We interviewed Mike Campbell for issue #150, right around the time he and his band, The Dirty Knobs released their second LP, External Combustion. A year on, the band has released a new collection of music, Vagabonds, Virgins and Misfits. The Dirty Knobs consists of Campbell, guitarist Chris Holt, bassist Lance Morrison, and drummer Matt Laug. Much of the album was co-produced by longtime Tom Petty studio collaborator, George Drakoulias.
Check out the video for "Dare to Dream" (feat. Graham Nash)
It's always a good day when I discover that there is new music from Panda Bear. It hits all the marks for me; nods to the classics, modern concepts, sounds and presentations, and exceptional vocals and vocal harmonies.
Panda Bear's (aka Noah...
Tape Op Magazines and the Tape Op Book Vol. II are featured in the reading materials section of the "Sonic Youth, etc: Sensation Fix" traveling art exhibition. Thanks, Sonic Youth!
"The exhibition Sonic Youth, etc: Sensation Fix focuses on the...
I was fortunate enough to get an Apogee Duet 2 recently. This device hooks up to your computer's USB port (and is powered from there) and allows you to monitor audio. I'm not gonna go into all the details, see our review of the original Duet. At...
Vinnie Castaldo was in the new issue of Tape Op. Check out his reviews of his two fave educational DVDs. -LC
Trust Your Ears: The Drum Tech Explorations of Jeff Ocheltree
If you’re like me, always getting stuck tuning drums before a session,...
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...
Watch the latest episode of the Creative Recording With Tape Op series! Editor Larry Crane and Online Publisher Geoff Stanfield dig into the idea of keeping it simple.
Episode made possible with support from Earthworks Audio.
Be...
October is starting off with a bang and a long list of great new releases. Here are a few notables.
Hard Quartet - Heel HighwayThis new indie rock "supergroup" consists of Stephen Malkmus (Tape Op #15), Jim White, Emmett Kelly, and Matt Sweeney....
It is often challenging within a review period to fully explore a piece of gear and integrate it into the daily workflow. It's not that reviewers won't use the feature set and put it to task in at least a few applications, but to truly get to know...
I don't want to explore this concept with as many words as I might for a Tape Op "End Rant", but I had to dump this shit out of my mind immediately. Someone dropped me a line recently; "I'd like you to hear this record I worked on. We didn't use EQ,...