View Specs on Popular Electronic Musical Instruments

Seven Deadly Synths 

By Geary Yelton

The ultimate in prestige and convenience is a top-of-the-line synthesizer. In this month's cover story we select and evaluate the most desirable, drool-worthy electronic instruments, synthesizers that are undeniably objects of technolust. The first hurdle was narrowing the field to just seven candidates....

ACCESS Virus C 

By Rob Shrock

The Access Virus C, a tabletop module from Access Music, is the third incarnation of the popular analog-modeling synthesizer....

YAMAHA TYROS keyboard workstation 

By Jim Aikin

Jim Aikin reviews the Yamaha Tyros, a keyboard workstation with auto-accompaniment features. Aimed at the lounge performer, songwriter, and home enthusiast, the Tyros is Yamaha's flagship instrument in the PSR line of synthesizers....

ANALOGUE SOLUTIONS BLACK COFFEE 

By Mike Peake

Electronic Musician reviews a feature-packed analog synthesizer module, the Black Coffee from Analogue Solutions. This monosynth includes a Moog-style 24 dB lowpass filter and a gritty sounding oscillator....

DAVE SMITH EVOLVER 

By Geary Yelton

The Dave Smith Instruments Evolver is an inexpensive monophonic synthesizer module and signal processor that combines digital and analog technology. EM explores its capabilities for producing new and unusual sounds....

Smooth Operators 

By Jim Aikin

Get the most out of Native Instruments FM7 with this programming master class. You will gain mastery over algorithms and operators, as well as learn how to creating looping envelopes. The article also covers how to a stunning Fender Rhodes model...

AKAI Z8 (MAC/WIN) 

By Nick Peck

Akai's new flagship sampler, the Z8, is the latest in a long and popular product line. The Z8 comes loaded for bear with its 60 GB internal hard drive,...

Emulating the Real Thing 

By Chris Martirano

If you're a keyboardist, you're expected to be an arranger and an orchestrator who can work in a wide variety of styles. In the course of a day's work,...

ANALOGUE SOLUTIONS VOSTOK 

By Mike Peake with Geary Yelton

From U.K. manufacturer Analogue Solutions comes the Vostok, a portable modular synthesizer that provides plenty of basic functions for producing and manipulating...

NOVATION SUPERNOVA II 2.0 

By David Bryce

When I'm shopping for an analog-modeling synth, I want all the features I'd wish for in a real analog, and more. I want an instrument that sounds luxurious,...

KORG TRITON STUDIO 

By Jim Aikin

Korg had a phenomenal hit back in the mid-1980s with one of the first keyboard workstations, the M1. In the years since, Korg has worked hard to keep...

NOVATION K-STATION 

By David Battino

You can't beat portability. The other day, I tossed a Novation K-Station into a duffel bag, drove to a friend's studio, and poured out colossal bass lines,...

ALESIS 

By Gino Robair

I love unusual instruments, especially ones that have visual appeal when played. That's why the Alesis airSynth ($249) grabbed my attention. To play it,...

Elektron Machinedrum SPS-1 

By David Battino

Lately, it seems as though anything you can slap, scrape, or smack with a stick has been sampled and fossilized on CD-ROM. The number of ready-to-beat...

Boss SP-505 Phrase Sampler 

By David Battino

Nothing ignites a song like a tasty sound bite or a slamming drum loop. But for many musicians, traditional samplers are too expensive, complex, bulky,...

Analog SUPER MODELS 

By Geary Yelton

Back in the day, real musicians played real analog synthesizers. Minimoogs, Odysseys, Putneys, and Electrocomps those were true analog machines, subject...

Roland Fantom 

By David Bryce

Since pioneering the affordable keyboard workstation with the D20 in 1988, Roland has always maintained a strong presence in that market. The company's...

Clavia Nord Electro 

By Nick Peck

Once upon a time, musicians sporting sideburns, large zodiac medallions on thick gold chains, and tight polyester jumpsuits grunted and heaved their monstrously...

E-mu MP-7 and XL-7 Command Stations 

By Jeff Burger

Dance-music genres have inspired musical-instrument manufacturers to develop one-stop solutions for making music. Two new products from E-mu, the MP-7...

Yamaha 9000 Pro Keyboard Workstation 

By Julian Colbeck

Yamaha's 9000 Pro keyboard workstation is a grown-up arranger-style keyboard. At its heart, it has auto-accompaniment patterns, but with the added sophistication...