Guitarist Michael Belfer passed away March 20, 2022 from a series of compounding health issues. He was a friend and my bandmate in Black Lab back in the late ’90s. His unique playing and sound was an influence on players such as Sonic...
Fire Extinguishers in the Studio - [Note to our EU readers. I don't know if the U.S. letter conventions apply in your locale, but the fundamental suggestions in this post are universal.]
It’s a really smart idea to have a couple of fire...
Everyone has been talking about Dave Grohl's new documentary Sound City a lot lately. That's cool; it's a fun romp of a movie, even if Dave can't decide whether he's making a film about a Neve console, a dying studio, a rock star jam session or an...
The Smart Studios Story
Wendy Schneider, director
At this point, Butch Vig [Tape Op #11] and Smart Studios are the stuff of legend. From the album that destroyed music’s status quo (Nirvana’s Nevermind), to Smashing Pumpkin's Gish...
A band I work with is two weeks away from their release date. They've worked tirelessly to prepare for this release, hired an excellent publicist, shot videos, toured....they've done it all right and without fatigue. That record is the most...
Hey Tape Op Readers!
The AES Show will be online this year and you can get your FREE AES SHOWCASE pass (Showcase is from Oct 19 - 23 and will be on-demand until January) by using VIP code AES2020TapeOp at checkout!
Offer good until Sept...
Below is a Guest Post from Jim Janik:
Album Credits Are Just As Important As the Money We Make (maybe more so)
by: Jim Janik
Have you ever googled yourself? I have. In fact, I have to. Like many freelancers in the music industry, it's just one of...
By John BaccigaluppiPhotos by Cynthia Connolly
If you haven't yet, check out Larry's review in this issue for some insight into the recently published book, The Inner Ear of Don Zientara. I hope you know who Don is. As Ted Nicely says in the book,...
Amidst all the bad news and chaos in the world, there are a few silver linings. One of them is having a bit of extra time for listening. Whether it's while you are working from home, maniacally crafting or cooking that 57th batch of cookies, it...