Prince Paul: Happier Than Ever
by Sam Retzer
Prince Paul is happy. Happy to be back in New York, happy De La Soul is finally on streaming services, and happy to chat about the difference between the E-mu SP-12 and SP-1200 samplers. At 56 years...
interviews
We talk at length with record-makers about how they make records.
Hand Habits: Circumstance Informs the Art
by Meredith Hobbs Coons
For almost a decade, Meg Duffy has weaved intimate lyrics with imaginative melodies as Hand Habits while also contributing their talents as a guitarist to albums and touring lineups for artists...
Donald Tardy: Obituary Keeps it Real
by Avinash Mittur
Tampa, Florida's Obituary have been making meat n' potatoes death metal since 1984. Their last several albums document a journey through learning the art of production for the metal veterans,...
Mary Lattimore: 47 Strings and the Truth
by Sam Retzer
Mary at home in Los Angeles with her harp. Mary Lattimore’s music exists somewhere far above us. The angelic tones emanating from her Lyon & Healy harp, often looped live through a Line...
Brian Tarquin: Playing Across the Genres
by Larry Crane
For years, I've emailed with composer/guitarist/producer Brian Tarquin about projects he's been involved with. We finally got together over Zoom and had a great chat about his career – one that...
Eblis Álvarez: A System of Economy
by Steve Silverstein
Bogotá, Colombia’s Meridian Brothers are one of my favorite active bands these days. While I’ve been fortunate to see their touring lineup in New York a few times in the last year,...
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Working With a Mix Engineer
by Larry Crane
For over 25 years, I have done an extensive amount of mixing of music that I didn't track or produce. This work has been for home recordists, artists that used a studio for tracking but wanted...
Remembering Richard Davis: the “little people” often prove not so little after all
by Ian Brennan
On September 6th, 2023, the world lost one of the great session players of all-time, double-bassist, Richard Davis. He was 93-years-old.
Wes Maebe: "My job is my hobby."
by David A. Ellis
Recording engineer, mixer and producer Wes Maebe has worked in a number of studios around the world with some of the biggest names in the business, including Ellie Goulding, Cat Stevens, Celine Dion,...
Donn Landee: Keeping an Open Mind
by Greg Renoff
Donn Landee’s lengthy discography is a testament to his versatility and skill as an engineer. Landee worked for T.T.G. Studios and Sunwest Recording Studios in Hollywood before he became a...
Sparklehorse's Bird Machine: The Legacy of Mark Linkous
by Larry Crane
Photo by Danny Clinch It's been a sad 13 years since the passing of Mark Linkous, the visionary behind the group Sparklehorse. In issue #12 of Tape Op, way back in 1999, writer Adam Selzer caught...