Woodland is the name of Gillian Welch and David Rawling’s studio in Nashville, and it’s also the name of their new album. On Woodland, the duo continue to show their deep connection as collaborators. The album has a wide open sound that features their seemlessly blended and intimately recorded vocals, and the light touch of a backing band that includes drums, bass, pedal steel, banjo, and airy strings on tunes like "What We Had" and "Hashtag". "Lawman" and "The Bells and the Birds" have a lovely somberness, and the album as a whole has a "live off the floor" feeling to it that we hear less and less of these days. Woodland will stay in our "recently played" column for the forseeable future.
We interviewed Gillian and Dave back in 2001 for Tape Op #85.
Tape Op is a bi-monthly magazine devoted to the art of record making.
2020. What a year. Since very few of who reading this will have recently relocated from a nearby galaxy I won't get into the specifics, but we all know what kind of year it was and many of us are glad it's almost gone. It certainly will not be...
I just read an excellent new essay called The Case Against Free in which the author suggests that the "free economy" is drying up the economic resources needed to make quality creative works. The article focuses on recordings. It's a well...
Garret Haines wrote a thorough review of this UAD plug-in in Tape Op #106. You should read it. Here are a few of Geoff Stanfield’s thoughts on a plug-in that he has come to use and love, not only for its sonic closeness to the original, but...
Tape Op contributor, Chris Mara, has organized an amazing studio event coming up. I wanted to go but sessions have stopped me. If you can make it, this sounds like a lot of fun.
Tape Op Messageboard Thread and instructions Welcome to 1979 Studio
With hindsight, you could look at Wilco’s A Ghost is Born as a transitional album. Much has been written about their previous LP, Yankee Hotel Foxtrot, and a documentary film, I Am Trying To Break Your Heart, chronicles how during the making...
A few years ago a Northwest music mag (now defunct) interviewed some Portland "best new band" character and the moron spouted out that nothing had been going on in Portland before his band moved to town - that this was the turning point when...
Vist Udi Koomran's special website ("MUSIC ENTHUSIAST AUDIO ENGINEER, PRODUCER FROM TEL AVIV ISRAEL. RECORDING MIXING AND MASTERING ORIGINAL AND CHALLENGING MUSIC IS MY PASSION.") and check out a fantastic interview with Etienne...
Dear Tape Op Readers,
We are feeling overwhelmed and deeply saddened by the death of George Floyd. Unfortunately this is far from an isolated incident.
Our voices and collective action have never been more needed than right now.
Human...
Here is a list of some of the books on recording and music that we have added to the reading (or re-reading!) queue recently.
Are We Still Rolling?by Phill BrownGreat studio session stories about The Rolling Stones, Talk Talk, Hendrix, Led...