do the same thing. Craig Anderton explains.

It's a well worn record company adage that the music known as New Age doesn't sell, yet the little-known artist Clifford White has enjoyed such enormous success with this kind of music that he has set up his own booming record company. Paul White (no relation) finds out how.

Despite having spent more than 15 years in the public eye, David Sylvian remains an enigmatic figure who has reinvented his own musical style constantly, both within his solo work and in his collaborations with musicians as diverse as Holger Czukay and Robert Fripp. Paul Tingen charts the history of the thinking musician's thinking musician.

Though many of us still don't fully understand it, interactive media is the way of the future for music and associated images. Nigel Humberstone visited ESP, a company with a long history in what is still a relatively young industry, to find out what it's all about...

Is the Electronic Music scene, as personified by the likes of Tangerine Dream, Jarre, Vangelis and Kraftwerk, dead and buried? or is it alive and well, and living in Derby? Graham Getty reports.

London Records have just given Scottish band Finitribe £75,000 to record their next album. By the terms of their mould-breaking new record deal, even if London don't like the next album, the Finis keep the money. Wilf Smarties finds out how they wangled it.

You can't beat a live player — at least as far as Mike Vernon, blues producer and head of the Code Blue record label, is concerned...