Actually, "beginners" probably isn't the right way of putting it. Some of you might be genuinely new to Electronic Music (Welcome!) but many of you are probably just new to most of the hundreds of names we have here. This could be because you haven't as yet ventured away from the BIG names such as Tangerine Dream, Klaus Schulze, Jean Michel Jarre, Vangelis and Kraftwerk or it could be that you have previously been into Dance / Trance / Ambient or the host of other Electronic Music styles and have now just discovered the styles covered through our web page.

You will find below a link to a selection of reviews from which you could select a very cheap bundle of CDs so that you can explore the music we cover further. All these CDs are recommended and good sellers for us in the past.

After a bit you will get used to some of the terminology we use but this might help you with some of the most common terms and what we mean by them:

Sequence: A sequence is the structure around which much of the music we sell is formed. It is basically a repeated pattern of notes, often being quite rhythmic or melodic. They usually change pattern frequently and are layered with other sequences in a way that keeps excitement high.

Pads: These tend to form a base over which a sequence / rhythm or melody does its thing. They are also often used in atmospheric sections. But what actually are they I hear you ask? Well, they are a held down chord which often increases and decreases in intensity or often goes through various effects as it progresses.

Melody: The tuneful bits.

Lead Lines: These tend to be the main 'solo' bits over the top of the rhythms, sequences, pads etc that are the main focus of attention, often containing the strongest melodies.

Berlin School: By this we tend to mean Analogue sounding (see below) Sequencer driven music in a similar style to that produced by the likes of Tangerine Dream and Klaus Schulze from the mid Seventies to the early Eighties. We are well aware that the true definition is wider than that but we use it in a narrower sense. We also sometimes use the term 'retro' to mean exactly the same thing.

Ambient: This is a very difficult one as it has, over time, come to mean different things to different people but when we use the term we mean soft drifting music, often quite spacey. When we use the term Modern Ambient it will mean that there is a little subtle rhythm amongst some quite contemporary sounds and effects.

Loop: These are a bit like sequences in that they use repetition but tend to involve rhythms or other sounds, even guitar effects. They can be used by one musician to create many layers of sound which are then manipulated thus making it seem as if there are a number of musicians playing rather than just one.

Analogue: This refers to the older form of sound synthesis used mainly by synthesisers up to the seventies and early eighties. From this point they started to de replaced by digital equipment (see below). Many people, especially those who tend to buy the sort of music we sell here, thought that Analogue sounds were simply better because of their warmth and depth.

Digital: Most synths now use the digital system because it makes it so much easier to link different pieces of equipment together and indeed the possibilities for sound creation seem almost limitless. In recent years there has also been a move to Virtual Analogue which is basically a digital system with all the advantages of that but endeavouring to create the same sound and feel of the earlier analogue equipment.

I hope the above will help you to get a better understanding of the reviews below and all the other (well over 1000) reviews we have on our site. Nearly all the CDs reviewed here also have sound samples available to give you an even better idea, just go to the SOUND section of our web page.

If you wish to take us up on the 5 CD offer select Beginner's Package from the A to I section of the online shop then email synthmusicdirect@aol.com to tell us which five CDs you would like us to send you. It would also be a good idea to read the INFORMATION section of our web page to learn a little more about how Synth Music Direct does things.

Reviews of the CDs available in the Beginner's Package are available by clicking HERE.