Sep/Oct 2013

Welcome to issue #97 of Tape Op.

 

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!

— Larry Crane, editor

In This Issue See more →

Jesse Cannon: Gets You Fans

by Todd Thomas

Over the past two decades, Jesse Cannon has worked in nearly every aspect of the music business. At 15-years old, he entered a recording studio with the punk band he played drums in; but when the...

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Columns See more →

End Rant

Ease of Use

by Larry Crane

CASE ONE: Many years ago I was sent a very complex piece of recording equipment to review. It basically performed one simple function; but its inherent design was the concept that every parameter...

Gear Geeking

Gear Geeking #97

by Andy Hong

I broke my leg and foot in a skateboarding accident (and no, it wasn't on the ramps in JB's old Hangar studio before his recent move). Unfortunately, my studio isn't wheelchair friendly, so when I'm...

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Gear Reviews See more →

Gear Tie reusable twist ties

by Nite Ize  |  reviewed by Garrett Haines

This is one of those "I wish I thought of that" inventions. The Gear Tie is a reusable rubber-coated twist tie. Available in a range of colors, thicknesses, and lengths, the Gear Tie is amazing for...

Preceptor model-A compressor/limiter

by Gem Audio Labs  |  reviewed by Garrett Haines

Gem Audio Labs is a Polish company specializing in high-end recording gear. The Preceptor model-A (for Aggressive) is a two- channel, class-A compressor/limiter aimed at tracking and mixing...

P5 headphones

by Bowers & Wilkens  |  reviewed by Andy Hong

I love my B&W P5 headphones. The P5 is a closed-back, on-ear model that folds relatively flat (to the size of a paperback book) for easy packing, and its sensitivity is high enough that ample...

DAC2 HGC D/A converter

by Benchmark Media Systems  |  reviewed by Garrett Haines

The DAC2 HGC is a followup to the popular DAC1 [Tape Op #33]. It features more than 15 enhancements, so we were excited to use this unit. Benchmark Media Systems is a company that straddles the...

m905 Monitor Controller

by Grace Design  |  reviewed by John Baccigaluppi

This is a mature, third-generation product. As a hybrid DAW/analog studio owner, I'm now on my fourth monitor controller, and I'm very impressed with how Grace addressed so many of the needs and...

Premier Series audio cables

by Monoprice  |  reviewed by Joseph Lemmer

I recently stocked up on cables from Monoprice. I got ten 25 ft mic cables, twelve 10 ft 1/4'' male-to-male TS (mono) straight cables, and ten 8'' right-angle 1/4'' male-to-male TS jumper cables. For...

Insight metering plug-in suite

by iZotope  |  reviewed by Garrett Haines

Insight is a professional metering system that runs on Windows and OS X machines in a variety of plug-in formats. Insight is impressive visually. In fact, it has been responsible for drawing large...

API 500-Series EQ Plug-In Collection

by Universal Audio  |  reviewed by Eli Crews

The list of invaluable UAD-2 plug-ins just keeps growing. Earlier this year, Universal Audio added the venerable API 550A and 560 EQs to the pile of must-have emulations, and I've had the pleasure of...

Music Reviews See more →

Music Reviews

Nothing Can Hurt Me

by Big Star | reviewed by David Peterson

The story of Big Star, one of the best-known cult bands in rock history, is unveiled in the documentary Nothing Can Hurt Me. It traces the glorious, and confounding, history of a group of talented...

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