Gear Giveaways!

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Songatron with Jonathan Mann and the Spinto Band

by Larry Crane

Jonathan Mann is the "song a day guy" of Songatron. Since January 1st 2009 he's posted a song and video a day. Septemeber 28th 2011 he'll have recorded 1000 songs. Wow.  In June Nick Krill and Thomas Hughes of The Spinto Band joined up with...

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"Give Me A Hammer": Why the Audio Industry Needs Simple, Stable Tools More Now Than Ever

by John Baccigaluppi

It was at a recent trade show, after a major DAW manufacturer cancelled our meeting, that I realized I was relieved to be off the hook. I always enjoy meeting with this person, and I use and like their products. But I was relieved to not hear...

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Music for People That Like Cats

by Geoff Stanfield

A few months back while on a call with Tape Op publisher John Baccigaluppi, he mentioned that he was working on an album project where the majority of the sounds were generated by his cat Raspy. That is not to say that Raspy actually sat down...

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support the future of music coalition

by Larry Crane

Support the Future of Music Coalition! [donate!] The FMC is "a small, Washington, D.C.-based non-profit that fights to get musicians a seat at the table in debates about the future of music. FMC's HINT (Health Insurance Navigation Tool) program,...

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You Don't Have a Clue How Records are Made Do You?

by Larry Crane

A year ago I read this quote from self-proclaimed expert music biz blogger, Bob Lefsetz:  "We live in a lo-fi era. You can focus on sound quality, but most people can't hear it. There's a chance hi-fi is coming back, but do you really have...

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Steve Albini 1962-2024

by Geoff Stanfield

Steve AlbiniRemembered by Larry Crane On Jan 19, 1987, I clambered aboard a yacht in Emeryville, CA, to interview Steve Albini and the band Big Black for BravEar Magazine, a conversation that unfortunately was never published due to the mag folding...

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"OneMic" Session with Jackie Greene

by Geoff Stanfield

John Cuniberti records artists in the "OneMic" series with a single AEA R88 stereo ribbon mic. Results? Impressive!

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Phonograph Cylinders - Better than the MP3?

by Larry Crane

I was amazed today to be informed that phonograph cylinders are still being manufactured. Madame Pamita dropped us a line a while back and surprised us with some cool music recorded on Cylinders by Peter Dilg, of the Edison Historical Site, and it...

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The Origin of Tape Op Magazine

by Geoff Stanfield

by Larry Crane In 1996 my life changed. A few years earlier, I had been in a busy band (Vomit Launch, a precursor to what became indie rock) putting out albums and touring for almost eight years. In late 1992 we called it quits. I’d moved...