How does a skilled jazz drummer become a hip-hop producer, musical director, DJ, and film scorer? Working with Common, J Dilla, Madlib, Paul McCartney, and Diana Krall, Karriem Riggins has...
Photo by Madeline McManus In his 80s, John Cale is still (thankfully) releasing interesting music. He is a founding member of The Velvet Underground and a pioneer in drone music, as well as a...
Photo by Kevin Kirchner The Blasting Room, a studio in Fort Collins, Colorado, has been in operation for 30 years. What began as a home base/practice room/band studio for the groups Descendents...
Photo by John Forrestal If you've been keeping up with the explosion of popularity around hardcore and heavy alternative music, chances are you've heard the name Jon Markson. After a decade in...
Photo by Sean Ono Lennon Yuka Honda has been a figure in the New York City avant-garde and indie-rock scenes for decades. Releasing her first album in 1989, she has amassed over 268 recording...
Brad Cook has been making and recording music since he was a kid growing up in Eau Claire, Wisconsin. Throughout his 20-plus year career, he's toured with people like Sharon Van Etten and produced...
Noah Lennox and Pete Kember Photographed by Ian Witchell After Tape Op's online editor Geoff Stanfield interviewed both Noah Lennox and longtime collaborator Pete Kember [#46] for the Tape Op...
When singer, songwriter and pianist Jon Regen met famed UK synth wizard and producer Matt Johnson after a Jamiroquai gig back in 2018, he had no idea the two would soon begin a fruitful partnership...
Noah Lennox and Pete Kember Photographed by Ian Witchell After Tape Op's online editor Geoff Stanfield interviewed both Noah Lennox and longtime collaborator Pete Kember [#46] for the Tape Op...
Photo by Roman Sokal, courtesy of Audio Crowbar Dynamics. Having recently spent more time working on the Tape Op Gear Reviews section of this magazine, one thought keeps creeping into my mind and...
After completing multiple home, studio, and office moves in the past couple years, I’ve been frustrated by the challenge of finding tools and supplies after packing them away – not just...
I've been a fan of Kim Bjørn and Bjooks' series of hardcover synth nerd bibles since the initial release of Push Turn Move in 2017. For those unfamiliar with the series, Bjooks publishes a...
Ever since getting a very patient and life-changing call from mastering engineer John Golden [Tape Op #121], where he explained that my snare drum and overhead mics on many of my mixes were out of...
I recently got an email from Matt Walton at Iron Age Audioworks, “Hey John I’ll be in the San Francisco Bay Area in a few weeks installing a console. Maybe we could meet up for a beer or...
When I first saw the Lindell Audio LiN2A Vintage Leveling Amplifier, I admit I got excited. I use my Lindell Audio LiN76 [Tape Op #153] quite a bit, so I couldn’t wait to try this one. As soon...
Despite all the amazing plug-ins available for delay these days, there’s something inherently cool and desirable about early first generation digital hardware delay units, hence so many plug-in...
Kali Audio has swiftly established a notable reputation in both professional and home studios, and quite a few professional engineers have been quoted saying that Kalis match or outperform monitors...
Drawmer isn’t the only audio company that offers a saturation processor, but they are the only brand I’ve encountered that offers one with this much functionality, a great price point, and...
It seems fitting that Universal Audio offers the Capitol Mastering Compressor plug-in. When the first hardware units were made, Capitol Mastering engineer/tech Ian Sefchick [Tape Op #134] drew from...
When I saw the Peluso ad for their shock mounts in the last issue of Tape Op, it immediately piqued my interest. I have several vintage microphones that do not have good shock mounts that Peluso makes...
When I tested the ADAM Audio A7V nearfield monitors [Tape Op #153], I also acoustically measured my control room for the first time. It brimmed with problem areas. Though I will defend home recording...
With the Hornet, Useful Arts had a mission: In 2018, the company's founder, Peter Swann, teased that a yet-to-be-named solid-state mic pre/DI “small enough to throw in a backpack” would...
I try a different vocal microphone on just about every record I make. Some are technically great, but too sterile for my taste. Others – particularly tube large diaphragm condenser (LDC) mics...
There are a lot of Rhodes piano plug-ins out there, but Universal Audio's Electra 88 Vintage Keyboard Studio sets itself apart in some critically appealing ways. It has a large dynamic range, comes...
If you’re reading Tape Op reviews and love recording with ribbon and dynamic mics as much as I do, then you’re probably already familiar with Cloudlifters. Also known as “mic...
As I began writing my review for Neve’s 88M – the company’s first step into the world of USB-powered desktop interfaces – I struggled to find words to describe Neve that...
I've been a fan of Soundtoys' Little Plate [Tape Op #123] since it came out years back, but in the back of my mind I aways wondered if "Little" meant a more complicated version was coming, in the vein...
