What makes us better than the rest?

We feel as passionately about Electronic Music as you do. We set up in business almost ten years ago but were buying EM many years before this. When we started selling CDs we tried to put as many things as possible right that had annoyed us when we bought music from other dealers. The single most frustrating thing when buying mail order was the long wait for CDs to arrive which could be anything from two weeks to two months to never! In our innocence we thought that delays were caused by dealers being very busy. On occasions this can be true but the real reason is that all other dealers we know don't stock all the CDs they are advertising. You therefore often have to wait for the dealer to get an item first before he can send it to you. This can take weeks. We are so obsessed about our delivery times that we try our hardest never to include in our stock lists what we haven't got. Much time and expense has been spent getting custom designed software to make sure our web page 'knows' what we have available for every second of every day so that if we run out of something it is immediately removed from the listings.
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Ordering Online

If ordering directly from the main, second hand or sale listings just click on the box at the end of the line where you see the item you want and it will automatically be added to your shopping basket. If you change your mind just click on the box again and it will be removed. When your shopping basket contains all the items you want and you are ready to purchase them, click on the Buy link and you will be taken to the check out. It is also possible to order directly from a review. If we have the item in stock that is being reviewed there will be a buy button visible on the review itself giving you the option of immediately adding to the shopping basket without any hassle. Whilst checking out you will be asked to give your credit card details. Here you will be on a secure site run by Secure Trading. Secure Trading are one of the main Internet secure credit card facilitators in the UK. Even we don't get to see your credit card details. You will be able to cancel your order at any time up until you have confirmed with Secure Trading that you are purchasing exactly what you want and that the total cost is exactly what you expect. Postal charges are calculated for you automatically and will be clearly itemized so that you can check that they are OK before proceeding.

We recognize that not everyone likes to purchase online and that some customers prefer not to pay by credit cards (please note we do not accept American Express or Diners Club). For this reason we also give alternatives for ordering. See Ordering Offline.
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Secure Trading

This site uses SECURETRADING, the UK’s leading Payment Service Provider to process credit card payments. All sensitive credit card information is encrypted using the most sophisticated e-payment software available and is sent to the bank for instant authorisation via the SECURETRADING network of payment gateways. Transactions normally take a few seconds to be processed and at no time are your credit card details at risk from cyber criminals. For more information about SECURETRADING please visit their website at www.securetrading.com or call 0800 028 9151.

NOTE: Do not worry if you don't see the usual "padlock" which signifies a secure site. Because the page is displayed in a frame set the padlock does not show - you can be sure the page upon which you enter your credit card details is secure however. If you right mouse-click on the page and select properties you will notice the page address starts with "https" which indicates a secure site.
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Ordering Offline

If you wish to pay by credit card but not use the online ordering form then this is possible, please email Dave Law and this can be arranged.

If you wish to pay by cheque (UK only) just send a list of what you want plus name and address and payment for the correct amount to the address found in the contact section. For non UK purchases you can either pay by International Money Order / Bank Draft In UK Pounds or cash (UK pounds / US$ / Euros) to the address found in the contact section. If you are sending cash it will be sent at your own risk. If ordering by cheque or IMO please reserve the items first by emailing Dave Law otherwise a credit note will be issued for any out of stock items.
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Postal Rates

Based on the number of items. CD = 1 item, DCD = 2 items, 3CD = 3 items etc.
UK postal rates: £1.50 for the first item + £1.00 each extra item.
REST OF EUROPE: €4.05 for the first item + €1.80 each extra item.
USA & Rest of World: $6.10 for the first item plus $4.00 each extra item.

Please note if you want your items insured (that is we take the financial risk if the package goes missing) click the 'recorded delivery' box when checking out. This is our own insurance. It has become quite obvious from our experience that using official postal service insurances GREATLY INCREASES the chance of a package going missing and it can take months in actually gaining compensation. Using our system you get compensation immediately it becomes obvious that the parcel is lost. The extra charge for our insurance is 60p for the UK, and $4.20 for USA/ROW.

Here is a list of what the formats mean:
CD - Standard Compact Disc
CDS - CD Single
CDR - CD Recordable
CDRS - CD Recordable Single
DCD - Double CD
3CD, 4CD, 5CD - triple, 4, or 5 CD Set
BOX - Box Set
CD&VID - CD & Video Set
VID - Video
DVD - Digital Versatile Disc
XX0 means the item will be sent free of post
XX6 means a vinyl item
XX2 is an alternative for a CD item
XX3 ia an alternative for a Double CD
Please note that these are our charges but they might not represent the actual cost of the postage and packaging. Sometimes the charge will be less than the actual cost, sometimes it will be more.
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Special Items

If something in the online shop is refered to as a Special Item please allow up to three weeks for delivery though we will try and get them to you quicker than that if we can. If you are ordering a combination of CDs including Special Items it might be better to put them in as separate orders so that the other items will arrive before the Special Items.

Sound Samples

We feature an ever growing list of MP3 sound samples, tuned for dialup and broadband, and you can choose to download the sound files or play them immediately (ie streaming audio). Click on the sound link to find out more details.
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SMD Download

We run an exclusive scheme for customers which gives them access to often unreleased albums for full download. Click on the DOWNLOAD link to find out more details.
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Contact

Synth Music Direct
PO Box 1557
Doncaster
DN10 4NX, UK

Email: synthmusicdirect@aol.com
Phone: +44 1427 890758

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Reviews

For completeness we include every single review we've ever written on this site. However, the presence of a review is no guarantee that we can still obtain it for you. If the review incorporates a buy button then the item is in stock, if it doesn't it isn't. It may be temporarily or permanently out of stock, if you want to check availability email Dave Law for the latest info.

If a sound sample is available for an item, that will also be accessible from the review.
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Do you have any unwanted CDs?

If you have any Electronic Music CDs (of the type we are selling here) that you would wish to trade against purchases from this site then please email Dave Law. We will let you know if we are interested and if so how much we would give for them.

All CDs we advertise are new unless otherwise stated.

All second hand CDs are in excellent condition unless otherwise stated.
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Frequently Asked Questions

Q. You say your site is secure, why don't I see the usual padlock/key icon?
A. The page upon which you are asked to enter your credit card details is secure, it is on the Secure Trading site and the site address begins with "https" which you can confirm by right mouse clicking on the page and selecting "properties". Secure Trading use industry standard "Secure Sockets Layer" security. Unfortunately because we encapsulate the page within a "frame set" the browser does not pick up the "https" address hence does not show the padlock/key icon.

Q. Why do I have to enter my credit card and address every time?
A. This is a possible future enhancement. However the present system does mean that even we don't see your credit card details, so theoretically this is even safer than the usual "account" type system used on many sites.

Q. I want to buy an item after reading the review but there is no Buy button.
A. The item is either temporarily or permanently out of stock. We only offer for sale in-stock items to ensure our delivery times are as fast as possible. If you want availibility details for a particular item please email.

Q. How do I order more than one copy of a CD?
A. For popular items we often list them more than once to facilitate this. Otherwise you will have to submit two separate orders.

Q. Which currency should I choose, my own currency is not an option?
A. Choose UK Pounds in UK, Euros for rest of Europe, and US Dollars for US and rest of world. Don't worry if you are not ordering in your own currency, the prevailing exchange rate will be used and clearly itemised on your credit/charge card bill.

Q. When ordering I don't see a confirmation screen, instead the order form is re-presented. Has my order been processed?
A. No. Your order has only been processed when you see a success screen. If the order form is re-presented, it means that you have not filled in a required field, this will be indicated by the presence of a red asterisk.

This page is part of a frame set. If you can't see the information strip to the left of the screen then click on the smd logo above.