Tape Log

Blog posts by Larry Crane

Sept. 27, 2009

AES Convention in NYC - Free Entry!

by Larry Crane

Link here for a free pass to the 127th AES Convention in New York City, Oct. 9-12, for “Exhibits Only” registration. Come on down and visit the Tape Op booth and harass us about missing issues or why we don't review your CDs or write...

Sept. 3, 2009

Fire Extinguishers in the Studio

by Larry Crane

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...

Aug. 24, 2009

Recording Tips 02: Microphonic Vacuum Tubes (part 1)

by Larry Crane

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...

Aug. 18, 2009

Recording Tips 01: L/R Organization

by Larry Crane

Here's a tip that costs nothing for materials, might be good for the environment, and can save some headaches down the road. I don't know about you, but our Postal Delivery Person insists on bundling our mail in rubber bands (gum bands for our...

July 2, 2009

Visitors In The Studio During Sessions?

by Larry Crane

Tape Op contributor and studio owner/engineer/producer Mike Caffrey recently sent me some thoughts he had about visitors to the studio during sessions. See issue 73’s upcoming end rant for the origins of this piece. -LC   I always tell...

June 30, 2009

MIXING IN THE BOX

by Larry Crane

I recently mixed my first album entirely on my laptop. Yeah, maybe I'm a decade behind the curve but I also own a studio and have done a majority of my work there. On this job we were attempting to cut and mix a record in three days and we didn't...

June 22, 2009

Why Did I think This Would Be Easy?

by Larry Crane

Why did I think I could set up my home studio in a couple of hours when it took four months to move Jackpot! to a new building? Tomorrow's shopping list: Solder, S/PDIF cables, etc... I'm amazed at how tangled and messy this quickly got. All I...

June 4, 2009

How Did Tape Op's Owners Meet? Find Out!

by Larry Crane

So here it is. The fateful letter that relentless talent scout and A&R honcho John Baccigaluppi sent to my band Vomit Launch back in 1988. Little did we know that soon we'd be holed up in his studio making records, and less than a decade later...

June 2, 2009

Bootleg Test Tone Collectors?

by Larry Crane

I thought I'd seen it all until I heard about collectors that pass around bootlegged copies of the test tones and bias pads from all genres of artists and albums. From an article in MOJO this month: "Sorting their collections by "tones at head" or...

May 31, 2009

A Music Recording "TV" Show?

by Larry Crane

All around great engineer, and good guy, Ronan Chris Murphy has a few episodes out of his new Ronan's Recording Show. Some studio tours, gear reviews and a look at the SwirlyGig drink holder! Check it out.

May 30, 2009

BECAUSE WE CAN or Because we SHOULD

by Larry Crane

Larry’s intro to issue #71 was one of his most important notes for engineers in a long time. It’s easy to press play, but not pay attention to the audio hitting our ears. (Have you ever read a book and found your eyes are scanning over...

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