Jim-E Stack

Interviews

Jim-E Stack

By Graham Tolbert and Larry Crane

In 2025, Jim-E Stack (born James Harmon Stack) had three big releases out – Bon Iver's SABLE, fABLE, Lorde's Virgin, and Aminé's 13 Months of Sunshine – that he'd worked on as a producer and co-writer. Living in L.A., he's also worked with Charli XCX, Empress Of, Haim, and others. His attention to setting up open creative recording situations and following through to overseeing the mix process yields some amazing results.

Jeff Zeigler

Interviews

Jeff Zeigler

By Dash Lewis, Kristie Krause

You’re likely already familiar with Jeff Zeigler’s résumé. He’s produced and engineered records by Kurt Vile, The War on Drugs [Tape Op#102], Laraaji [Read More →

Pete Min

Interviews

Pete Min

By Larry Crane

Located in (yes) a former meat market, Pete Min calls Lucy's Meat Market in Eagle Rock, Los Angeles, his two room recording studio and home. Artists such as Meshell Ndegeocello, Real Estate, Lake...

Outer Marker Records

Interviews

Outer Marker Records

By Tom Edwards, Larry Crane
With the goal of releasing records recorded at the highest fidelity with minimal...
Will Killingsworth & Dead Air Studios

Interviews

Will Killingsworth & Dead Air Studios

By Sam Retzer, Meghan Minior
If you know a thing or two about punk and hardcore from the last few decades, you’ll know...
Rob Evans

Interviews

Rob Evans

By Sam Retzer, Aaron Farrington
Rob and I used to warm up for high school jazz band practices with an endless vamp of “Too...
Gear Geeking - Issue 171

Column

Gear Geeking - Issue 171

I break down boxes pretty much every week. Thankfully, Styrofoam and other plastic-based...
Welcome to issue #171 of Tape Op.

Column

Welcome to issue #171 of Tape Op.

In the End Rant I wrote for Tape Op#165, “The Joy of Discovery,” I asked the question,...
Who Do You Want To Be?

Column

Who Do You Want To Be?

Maybe I read it on the Tape Op Message Board, or maybe someone told me this tale, but it...

MOST RECENT

Sleaford Mods: The Demise Of Planet X
Jan 16, 2026 BLOG

Sleaford Mods: The Demise Of Planet X

England's post-punk duo Sleaford Mods, who we interviewed for Ep. 82 of the Tape Op Podcast, are perhaps the most punk band I have heard in years. Frontman Jason Williamson's lyrics and delivery are a brutally honest assessment of the state of the world; profanity laced, and presented dry as a bone and in your face....

Tape Op Staff Picks 2025
Dec 18, 2025 BLOG

Tape Op Staff Picks 2025


Larry Crane, editor/founder

  1. Emily A. Sprague
    Cloud Time
    Listen

My partner at Tape Op, John Baccigaluppi, turned me onto Emily A. Sprague's music and he interviewed her for Tape Op #171. Late night/early morning looping dreamscapes with so many cool bits and textures. If you like Brian Eno [#85] at his spaciest or Steve Roach...

Pink Floyd's Wish You Were Here: 50th Anniversary Deluxe Box Set
Dec 16, 2025 BLOG

Pink Floyd's Wish You Were Here: 50th Anniversary Deluxe Box Set

As any longtime reader of Tape Op will know, I've been a big Pink Floyd fan since I first heard The Wall as a teenager in 1979. The Wall was an amazing studio achievement and a commercial success, but it was their 1975 release, Wish You Were Here, that soon became my favorite. The initial CD version was a crap mastering...

Miles Davis: Kind of Blue (Corrected Speed Reissue from Analogue Productions)
Dec 13, 2025 BLOG

Miles Davis: Kind of Blue (Corrected Speed Reissue from Analogue Productions)

Miles Davis' Kind of Blue is, and will forever be in my favorite albums of all time. It was the album that introduced me to jazz, modal music, the concept of space in music, great recordings, and more than anything, the idea that such a distinct feeling and vibe could be transmitted from musicians in a room, to a fixed...

Thank You Marsha Vdovin
Dec 5, 2025 BLOG

Thank You Marsha Vdovin

At the end of December, Marsha Vdovin, who has been working with Tape Op for 14 years, is moving on and leaving the Tape Op team. We’re sad to see her go, but we’re happy that she’s chosen to pursue her art full-time. Marsha has been really great to work with, and I always enjoyed the conversations we had about music and the...

New Video and Single “T-Shirt” from David Byrne and Brian Eno
Nov 25, 2025 BLOG

New Video and Single “T-Shirt” from David Byrne and Brian Eno

David Byrne and Brian Eno famously collaborated on 1981’s seminal My Life in the Bush of Ghosts LP, which was recorded before Eno produced the Talking Heads' classic LP Remain In Light that came out in 1980. Listen to both records in the order they were recorded, and you can hear the progression of ideas from ...Ghosts...

Books on Music and Recording Part 2
Nov 22, 2025 BLOG

Books on Music and Recording Part 2

I was recently in the incredible Elliott Bay Books here in Seattle, and as always, I found myself in the music section, (after the cooking section). I love the smell of a book store, and I love the colorful quilt all of the various book spines make. It also feels great to pick something up and flip through its pages. You may...

Maurice Oliver Remembered
Nov 19, 2025 BLOG

Maurice Oliver Remembered

It is with profound sorrow that we announce the passing of Grammy-nominated multi-instrumentalist, composer, producer, pioneer in electronica, and owner of Electron Farm Records, Maurice Oliver. A master of many musical idioms, including fusion jazz, electronica, and world music, his legacy includes being a founding member...

Gear Geeking - Issue 170
Sep 20, 2025 NO. 170 GEAR GEEKING

Gear Geeking - Issue 170

When I'm fixing things in my studio or cleaning house, I prefer listening to radio broadcasts instead of podcasts or auto-generated playlists. As a fan of commercial-free independent radio, I appreciate charismatic announcers who introduce me to new music and raise my awareness of local happenings. I can stream my favorite...

A Great Kick Drum Sound
Sep 20, 2025 NO. 170 END RANT

A Great Kick Drum Sound

There’s a basic disconnect in how most people view learning the art and process of music recording and mixing. Say you get a new job, and they need you to place a widget in a bag, seal the bag, and place it in a container. On day one, someone will teach you how to do this task. There’s not a whole lot of room for variation...

LET'S DIY

Build a tube Mic Pre

interview

Build a tube Mic Pre

Scott Hampton

WORDS OF WARNING

To build this unit requires a fair amount of experience as a DIY-er. In addition, this circuit requires voltages that can cause serious death if mishandled. The kit greatly simplifies...

How to Build a Microphone

interview

How to Build a Microphone

Joel Cameron

This microphone is largely based on a posting I found on the internet showing how to modify Realistic (Radio Shack) PZMs for better performance. I have simply finished the design so people can build a...

Build Your Own Spring Reverb

interview

Build Your Own Spring Reverb

Scott Hampton

Simplified Reverb Tank Overview

A modern reverb tank consists of drivers, transmission springs, pickups, and a shock mounting system. A signal is driven into the drivers (attached to one end of each spring,...

Telephone Microphone

interview

Telephone Microphone

Steve McAllister

Step One: Get a phone. The best ones are the old rotary types. Thrift stores have 'em, usually for $3 or less. Specifically, you want a handset that has an un-screw-able mouth-cap and ear-cap. Also,...

STAFF PICKS

Jeff Zeigler
Jan 5, 2026 NO. 171 INTERVIEWS

Jeff Zeigler

You’re likely already familiar with Jeff Zeigler’s résumé. He’s produced and engineered records by Kurt Vile, The War on Drugs [Tape Op#102], Laraaji [#141], Chris Forsyth, Nothing, Mary Lattimore [#158], and the list goes on. In recent years, he has taken new creative leaps, shifting his primary practice from tracking to...

Who Do You Want To Be?
Nov 28, 2025 NO. 171 END RANT

Who Do You Want To Be?

Maybe I read it on the Tape Op Message Board, or maybe someone told me this tale, but it was many years ago: The band books studio time, shows up, sets up, runs through a take of their first song, and then asks the engineer, “How did that sound to you?” His reply, “It’s on tape.” 

I was mixing an album for a punk band....

Gear Geeking - Issue 171
Nov 28, 2025 NO. 171 GEAR GEEKING

Gear Geeking - Issue 171

I break down boxes pretty much every week. Thankfully, Styrofoam and other plastic-based packaging materials are nowhere near as ubiquitous as they were in the past. But that means studio gear, household items, and even large items like furniture come boxed or wrapped in extra layers of cardboard. I've mentioned before...

Gear Geeking - Issue 170
Sep 20, 2025 NO. 170 GEAR GEEKING

Gear Geeking - Issue 170

When I'm fixing things in my studio or cleaning house, I prefer listening to radio broadcasts instead of podcasts or auto-generated playlists. As a fan of commercial-free independent radio, I appreciate charismatic announcers who introduce me to new music and raise my awareness of local happenings. I can stream my favorite...

Bob Attiyeh of Yarlung Records
Sep 11, 2025 NO. 169 INTERVIEWS

Bob Attiyeh of Yarlung Records

Bob Attiyeh founded Yarlung Records over 20 years ago, and they have gone on to release almost 60 albums since then, all recorded in stereo, live, straight-to-tape, and almost exclusively using custom-built gear. Yarlung specializes mostly in classical music but has featured jazz and global music fusions as well. Attiyeh utilizes...

Jens Jungkurth
Jun 23, 2025 NO. 167 INTERVIEWS

Jens Jungkurth

Hiring Jens Jungkurth to track and mix your record is a great idea. Mark Ronson [Tape Op#105], Leon Michels [#143], Norah Jones, Brainstory, Menahan Street Band, The Roots, Madlib, and Clairo are some of the musicians and producers who agree. Jens has the perfect combination of deep recording and mixing chops alongside competence...

Sleaford Mods: The Demise Of Planet X
Jan 16, 2026 BLOG

Sleaford Mods: The Demise Of Planet X

England's post-punk duo Sleaford Mods, who we interviewed for Ep. 82 of the Tape Op Podcast, are perhaps the most punk band I have heard in years. Frontman Jason Williamson's lyrics and delivery are a brutally honest assessment of the state of the world; profanity laced, and presented dry as a bone and in your face....

Tape Op Staff Picks 2025
Dec 18, 2025 BLOG

Tape Op Staff Picks 2025


Larry Crane, editor/founder

  1. Emily A. Sprague
    Cloud Time
    Listen

My partner at Tape Op, John Baccigaluppi, turned me onto Emily A. Sprague's music and he interviewed her for Tape Op #171. Late night/early morning looping dreamscapes with so many cool bits and textures. If you like Brian Eno [#85] at his spaciest or Steve Roach...

Pink Floyd's Wish You Were Here: 50th Anniversary Deluxe Box Set
Dec 16, 2025 BLOG

Pink Floyd's Wish You Were Here: 50th Anniversary Deluxe Box Set

As any longtime reader of Tape Op will know, I've been a big Pink Floyd fan since I first heard The Wall as a teenager in 1979. The Wall was an amazing studio achievement and a commercial success, but it was their 1975 release, Wish You Were Here, that soon became my favorite. The initial CD version was a crap mastering...