Interviews
Chris Mara & Cameron Henry
by Stephen Allbritten, Larry Crane
In an industry that has become more and more digitized, Nashville's Welcome to 1979 and its owner, Chris Mara, are offering clients an opportunity to step back in time. With a recent purchase of a...
Behind the Gear
Bill Whitlock (bonus): Behind the Gear with Jensen Transformers
by Larry Crane
Jensen Transformers was founded in 1974 by Deane Jensen as part of his quest for excellent studio sound. He believed the transformers of the era were of a substandard quality, and our field...
Interviews
"a kid with a soldering iron writing stuff in BASIC": Grammy-Winning Technologist Brian Transeau's Childhood Adventures in Synthesis
by Andy Hong
For me, the highlight of the inaugural A3E (Advanced Audio + Applications Exchange) event in Boston (September 23-24, 2014) was the closing keynote, which featured Dr. Richard Boulanger, Professor...
Behind the Gear
Bill Whitlock: Behind the Gear with Jensen Transformers
by Larry Crane
Jensen Transformers was founded in 1974 by Deane Jensen as part of his quest for excellent studio sound. He believed the transformers of the era were of a substandard quality, and our field has...
Interviews
David Bianco (bonus): Bob Dylan, Tom Petty, LL Cool J
by Geoff Stanfield
What do Bob Dylan, Lucinda Williams, LL Cool J, Ozzy Osbourne, Tom Petty, Johnny Cash, U2, Mick Jagger, AC/DC, The Damned, The Posies, and Rage Against the Machine all have in common? They all...
Interviews
Jorge Explosion! (bonus): Estudios Circo Perrotti
by Peter Zaremba
Better known by the last name "Explosion," due to his rock group Doctor Explosion, Jorge Muñoz-Cobo started Estudios Circo Perrotti in 2003 in his hometown of Gijon, located in Spain's...
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Oliver Ackermann: Death By Audio
by Alex Maiolo
With the music biz shifting, daily talk amongst musicians mainly revolves around the subject of adaptability. As old doors close, others are opening, offering creative control, DIY tools, and...
Jorge Explosion's Estudios Circo Perrotti: Mad Scientist Recordings from the Northern Spanish Coast
by Peter Zaremba
Better known by the last name "Explosion," due to his rock group Doctor Explosion, Jorge Mu-oz-Cobo started Estudios Circo Perrotti in 2003 in his hometown of Gijon, located in Spain's northern...
Bob Dylan, Tom Petty, LL Cool J: Selected Stories from David Bianco's Lifetime of Record-Making
by Geoff Stanfield
What do Bob Dylan, Lucinda Williams, LL Cool J, Ozzy Osbourne, Tom Petty, Johnny Cash, U2, Mick Jagger, AC/DC, The Damned, The Posies, and Rage Against the Machine all have in common? They all...
Ian Shaw
by Ian Shaw
Ian Shaw, engineer and producer from London, England, relocated to the heart of tropical Key West, Florida, the southernmost point in the continental US. In the winter of 2011 Ian shipped his...
Make Noise! Tony Rolando & Kelly Kelbel Craft a Strange & Beautiful New Aesthetic for Analog Synth Modules
by Alex Maiolo
It only makes sense that with a renewed interest in analog synthesis, modular synths would make a comeback. However, rather than the hulking beasts Keith Emerson tortured on stage, or pampered...
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End Rant
Food for Thought
by Larry Crane
I've pulled together a collection of recent thoughts I've had about the recording process. You can agree or not agree. The important thing is to use your ears, mind, and creativity to make great...
Gear Geeking
Gear Geeking #104
by Andy Hong
This past September, I attended the inaugural A3Exchange (www.a3exchange.com) in Boston and had one of the most enjoyable conference experiences in years. A small team of forward thinkers, under the...
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Airwindows Console & Buss Colors Reviews: Plugins to Help Mix Out of the Box, In the Box
by Airwindows | reviewed by Kirt Shearer
Twenty years ago, there really wasn't much of a market for "plug-ins." Sure, there were some limited software tools for audio, but they were mostly proprietary to a specific editor. Very little...
Console and Buss Colors plug-ins
by Airwindows | reviewed by Kirt Shearer
Twenty years ago, there really wasn't much of a market for "plug-ins." Sure, there were some limited software tools for audio, but they were mostly proprietary to a specific editor. Very little...
Thunderbolt Station, 10946 MP Thunder Dock
by CalDigit | reviewed by John Baccigaluppi
If you, like me, have recently moved to the Thunderbolt computer interface platform, these two products may be of interest to you. I recently sold my Avid TDM hardware in favor of a Universal Audio...
Advanced Stands Systems
by Triad-Orbit | reviewed by Garrett Haines
Triad-Orbit is a new brand of professional microphone stands from Access Products Group, a company that has been designing and producing products for other market leaders for over twenty years. The...
iD22 USB audio interface
by Audient | reviewed by Andy Hong
What sets the iD22 apart from countless other compact audio interfaces I've tried is its big-console feel and sound. And really, it's the most "analog" sounding USB audio interface I've heard! The...
47 ULTRA preamp PC board
by Drip Electronics | reviewed by Brad Williams
In a majority of cases, the absolute worst motive for undertaking a DIY electronics project is "cost savings." Gear builds are gratifying for a number of reasons, but factors like economies of scale...
Studio Collection plug-in suite
by Softube | reviewed by Eli Crews
The first thing one notices about Softube plug-ins is that the graphics are kinda stunning. Now, I'm not foolish enough to think that skeuomorphic precision and meticulous shading are going to make...
ADL 1700 Liquid Mu tube limiter
by Anthony DeMaria Labs | reviewed by Daniel Schlett
In today's boutique audio market, variable-mu designs have become very popular after the rediscovery of such classic units as the Fairchild 670, General Electric BA-5-A, and Gates Sta-Level. What...
Reel ADT plug-in
by Waves | reviewed by John Baccigaluppi, Geoff Stanfield
At AES, we met with Waves, and they asked us why Tape Op never reviews their plug-ins. "Good question," I said. Then, a bit later at the show, Geoff Stanfield and I started talking about how we had...
583S mk2 tube preamp
by LaChapell Audio | reviewed by Geoff Stanfield
Let's paint a picture. If you are new to painting, let's paint by numbers. If you have been at it awhile, let's explore and start mixing our own colors and use more than just a paintbrush to apply...
Blend mixer, Mid-Side matrix
by Avenson Audio | reviewed by Andy Hong
If you do any audio processing in the analog domain, whether you rely on a large-format console or just a modest rack of gear, you'll realize quickly how powerful and easy-to- use these half-width,...
N90-DRC/500 compressor/gate
by Pheonix Audio | reviewed by Adam Kagan
I am a fan of the 500-series format, but each time I see a new module enter the fray of over 200 different modules, I have to wonder what makes this one special. Phoenix Audio produces high quality,...
A77X active monitors
by ADAM Audio | reviewed by Larry Crane
I've had a pair of ADAM S3-A [Tape Op #33] powered monitors for about a decade at Jackpot! Recording Studio, and they've treated me well. I had been through a number of speakers before them, and in...
Alpha 65 active monitors
by Focal Professional | reviewed by Scott McChane
French loudspeaker manufacturer Focal recently introduced the mid-priced Alpha series of professional studio monitors, all of which feature a polyglass cone woofer, double front bass ports, and an...
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Music Reviews
La Isla Bonita
by Deerhoof | reviewed by Larry Crane
In issue #55 we chatted with Deerhoof, and learned about Greg Saunier's unique and obsessive ways of working on recordings. Their new album, La Isla Bonita, began as demos that soon became the core of...