Working Happy
by Justin Douglas
When I was an assistant engineer at a prominent studio – back when those two things existed – I worked a short stint with a well-known rock producer. After a long first day that featured...
interviews
We talk at length with record-makers about how they make records.
Greg Laswell: Writing, Recording, Golfing
by Larry Crane
The career of songwriter Greg Laswell may seem atypical, yet it fits in with how the music world works these days. From early on in his solo career songs seemed to magically get placed on popular...
The Residents & The Odd Odyssey of Hardy Fox's Synthesizer
by Ego Plum
It’s been one year since the passing of Hardy Fox, primary songwriter and co-founder of The Residents. This story is about one of his most important musical tools, the ARP Odyssey synthesizer....
Brittany Howard & Shawn Everett: Being Imperfect
by Scott McDowell
I have a habit of getting low key obsessed with certain artists, especially producers and engineers. For months I just can't stop listening to records they've touched. Earlier this year I had a few...
Eric Valentine: Under the Hood of UnderTone
by John Baccigaluppi
We first interviewed Eric Valentine in Tape Op #45 and discussed his production career and techniques. Eric is well known as a producer and engineer for working with Third Eye Blind, Smash Mouth, Good...
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The Ocean Blue's David Schelzel
by Larry Crane
The Ocean Blue have been making dreamy pop albums since the late ‘80s. Their new release, Kings and Queens / Knaves and Thieves, is a perfect example of a self-recorded album that works in the...
Arun Pandian & Devin Greenwood: Mixing a Broken Orchestra
by Bren Davies
Brian and I drove to Philly on Sunday, December 3, 2017, to attend the first of two world premier performances and recording sessions for Symphony for a Broken Orchestra by composer David Lang, a...
Darryl Moore: "Mics are Cameras to Me"
by Jonathan Saxon
Drummer, producer, and engineer Darryl Moore (aka: JMD, Jamm Messenger D, Jamm Messenger Divine) has helped seminal hip-hop groups Freestyle Fellowship and The Pharcyde develop their sound. As a...
Matt Rollings: Storied Sideman to Grammy-Winning Producer
by Jon Regen
Matt Rollings has been music's best-kept secret for some three plus decades, but that's slowly changing. A live and studio keyboard ace who has played on thousands of recordings and anchored the bands...
Marcella Araica: The Incredible Journey of "Ms. Lago"
by Larry Crane
A young intern fresh out of Full Sail University gets a big break (and a nickname) from Missy Elliott, works alongside producers and engineers like Timbaland, Jimmy Douglass [Tape Op #130], Demacio...
Andrew Scheps: "Don't Believe in Voodoo"
by Larry Crane
From a not-so-obvious career path that began by servicing early samplers, to engineering parts of a Michael Jackson's HIStory, to his current life in England and mixing in the box, Andrew Scheps has...