ISSUE ARCHIVE
NO. 171 | Nov 2025
NO. 170 | Sep 2025
NO. 169 | Sep 2025
NO. 168 | Jul 2025
NO. 167 | May 2025
NO. 166 | Mar 2025
NO. 165 | Jan 2025
NO. 164 | Nov 2024
Sep/Oct 2015
I was invited to speak in front of a recording class that a friend was teaching recently, and one of the topics I brought up was the concept of being a fan of music. I find it hard to believe that anyone reading Tape Op would not be a music fan, let alone someone that was studying music recording and looking to become a professional.
The kind of fandom I was discussing is one that borders on the obsessive, but it's one that has served me well. My thought is that there is a lot to be learned about music and making records, and one can partially accomplish that by studying every detail of an artist's career. Start by listening to all of their albums, then look for odds and ends that didn't get released on these records. Do a bit of research and find out why these tracks were not on albums. Look into side projects, and note the different styles or sounds these might have versus the main career path. Find articles, interviews, and books about the artists you like. Study the thoughts and stories that went into each album or session. Learn about the arc of an artist's career. Take a close look at records that were critically slammed, or didn't sell well, and try to understand what is different about these releases.
All of this leads to information that can serve you well in the studio. An artist's first album is different than their second, third, or fourth release. A highly controlled session might be followed by a looser album project. By studying many artists' careers you'll start to see patterns that apply to the people you work with; by paying attention, you can recognize this and use it to your advantage.
Plus, listening to music is fun!
— LARRY CRANE,EDITOR & FOUNDER
Any of us who record rock music are likely aware of Glyn Johns. His legacy in the recording studio spans many years, and includes some of the best bands ever. In the sixties he tracked seminal British...
Turn on the radio; you know, the one that's playing the hit songs of today. It won't be long before you hear something mixed by Manny Marroquin. With his touch gracing truckloads of top ten and number...
It's the dream of many home recordists, but for Ruban Nielson it actually happened. He recorded some songs at home for fun, posted them online, and a buzz started around them — leading to record labels, tours, and albums. Unknown Mortal Orchestra's recent third album, Multi-Love, is a groovy, psychedelic pop treat. If you look at the record's cover photo, you see the Portland-area basement where Ruban recorded Multi-Love, and that exact spot is where we met up to do this late night interview.
Since 2009, the partnership between Ishmael Butler and his post-Digable Planets outfit, Shabazz Palaces, and producer/engineer/artist Erik Blood, has yielded some of the most interesting and futuristic hip-hop music in recent memory. I sat down with Erik and Ishmael at their brick walled, dimly lit Black Space Labs in Seattle, WA. to talk about their working process and the color blue.
Recording engineer and producer Michael Bishop began his career at Cleveland Recording Company and Suma Recording Studio in Ohio, before moving on as chief recording engineer for the famed classical-o...
Billy Perez is the manager of IIWII Studios ("It Is What It Is," part of the SST Production Facility) in Weehawken, New Jersey. Their already rare Focusrite console at IIWII was thought to be a goner...
Jacco Gardner is a Dutch multi-instrumentalist who writes, produces and records in his own Shadow Shoppe Studio in Zwaag, The Netherlands. He has a fondness for vintage instrumentation and tones combi...
Pierre and I had been working on different sessions on the same albums for years, so one day while in Los Angeles I popped over to meet up with him and see his cool, funky, fun spot at Kingsize North....
With his work on numerous projects, Ohio musician, engineer, and producer Todd Tobias has been quietly demonstrating his skills in all three roles for over a decade, many of which have involved indie-rock legends Guided by Voices and their prolific frontman, Robert Pollard. His clear, powerful recordings of GBV and Pollard allowed them to transcend their original "lo-fi" pigeonhole, while still avoiding overproduction. Todd's talent for experimental sound-sculpting is evident from his own musical pursuits, which include Circus Devils (a studio project with Pollard on vocals), and Brother Earth, as well as solo releases. Operating from his studio, Waterloo Sound (originally in Kent, Ohio, and currently near Cleveland in Brecksville), Tobias has also engineered and produced albums for George Griggs, Kramies, The Library is on Fire, and many others.