Gotye

Interviews

Michael Wagener

Interviews

Chip Young

Interviews

Dan Molad

Interviews

Stephen Masucci

Interviews

MORE FROM THIS ISSUE

JULY 10, 2025 INTERVIEWS
Chris Breest

Chris Breest: Adaptation

Chris Breest is an entrepreneur and jack-of-many-trades. He is the CEO and founder of Plymouth Rock recording studio in Plymouth, Michigan, plays music with BandB and other groups, works as a music publisher, and has done a lot of sound recording, composition, scoring, and audio post-production work for film, television, and video. Chris was also instrumental in designing and developing the Bachelor of Science in Audio Engineering Technology program at nearby Lawrence Technological University, and his studio serves as the satellite campus and hands-on training location for students in the degree program. Chris has worked with a diverse range of clients, including Walt Disney Imagineering, Royce da 5′9″, Ford Motor Company, Regina Belle, MIT, PBS, Juan Atkins, and the Old 97s, to name just a few. He knew he wanted to work as a recordist from an early age, and already co-owned a studio by the time he was in his early twenties. When Chris was just 27, Lawrence Tech contacted him and asked if he would be interested in helping them develop an undergraduate degree program in audio engineering technology. Since that time, the program has expanded and grown rapidly. It differs from many audio recording programs in that students study not just how to record music, but also audio acoustics, math, physics, electronics, entrepreneurship, transducers, audio systems integration, communications and project management. They acquire, in other words, technical engineering skills that programs focused mainly on recording music often lack, as well as real world business, communications, and leadership skills. Thanks to the broad training students receive, they can work in broadcasting, film and video, audio systems design, industrial and commercial settings, as audiologists, and as recording engineers and producers. Chris has trained countless students through the LTU program, at his studio and in the field, has helped prepare them to become audio professionals in the real world, and to land jobs by the time they graduate, not just at music recording studios, but for companies like Ford, Panasonic, and Harman International. In fact, one of the things Chris has accomplished since the program began is to establish relationships with companies like these where students can intern and work. Like many recordists and audio professionals, Chris has always kept an open mind about expanding his skill set. He has been able to acquire a plethora of skills just by being open to working on virtually any creative project that involves technology, from films and videos, to television shows, to teaching, to starting and running multiple small businesses. For him, constantly learning and expanding upon what he can do professionally is what keeps things interesting and challenging.

JULY 10, 2025 INTERVIEWS
Christina Kubisch

Christina Kubisch: The Hidden Sounds

German composer and performance artist Christina Kubisch has created electronic and acoustic music for installations since the '70s. Her work focuses on finding sounds where no one expects, and her experiments with electromagnetic induction as a sound source began in the '80s. In September of 2018, Christina will teach a tempting five-day course at France's CAMP – an arts residency high in the French Pyrenees – on recording, composing, and making installations. Students will work on "connecting sound and space," based on sound material recorded with hydrophones, electromagnetics, and contact microphones "uncovering hidden sounds." A recent split LP with ELEH features her track, "Tesla's Dream," and her double CD collaboration with Annea Lockwood, The Secret Life of the Inaudible, is out soon on Gruenrekorder

COLUMNS

Who’s Dropping By?
END RANT
Gear Geeking w/ Andy
GEAR GEEKING

GEAR REVIEWS

Gear Reviews

bx_console N, E, and G Plug-ins

by bx_console N, E, and G Plug-ins  |  reviewed by Joseph Lemmer

The Brainworx bx_console N, E, and G plug-ins are predicated on accurate digital models of the channel strips from Neve VXS, and "British" E and G Series consoles. Clearly Brainworx are avoiding use of someone's brandname here, for reasons that didn't take much internet sleuthing. Here's a hint:...

Gear Reviews

DrumCore 4

by DrumCore 4  |  reviewed by Will Severin

I do a fair amount of video scoring on tight deadlines, which often makes tracking drums impossible. As a result, I find myself employing drum plug-ins pretty regularly. I've been using a few other virtual drummer products to get things done quickly, but never had the opportunity to try out...

Gear Reviews

GrooveTech Guitar/Bass Multi-Tool (2018)

by GrooveTech Guitar/Bass Multi-Tool (2018)  |  reviewed by Pete Weiss

Yes, I'm a bit biased. I'm a fan of CruzTOOLS' solid line of problem-solving musical instrument tools. I own and use one of their Guitar Player Tech Kits [Tape Op #69] (awesome for general guitar tech tasks), as well as a Jack and Pot Wrench [#83] (handy for tightening/loosening the awkward nuts on...

Gear Reviews

Helix Native Plug-In & Helix LT Guitar Processor

by Helix Native Plug-In & Helix LT Guitar Processor  |  reviewed by Will Severin

I've been using Line 6 gear since the company's inception, from the original POD, to the rackmount POD Pro [Tape Op #22], to the later-generation POD XT Live pedalboard, which I continue to use to this day. I even had a few of their pedals in various live rigs over the years, most notably the DL4...

Gear Reviews

Limitless Mastering Limiter Plug-In

by Limitless Mastering Limiter Plug-In  |  reviewed by Garrett Haines

I'll admit that when I first tried Limitless, I found myself totally frustrated with its countless features and information-heavy graphics, when all I was trying to do was use it as a basic limiter. Although the plug-in starts up by default in a somewhat easier-to-digest (and modern-looking) GUI,...

Gear Reviews

m900 Headphone Amp/DAC/Preamp

by m900 Headphone Amp/DAC/Preamp  |  reviewed by Tom Fine

As we all know, it's a new "personal listening" world out there. The majority of consumers, especially younger ones, listen to most of their music on earbuds or headphones, instead of full-range speakers. What speakers they do listen on are often pitiful little things hooked up to a computer or...

Gear Reviews

Mixcraft 8 DAW

by Mixcraft 8 DAW  |  reviewed by Alan Tubbs

SONAR [Tape Op #116] is dead, long live… which DAW? The shutdown of Gibson-owned Cakewalk sent thousands of users looking for a new DAW. It may be that SONAR's demise has been grossly exaggerated, because the software still works as well as ever — and BandLab has recently purchased all of the...

Gear Reviews

Modular Channel Stereo Model 8755DS

by Modular Channel Stereo Model 8755DS  |  reviewed by Thom Monahan

With most pro audio gear, there's never enough control right where the gain-staging starts to get interesting. The upper range of the operating levels of a circuit is often where full-bodied lusciousness lives. As harmonics get more complex, sounds start to reveal their internal architecture in...

Gear Reviews

Nu Mu Stereo Limiter Compressor

by Nu Mu Stereo Limiter Compressor  |  reviewed by Adam Kagan

Manley makes audio gear in Chino, CA, for audio enthusiasts and audiophiles. In the same manner that drivers who love to drive (and have lots of money) drive Aston Martins, audio professionals who love audio use Manley gear. Manley graces the racks of top mastering engineers, recording engineers,...

Gear Reviews

R10 500-Series Frame

by R10 500-Series Frame  |  reviewed by Chuck Zwicky

I must admit that I have never been a huge fan of the 500-series format. I have spent too much time repairing my friends' racking frames, usually due to the voltage regulators frying, and I always found the mechanical aspects very fiddly. For example, unlike the 800, 900, and 9000–series racking...

Gear Reviews

R-10 Ribbon Mic

by R-10 Ribbon Mic  |  reviewed by Larry Crane

Twenty years ago, Royer Labs unleashed the "now classic" Royer R–121 mic [Tape Op #19], and (along with AEA) helped point digital-weary engineers back towards the welcome old-school sound of ribbon microphones. In 2010, I reviewed the (now discontinued) R–101 [#80], which I found a tad different...

Gear Reviews

Swift Shield Pop Filter and Shock Mount

by Swift Shield Pop Filter and Shock Mount  |  reviewed by John Baccigaluppi

Part of publishing Tape Op involves going to the NAMM show every January. It's nice to see our friends there, and there's always a lot of gear to look at, but honestly a lot of it is pretty much the same items from previous years, without much innovation (beyond some new digital I/O port to keep up...

Gear Reviews

TDx Transient Designer 500-Series Module

by TDx Transient Designer 500-Series Module  |  reviewed by Eli Crews

In all honesty, the original SPL Transient Designer [Tape Op #21] was one of the first pieces of analog hardware that really blew my mind. The first time I played around with one, perhaps fifteen years ago, I was shocked at how different it was from "normal" dynamics processors. With only two knobs...