We interviewed John Cale in issue #156 around the time of his previous release, Mercy. He has just released POPtical Illusion, a collection of synth and keyboard heavy tunes that carry a heavy, and at times angry message about the state of the world. That is not to say that that Cale has lost all hope and there is optimism that we can still bring about change. POPtical Illusion was produced by Cale along with longtime artistic collaborator Nita Scott.
Larry and I recently spent a few weeks in the UK doing some interviews for the mag that you'll be seeing soon. Over the weekend I left Larry in London to play some gigs in Oxford and Cornwall with my friends in Sea of Bees. One of the...
A lot of you have probably heard the term “microphonic tubes.” But have you ever heard one in action? They actually turn into little microphones. (Hence the name).
So, this week I decided to replace the input tubes on my Manley...
The worldwide COVID-19 situation is affecting us all at this moment. Years ago I was a gigging musician and restaurant worker, and I feel I essentially still live a gig economy life - depending on Tape Op and studio bookings for personal income....
Tape Op will once again have a booth at the AES show in San Francisco, CA October 27-29, so please come say hi if you are at the show!
To make it easier for you to attend the show, we are once again giving away free badges to the exhibition area of...
Listen
One of my favorite records of 2024 to date is Phosphorescent’s Revelator. It’s a beautifully recorded album, featuring Matthew Houck's timeless songwriting and lyrics plus gorgeous arrangements. I was hooked the first...
From reader David Matysiak:
"I would love to talk to you about audio experiment that I've been working on. It's a project called Telephono. Based on the children's game where you whisper a message and it gets around a circle of people, then sounds...
Gurf Morlix (Tape Op # 76) recently released a 15 song collection of songs written by his longtime friend and runnin' buddy, Blaze Foley - Blaze Foley's 113th Wet Dream. The CD has been released in conjunction with the...
Some Maybe Not-So-Obvious Items Every Studio Needs
In the past we've run a few columns about items every studio should have, like Sharpie pens and masking tape, but here I decided to look around me and think about all the items that aren't...
I got an email the other day from a PR person looking for Tape Op to write an article about several "known" engineer/producers and their drum recording techniques in the studio. These guys are known, and one of them we've written about and I think...