Tape Op Magazine - Issue #116

Interviews

Interviews

Interviews

Interviews

Interviews

Interviews

MORE FROM THIS ISSUE

JULY 30, 2025 INTERVIEWS

Bob Katz (Bonus): The Creativity of Reasoning

BY DIGITAL KATZ, NICOLAY KETTERER, DIGITAL DOMAIN, BOB KATZ, DIAGRAM

When it comes to mastering, Bob Katz is probably the engineer's engineer. Besides his mastering work — with credits like Cassandra Wilson and Sinéad O'Connor — he's written several books on the subject matter, invented the K-Stereo system to address details in a mix, and has developed a scale for equal monitoring volume. Bob took the time to explain his concepts, predict the end of the loudness craze, and promote a petition for streaming services to implement normalization by default.

JULY 30, 2025 INTERVIEWS

Ian Brennan: Searching for the Truthful and Genuine

BY MARILENA DELLI, LARRY CRANE

Described as "a manual for those on a quest for authenticity, in an age of airbrushed and Auto-Tuned so-called 'artists'," Ian Brennan's book, How Music Dies (or Lives): Field Recording and the Battle for Democracy in the Arts, examines music, creativity, and culture in a vibrant, intriguing manner. Ian has produced albums for artists like Ramblin' Jack Elliott, Peter Case, and Kyp Malone's Rain Machine project, but he's best known for his field recorded productions. During travels in Africa and Asia, Ian has produced albums for Tinariwen, Malawi Mouse Boys, The Good Ones, Khmer Rouge Survivors, General Paolino & Mama Celina, and Zomba Prison Project's I Have No Everything Here album - recorded at the maximum-security Zomba Central Prison in Malawi – was a record which was recently nominated for a Grammy (Brennan's fourth nomination, along with having won for Tinariwen's Tassili album). Additionally, Ian does training, and has written books on, violence prevention, anger-management, and conflict resolution.

COLUMNS

GEAR REVIEWS

Gear Reviews

6050 Ultimate Channel Strip Plug-in

by 6050 Ultimate Channel Strip Plug-in | reviewed by Dave Cerminara

In 2010, McDSP released the 6030 Ultimate Compressor plug-in [Tape Op #105], which offered ten different compressors in one virtual rack — some original concepts as well as some inspired by classic analog units. A few years later, they did the same with the 6020 Ultimate EQ. Now, McDSP has combined...

Gear Reviews

Aeon & Klasik Active Monitors

by Aeon & Klasik Active Monitors | reviewed by Chris Koltay

Speakers are hugely important to what we do as engineers. I can hear the collective "Duh!" — as you all read this. This has only recently become a revelatory "Aha" moment for me. I'm certain this has something to do with the fact that I only really work at my own studio, and I've had the same HiVi...

Gear Reviews

CrushStation Distortion Algorithm for H9

by CrushStation Distortion Algorithm for H9 | reviewed by Chris Koltay

It was nearly three years ago that this curious white stompbox, with the Harmonizer trademark name on it, showed up at a Deerhunter gig. One big turnwheel? App-based control? I was skeptical, to say the least, but intrigued at the idea of pulling up presets and precisely controlling parameters —...

Gear Reviews

Fender ‘55 Tweed Deluxe plug-in for UAD-2 & Apollo

by Fender ‘55 Tweed Deluxe plug-in for UAD-2 & Apollo | reviewed by Dave Cerminara

I've always approached amp models with far more skepticism than any other type of plug-in. Although Universal Audio makes some of my favorite — and to my ears, most authentic — plug-in emulations, I still took to their new UAD Fender ‘55 Tweed Deluxe plug-in with the suspicion that, at best, it...

Gear Reviews

ID DI

by ID DI | reviewed by Adam Monk

Warm, rich, balanced, 3D, game changer — if I could fill this review with nothing but pro-audio buzzwords, then I could call it quits right here. But I'll try not to gush too much throughout this review, because this box is so much more than that, and it deserves a closer look. Anyone who has ever...

Gear Reviews

LA120 Small-Diaphragm Condenser Mic & Capsules Pair

by LA120 Small-Diaphragm Condenser Mic & Capsules Pair | reviewed by Allen Farmelo

The small-diaphragm condenser category is, like all mic types, a crowded one; and these days, finding something special or unique is probably not going to happen. What's interesting in this category is something that sounds good and doesn't break the bank, which is what the Lauten Audio LA120 SDC...

Gear Reviews

Les Paul 8 Active Monitor

by Les Paul 8 Active Monitor | reviewed by Scott McChane

In case you weren't paying attention, Gibson acquired Stanton Group in 2011, which includes pro-audio speaker company KRK Systems (who sell more studio monitors than any other brand). Gibson makes my favorite guitars (both acoustic and electric), but when the company released a Les Paul–branded...

Gear Reviews

MD7 500-series Mic Preamp & Pedal Interface

by MD7 500-series Mic Preamp & Pedal Interface | reviewed by Dave Cerminara

You can't take ten steps at an audio trade show without seeing a new 500-series preamp. Yet the only one that caught and held my attention at the January 2016 NAMM Show was the Avedis Audio MD7. After talking with company owner and product designer, Avedis Kifedjian, and demoing the preamp on the...

Gear Reviews

Motown D.I. WB-3

by Motown D.I. WB-3 | reviewed by Dave Hidek

The ACME Audio Motown D.I. WB-3 direct box has a pretty nifty backstory. ACME initially tracked down around 50 of the vintage transformers that were used in the Wolfbox, the first passive DI unit, designed by Ed Wolfrum, responsible (in part) for the legendary bass tones on countless Motown...

Gear Reviews

Myriad Batch-Processing Software

by Myriad Batch-Processing Software | reviewed by Dana Gumbiner

From the smart folks who brought us the audio-editing and mastering application Triumph, comes a complete redesign of their powerful batch-processing tool for macOS — Myriad arrived not a moment too late for this sloppy two-fingered typist. If you're anything like me, your file structures and...

Gear Reviews

Omega Transformable 500-series Preamp & Transformer Plug-ins

by Omega Transformable 500-series Preamp & Transformer Plug-ins | reviewed by Geoff Stanfield

Gregory Scott of Kush Audio is not your run-of-the-mill, audio-gear-making man. Everything he builds seems to be conceived out of a need to satisfy some aspiration that he himself is chasing. Sure, the Empirical Labs FATSO Jr [Tape Op #24] is great, but his UBK mod makes it even better [#79]. His...

Gear Reviews

PB-10 Beta Instrument Preamp

by PB-10 Beta Instrument Preamp | reviewed by Justin Pizzoferrato

This rackmount preamp from Hilbish Design is based on the circuitry of Sunn Beta Bass and Lead amps. When I ordered my PB-10 Beta, my original intent was to use it with bass and guitar. But once I had it in my studio, I discovered that it's an ideal tool for adding tone, color, weight, and...

Gear Reviews

Pro2A Active Nearfield Monitor

by Pro2A Active Nearfield Monitor | reviewed by Kirt Shearer

So I've been engineering long enough that the entire concept of studio monitors has changed. The ubiquitous, dual 15'', soffit-mounted monitors are not usually the "go to" reference, since smaller nearfield monitors came on the scene. At first, these smaller monitors were mostly re-appropriated...

Gear Reviews

SONAR Platinum 2016.09

by SONAR Platinum 2016.09 | reviewed by Alan Tubbs

It has been well over a year since Cakewalk started offering SONAR [Tape Op #107], their flagship DAW, with rolling updates and an installment-based payment model. You can still purchase the software license outright, cash on the barrelhead; or you can divide your payment into 12 monthly...