What’s the best kind of microphone for recording electric guitar? On first glance, this seems like a straightforward question, but dig in a bit and notice the layers of sedimentation. The pat answer is that you position a Shure SM57 or other dynamic mic on the grill cloth, pointed on or near the...
Drum machines have defined and redefined several genres of popular music for nearly five decades. Many of the most recognizable electronic drum sounds originated in analog units manufactured by Roland in Hamamatsu, Japan. After six years of building pre-programmed models designed to accompany organ...
There has been a lot of talk lately about how music streaming platforms, such as Spotify, change the way we listen to and engage with music. As a sound engineer, it’s disappointing when the music I’ve worked on ends up sounding worse after it gets uploaded to Spotify. Their compression algorithms –...
Joe Orlandi did not intend to build microphones when he retired from his 20-year career in the film industry. He started collecting musical instruments and building a commercial recording studio in his quiet corner of Ohio. His focus began to shift when he unwittingly bought a knock-off of a...
ARC ON·EAR is a hybrid headphone amp/DAC with built-in EQ correction for popular professional headphones. Like most audio workers, I do a ton of work while wearing headphones. Spending hours a day critically listening in headphones is a big part of my job. Whether I’m using the old Apple EarPods or...
It’s always exciting when a company comes out with a plug-in that does something different and rethinks how we use some of our most fundamental tools. Eventide did exactly that with their new reverb, Temperance Pro. Loading up Temperance Pro into a DAW, it’s immediately apparent that it isn’t a...
Hey, did you hear that Cranborne Audio just dropped its first compressor? Every single unit this company designs is filled with so much amazing outside-the-box thinking. It’s inspiring. I’ve read about pulse width modulation compressors before, like the Great River PWM-501 [Tape Op #102] or the...
The quick, five-word review: think Velcro, but not shitty. Okay, a few more words for the modern miracle of Dual Lock: I found this super-strong, reclosable/reusable fastening tape suggested on a few stompbox pedalboard forums, gave it a try, and have since become a little obsessed. Backed with an...
Solid State Logic was founded in 1969 to manufacture solid-state control systems for organs. They began building consoles with automation in the mid-1970s, when none were available. They were originally known for their large-format mixing consoles, but currently they offer a remarkable variety of...
Don Gunn favorably reviewed the original Ocean Way Studios plug-in [Tape Op#128] in 2018, and I've been using it constantly since then. Both the Deluxe and original versions allow us to place a "track" in a studio room via Re-Mic mode, adjust the mics, and have the ambience around...
In October of 2011, I drove my rental car up to Ocala, Florida, to visit a recording studio icon, engineer Bruce Swedien [Tape Op#91]. Upon arrival, I met Bruce and his lovely wife, Bea, and knew I would have a pleasant time with these two warm, friendly people. This interview was a wonderful...
Subtitled Recording 2 Years in Morocco, I'm not sure if this book is a memoir, a travel story, or a remote-recording handbook, but it's certainly an interesting read. The author, Adrian "Ady" Parzentny, is an enthusiastically infectious sort, dragging us on a journey from Poland...
I prefer not to use the phrase “sound design” in my music production, as it feels more like a term our colleagues in post-production use. But what I do like are plug-ins that can take a sound and completely morph it into something else. This native plug-in, FutzVerb, is based on McDSP's...
Los Angeles-based engineer Bob Wayne recently released Reel to Real Tales: Notes from Both Sides of the Recording Console to share his career experiences as an audio engineer, studio owner, and musician. This self-published book even comes with a cool custom Reel to Real bookmark...
As part of their new line of very affordable C Series microphones – aimed at both first-time buyers and seasoned engineers who want solid utility mics in the studio – AKG has released the C151. It is a small diaphragm condenser (SDC) microphone that is perfect for all sorts of applications. The...
I'm gonna say right off the bat that I'm not a pedal/stompbox collector, but I'm totally digging this Vongon delay. First off, it's beautifully built and cased in a solid walnut enclosure that looks more like a nice piece of furniture than a pedal, plus the knobs and sliders...
The folks at Soyuz have been making noise for the last decade or so and releasing top-quality and extremely functional gear, presenting audio in a way that is both familiar and, dare I say, formally unique. I’ve been a fervent supporter since we crossed paths in the Before Times, and the brand...
My studio space sounds pretty good. I have worked toward a balanced listening experience by utilizing space-specific sound treatments such as absorption and diffusion, keeping my monitors decoupled from my desk and their stands, and following all the usual recommendations for treating a room for...
At 750 pages, 30 chapters, and a whopping ten pounds, this hardcover book is literally one of the biggest I’ve ever read. Subtitled The Complete Muscle Shoals Story 1951–1985, Land of a Thousand Sessions covers the studio scene and all the sessions around the Muscle Shoals/Quad Cities region of...