From the moment I first heard Joy Division's two studio albums, Unknown Pleasures and Closer, I was affected. Initially I returned the LPs to my friend Steve, saying, "These are too gloomy. I don't...
Legendary record producer Bill Szymczyk helped dial in sounds for The Eagles, Joe Walsh, The James Gang, The Who, Elvin Bishop, and The J. Geils Band. Many have argued that AOR...
I've been in the recording business for about 35 years, coming up through all the formats. 2-track to 24-track, 2-inch to Pro Tools. My mentor was the late great Peter J. Helffrich of Helffrich...
Indigo Ranch, nestled on 60-acres in the hills of Malibu, California, operated from 1974 until 2006, under the guidance and obsessions of Richard Kaplan. Clients took advantage of his meticulously...
In 1985, when I was 15 years old, my best friend's older brother gave me a cassette tape that said "Throwing Muses Demo" on the label. The first time I played it I was completely blown away —...
Giles Martin certainly comes from an enviable musical pedigree. His father, the legendary producer Sir George Martin, had more number one hit records, and broke down more barriers in the recording...
ADK Microphones began in 1997 as the dream of Larry Villella — recording engineer, piano expert, and vintage mic collector — to build quality microphones for his friends. ADK's...
These are original masters of a radio show that was done from 1954 to 1956. Some of the tapes I got had 3M numbers on them, and it's among the earliest known tape. The Buddy Cole Band was...
A special installment featuring two guest editorials from JB! -AH I'm not much of a fan of software synths that work as DAW plug-ins. I've tried virtual instruments from Arturia, UVI, GForce, and...
BreakTweaker is a fantastic new rhythm/drum-sequencing plug-in from iZotope and Grammy-nominated musician, producer, and all-around genius Brian Transeau (better known as BT). Their previous...
Somehow, a strap-on keyboard can pass as dorky/cool, especially with the rise of "nerdcore." But IMHO, a synth guitar is just... well... dorky, and always will be. Just check YouTube for shredders...
I've tried a lot of different iOS software synthesizers, but this app is probably the most enjoyable and best sounding soft synth I've used to date — on an iPad or a computer — and it has...
In 2005, Matt Warshaw, a well-known surf journalist who had written for just about every surfing publication that exists, published The Encyclopedia of Surfing, which became the definitive reference...
With the resurgent interest in analog gear, there are tons of new boxes on the market. Most have a straightforward purpose, but there are still some that don't fall into the "normal" categories of...
The Sonodyne SRP series is a no-nonsense entry into the sub-$1000 monitor scene, with five different models ranging from 3'' to 8'' in woofer size. Touting an ultra-wide sweet spot with custom...
When I moved my mix setup out of my living room and into a large shared studio space, I sensed that it would be helpful to have a larger pair of midfields for monitoring. Unfortunately, most of the...
My head is spinning these days with all of the available options for the 500-series format. As a kid, Baskin-Robbins and their 31 flavors seemed overwhelming. Generally, I stuck with what I knew was...
I've been a bit stymied on how to start this review off, so I'll run all three of my potential intros by you: 1. To the guy who got upset by my review of I Dream Of Wires, in which I said all the...
As someone who has been using ADAM monitors fairly religiously for the past seven years or so, I became quite interested when I heard that the former CEO of ADAM Audio had started a new speaker...
When I record acoustic guitars, I use a mic. A real one. Mainly mono, but sometimes stereo — especially if it's a one-voice, one-guitar recording — but definitely a mic; no pickup...
How do you get a $10,000 sounding mic without bankrupting your studio? Send it to Shannon Rhoades at MicRehab, that's how. Specifically, I'm talking about the Miktek CV4. To be fair, the stock mic is...
I've been on a mission over the last seven or eight years to find a reverb plug-in that fills the void left by not being able to place a microphone, say, 5-20 ft away from a source. I've used just...
Andy Hong: When the Dangerous Compressor was first announced, I knew that it would be something special, like all of its sibling products in the Dangerous Music line — despite its seemingly...
The 363 is the first product from San Diego-based Tonecraft Audio, but owner Jon Erickson is no newcomer to the studio equipment scene. Most notably, he spent some time at A-Designs Audio and was...
Moog Music has been making big, sophisticated pedals — Moogerfoogers — since 1997. They're amazing pedals with lots of synth-inspired modulation features, but they're pretty expensive and...
We've all seen photos of studios that own a wall of guitar tube heads. Certainly, having a dozen or more amps to choose from might be ideal, but the total cost can be prohibitive for a studio owner....
The Massey THC (Total Harmonic Corruption) plug- in is a no-nonsense analog-modeled distortion "stompbox." THC has the same familiar controls — drive, filter (tone), and level — that you'd...
Instead of offering eight or more inputs loaded with mic preamps in a never-ending quest for bang-for-buck, some companies are designing two-channel units that put the emphasis on quality rather than...
Anyone who has read my previous reviews may know that two years ago, I left the comfort of my trusted Oakland studio to start mixing primarily in my apartment in Brooklyn. I started working right away...
Confidence. Transparency. I like my monitor controllers like I like my politicians. I want confidence that I am hearing what is and what is not there. Confidence that the choices I am making in terms...
When I am asked to describe my personal goals when making records, I frequently say that I'm looking to make classic, timeless works of art. I want to make albums that can be listened to for many...
Songwriter and novelist Willy Vlautin has led Portland's Richmond Fontaine for 20 years. With this new group, The Delines, he's written songs for Amy Boone (The Damnations TX) to sing, and grabbed his...
