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Gear Geeking w/ Andy
GEAR GEEKING

GEAR REVIEWS

Gear Reviews

560A 500-series Compressor

by 560A 500-series Compressor  |  reviewed by Geoff Stanfield

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

by Arouser Plug-in  |  reviewed by Eli Crews, Andy Hong, David Hidek

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

by Delphos Large-diaphragm Condenser Mic  |  reviewed by Adam Monk

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

by Drum Leveler Plug-in  |  reviewed by Scott Evans

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

by King Bee & Worker Bee Condenser Mics  |  reviewed by Andy Hong

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

by LA320 Tube Condenser Mic  |  reviewed by Ben Bernstein

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

by LYD 7 Active Monitor  |  reviewed by Kerry Rose

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

by Mix with The Masters  |  reviewed by Geoff Stanfield

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

by Monotor Headphone Amp  |  reviewed by Tom Fine

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

by MS47 Mark II Tube Mic  |  reviewed by Larry Crane

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

by MV88 iOS Stereo Mic  |  reviewed by Geoff Stanfield

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

by PEDALpUNK! Stompbox Interface  |  reviewed by Adam Kagan

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

by Sonnox Oxford Limiter V2 plug-in for UAD-2 & Apollo  |  reviewed by Dave Cerminara

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

by SU-017 Large-diaphragm Tube Mic  |  reviewed by Thom Monahan

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

by Temblor T8 Active Subwoofer  |  reviewed by Andy Hong, Scott McChane

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

by TG Microphone Cassette Channel Strip  |  reviewed by Geoff Stanfield

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

by VLC-1 Preamp & Equalizer  |  reviewed by Garrett Haines

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...