Born in Brownsville, Brooklyn, and the musical force of Staten Island’s Wu-Tang Clan, RZA (Robert Fitzgerald Diggs) is easily one of the most revered and gifted producers of his generation....
Allan Taylor, John Wood, Dave Mattacks, and Pat Donaldson at Sound Techniques, recording Cajum Moon's self-titled LP, Fall 1975. If I look at my record collection, there are so many favorites...
Having produced classic albums for Nick Drake, Richard & Linda Thompson, R.E.M., and Toots and the Maytals, amongst others, Joe Boyd [Tape Op #60] is arguably the most renowned, living, roots...
While I only casually follow British music magazines like The Quietus and Uncut, their frequent championing of the band Lankum caught my eye, and upon hearing the 2023 album, False Lankum, they...
Linda Smith is a pioneering figure in the bedroom pop genre. With her introspective lyrics and DIY approach to recording, Smith's lo-fi sound was first captured in cassette releases in the '80s and...
What happens when you combine the rhythmic backbone of Fugazi veterans Joe Lally (bass) and Brendan Canty (drums, Tape Op #12) with the soaring heights of James Brandon Lewis’ sax, and douse...
Steve Daubenspeck and Greg Freeman are Ancient Farmers and their new album is called Seventh Heaven. Greg Freeman was featured in Tape Op #1, and had previously recorded two albums for Tape Op founder Larry Crane when he was in the band Vomit...
The husband and wife partnership of Alan Sparhawk and Mimi Parker will forever be remembered for their work in the band Low. Their remarkable vocal harmonies always told a story of a long and storied relationship that went far beyond the music and...
We interviewed Herb Alpert in Tape Op #140, and he hasn't slowed down since. He just released his 50th album, aptly titled 50. It is yet another prime example of the lounge pop genre he all but invented with The Tijuana Brass starting in the...
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Singer, songwriter, and stringed instrument master, Sarah Jarosz, has just released a deluxe edition version of her criitically-acclaimed album, Polaroid Lovers. This edition features two new songs, "Wildflowers in the Sky" and "Just Like...
After the internet came along and made sharing of information easier, I noticed an interesting trend. Maybe it's because of that misguided impulse of "doing it the right way" that beginners attempt to...
I never went to school to learn how to become a recording engineer.* But, regardless, some studio fundamentals and skills took me years to learn, and every time I did gain knowledge it was often under...
Nilüfer Yanya’s LP Painless was one of my faves of 2022 with its blend of guitar based songwriting, her unique singing voice, and forward leaning production and arrangements. I’m pretty over the Roland Jazz Chorus guitar tones, but...
Born in Brownsville, Brooklyn, and the musical force of Staten Island’s Wu-Tang Clan, RZA (Robert Fitzgerald Diggs) is easily one of the most revered and gifted producers of his generation....
Allan Taylor, John Wood, Dave Mattacks, and Pat Donaldson at Sound Techniques, recording Cajum Moon's self-titled LP, Fall 1975. If I look at my record collection, there are so many favorites...
Having produced classic albums for Nick Drake, Richard & Linda Thompson, R.E.M., and Toots and the Maytals, amongst others, Joe Boyd [Tape Op #60] is arguably the most renowned, living, roots...
While hardly a glamorous concept, room acoustics represent a critical link in the recording or playback chain. While comprehensive room design is a complex cocktail of science, math and chance...
I have been a big fan of spring and plate reverbs for decades, and over the past three years I have spent a significant amount of time diving into the wormhole of designing and building them,...
When asked to come up with a "do it yourself" tube mic pre project, I thought long and hard about what topology to go with. I designed a number of different hybrid tube/discrete class A designs...
In the disembodied world of today's computer-based multitrack mixing, one can spend a lot of time crafting a unifying sense of "space." Despite the dozens of reverb plug-ins and rack devices...
April 15th marks the 25th anniversary of Tape Op Magazine! To mark the occasion, Tape Op founder and editor Larry Crane is making a series of short videos talking about the journey of the mag and some of the memories had along the...
During one of the many calls I have on a regular basis with my musician and audio professional friends, it dawned on me what a priveldge these conversations are and thought it might be a good idea to share them with a larger audience as a way to take...
Here is a list of some of the books on recording and music that we have added to the reading (or re-reading!) queue recently. Are We Still Rolling?by Phill BrownGreat studio session stories about The Rolling Stones, Talk Talk, Hendrix, Led...
Tape Op contributor Thom Monahan dug up this gem. Enjoy!
Read the review of the RND 5088 Console
Convention Report. Man, that old Disneyland hotel was awesome! I'm in the process of moving and was cleaning my office earlier today. I have a large collection of vintage audio magazines and books that I use for clip art when working on Tape...
There has been a heightened interest lately in using stompboxes and pedals as part of the mixing process. There are a few ways to interface your pedals with your system, but here is a quick video on how I do it using the Meris 440 500 series mic-pre....
by John Baccigaluppi The music industry trade shows, and the NAMM Show in particular, have always been a mixed bag for me. Every year, for the last 20 years or so, Larry and I, along with Geoff, Scott, and Marsha (We miss you Andy, Dave, and Laura!)...
Dear Tape Op Readers, We are feeling overwhelmed and deeply saddened by the death of George Floyd. Unfortunately this is far from an isolated incident. Our voices and collective action have never been more needed than right now. Human...
Check out the latest gear giveaways from our advertisers and enter to win! Retro Intruments 500 Pre Giveaway! Enter to Win a 500PRE Here! Audix Mics and Headphones Giveaway! Enter to Win Audix Mics and Headphones! Baby...
