Shawn Everett

Interviews

Shawn Everett

By John Baccigaluppi and Larry Crane

Winning a Grammy for his engineering on Alabama Shakes' Sound & Color album might be a recent highlight of Shawn Everett's career, but he's had a hand in many albums over the years, working with producers Tony Berg and Blake Mills [see his interview this issue] , as well as...

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Annette Cisneros

Interviews

Annette Cisneros: Offspring, Social Distortion, Alice in Chains

By James Salter, Jonathan Saxon

Annette Cisneros is a highly experienced engineer and studio manager. Her credits are long and her knowledge is deep. For several years she was Dave Jerden's [Tape Op #86] assistant engineer. When Jerden asked Bryan Carlstrom [Tape Op #28] to join their team, the three of them had a very...

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Smashing Pumpkins

Interviews

Smashing Pumpkins: A studio history with Billy Corgan, Flood, Jimmy Chamberlin, Butch Vig, Alan Moulder, and Tommy Lee

By Jake Brown, Scarlet Page

In a walk through Smashing Pumpkins' history, we examine the stories and situations that created the studio albums from 1991's Gish to 2014's Monuments to an Elegy. We'll hear from singer, songwriter, and guitarist Billy Corgan, drummers Jimmy Chamberlin and Tommy Lee, and a...

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Jack Shirley - Remove the Middleman

Interviews

Jack Shirley - Remove the Middleman: Deafheaven, Loma Prieta

By Scott Evans
Over the past decade, Jack Shirley has recorded what seems like every hardcore band in the...
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Blake Mills

Interviews

Blake Mills: Inside The Dream of The Song

By John Baccigaluppi
It's hard to imagine that anyone under 30, who helmed a Grammy winning (four awards!)...
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MORE FROM THIS ISSUE

MARCH 2, 2026 INTERVIEWS
Billy Bush

Billy Bush: One Hundred Percent - Garbage, Grizfolk, Jake Bugg

BY LINDSEY BYRNES, GEOFF STANFIELD

Billy Bush has made his love of music and technological curiosity into an already storied career. He has been a record thief, guitar tech, Butch Vig [Tape Op #11] and Garbage's utility wizard, producer, engineer, and, more recently, one of Rick Rubin's first call mixers. We sat down at his studio, Red Razor Sounds, in Los Angeles to talk path, process, production, and philosophy.

MARCH 2, 2026 INTERVIEWS
Bob Ferbrache (Bonus)

Bob Ferbrache (Bonus): Denver’s Denizen

BY LARRY CRANE

Denver, Colorado, is a better place for the tireless audio work of Bob Ferbrache. I tracked him down in 2012 at his home/studio to learn more about his history. Bob worked on records by Blood Axis, Human Head Transplant, Wovenhand, 16 Horsepower, Soul Merchants, Changes, The Czars, and Slim Cessna's Auto Club. Soon after our talk Bob left the music industry, closed his Absinthe Studio, and left Colorado for New England. Bob's mark on Denver's music scene should not be forgotten.

MARCH 2, 2026 INTERVIEWS
Bradley Studios’ Quonset Hut and the Nashville Sound (Bonus)

Bradley Studios’ Quonset Hut and the Nashville Sound (Bonus)

BY STEPHEN ALLBRITTEN

Nashville has long been considered the capital of country music. Owen and Harold Bradley helped make that possible when they opened the Bradley Studios in the '50s, in the heart of Music Row. After adding on the Quonset Hut Studio, they ushered in a style of country music that crossed over in the pop markets, with songs like Patsy Cline's "Crazy," Brenda Lee's "I'm Sorry," and Bobby Vinton's "Blue Velvet." When Columbia Records bought the studio in the 1962, the hits continued with artists like Johnny Cash and Bob Dylan. I had the opportunity to talk with the current studio manager, Luke Gilfeather, as well as drummer Kenny Malone, bassist and producer Norbert Putnam, and engineer Lou Bradley, to discuss the history of the studios and the Nashville music business in general. Kenny Malone has been a session drummer since the '70s and continues performing and recording today. Norbert Putnam was a member of the original Muscle Shoals Rhythm Section, as well as the "Nashville A-Team," before switching to producing acts like Joan Baez and Jimmy Buffett. Lou Bradley started working at the old Columbia Studios in the late-'60s until they closed in 1982.

MARCH 2, 2026 INTERVIEWS
Rob Chiarelli & Chandler Bridges (Bonus)

Rob Chiarelli & Chandler Bridges (Bonus): Behind the Gear - This Issue’s Masters of Mics

BY LARRY CRANE

For years Rob Chiarelli and Chandler Bridges have worked, together and separately, producing and engineering records for the likes of Will Smith, Madonna, Pink, Janet Jackson, J-Lo, Christina Aguilera, P- Diddy (Puff Daddy), Aaliyah, and Johnny Mathis. Along the way they decided to start selling microphones and more. Why? We had to know!

COLUMNS

END RANT by Larry Crane
Give Me a Hammer, Part 2
END RANT

Give Me a Hammer, Part 2

by Larry Crane

Several years ago, I wrote an End Rant [Tape Op #102] about my frustration with software upgrades, and how I wanted a stable recording platform. I received a surprising amount of positive emails from the piece and even exchanged dialogue with a few music software developers. After spending the...

GEAR GEEKING by Andy Hong
Software Utilities When Installing Windows
GEAR GEEKING

Software Utilities When Installing Windows

by Andy Hong

JB's End Rant and RADAR studio review in this issue inspired me to share with you a few of the software utilities I install whenever I set up a new Windows computer. If you're a DAW user moving between OS platforms, muscle-memory might lead you to type the wrong keyboard shortcuts. Thankfully,...

GEAR REVIEWS

Gear Reviews

1073 DPX two-channel preamp/EQ

BY 1073 DPX two-channel preamp/EQ  |  reviewed by Dave Cerminara

The AMS Neve 1073 DPX is a dual-channel preamp/equalizer in a 2RU-height rackmount chassis. With vintage Neve 1073 strips fetching more and more coin, and dependable techs becoming harder to find, I was curious to see how a modern (and presumably more reliable) alternative would hold up to the...

Gear Reviews

Chandler Limited Curve Bender Mastering EQ plug-in

BY Chandler Limited Curve Bender Mastering EQ plug-in  |  reviewed by Garrett Haines

The hardware Curve Bender from Chandler Limited is a $5,590 two-channel EQ based on the circuitry of the historic EMI TG12345 consoles. I had one and loved its sound quality. Opening its chassis revealed hand wiring, custom transformers, and premium components throughout. The deal-breaker for me...

Gear Reviews

Cloudlifter CL-Z Mic Activator

BY Cloudlifter CL-Z Mic Activator  |  reviewed by Scott McDowell

The original Cloud Microphones CL-1 Mic Activator [Tape Op #85] has been an indispensable tool for me ever since I first discovered it (ironically enough, through a Tape Op review). The Cloudlifter CL-Z is basically a CL-1 on steroids, and it solves the one and only tiny gripe I had with the...

Gear Reviews

Eris E66 active monitor

BY Eris E66 active monitor  |  reviewed by Scott McChane

Over the years, PreSonus has impressed many of us with its consistency in offering a wide range of essential products for the price-conscious, and the Eris MTM Studio Monitor series certainly follows in this tradition. The Eris E44 and the Eris E66 models, the latter of which I'm evaluating here,...

Gear Reviews

HA15 & HA75 headphone amps

BY HA15 & HA75 headphone amps  |  reviewed by Tom Fine

These days, pro audio's end products often live in the "Headphones World." The home stereos of the past have been supplanted by the mobile devices of today. Fewer listeners have full-size speaker systems, and much listening is done through various grades of "personal monitoring," be it earbuds or...

Gear Reviews

Halo reflection filter

BY Halo reflection filter  |  reviewed by Scott McChane

Don't you just love things that are simple? Aston Microphones believes that reflection filters should be simple — easy to use, lightweight... and purple. Since the introduction of the SE Electronics Reflexion Filter in 2006 [Tape Op #56], reflection filters have become more visible in studios —...

Gear Reviews

IFET Condenser Mic

BY IFET Condenser Mic  |  reviewed by John Baccigaluppi

While there are more new microphone models being manufactured now than ever before, most of them will never attain the classic status (nor hold the resale value) of an older Neumann U 47, AKG C 12, Telefunken Ela M 251, or RCA Type 44. But, there are a number of companies, including Bock Audio, who...

Gear Reviews

LE-10 Mono & Stereo Tube Preamps

BY LE-10 Mono & Stereo Tube Preamps  |  reviewed by Adam Kagan

Paul Edwards of Edwards Audio Research came to be a manufacturer the honest way. That is, he needed a good mic preamp for his vintage Altec 639A dynamic/ribbon mic, so he set about to build one with some help from several highly qualified audio engineers. He asked Bill Bruins to design the LE-10...

Gear Reviews

Liverpool Tube Compressor

BY Liverpool Tube Compressor  |  reviewed by Geoff Stanfield

When I plug in a piece of gear (or use a plug-in) I want to be inspired. Sometimes all I need is a little mojo to pull me out of a stall or tailspin. Phase-linear EQ and transparent gain are just fine — and of course play a role in music recording — but at the end of the day, I just don’t want my...

Gear Reviews

Mercury7 500-series Reverb

BY Mercury7 500-series Reverb  |  reviewed by Adam Kagan

Meris may not yet be a household name in pro audio, but its team of three have put in plenty of time developing products and designs for companies like Strymon and Line 6, and working creatively for companies like Disney and Sony Pictures. Currently, Meris produces a line of 500-series modules,...

Gear Reviews

Miza D-Stand speaker stand

BY Miza D-Stand speaker stand  |  reviewed by Scott McChane

How about some sexy Italian desktop stands for your sassy French monitors? Oui — I mean sì. In a previous issue, I reported on Italian studio furniture manufacturer ZAOR and its fabulous Miza Griprack [Tape Op #114]. Now I’m here to tell you about the Miza D-Stand. Decoupling the monitor from the...

Gear Reviews

Push 2 USB controller/instrument

BY Push 2 USB controller/instrument  |  reviewed by Dana Gumbiner

Whoa. Ableton has delivered a major upgrade/revision to their innovative Push controller [Tape Op #97]. This new version sports a ton of new features, including a vastly improved display with enhanced mixing feedback, stellar new sampling workflows, and much better pads and buttons. Additionally,...

Gear Reviews

Quantum DAC for Solaris, Avocet II & IIA

BY Quantum DAC for Solaris, Avocet II & IIA  |  reviewed by Geoff Stanfield

When Crane Song told me it had a new converter that was a step up from the one that I raved about in my review of the Crane Song Avocet II monitor controller [Tape Op #103], I was excited and confused. How much better could it be? I love the sound of the Avocet II and its ultra-low-jitter...

Gear Reviews

RADAR studio computer & HDR

BY RADAR studio computer & HDR  |  reviewed by John Baccigaluppi

The RADAR hard-disk recording system has been around for longer than any other turnkey digital multitrack currently in production, giving it the stability and pedigree that no other HDR has. iZ Technology has always been RADAR's developer and manufacturer, but the product was originally sold under...

Gear Reviews

Sam Phillips: The Man Who Invented Rock ‘n’ Roll (book)

BY Sam Phillips: The Man Who Invented Rock ‘n’ Roll (book)  |  reviewed by John Noll

According to Sam Phillips, if you weren't doing something different, you weren't doing anything at all. When he opened his Memphis Recording Service in 1950, Phillips was "looking for a higher ground, for what I knew existed in the soul of mankind." He ultimately found it, but it was a long and...

Gear Reviews

Scarlett 2i4 USB interface (2nd generation)

BY Scarlett 2i4 USB interface (2nd generation)  |  reviewed by Mike Eagan

Back in the day, when I was running a commercial recording studio, my best front-end setup was a two-channel Gordon Instruments preamp [Tape Op #67] to Lavry Engineering LavryBlue A/D converters, and then out via S/PDIF to a Digi 002 [#33]. To get the sound to the musician's headphones, I used a...

Gear Reviews

Space Heater tube-drive & summing box Space Heater 500 tube-drive module

BY Space Heater tube-drive & summing box Space Heater 500 tube-drive module  |  reviewed by Garrett Haines, Andy Hong

The multichannel Radial Engineering Space Heater rackmount mixer and single-channel Space Heater 500 module (for 500-series frames) are analog distortion units that offer tube distortion and transformer saturation from actual tubes and transformers. The rackmount version is set up as four stereo...

Gear Reviews

UE Pro Reference Remastered & UE Pro Sound Guard

BY UE Pro Reference Remastered & UE Pro Sound Guard  |  reviewed by Larry Crane

Five years ago, I reviewed the original UE Pro Reference Monitors [Tape Op #83], in-ear monitors (IEM) that were co- developed with Capitol Studios. I liked these a lot and continued to use them for on-the-road reference listening. Along the way, these IEMs apparently gained more acceptance with...

Gear Reviews

Xkey mobile USB MIDI keyboard

BY Xkey mobile USB MIDI keyboard  |  reviewed by John Baccigaluppi

I'm a big fan of the iPad for virtual instruments, especially soft-synths, and I use my iPad in the studio much more than instrument plug-ins within my DAW. I like the at-your-fingertips interface of the iPad, as well as the affordability and stability of the many great-sounding synths available...