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Gear Reviews
560A 500-series Compressor
The venerable dbx 160A is a compressor you see frequently in studios — home and pro alike. It's super easy to use, and it's flexible enough to perform relatively unnoticed gain-reduction, or extremely colored slamming. At the 2016 AES Show in Los Angeles, dbx celebrated its entry into the...
Gear Reviews
Arouser Plug-in
The same day that Empirical Labs, Inc. (ELI) announced the availability of Arouser, a dynamics processor plug-in that looks like a suped-up, virtual version of the hardware EL-8X Distressor [Tape Op #32], a number of Tape Op writers volunteered to review it. We gave the assignment to two seasoned...
Gear Reviews
Delphos Large-diaphragm Condenser Mic
A while back, Tape Op contacted me to review Roswell's follow-up to their Mini K47, the Delphos. I had heard good things about the Mini K47 [Tape Op #109], and knew Matt McGlynn to be the mind behind the resource-rich microphone website, recordinghacks.com, as well as one of the best DIY microphone...
Gear Reviews
Drum Leveler Plug-in
Here's the very short version: Drum Leveler is a brilliant plug-in. If the name "Drum Leveler" sounds useful to you, you can stop reading and go download the trial. By definition, I suppose Drum Leveler is a compressor/ expander/gate, but in use, it doesn't act or sound like one. Drum Leveler is...
Gear Reviews
King Bee & Worker Bee Condenser Mics
If you haven't already heard of the King Bee and Worker Bee mics from Neat Microphones, do me a favor, and watch one of the numerous "unboxing" videos uploaded to YouTube by customers of these mics. Neat's packaging is a visual treat, as are the mics themselves. Each mic in the Bee line arrives in...
Gear Reviews
LA320 Tube Condenser Mic
I recently borrowed a demo set of the Lauten Audio Black Series microphones. I have been a big fan of the company's Signature Series mics and was excited to try the new Black Series LA320 tube mic. At first glance, the LA320 does not scream sophistication. It has a humble but sleek body, and it...
Gear Reviews
LYD 7 Active Monitor
The Dynaudio LYD 7 is a new, bi-amplified, 2-way nearfield monitor aimed at the mid-market project and personal studio. It offers a great value by including cool features and solid performance at a reasonable price-point. It sits in the middle of a range that includes the LYD 5 and LYD 8, with the...
Gear Reviews
Mix with The Masters
Mix With The Masters is doing an excellent job of getting some of the music industry's most renowned producers and mixers to share their creative processes with the rest of us. MWTM has been offering exclusive, week-long music production seminars at a residential studio in the French countryside...
Gear Reviews
Monotor Headphone Amp
Boutique equipment maker and former studio technician Jonathan Little has built a business around making useful (and small) boxes that solve specific problems in the recording world. Each of his Little Labs products boasts a unique feature set — and a humorous name. With this new Monotor, Little...
Gear Reviews
MS47 Mark II Tube Mic
For many years, Bill Bradley (Tape Op #42) has built a reputation for expertly repairing microphones in the Nashville area. Over ten years ago, Bill branched into building his own mics, and the MS47 was born. Recently, Bill decided he could do better, and with James Brian, he's introduced the MS47...
Gear Reviews
MV88 iOS Stereo Mic
At the 2016 AES Show in Los Angeles, I was shown a slew of great new gear. For me, the products I saw typically fell into a few different categories: (1) Cool product, but doesn't make sense for me; (2) I'd probably use it if someone gave it to me; (3) Need that and would use that regularly. In the...
Gear Reviews
PEDALpUNK! Stompbox Interface
Los Angeles–based producer and technophile Scott Eric Olivier recently debuted a new product called the PEDALpUNK! This guitar pedal–sized device works principally as an all-analog interface for re-amping or processing tracks with guitar pedals, but it can also function as a DI box or as a...
Gear Reviews
Sonnox Oxford Limiter V2 plug-in for UAD-2 & Apollo
Version 2 of the renowned Sonnox Oxford Limiter [Tape Op #68] introduces the plug-in to the UAD-2 platform and brings with it a few under-the-hood updates. For those already familiar with Oxford Limiter, not a great deal has changed on the surface. Most notably, the Auto-Comp mode has been updated...
Gear Reviews
SU-017 Large-diaphragm Tube Mic
The first time I heard the Soyuz SU-017, it was facing backwards. A singer was wailing away into the wrong side of its cardioid-only pattern, and it wasn't half bad. It actually sounded pretty focused and musical, despite its accidentally reversed capsule — maybe a bit weird sounding, but good...
Gear Reviews
Temblor T8 Active Subwoofer
Last year, while Scott McChane was evaluating a number of affordable nearfield monitors for his home studio, we had a conversation about subwoofers. I'm a big proponent of using subwoofers with monitors that aren't purpose-built into the room (like soffit-mounted mains are). Scott, on the other...
Gear Reviews
TG Microphone Cassette Channel Strip
The buzz on this box was unlike any I have encountered, and it was a challenge to get a review unit from Chandler due to demand. But it was well worth the wait. Chandler and its main man Wade Goeke have been producing lust-worthy, licensed versions of audio gear from EMI/Abbey Road Studios for many...
Gear Reviews
VLC-1 Preamp & Equalizer
Hazelrigg Industries might be a new name, but founders George and Geoff Hazelrigg are no strangers to professional recording equipment. For years, they built and repaired gear for their own studio. In 2010, they joined the team at D.W. Fearn [Tape Op #37]. Of course, all of their engineer and...