I had the chance to sit down with producer/recording engineer Godfrey Diamond at his home studio, Perfect Mixes Recording in Brooklyn, New York. Godfrey is known for his production and engineering...
Brittany "Chi" Coney and Denisia "Blu June" Andrews have been working together as the songwriting and producing duo NOVA WAV for over a decade. Based in Los Angeles, the Grammy-winning pair has...
A chance to talk with the man who penned the line “columnated ruins domino” in the Beach Boys’ epic song “Surf’s Up”? Yes, please. His recent collaboration, Van...
Making his splash with his debut solo album, Big Inner, in 2012, Matthew E. White soon became in demand as a producer. As a co-owner and founder of Spacebomb, a label/studio/aesthetic concept out of...
Esteemed songwriter, guitarist, and vocalist Gary Kemp was the force behind Spandau Ballet for many years, and currently plays in Nick Mason’s Saucerful of Secrets, performing older Pink Floyd...
Sarah Tudzin loves solving sonic puzzles, in a quest to bring unexpected depth to her clients’ albums as well as her own. With Illuminati Hotties, Tudzin’s main songwriting outlet in which...
When I first sat down with Jerry Kee of Duck-Kee Studios in Mebane, North Carolina, I didn’t even realize we were coming up on the 30th anniversary of the recording of Superchunk’s...
Not too many recording engineers get asked to record a bridge, but that’s what artist Nate Mercereau asked engineer Zach Parkes to do; record the “humming” of San Francisco’s...
I listened to a lot of music during the pandemic. One of my favorite things was to search out new music as I really enjoy the discovery process. As winter turned to spring in 2021, one of the albums...
I’ve come to realize that there are two things I really enjoy doing in life:1. Moving forward while standing sideways.2. Making things with other people. Pretending I can surf like Larry...
I’ve been very grateful for the handful of in-person tracking sessions I’ve hosted during the pandemic. I’ve also felt greater appreciation for the gear that I consider crucial...
I’m a total sucker for distortion. I love crunchy, spitty, and fucked up sounds. When I’m tracking or mixing, I typically try to see how much I can get away with before I get my hands...
The newest iteration of VocAlign, a timing and pitch control plug-in from the award-winning UK-based software developer Synchro Arts, comes in the form of VocAlign Ultra. This new version elevates its...
I love vintage gear. Actually, I love using vintage gear. Owning it, on the other hand, is often a full-time job in itself. Throughout my 25 years of recording I’ve owned a myriad of vintage...
I like to bounce around the room quite a bit when mixing records. I obviously sit centered when I launch into the proceedings, but once the mix is in a good place, I tend to move around my studio. How...
No, the N22H reference-grade headphone amplifier from U.K.-Based Cranborne Audio doesn’t come with a bonus set of steak knives, nor do you get another one free if you order now. This device is a...
The first time I went into a “real” studio, the engineer had me sing into a Neumann U 87 and then quickly got inside my head about mic technique, making for a less than stellar...
Avantone Pro has dropped a new pair of headphones that use planar magnetic technology. Unlike the standard cone technology used in dynamic headphones, a planar is a thin electrically charged...
When DrAlienSmith started teasing a new transformer-balanced microphone design (loosely based on the fabled beyerdynamic M380 and AKG D30) with two headphone drivers used as mic capsules shoved in it,...
Love at first sight – make that love at first listen. Nadine, where’ve you been all my life?! Seriously, I play, record, and mix upright bass a lot. It is my Achilles heel. Especially...
Our community lost a titan when Al Schmitt passed recently. I suppose if there is any consolation, it comes from knowing that Al shared his experience through tools such as his Pro-Channel for Oram...
When I recently reviewed the Fredenstein Bento 8 500 series chassis [Tape Op #144], the company kindly included a clutch of their own 500 Series units to demo as well. I had fun tracking and mixing...
I was already stoked with my Focal Alpha 65 powered monitors [Tape Op #104] before their updated replacement model, the Alpha 65 Evos arrived at my door. In my review of the original Alpha 65s (which...
Simply put, the OVER-KILLER is Prism Sound’s soft clip limiter circuit from their vaunted line of converters, made into a passive, standalone device. It is housed in a Switchcraft XLR barrel,...
The ULTRAVIOLET EQ from SSL is a 500 Series format expansion of the Fusion processor’s [Tape Op #131] Violet EQ. It retains the high-pass filter and four-position stepped high and low bands and...
This past year I’ve been on a low-key “Pultec quest.” I’ve always loved the sound of the famous blue passive EQ – the big curves, simple design, and ease of use has...
Universal Audio recently entered the stompbox pedal market with their UAFX line of DSP-based analog-modeling pedals. Overall, this new trio of pedals is an exciting application of UA’s DSP and...
It’s been a long time since a microphone has given me the thrill of being a kid playing with my first 4-track, but when a pair of Cortado MkIII contact mics showed up for review from...
My expectations were high going into reviewing the Avedis Audio MA5 – several engineers I trust had been talking them up for years. This preamp blew my expectations out of the water. Within...
The HG-2MS from Brainworx is self-described as “your mix bus’ best friend.” Designed to impart rich tube harmonics and analog coloration in mixing and mastering, this plug-in offers...
I know a thing or two about sampled keyboard libraries. After more than a decade as Editor of Keyboard Magazine, I've sampled (no pun intended) just about every virtual instrument out there; from...
