Tape Op Magazine - Issue #127 - issue-127

Neko Case on Songwriting, Production, and Being Real

Interviews

Neko Case on Songwriting, Production, and Being Real

By Bren Davies, Brian Silak, and Brian T Silak

We got to sit down with Neko Case at Brooklyn, NY's The Honey Jar recording studio to discuss her career so far, as well as her production experiences while tracking and mixing her most recent release, Hell-On. Neko was gracious with her time, and we covered a lot of what she's learned...

Daniel Lanois

Interviews

Daniel Lanois: The Sound Takes Over

By Jennifer Tipoulow, Geoff Stanfield

Daniel Lanois' career reads like an enviable work of fantasy. From his early projects with Brian Eno and Harold Budd on their genre defining "ambient" recordings, to a pivotal role on U2 classics like The Unforgettable Fire, The Joshua Tree, and Achtung Baby, to his work with Bob...

Tony Bongiovi

Interviews

Tony Bongiovi: Back to Power Station

By John Baccigaluppi, Larry Crane

The legendary Tony Bongiovi was the engineer, owner, producer, and studio designer behind New York City's Power Station studio. Power Station opened in 1977 at 441 West 53rd Street, helmed by Tony and his partner, manager Bob Walters. In 1996 it was purchased and became known as Avatar...

Third Man Pressing

Interviews

Third Man Pressing

By Jason Hatfield

Musician and entrepreneur Jack White [Tape Op#82] has opened a brand-new storefront and...

Ben Fowler

Interviews

Ben Fowler

By Larry Crane

I first met Ben Fowler in 2011 while working on a record for a new up-and-coming country...

MORE FROM THIS ISSUE

FEBRUARY 26, 2026 INTERVIEWS

Dan Auerbach

Dan Auerbach: "This is what I like to do"

BY ALYSSE GAFKJEN, LARRY CRANE

Dan Auerbach, along with drummer Patrick Carney, started The Black Keys in 2001 as a writing and recording project, releasing their first album in 2002. Dan also began recording and producing other artists along the way, initially with musicians like Jessica Lea Mayfield, Patrick Sweany, and others. Big changes arrived for The Black Keys in 2010, when the album Brothers and the single "Tighten Up" sold millions of copies and garnered three Grammy Awards. Dan moved to Nashville around then and opened up his Easy Eye Sound studio, a place filled with the best vintage and new recording equipment that is also home to many fun instruments. Sessions for The Pretenders, Dr. John, Shannon & The Clams, Lana Del Rey, and many more have gone on here, so I dropped in to hang with Dan, and his engineer Allen Parker, to learn more about his career and thoughts on producing records.

COLUMNS

GEAR REVIEWS

Gear Reviews

1073 SPX Preamp & EQ

BY 1073 SPX Preamp & EQ | reviewed by Joel Hamilton

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

BY Aurora(n) Interface | reviewed by Geoff Stanfield

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

BY BM9 Ribbon Microphone | reviewed by Scott Evans

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

BY C9 Custom-Fit In-Ear Monitors | reviewed by Andy Hong

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

BY CMI V virtual instrument | reviewed by John Baccigaluppi

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

BY DC Power Box 500 Series Rack Power Filter | reviewed by Larry Crane

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

BY DT 1770 & DT 1990 PRO Headphones | reviewed by Tom Fine

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

BY HPH-MT8 Headphones | reviewed by Harris Thurmond

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

BY Impression Series Acoustic Panels & Bass Traps | reviewed by Garrett Haines

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

BY LAB Optical Compressor Stompbox | reviewed by Larry Crane

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

BY MiC + USB Microphone | reviewed by Dana Gumbiner

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

BY MMA-A Mobile Device Interface | reviewed by Geoff Stanfield

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

BY Montage 6 Synthesizer | reviewed by Alan Tubbs

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

BY P3100 Studio Power Amp | reviewed by Tom Fine

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

BY Piano V | reviewed by John Baccigaluppi

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

BY Professional Music Filters Ear Plugs | reviewed by Larry Crane

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

BY Pro-L 2 Limiter Plug-In | reviewed by Garrett Haines

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

BY PSP E27 Plug-In | reviewed by Greg Gordon, Garrett Haines

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

BY Quanta iOS Synthesizer | reviewed by John Baccigaluppi

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

BY R44CE Ribbon Microphone | reviewed by Joseph Branciforte

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

BY RM5 Active Monitors | reviewed by Adam Kagan

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

BY Scheps Omni Channel Plug-In | reviewed by Scott McDowell

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

BY SigMod Plug-In | reviewed by Andy Hong

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

BY Soothe Plug-In | reviewed by Scott Evans

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

BY Syntronik Plug-In Instrument | reviewed by John Baccigaluppi

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

BY The X Clip | reviewed by Larry Crane

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

BY TranZformer GT & LX Pedals | reviewed by Pete Weiss

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

BY Tverb Plug-In | reviewed by Dana Gumbiner

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

BY WaveLab 9.5 | reviewed by Scott Craggs

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...