Interviews
Jody Stephens: Inside Ardent and recording Big Star
by Larry Crane
In Tape Op # 44 we did a feature on Memphis, Tennessee, and its rich music and recording history. We vowed to return to Memphis, especially for Ardent Studios and Terry Manning - key figures in any...
Interviews
Matthew Herbert: A unique take on recording and composition
by Allen Farmelo
I think it's safe to say that we have fully entered the era of drag-and- drop production, a time when the craft of producing music albums can be as simple as placing computer-based audio files onto...
Behind the Gear
Joe & B.J. Buchalter: Behind the Gear with Metric Halo
by Garrett Haines, Matthew Nelson
I'm starting the see a trend with the subjects of Behind the Gear. In an industry where trade shows demand new models every year, sometimes every quarter, these manufacturers follow their own...
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Terry Manning: From Stax to recording Bjork in the Ocean
by Mark Rubel
Terry Manning is one of my heroes. His career has encompassed working with many Stax and Hi artists — Rufus Thomas, Booker T., The Staple Singers, Al Green; working with some of rock's finest...
40 Years in the Trenches: John Fry's life-long career running Memphis' Ardent Studios
by Larry Crane
In Tape Op # 44 we did a feature on Memphis, Tennessee, and its rich music and recording history. We vowed to return to Memphis, especially for Ardent Studios and Terry Manning - key figures in any...
The Posies: A recording history with more Memphis tie ins
by Chris Xefos
For eighteen years, numerous albums, EPs, tribute tracks and even a four-CD box set of rarities, Jon Auer and Ken Stringfellow have shared a passion for creating recordings, as songwriters,...
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Columns See more →
End Rant
Anatomy of Disaster
by John Baccigaluppi
The session started with high hopes and the best of intentions. I had introduced Jason Lytle of the late, great band Grandaddy, to engineer Thom Monahan. They were mixing a record together at The...
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Gear Reviews See more →
MF-102 Ring Modulator MF-105 MuRF
by Moog Music | reviewed by Pete Weiss
When he heard that The Weisstronauts were undertaking a mini-tour last fall, Andy "Gear Geek" Hong was cool enough to loan me a couple of his Moogerfooger pedals-by Moog Music-to try out on the road....
H1 handheld condenser mic
by SE Electronics | reviewed by Mike Reed
SE Electronics is a China-based company started by conductor/composer Siwei Zou. Rather than manufacturing low-cost mics for other brands or assembling products made in other Chinese factories, SE...
pArtScience SpaceCoupler
by Auralex Acoustics | reviewed by Andy Hong
In Tape Op #53, Jeff Elbel reviewed Auralex's SpaceArray diffusor. The SpaceCoupler, also within the pArtScience family of Russ Berger-designed, affordable acoustic treatment, looks very much like the...
Portico 5032 mic preamp / EQ
by Rupert Neve Designs | reviewed by Mike Caffrey
Like the rest of the Portico series, this single-channel mic preamp and EQ is a half-width, 1RU-height unit that can be racked horizontally or vertically. The preamp section, with its 72 dB of gain,...
VT-7 tube compressor
by D.W. Fearn | reviewed by Chad Clark
Ostensibly all compressors are designed to perform the same function: make the loud parts quieter. (And with makeup gain after compression, the quiet parts become louder.) In its conceptual origin,...
Sessions with Sinatra: Frank Sinatra and the Art of Recording
by Charles L. Granata | reviewed by Rob Christensen
Sessions with Sinatra is a fascinating account of Frank Sinatra in the studio, presented chronologically as his recording career progressed. It is an evaluation and appreciation of his recordings with...
pArtScience AudioTile
by Auralex Acoustics | reviewed by Josh Peck
Josh Peck, one of the composers at my NYC studio, has his rig in the corner of a soundproofed room designed, manufactured, and assembled by IAC. The wall panels are surfaced with metal membranes...
PL-2 peak limiter
by Pendulum Audio | reviewed by Mike Caffrey
In an era when excessive digital peak-limiting has become a standard, it's a surprise that the Pendulum Audio PL-2 peak limiter is the only standalone, brickwall analog peak limiter in existence....
LinearPhase PEQ Red
by Algorithmix | reviewed by Garrett Haines
German-based Algorithmix has released three killer EQ plug-ins, LinearPhase PEQ Red, LinearPhase PEQ Orange, and the classic PEQ Blue. Each title deserves separate consideration, so I will limit this...
Soda Meiser & Hymm Strangle/ Synth Mangler pedals
by Effector 13 | reviewed by Pete Weiss
Being an ardent fan of Effector 13 pedals, as well as someone who has the potential to lose days at a time while coaxing weirdness out of effects, I was psyched to have the chance to check out the...
XLogic SuperAnalogue Channel Duende plug-in processor
by SSL | reviewed by Neil Mclellan
I don't think there's a single working engineer that hasn't heard of SSL. However, many engineers fail to realize that SSL is also a manufacturer of outboard gear, not just large-format consoles. SSL...
XLogic Delta-Link MADI HD for Pro Tools HD
by SSL | reviewed by Andy Hong
I've mentioned a number of times that I find the sound of the 192 I/O for Pro Tools HD disappointing. For what it costs, the fact that it comes with eight mediocre channels of analog I/O is kinda...
Mbox 2 Pro
by Digidesign | reviewed by Andy Hong
Unlike the other Mbox 2 interfaces for Pro Tools LE (see Tape Op #51 and #57 for reviews of the Mbox 2 and Mbox 2 Mini), the Pro connects to the host via FireWire instead of USB, it supports 88.2 and...
Zoundz looping toy
by Zizzle | reviewed by Pete Weiss
Last Christmas, in addition to the Recording the Beatles book (coolest gift ever?), my wife gave me a nifty little device called Zoundz from the toy company Zizzle. It's intended for children aged...
MicroMain27 active monitor
by Barefoot Sound | reviewed by Allen Farmelo
Thomas Barefoot designed the MicroMain27 to be the only speakers one would need in a studio, functioning as detailed nearfields; as loud, impressive mains with integrated subwoofers; and (brace...
Absynth 4 & FM8 soft synths
by Native Instruments | reviewed by Andy Hong
There are quite a few soft synths out there which aim to emulate (or improve upon) classic keyboard sounds of the past. But what about new sounds? What about a soft synth that is built from the ground...