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...
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...
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...
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...
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...
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....
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...
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...
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,...
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 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...
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...
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....
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...
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...
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...
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...
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...
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...
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...
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...
