Behind the Gear

The people that create the stuff you use to create stuff.

Rob Chiarelli & Chandler Bridges (Bonus)
April 11, 2026 No. 115

Rob Chiarelli & Chandler Bridges (Bonus)

For years Rob Chiarelli and Chandler Bridges have worked, together and separately, producing and engineering records for the likes of Will Smith, Madonna, Pink, Janet Jackson, J-Lo, Christina Aguilera, P- Diddy (Puff Daddy), Aaliyah, and Johnny Mathis. Along the way they decided to...

Gary Paczosa
April 10, 2026 No. 108

Gary Paczosa

Establishing himself as one of Nashville's top engineers and producers, Gary has worked with Nickel Creek, Alison Krauss, Sarah Jarosz, Harry Connick Jr., John Prine, and even Dolly Parton. He is also VP of A&R at Sugar Hill/Rounder Music Records. I visited Gary at his private...

Brian Reitzell
April 10, 2026 No. 107

Brian Reitzell

You might not know Brian Reitzell's name, but you probably know his work. As the music supervisor and composer for most of Sofia Coppola's films, he's worked with the French electronic duo Air on The Virgin Suicides, coaxed My Bloody Valentine's Kevin Shields out of...

Robin Ashley
April 10, 2026 No. 106

Robin Ashley

Phoenix Audio, maker of Class A, high-end audio tools for the studio, seeks to, "embody the classic British tone, but with a modern twist," which they successfully do. Since 1998, Phoenix has designed quality preamps, compressors, equalizers, and summing mixers. In 2009 the...

Bob Ludwig
April 11, 2026 No. 105

Bob Ludwig

If someone has mastered 8,000 to 9,000 albums to date — many of them rock and pop DNA — they are probably doing something right. Bob Ludwig started cutting lacquers at A&R Recording with producer Phil Ramone [Tape Op #50URL] in New York. Later on, he worked for Sterling Sound and...

Bill Whitlock
April 10, 2026 No. 104

Bill Whitlock

Jensen Transformers was founded in 1974 by Deane Jensen as part of his quest for excellent studio sound. He believed the transformers of the era were of a substandard quality, and our field has benefitted from his research and dedication ever since. When Deane tragically passed away in...

Larry Villella
April 10, 2026 No. 103

Larry Villella

ADK Microphones began in 1997 as the dream of Larry Villella — recording engineer, piano expert, and vintage mic collector — to build quality microphones for his friends. ADK's extensive line of microphones now ranges from very affordable to top-of-the-line hand-built creations. I...

Bill Cheney
April 10, 2026 No. 102

Bill Cheney

Bill Cheney and Jim Romney are the men responsible for keeping the amazing legacy of Spectra Sonics, a legendary, if criminally unheralded, pro-audio company alive.

The Blow
December 27, 2025 No. 56

The Blow

The Blow is the power of cocaine, sex and fistfights delivered by the gentle exhale from a mouth onto your skin. A blow can be hard, as in a punch to the gut, or soft like the breath of your lover. Khaela Maricich and Jona Bechtolt's whole damn world is "Invisible Ink"...

EveAnna Manley (bonus)
April 10, 2026 No. 101

EveAnna Manley (bonus)

Under the leadership and vision of EveAnna Manley, Manley LabsURLhttp://manley.com has created and built some of the finest studio equipment (and high end home audio components) over the last two decades. Studios across the world count on their mostly tube-based EQs, compressors...

Wes Dooley
April 10, 2026 No. 97

Wes Dooley

Wes Dooley loves ribbon mics. He's carried the torch for these fine tools for many years, and his AEA Ribbon Mics company manufactures some of the finest microphones of this type, as well as specialized preamps and more. I love listening to Wes spin his stories, so this was a...