Dave Jerden has engineered, produced and mixed some of the most cutting-edge, ground breaking records in studios all around the world. Just take a listen to his engineering and mixing of Brian Eno and David Byrne's My Life in the Bush of Ghosts, Talking Heads' Remain in Light and Herbie Hancock's Future Shock. As an engineer, he has worked with some of modern music's greatest producers such as Bill Laswell, Michael Beinhorn, Brian Eno and Steve Lillywhite. Jerden is a technical master, unconstrained by conventional thinking and confident yet humble. As a producer he has helped artists like Public Image Limited, Jane's Addiction, Alice in Chains, Social Distortion and The Offspring make stunning records. Currently, he co-owns Tranzformer Studios in Burbank, California, with his long time engineer Bryan Carlstrom (Tape Op #28). The studio is managed by Annette Cisneros (who has also engineered alongside Jerden and Carlstrom for many years) with assistant engineer duties going to John Nuss. Dave Jerden and I sat in the patio lounge at Tranzformer Studios for a pleasant conversation covering a multitude of topics.
Where were you in 1973? Maybe you were a 10 year old kid like me, or maybe a bit older and checking out you older siblings record collections. Hell, maybe you weren't even born...
Jimmy LaValle is a member of San Diego's Tristeza, an instrumental band, who have several fine albums out. He also puts out solo records under the name The Album Leaf, which he records on the cheap...
Back in the golden days of Sun Studios and Gold Star, when recording was still a new enterprise, in order to be a recording engineer you had to actually be an engineer. Before you...
Producer/engineer Val Garay is best known for his work on albums by James Taylor, Linda Ronstadt, Toto, Kim Carnes, Seals and Crofts, Jackson Browne, and The Motels. Interestingly, he comes from a...
Someone built a vintage, '50s-style American recording studio in Germany? Or, as Moonshine's owner, Christian Krüger, said when he dropped a line, "I've lovingly recreated the original...
Deep in the industrial wasteland of Red Hook, Brooklyn, Adam Lasus has turned an old firehouse into a recording outpost called Fireproof Recording. With the pole still intact, the firehouse proves...
Hillary first came to Tape Op's attention when she e-mailed us, from New York, with some hot "snapple-micing" tips (see the letters in issue #3). I was impressed with her rockin'...
Count, a member of the dreamy pop band Halou, is becoming well-known for his production, engineering and remix work. A lucky break (right place, right time) and a distinct sense of doing things his...