Tape Op Magazine - Issue #132 - issue-132

Spencer Tweedy

Interviews

Mitch Dane

Interviews

Jeff Tweedy

Interviews

Ryan Bingham

Interviews

Avedis Kifedjian

Interviews

Dave Cook

Interviews

MORE FROM THIS ISSUE

JULY 30, 2025 INTERVIEWS

Holly Herndon

Holly Herndon: Fighting Automation with Artificial Intelligence

BY ANGELICA TAVELLA, BORIS CAMACA

In March of 2018 I met Holly Herndon at a hotel on the outskirts of Berlin, just two weeks before she was set to defend her Doctor of Musical Arts Music Composition dissertation from Stanford University, and one month before the release of her third album, PROTO, on 4AD Records. We had a fantastic conversation about the making of PROTO, her creative process, as well as what it's like to collaborate with artificial intelligence and a choral ensemble.

JULY 30, 2025 INTERVIEWS

Tom Schick

Tom Schick: Being Ready, Moving Fast!

BY LARRY CRANE

Formerly chief engineer at Sear Sound [Tape Op #41], Tom Schick proved his skills in the studio with artists like Paul McCartney, Bob Dylan, Sean Lennon, and Rufus Wainwright. As a freelance engineer in New York City, he worked on projects for M. Ward, Norah Jones, She & Him, Willie Nelson, and Iron & Wine. Now, as the house engineer at The Loft in Chicago, he runs multitudes of sessions for Jeff Tweedy [see Jeff's interview this issue], including Jeff's band Wilco, as well as the various artists Jeff produces, like Low, Mavis Staples, and Richard Thompson.

COLUMNS

GEAR REVIEWS

Gear Reviews

3 Compressors You’ll Actually Use Plug-In Bundle

by 3 Compressors You’ll Actually Use Plug-In Bundle | reviewed by Dana Gumbiner

Hot on the heels of their affordable “You’ll Actually Use” plug-in bundle series featuring 3 Filters and 3 Preamps [Tape Op #125], here is Arturia’s latest batch of software effects: models of the venerable UREI 1176, Gates STA-LEVEL, and dbx 165A compressors. Installation was easy enough, although...

Gear Reviews

44-A Ribbon Mic

by 44-A Ribbon Mic | reviewed by Justin Mantooth

In the recording industry, there is a long list of iconic microphones that every experienced recording engineer has at least heard of. The RCA 44-A, is one of these. Built in the 1930s, and known for its smooth sound and beautiful appearance, the RCA 44-A is an absolute classic. Cloud Microphones...

Gear Reviews

A32 Converter

by A32 Converter | reviewed by John Bologni

Admittedly, I'd began this review with a bit of frustration by hooking up the MADI optical outputs of my interface to the MADI optical inputs of the Ferrofish A32, routed 16 channels of audio and... only two channels came through... What gives? After a bit of head scratching, I figured out that the...

Gear Reviews

AT5047 Cardioid Microphone

by AT5047 Cardioid Microphone | reviewed by Adam Kagan

In 2012 Audio-Technica released the AT5040 [Tape Op #95] microphone, which was a special mic in several ways. The hand-built mic uses four 2-micron rectangular capsules, positioned next to each other in a 2x2 array to effectively create a capsule with the surface area twice that of a typical large...

Gear Reviews

Auto-Tune Access & Auto-Key Plug-Ins

by Auto-Tune Access & Auto-Key Plug-Ins | reviewed by Adam Kagan

Antares has just upped its game by releasing a lower-priced version of its Auto-Tune [Tape Op #126] line of pitch correction plug-ins called Auto-Tune Access. I have been a user of Auto-Tune since the '90s, beginning with the ATR-1 Auto-Tune hardware box and I've owned every version of Auto-Tune...

Gear Reviews

AXR4 Thunderbolt 2 Interface

by AXR4 Thunderbolt 2 Interface | reviewed by Scott McDowell

Steinberg is on an impressive roll with sexy hardware interfaces, collaborating with Yamaha and Rupert Neve to deliver products that lean into the strengths of all three. The AXR4 is clearly meant to be a flagship in their hardware line, and it’s absolutely something to be proud about. Boasting 28...

Gear Reviews

C-100 Microphone

by C-100 Microphone | reviewed by Adam Kagan

Sony, widely known for their consumer entertainment products, takes pro audio very seriously. In the professional microphone market, Sony previously produced three remarkable microphones: the C37A from the ‘50s became a staple for symphonic recording, the C38 (‘60s) and the C38B (2000s) known as...

Gear Reviews

DBC-20 Diode Bridge Compressor

by DBC-20 Diode Bridge Compressor | reviewed by Liam Judson

When I first heard that Tim Farrant of New Zealand’s Buzz Audio had designed a new stereo compressor based around a diode bridge gain reduction circuit, I immediately knew that this was something that could potentially rock my world. I have been a huge fan of Tim’s work for years, as I’ve had the...

Gear Reviews

El Rey Plug-In

by El Rey Plug-In | reviewed by Gus Berry

The debate between hardware versus plug-ins has cooled over the last couple years as plug-ins are getting better and better. However, Acustica Audio seems happy to stoke the fires with their El Rey compressor plug-in, gaining a lot of attention and buzz for rivaling its tube hardware inspiration....

Gear Reviews

iD44 Interface

by iD44 Interface | reviewed by Alan Tubbs

Audient jumped headfirst into the premium class interface market with their release of the iD22 [Tape Op #104]. The premium classification gives more attention to component and design quality than what may be found in standard prosumer interfaces. Less noise, crosstalk, and superior preamps are the...

Gear Reviews

Lexicon 480L Plug-In

by Lexicon 480L Plug-In | reviewed by Don Gunn

There was a time in the ‘80s and ‘90s when the word “Lexicon” became synonymous with reverb. Like Kleenex, Photoshop, or Google – if you heard, “Just add some Lexicon to that” in the studio, you knew it was time to add some reverb to the track. Released in 1986, the Lexicon 480L was the cream of...

Gear Reviews

LOC-NESS Plug-In

by LOC-NESS Plug-In | reviewed by Ben Bernstein

Tone Empire’s LOC-NESS (aka “the Smash-Box”) is a dedicated channel plug-in designed for processing individual drum hits, a drum set’s room sound, or the entire drum bus. It is touted as a mystical plug-in that brings all the right controls and colors for drums to your DAW. While I have shied away...

Gear Reviews

Model 24 Multitrack Recorder, USB Interface, & Analog Mixer

by Model 24 Multitrack Recorder, USB Interface, & Analog Mixer | reviewed by Jay Ribadeneyra

My first impression of the TASCAM Model 24 was of the classic design. From the red, blue, and orange Gain, EQ, and Aux knobs, to the faux wood sides, this is a classy-looking piece of gear. It wouldn’t look out of place among the classic cassette multitrack recorders that TASCAM was famous for. The...

Gear Reviews

NDH 20 Headphones

by NDH 20 Headphones | reviewed by Tom Fine

Neumann made its bones on the microphone side of the audio business. From its 1928 founding by Georg Neumann, through its 1991 acquisition by the Sennheiser family-owned company, Neumann was synonymous with state-of-the-art German condenser microphones. A few years back, Sennheiser also acquired...

Gear Reviews

Pro-Q 3

by Pro-Q 3 | reviewed by Dave Hidek

FabFilter's Pro-Q 3 is the best sounding, most powerful, most flexible EQ plug-in that I've ever used. If you're familiar with FabFilter's line of products, you'll be glad to know that the Pro-Q 3 continues their tradition of excellence and innovation, with the same informative and intuitive style...

Gear Reviews

RAM System 5000 5.1 Monitoring System

by RAM System 5000 5.1 Monitoring System | reviewed by Brian Bender

In my mind, one of the greatest shortcomings of the hybrid/in the box era in which we find ourselves is the loss of a coherent, thoughtful approach to the monitor section of a studio. The center section of a large format console is almost always hugely flexible and easy to use, especially compared...

Gear Reviews

SpringBox Plug-In

by SpringBox Plug-In | reviewed by Vince Chiarito

There are plenty of great emulations of upscale vintage reverbs out there, from plates and chambers to coveted early digital units. While there is a time and a place for these elegant designs, many times I crave the dirty attitude that only a spring reverb can offer. Enter my new favorite reverb...

Gear Reviews

Studio One 4.5 Professional

by Studio One 4.5 Professional | reviewed by Dana Gumbiner, John Hong

It’s been nearly a decade since we published a review of the original version of Studio One [Tape Op #76]. Over the years, the DAW’s feature set has grown significantly, and, impressively, it remains one of the most streamlined audio applications in terms of its user experience. Two of our veteran...

Gear Reviews

STUDIO PRO SP-5 Headphones

by STUDIO PRO SP-5 Headphones | reviewed by Gus Berry

Since building my mixing space last summer, I’ve been looking for a solid pair of headphones for mix referencing that wouldn’t break the bank. When I heard that ADAM Audio, maker of highly regarded studio monitors, had ventured into the headphone game, I had to try them for myself. Their SP-5...

Gear Reviews

Synergy R1 500 Series Reverb

by Synergy R1 500 Series Reverb | reviewed by Adam Kagan

Audified is a hardware and software company from the Czech Republic that may be somewhat unfamiliar as a brand name in the US, but for more than 20 years they have been creating audio products under various names, including DSound and Audiffex, often as custom software for companies like TC...

Gear Reviews

The Bakersfield Sound (Book)

by The Bakersfield Sound (Book) | reviewed by Scott McChane

The children of Dust Bowl migrants who’d resettled to Southern California in search of farm and oil production jobs redefined their cultural significance (c. 1951) and fostered a music scene born from the worker’s camps, dance halls, and dive bars in and around the Bakersfield, California area....

Gear Reviews

The Wall

by The Wall | reviewed by Garrett Haines

I expect many readers are going to want to buy this plug-in within five minutes of trying it. In addition to being a nice limiter for general use, The Wall is superb for adding last minute level to reference mixes. I found that it does a better job respecting the original mix EQ profile than a...

Gear Reviews

ValhallaDelay Plug-In

by ValhallaDelay Plug-In | reviewed by Don Gunn

Full disclosure; while I’m going to review Valhalla DSP’s latest plug-in, ValhallaDelay, I’m also one of the two product designers of the plug-in, along with Valhalla DSP founder Sean Costello. This may lend my review towards a more Behind The Gear flavor while also talking about the product, its...

Gear Reviews

Weiss DS1-MK3 Bundle

by Weiss DS1-MK3 Bundle | reviewed by Garrett Haines

Softube is one of the most acclaimed emulation developers, so it was a surprise that their release of the Weiss DS1-MK3 mastering compressor was not a model – it's a line-by-line source transfer of the real thing. Somehow, Softube convinced Daniel Weiss to hand over the code block for his digital...