As I was putting this issue together I noticed a bit of a common thread... education. My interview with Jim Anderson illustrates how a recording engineer became a professor, and won some Grammy Awards while he was at it. John McBride told me how he, as a studio owner, has recently ended up starting an academy. In our talk with Chuck Ainlay he mentions how he moved to Nashville to study recording at a university and ended up dropping out to work in the field. Tape Op Magazine itself started as a way for me to learn more about the art of music recording. I never went to school to learn how to engineer and produce albums. (Unfortunately I didn't study journalism either!) When I started this magazine I had a lot to learn about recording, and the results from my humble home studio improved with what I was able to gather from others.
Most of us in this field are constantly learning more about our craft. In these interviews you can see many paths that people have taken, and the many ways they go about their work. But the best thing is that all these people have taken the time to talk with us and share their experiences. And from that we all get an education.
Enjoy!
Larry Crane, Editor
PS: Speaking of getting an education, check out our new online "Questions" forum, where we hope to build a repository of quality recording information!