Crystalphonic
by Larry Crane
This summer I was part of a press junket to Crystalphonic Sound Studios in Charlottesville, Virginia. A press junket is a trip where they fly writers from various magazines to a...
interviews
by Larry Crane
Jason Falkner: Home studio wizard & songwriter
by Larry Crane, Andy Hong
He's been a member of The Three O'Clock, Jellyfish and The Grays. His voice and instrumentation appear on albums by Beck, Susanna Hoffs, Eric Matthews, Aimee Mann, and Air. He co-wrote, produced,...
Mixerman: The mystery continues
by Jesse Cannon, Joe Chiccarelli, Larry Crane, Tardon Feathered, Jim Kaye, Matt Newport, Geoff Sanoff, Philip Stevenson, Walt Szalva
If, by chance, you have not fallen off the face of the earth in the past couple of months, you've probably become familiar with journal of Mixerman, an anonymous diarist on www.prosoundweb.com who has...
Roger McGuinn: Rescuing folk music
by Larry Crane
Roger McGuinn is known to most people as the leader of The Byrds, the folk-rock band from the '60s who fused Bob Dylan and folk music with the rush of jangley rock and roll. He was interested in...
Noise Gates: Gates: Not Just for Noise Anymore
by Larry Crane, David Patterson
Audio gates are one of the most powerful, yet often overlooked, tools in your recording arsenal. A properly set gate can tighten your drum tracks, clean up your vocals, reduce leakage from other sound...
Dave Amels: of The Bomb Factory
by John Baccigaluppi, Larry Crane
In the last six months I've been forced to learn my way around Pro Tools a bit while mixing some budget projects. Sonically, I'd rather mix through a console although I really enjoy the process of...
Tony Visconti: Producing Bowie, T-Rex and more
by Larry Crane
There are very few record producers whose names grace large portions of my CD collection, and Tony Visconti is one of them. His production work with David Bowie (including the newest album,...
The Album Leaf: Recording with Rafter Roberts
by Larry Crane
Jimmy LaValle is a member of San Diego's Tristeza, an instrumental band, who have several fine albums out. He also puts out solo records under the name The Album Leaf, which he records on the cheap...
Home Studio Recording with Spoon: Making the Girls Can Tell LP & Loveways EP in Austin, TX
by Larry Crane, Craig Schumacher
Spoon are a great band from Austin, Texas. When I heard their first record, Telephono, in 1996, I was impressed with their songs and also the full, rocking, immediate sound of the record — as...
Jack Drag: 4-track to 24-track and then back home
by Larry Crane
Jack Drag is really John Dragonetti of Boston- sometimes. John put out the self-titled Jack Drag album in 1996, featuring 10 perfect examples of home-recorded 4-track cassette pop. Then a rhythm...
Marlborough Farms: Recording The Ladybug Transistor
by Larry Crane
Tucked away in a basement in Brooklyn, NY, is a sweet little studio known as Marlborough Farms. It's also the residence of Gary Olson, the driving force behind The Ladybug Transistor. In this studio...
John Fischbach: Recording Stevie Wonder's Songs in the Key of Life
by Larry Crane, Luther Russell
John Fischbach is a world-class producer/engineer who has had his hands on the console since the late '60s. He's worked with artists as diverse as Carole King, War, the Burrito Brothers and even the...