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Gear Reviews
1073 SPX Preamp & EQ
When I first opened the box to take a look at the 1073 SPX, I immediately saw a lot of familiar knobs that represented the exact same functions as those on any of my vintage Neve 1073s – or even the pair of the AMS Neve 1073s I have in an old 80 Series powered rack in the A room at Studio G...
Gear Reviews
Aurora(n) Interface
Good digital conversion has come a long way in a relatively short time. There are now so many great options, ranging from streamlined 2-channel desktop interfaces and modular systems all the way up to multichannel I/Os that serve the needs of large format professional studios. Lynx is not new to...
Gear Reviews
BM9 Ribbon Microphone
In audio, we're lucky to have a handful of obsessive experts on specific, niche topics; Stewart Tavener is one of these people. I first met Stewart five years ago while shopping for a stereo ribbon mic. From his UK-based shop, Xaudia, Stewart specializes in restoring and upgrading old ribbons:...
Gear Reviews
C9 Custom-Fit In-Ear Monitors
I've been in the music industry for several decades– and writing for Tape Op for a significant portion of that time. Along the way, I've met countless manufacturers, as well as their hired representatives, whose job is to connect the manufacturers with influencers and journalists like me. Earlier...
Gear Reviews
CMI V virtual instrument
I'd like to suggest that this review be considered chapter five in a series of reviews I've written called Digital Synthesis: A Collection of Software Synthesizer Reviews [Tape Op #118]. In those reviews I discuss the history and theory of several digital synthesis methods, including additive...
Gear Reviews
DC Power Box 500 Series Rack Power Filter
Not long after I finally made the plunge into acquiring a 500 Series rack and some modules, I noticed audible noise coming through some of the mic preamps in my rack. I deduced right away that the problem was the inline switching power supply feeding my rack. As you may know, switching power...
Gear Reviews
DT 1770 & DT 1990 PRO Headphones
A couple of years ago beyerdynamic debuted the latest versions of their top dynamic studio headphones. The DT 1770 PRO closed-back and DT 1990 PRO open-back versions feature what beyerdynamic calls the "Tesla" driver system, which is basically a strong magnet able to quickly and accurately drive...
Gear Reviews
HPH-MT8 Headphones
As a guy who spends a lot of time recording, traveling on airplanes, and occupying open floor plan office spaces that many tech companies favor these days, I use headphones a lot – and being an audio nerd, I've gone through a more than a few pair. In rotation now, I have the venerable Sony MDR-7506...
Gear Reviews
Impression Series Acoustic Panels & Bass Traps
Following the success of the Alpha Series line of acoustic treatments, GIK has released their Impression Series. These panel absorber/diffusors are available in six designs: Gatsby Arches, Digiwave, Mod Geometric, 3D Cubes, Checkerboard, and Bubbles. The patterns are precision cut into a rigid...
Gear Reviews
LAB Optical Compressor Stompbox
I love stompboxes as much as the next studio rat, but if we reviewed all of them there'd be no room for the other swell recording gear we chat about in Tape Op. But when respected pedal builder Union Tube & Transistor builds something like the LAB, an optical compressor stompbox, I have to take...
Gear Reviews
MiC + USB Microphone
Studio-quality; rugged; super-portable; easy to use across multiple platforms – it's nice to find a microphone that checks all of those boxes. I was a fan of the original Apogee MiC, and this new version of their portable USB/Lightning condenser microphone improves on the first in some subtle but...
Gear Reviews
MMA-A Mobile Device Interface
DPA microphones are a Danish company that has been making high-quality microphones for studio, stage, and broadcast applications since 1992. A newer product from the company, called the d:vice MMA-A, is a small, high-resolution audio interface, dual-channel microphone preamplifier, and A/D...
Gear Reviews
Montage 6 Synthesizer
About 40 years ago I purchased monitors for a home studio before such things were common. I still use those Yamaha NS-500s and matching amp in my home studio. Now, I can't promise your Montage will still be touring in 40 years, but it's possible. This is a happy thought, since the Montage is a...
Gear Reviews
P3100 Studio Power Amp
As Canada's Radial Engineering continues to revive the Hafler brand (acquired in 2014 from Rockford Corporation), its latest move is into power amplifiers. First out of the gate is a revival of Hafler's lateral MOSFET "Trans•Nova" amplifier design, last seen in the classic Hafler 9500 THX-certified...
Gear Reviews
Piano V
I am very picky about piano sounds, and, in general, my rule is that only real pianos sound like a piano should – so I don't like to use sampled or modeled pianos if at all possible. I've gone to some pretty extreme lengths to record actual pianos instead of using digital ones. That said, Arturia’s...
Gear Reviews
Professional Music Filters Ear Plugs
Hearing protection is incredibly important for everyone, but when you make your living producing and mixing you get totally paranoid about it. I've been on an endless quest for comfortable, affordable, and effective earplugs for years. Decibullz is a newer company that makes user-moldable earpieces...
Gear Reviews
Pro-L 2 Limiter Plug-In
FabFilter's Pro-L 2 is the updated version of the company's acclaimed limiter plug-in. With features shared among the FabFilter line (stereo or mid/side processing, dual-ring gain controls, user preference tweaking), Pro-L 2 includes one of the most pleasing graphical user interfaces on the market....
Gear Reviews
PSP E27 Plug-In
The PSP E27 is a multi-stage equalizer plug-in modeled after the Avedis Audio Electronics 500 Series E27 [Tape Op #121] units. Also included is the PSP E27 SE, a simplified version of PSP E27. Note, the SE is not a lighter resource version though. It's a streamlined GUI for the same audio engine,...
Gear Reviews
Quanta iOS Synthesizer
In issue #121 of Tape Op, I wrote a review of Borderlands and GrainSpace, both pieces of software that use granular synthesis. I would suggest you read that review if you're not familiar with granular synthesis as it has an explanation and history of the technique. While I still recommend both...
Gear Reviews
R44CE Ribbon Microphone
With its unmistakable visual presence, enormous versatility, and famously silky smooth top end, the original RCA Type 44 (continuously produced from 1932 to 1955) has secured its place as one of the most iconic microphone designs in recording history. AEA founder Wes Dooley [Tape Op #97] began...
Gear Reviews
RM5 Active Monitors
During the past few years, many manufacturers have introduced innovations in speaker design that include technology and composite materials developed for the aerospace industry and interesting designs utilizing high-tech 3D printing technologies. Some innovations yield measurable improvements in...
Gear Reviews
Scheps Omni Channel Plug-In
With the Scheps Omni Channel, Waves has delivered a next generation channel strip that plays to its unique strengths in the best way possible. Over the last few years I've really embraced channel strip plug-ins as part of my workflow. Something exciting happens when I stop thinking about which EQ...
Gear Reviews
SigMod Plug-In
My new favorite plug-in, SigMod, is a routing toolbox with various "modules"– Mono, Trim, Phase, DC Offset, Mute/Solo, Switch, Tap, Delay, Mid/Side, Crossover, and Protect– that you can freely combine into signal chains. If you look at these modules as basic features, you'll see that pretty much...
Gear Reviews
Soothe Plug-In
I think I first heard about Soothe from mastering engineer Brad Boatright. "Just try it!" I did, and a day later I bought it. Note: never demo a plug-in you're not ready to buy. Soothe is a "dynamic resonance suppressor" aimed specifically at high midrange frequencies. If you've ever cranked up...
Gear Reviews
Syntronik Plug-In Instrument
For a long time, I’ve been a fan of the iPad and iOS for electronic music performance. I love the 2D interface of the iPad touch screen, and I like that the iPad is a separate instrument (as opposed to VI plug-ins running on your DAW) that can be passed around the control room. I recently bought a...
Gear Reviews
The X Clip
Today we're going to look at products that allow you to add a second microphone to a mic that's already mounted on a mic clip and stand. Why would you need this? Maybe you are double mic'ing an instrument amplifier, placing two mics on a snare drum where one less mic stand is helpful, or setting up...
Gear Reviews
TranZformer GT & LX Pedals
Designed around the celebrated 2520 discrete op-amp that has kept Automated Processes Inc. gear in hot demand since the early '70s, the legendary company's new "channel-strip-in-a-pedal" series juggles several crucial studio roles while providing an affordable way to get "the API sound." These two...
Gear Reviews
Tverb Plug-In
For me, a massive highlight from a recent trip to Berlin, Germany, was a visit to the legendary Hansa Tonstudio [Tape Op #95], where the majority of David Bowie's Low and Heroes albums were tracked with Tony Visconti [#29], Brian Eno [#85], and engineer Colin Thurston. Many other brilliant albums...
Gear Reviews
WaveLab 9.5
Longtime readers with amazing memories may recall my review of WaveLab 6 [Tape Op #62]. I was already a veteran user of this mastering suite at that point, and back then I said, "Writing about WaveLab is like writing a review of my brain." So now, 11 years later, writing about WaveLab 9.5 is like...