Val Garay’s Custom Gear
by Jonathan Saxon
Producer/engineer Val Garay is best known for his work on albums by James Taylor, Linda Ronstadt, Toto, Kim Carnes, Seals and Crofts, Jackson Browne, and The Motels. Interestingly, he comes from a...
interviews
We talk at length with record-makers about how they make records.
Additional Dialogue with Mateusz Wozniak
by Bartlomiej Frank
The following is extra conversation from our feature interview with Mateusz Wozniak .
The Future of Clocks: Clarifications in the Audio Clocking Paradigm
by Allen Farmelo
Contributing writer Allen Farmelo started off writing a review of the Stanford Research Systems PERF-10 rubidium audio clock for Tape Op. After many hours of immersive listening and extensive research...
Clay Blair: From the Producer’s Workshop to Boulevard Recording
by Larry Crane
I had heard, from contributor Alex Maiolo, that someone from North Carolina had moved out to L.A. and accidentally discovered and re-opened the famed Producer's Workshop studio in Hollywood. That...
Doomtree: Minneapolis Hip-Hop
by Zac Meyer
Doomtree is a hip-hop collective base in Minneapolis, Minnesota. The seven-member band and record label is known for its homegrown DIY ethos, wide range of musical influences, and lyrical complexity...
Jesper “Yebo” Reginal: Crunchy Frog Records
by Alex Maiolo
Independent scenes were popping up all over the US and UK in the '80s and '90s. Labels like Touch & Go and Merge started in spare bedrooms. Simple Machines went so far as to give away their...
_display_horizontal.jpeg)
Chris Walla: Making Tape Loops
by Larry Crane
Way the heck back, in issue #19 ofTape Op, we interviewed Chris Walla, then an integral part of the up-and-coming Death Cab For Cutie. Now Chris is off on his own, and his first music expedition (and...
Leo Abrahams: Brian Eno, David Byrne, Wild Beasts
by Larry Crane
I caught Leo Abrahams at his London home after a soundtrack session at Abbey Road and before heading over to play guitar on a recording with Jarvis Cocker of Pulp. It's all in a day's work for this...
Andrija Tokic: Alabama Shakes, Hurray for the Riff Raff
by Larry Crane
Dropping in at Andrija Tokic's Bomb Shelter Studio in Nashville, Tennessee, one might be forgiven for assuming they fell through a time warp. Wood and stone walls harken back to another time, and...
Ariel Rechtshaid: Madonna, Charli XCX, Adele
by Zac Meyer
Ariel Rechtshaid is busy. Last year alone he released productions with Charli XCX, Tobias Jesso Jr., Brandon Flowers, Little Boots, Carly Rae Jepsen, Adele, Lower Dens, and some pop singer named...
Dave Pensado: Mary J. Blige, Beyoncé, Macy Gray
by Larry Crane
Partway through my chat with world-renowned mix engineer Dave Pensado he said,"Be careful that you don't confuse advice with opinion." Hanging with Dave you realize he is a veritable fountain of...
Asger Christensen & Iris Marie Jakobsen of Aarhus Lydstudie: Recording in Denmark
by Alex Maiolo
Copenhagen may get all of the attention, but just three hours away lies the second largest city in Denmark: the port city of Aarhus. With it's huge university, and rich Nordic history, it's long...