When I graduated from college, I dove headlong into restaurant work in order to survive. I had a degree in Visual Communications and a minor in Art from an un- prestigious college, but near the end of...
CASE ONE: Many years ago I was sent a very complex piece of recording equipment to review. It basically performed one simple function; but its inherent design was the concept that every parameter...
I remember the day clearly. It was when everything that I thought was fun about recording got turned on its head. Until that point I'd enjoyed mucking about with tape decks as a way to document my own...
Here's a recent email I received: "I am interested in what you do and how you do it. I guess I am not the average person looking to get into audio engineering. I am 44 and I am an anesthesiologist...
A couple of years ago I purchased a download package that a friend's band, Blue Skies for Black Hearts, was offering up. It was a generous offer, proceeds went towards a good cause, and the band is...
After reading Larry's "Eliminate Variables" End Rant from last issue, I was compelled to write a response. Don't get me wrong, I agree completely with everything he said; so before you read any...
I finally figured out what makes for a successful tracking session: simply eliminate the variables. On one level this could be seen as pre-production combined with concise decision making. Certainly...
A while back I had an interesting session recording auditions and providing camera audio feed over the course of three days for 24 instrumental and vocal performers, all of whom were hoping to get on...
Your magazine was not the first place I'd seen Count's "I Have a Credit Problem" essay [Tape Op #89], but I feel compelled to respond. I agree with his general ideas — credits should be shown,...
Over the last few years we've seen an explosion of online music services. Pandora, iTunes, Spotify, Rhapsody, Soundcloud and dozens of other platforms are touted as groundbreaking ways to deliver...
In Tape Op #86, Greg Calbi related his early experiences as a mastering engineer. I was struck by his comment that professional mix engineers would ask him if a bass or vocal was too loud or too soft....
Maybe you've seen this triangle of wisdom at your auto mechanic's shop. That's where I first saw it: on a piece of paper scrawled with a Magic Marker and tacked up on the wall by my mechanic Dave,...
