With a major U.S. election coming up and all the events going on in this world Tape Op is urging people to vote. I emailed folks involved in the recording and music world about why people should vote and how it relates to our world. One thought I've had is that most of us are damn lucky to be able to focus on creating art and music as opposed to being in situations where we are struggling daily to get by, whether due to economics, wars or politics. Check out our last page, normally reserved for my End Rant Column, for some thoughts on the upcoming election.
This issue has some great interviews inlcuding the legendary Rudy Van Gelder. We've also got two articles on getting the most out of drums, one of the more difficult instruments to capture in pop music. Last issue we had a pair of articles on keyboards and guitars. With the proliferation of inexpensive recording gear, one of the skills and resources that can set any studio or engineer apart is having access to a variety of instruments and knowing how to get the most out of the gear in front of them. I've been accumulating drums, a baritone guitar, a sitar guitar and other instruments to go along with my Hammond organ and piano — giving my studio a selection of sounds to draw from. It only adds to the sessions!
And finally, I just got back from Tucson, AZ where I was hanging out at Wavelab studios with Craig Schumacher, Jon Kardon, Roger King and Jenna Sather making plans for TapeOpCon2005 in New Orleans on June 10. Look for more details next issue and on the conference web site: www.tapeopcon.com.