Mar/Apr 2004

Welcome to issue #40 of Tape Op.

 

This issue marks not only Tape Op's "over the hill" issue but also the beginning of our ninth year of publishing this fine magazine. While we've had to deal with growing pains and a constant stream of work in order to get each issue out, it's totally worth it. As a magazine like this gets bigger there's bound to be people uttering the fabled cry of "Sell Out!" whenever they feel Tape Op has "changed" or gotten "bigger", and we salute those watchdogs of integrity — but keep things in perspective here. It should still be obvious that Tape Op is quite a bit different than the other recording magazines, and it will remain different. We look for a variety of content and viewpoints, and hope that we will always be open to new music and recording styles. Plus the one final rule: John and I (and many other contributors) are making a magazine that we want to read — if we're not excited by what's in Tape Op why should our readers be? Speaking of SELL OUT, check out our fantastic NAMM show report. It's so big we had to put it online at <www.tapeop.com/namm2004>. Check it out!

PS: Don't forget to register for the Tape Op Conference in New Orleans, May 28-30. It's coming up soon and looks to be fun!

— Larry Crane, editor

In This Issue See more →

The Wrens: 16 bit ADAT rocks!

by Tom Beaujour

In Tape Op #31, West West Side mastering engineer Alan Douches observed that sometime in the next millennium, retro-minded sound smiths will be seeking to recapture "that classic late-century ADAT...

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Columns See more →

End Rant

Taking Initiative

by Larry Crane

"I'm currently a junior in high school, and I have a lot of interest in recording and how a studio and the equipment in a studio works — I'd even like to open my own studio one day. There's only...

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Gear Reviews See more →

Photo-Theremin

by Professor Television  |  reviewed by Pete Weiss

Theremins. Can't live with 'em, can't live without 'em. On the one hand, they're just ridiculously difficult to play in a musical way. On the other, as far as crazy noisemakers go, their cool-quotient...

Bluebird Microphone

by Blue  |  reviewed by John Baccigaluppi

I'll be right up front about the fact that I really like Blue mics. I own four of their mics and they all sound great -I mean good enough to stand next to vintage mics costing six times more- and they...

633A ?Salt Shaker? mic

by Altec  |  reviewed by Chris Garges

The Altec/Western Electric 633A is the classic microphone known as the "Salt Shaker," so named for its small cylindrical body with rounded edges and series of small holes across the top. It's an...

Voice Changer

by Power Gear  |  reviewed by Chris Garges

Whenever I get the chance, I like to cruise through toy stores to see what kind of oddball noise makers or noise manipulators I can find. During a recent hunt, I ran across what looked like a...

ISA 428 A/D option card

by Focusrite  |  reviewed by Scott Craggs

While I gave the mic preamps in the Focusrite ISA 428 a favorable review back in Tape Op #38, I wasn't able to check out the optional, eight-channel, 192k-capable A/D converter in time for that issue,...

PowerRack G4 rackmount chassis

by Marathon Computer  |  reviewed by Andy Hong

The enclosures for the various Mac G4 desktops- sure they're easy on the eyes, easy to pick up, and easy to open... but adding anything other than DIMM's and PCI cards is a hassle... and the cases are...

PR-20 Microphone

by Heil Sound  |  reviewed by John Baccigaluppi

Open letter to Jon Brion: At last year's TapeOpCon in Portland, OR, when asked what piece of gear you hate the most, you responded by saying that you hate the Shure SM57. "Why do we have to always use...

Model 3805 Karaoke Machine

by Fisher-Price  |  reviewed by Chris Garges

Another "toy hunt" led me to what has become one of my personal favorites: A 1984 Fisher-Price model 3805 Karaoke machine. This little eBay wonder cost me $9.99 plus shipping. This 6'' x 8'' x 2'' box...

Rosetta 800 A/D/A converter

by Apogee Digital  |  reviewed by Larry Crane

It's hard to write "reviews" of digital gear. First off, since there are so many specs it seems like half the review is repeating this info off the brochure. Second of all, depending on the...

 

Tape Op is a bi-monthly magazine devoted to the art of record making.

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