Tape Op Magazine - Issue #129

Interviews

Joe Henry

By John Baccigaluppi, Bren Davies

Joe Henry may be the deepest guy I have ever discussed music with. His insights and, in fact, almost every response to my carefully researched questions that came out of his mouth highlighted his aphorisms about life, as well as his thoughts about music. It is rare that I start an interview talking...

Interviews

Sonny DiPerri: Headspace is the Best Piece of Equipment

By Kristian Dunn, Brian Overend, Emma Ruth Rundle, Brian JB

Emma Ruth Rundle

Recordist Sonny DiPerri has worked with Nine Inch Nails, Animal Collective, Dirty Projectors, Portugal. The Man, Em...

Interviews

Jamie Lidell: Electro-Soul

By Larry Crane

British-born, Nashville-living Jamie Lidell is a singer, beatboxer, recordist, producer, engineer, songwriter, code writer, husband...

Interviews

Teri Landi: Leaving No Stone Unturned

By Richard Barone, Jacob Blickenstaff

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Interviews

Bob Clearmountain: Living in the Mix

By John Baccigaluppi

I've wanted to do an interview with noted mix engineer Bob Clearmountain for many...

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Chris Schlarb: BIG EGO and Beyond

BY STEVE KROLIKOWSKI, OLIVIA HEMARATANATORN

I met Chris Schlarb years ago in the Long Beach, California music scene, and we became reacquainted recently when I took on engineer and assistant roles for several of his productions in 2016, my favorite experience being Psychic Temple Plays Music for Airports. Recently Chris opened BIG EGO studios in Long Beach. Spanning genres from gospel, to bluegrass, to garage, what remains constant is a commitment to song, performance, and musicianship. Schlarb and BIG EGO's philosophy harkens back to a day when records were finished in weeks, and a label's sound relied heavily on a single studio and its session band. The medium has changed from tape to RADAR, but the vibe remains.

NOVEMBER 18, 2025 INTERVIEWS

I Am Snow Angel: Julie Kathryn's Journey into Sound

BY JULIA DRUMMOND, LARRY CRANE

Julie Kathryn is I Am Snow Angel, a sobriquet under which she composes, performs, produces, engineers, and mixes her own music. She also produces many other artists, such as Grace Lachance and ESS SEE, while working out of her home studio in New York City, or across the world as needed. Julie has also designed cool instrument presets for Ableton Live, and the imaginative sample pack - Dream Pack - for Splice. Her debut album, Crocodile, came out in 2014, and 2019 sees the release of Mothership, an album that further defines what I Am Snow Angel sounds like.

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New Danger: Tulips by Maston

BY JOHN PHILLIPS, PHONOSCOPE

Maston is the project of L.A.-based composer multi-instrumentalist Frank Maston, who also runs the studio and label, Phonoscope. I met Frank backstage at a Jacco Gardner [Tape Op #109] concert in July 2015, when he was a member of the Dutch artist's touring band. When I learned Maston released a new album in October 2017, my curiosity was piqued. I ordered the vinyl edition of Tulips and it has been a constant on my turntable since. Tulips is a wonderful record that transports the listener into a film of his or her own making.

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SoundBetter

BY LARRY CRANE, MOYO OYELOLA

SoundBetter Founders Shachar Gilad (Left) and Itamar Yunger (Right). In 2013 I met up with Shachar Gilad, the founder of SoundBetter, to talk about the new business he'd started, connecting people involved in the music recording process. Now, over five years later, SoundBetter is doing brisk business. (If you are one of the people I run into that complains you don't get enough studio work, especially mixing or mastering, this is something to check out.) I've received several jobs through here, and made bids on a few that sounded interesting, and it works. Payment is secured through SoundBetter, and when everyone is happy you get paid. I felt like mix jobs were finding me that I would normally never get. It's an interesting service, and I wanted to know more.

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