Sam Okell

Interviews

Sam Okell

By Krowji (Feature), Danny Turner

Having played drums, piano, and guitar in various bands and orchestras, Sam Okell undertook the exalted Tonmeister degree course in music technology prior to serving a placement year at Abbey Road Studios. It was there that the much sought-after sound engineer and mixer made his name, swiftly moving...

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Peter Asher

Interviews

Peter Asher: No Overriding Rules

By Ian Brennan

Paul McCartney lived in his house for two years. His mother was George Martin's music teacher. He is among a rarified group of five people (including Quincy Jones, R...

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Pea Hicks

Interviews

Pea Hicks: Optigan Life

By Larry Crane

For years Pea Hicks has carried a torch for the Optigan, a unique optical disc-powered keyboard from the '70s. His band with Ro...

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Larry Klein

Interviews

Larry Klein: A Connoisseur of Honesty

By John Baccigaluppi, James Minchin
Larry Klein began playing bass at a young age, touring with famed jazz musician Freddie...
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Craig Alvin

Interviews

Craig Alvin: Pushing the Right Buttons

By Larry Crane
This story begins many years ago, in Portland, Oregon. It was 1996, and the first issue of...
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MORE FROM THIS ISSUE

NOVEMBER 18, 2025 INTERVIEWS
BJ Burton

BJ Burton: "Music shouldn't be like sports"

BY PAUL MCGEIVER, JOHN BACCIGALUPPI

I'm a big fan of the last two Bon Iver albums, 22, A Million and i,i, so when I was in Los Angeles recently and the opportunity came up for a last minute interview with co-producer and collaborator BJ Burton, I jumped at the chance. BJ has worked with many artists besides Bon Iver's Justin Vernon, including Sylvan Esso, The Japanese House, Low [Tape Op #31], Francis and The Lights, Miley Cyrus, Mark Ronson [#105], Kanye West, and Lizzo. We had a great chat, but the conversation jumped all over and was fairly casual, so I decided to dispense with Tape Op's usual Q & A format and edit out all my questions, leaving us with BJ's thoughts.

NOVEMBER 18, 2025 INTERVIEWS
Bob Langford

Bob Langford: The Man Who Recorded "Free Bird"

BY BILL DUDLEY

Youthful and energetic at 76, Bob Langford is active in local politics and community affairs in his small town an hour north of St. Petersburg, Florida. But in the late-1960s he was part of the bustling Atlanta recording scene, and a participant in the birth of southern rock. Bob is easy to get to know, but his modest demeanor scarcely hints at his many careers: recording studio engineer/ owner, entrepreneur, singer, inventor, electronics wizard, and even restaurateur. Today, between meetings at the local historical society in his various advisory roles, Bob also records local bands in a small studio next to his home.

NOVEMBER 18, 2025 INTERVIEWS
Emily Wells

Emily Wells: Just Use Your Ears

BY RES ARCHIVE, LARRY CRANE

I met Emily Wells years ago and we immediately hit it off, talking about gear and careers. She's released a number of albums of her unique compositions and excellent musicianship (her violin playing is top-notch) in addition to her background in recording. While she was in Portland for a series of shows, we hung out one afternoon to catch up.

NOVEMBER 18, 2025 INTERVIEWS
John Kurlander

John Kurlander: Take Note

BY DANNY TURNER

Joining Abbey Road Studios as a runner at the age of 16, John Kurlander swiftly moved up the ranks to become a tape operator and assistant engineer. Working under the tutelage of Geoff Emerick [Tape Op #57] and "fifth Beatle" George Martin, Kurlander's first major role was as an assistant engineer on The Beatles' Abbey Road LP. Known for his studious attention to detail and note taking, Kurlander was promoted to first engineer within two years and worked on solo albums for former Beatles. Additionally, he also worked alongside full orchestras, which saw him tracking and creating arrangements for artists including Elton John, Supertramp, Ozzy Osbourne, and Everything but the Girl. Kurlander would later move into the world of West End and Broadway musicals, video game scores, and film soundtracks. He is currently best-known for engineering and mixing the soundtrack music for The Lord of the Rings trilogy, earning Kurlander consecutive Grammys. With the recently expanded reissue of The Beatles' Abbey Road – the last album that the group recorded together, there's no better time to reminisce on Kurlander's extraordinarily accomplished career.

COLUMNS

Future Collaboration
END RANT
Gear Geeking w/ Andy
GEAR GEEKING

GEAR REVIEWS

Gear Reviews

1970 Dual F.E.T. Compressor & Pre-Amplifier

by 1970 Dual F.E.T. Compressor & Pre-Amplifier  |  reviewed by Kevin Friedrichsen

A new addition to the venerable Drawmer line, the 1970, is a dual FET compressor, dual mic pre, and mono DI. It's versatile and easy to use with a vast feature set. While the 1970 borrows its layout inspiration from the Drawmer 1960, features have been updated and it's not a tube-based unit. As...

Gear Reviews

4B3 Pro Dual Mono Amplifier

by 4B3 Pro Dual Mono Amplifier  |  reviewed by Tom Fine

Bryston, based in Peterborough, Ontario, Canada, has been around since 1961. The company straddles the border between pro audio and the part of the audiophile/home theater world that gravitates to uncolored/accurate sound quality from precision solid-state equipment. Bryston amps have also been...

Gear Reviews

500C FET compressor

by 500C FET compressor  |  reviewed by Geoff Stanfield

There is nothing like a good, solid FET compressor. The Universal Audio 1176 has been on countless records – for good reason. It's very fast and it has its own sound, but it also has an enormous price tag. I am not saying that an original is not worth the coin, but not everyone has the extra dough...

Gear Reviews

5020 Stereo FET Limiter

by 5020 Stereo FET Limiter  |  reviewed by Larry Crane

I've always wished there was a recreation of the Urei 1178, the stereo version of the Urie/Universal Audio 1176. With its FET-based compression and simple stereo link controls, the fresh-faced lads at M House Studios have put together the 5020 Stereo FET Limiter, a worthy 1178 substitute, yet one...

Gear Reviews

AML-16-040 ez1081 Preamp/EQ

by AML-16-040 ez1081 Preamp/EQ  |  reviewed by Daniel Schlett

I was excited to receive an email from Colin Adshead at AML (Audio Maintenance Limited) about a new product in the works; their take on the Neve 1081 microphone preamp and equalizer – a personal favourite of mine. Over the years I've owned some vintage modules, and currently have a pair of the AMS...

Gear Reviews

Bucketverb Reverb Plug-In

by Bucketverb Reverb Plug-In  |  reviewed by Larry Crane

Around 40 years ago I went to Radio Shack and purchased an integrated circuit (IC) chip that was packaged with a technical data sheet explaining how to wire it up as a delay unit. This was the Reticon SAD-1024 bucket-brigade delay (BBD) IC. I hooked up all the needed components on a circuit board,...

Gear Reviews

Buss Compressor

by Buss Compressor  |  reviewed by Tony Vincent

Let's come clean right from the beginning: I'm a gear snob. I like gear that feels robust and solid. I like gear that sounds beautiful and inspiring. I like it when the gear I use gives me the sensation of sitting in the driver's seat of a proper German automobile. That being said, when I find a...

Gear Reviews

Comeback Kid Delay & Echo Plug-In

by Comeback Kid Delay & Echo Plug-In  |  reviewed by Ben Bernstein

Comeback Kid, from BABY Audio, is a fully customizable delay and echo plug-in with analog flavor. It has 14 one-knob effects that uniquely allow control of the color and shape of the delay. Each knob is powered by BABY Audio's delay engine, and allows for easy manipulation of the plug-in without...

Gear Reviews

Core 59 Powered Monitor

by Core 59 Powered Monitor  |  reviewed by Jeremy Wurst

The Core 59 is the latest high end, professional reference monitor unveiled by Dynaudio, and the flagship of their new Core series. These monitors are handmade in Denmark, with distinct features, including three-way Class D Pascal amplification, newly designed Esotar Pro tweeters, and...

Gear Reviews

Cubase Pro 10.5

by Cubase Pro 10.5  |  reviewed by Andy Hong

Michael Romanowski, Alan Tubbs, and I reviewed the December 2018 release of Cubase 10 [Tape Op #131] last year. On time with its annual half-point release schedule, Cubase 10.5 was published at the end of 2019, and this version includes a number of new features that have been at the top of many...

Gear Reviews

Daking MKII console

by Daking MKII console  |  reviewed by Erika Earl

The Daking MKII is a full-featured, large-format mixing console engineered for modern recording with the artist in mind – which makes sense as it was designed by producer, engineer, and musician, Geoff Daking. Having been under the hood as well as recording with Daking outboard gear in the past, I...

Gear Reviews

HypeMiC USB Powered Mic

by HypeMiC USB Powered Mic  |  reviewed by Ben Bernstein

The Apogee HypeMiC is a compact, premium quality, USB-powered cardioid condenser mic designed for use with iOS, Mac, and PC. It records up to 24-bit/96 kHz, plus it is 100% plug and play. The design features three multi-color LEDs for input level, analog compression, headphone output, and a Blend...

Gear Reviews

Iridium Amp Modeler & Response Cabinet pedal

by Iridium Amp Modeler & Response Cabinet pedal  |  reviewed by Alex Maiolo

There seems to be an endless number of stompbox companies out there, but a good portion of them are only offering their take on classic circuits. Strymon is a rare exception to this, and has released more than one modern classic at this point. While amp modeling is hardly new and has already been...

Gear Reviews

LS-208 microphone

by LS-208 microphone  |  reviewed by Matt Boudreau, Ben Bernstein

The Lauten Audio LS-208 is a companion microphone to the LS-308. Both are part of their Synergy Series, designed to reduce bleed in lively environments. The LS-208 is a front address, large diaphragm condenser voice and instrument microphone that is equally suited for use in broadcast, sound...

Gear Reviews

LS-308 Microphone

by LS-308 Microphone  |  reviewed by Ben Bernstein

I don't want to call these mics "specialty," but they are truly special. The Lauten Audio LS-308 is described by the manufacturer as "a noise rejecting, high-dynamic range microphone to be used as a problem solver in challenging recording situations when isolation is needed but difficult to...

Gear Reviews

Mezcla en el Audio Professional (Book)

by Mezcla en el Audio Professional (Book)  |  reviewed by Maria Elisa Ayerbe

Audio engineering was almost a non-existent academic career when I was growing up in Colombia during the nineties. Few universities in Latin America offered an audio engineering program, and the number of professional studios was equally scarce. Most audio engineers and music producers either...

Gear Reviews

Mini K87 microphone

by Mini K87 microphone  |  reviewed by Eli Crews

In a recent review of a $7000 tube condenser microphone, I alluded to the fact that there are excellent condenser microphones being made for $400 and that it is no longer necessary to spend oodles of dough to make high-quality recordings. This is, of course, something that many Tape Op readers...

Gear Reviews

Model Future Mono Compressor & Plug-In

by Model Future Mono Compressor & Plug-In  |  reviewed by Robert Cheek, John O'Mahony

A few years back a friend of mine was recording at Capitol Studios in Los Angeles [Tape Op #114], and he told me there was a tech on staff there building some special compressors that I needed to hear. So, when I spotted one making the rounds at Electric Lady Studios, I jumped at the chance to take...

Gear Reviews

ROKIT 7 G4 powered monitor

by ROKIT 7 G4 powered monitor  |  reviewed by Ben Bernstein

The new KRK ROKIT G4 series is the fourth generation of this popular family of studio monitors. G4 monitors incorporate many of the advanced features of KRK's professional grade V Series [Tape Op #118] and were designed with the intent of being "the perfect solution for turning project studios into...

Gear Reviews

S1 control surface

by S1 control surface  |  reviewed by Dave Hidek

I didn't know I needed the Avid S1 until I started using it. Most of my production work is done in Pro Tools. I utilize outboard gear via inserts, and I've used an Avid Artist Mix for fader rides at times when a more hands-on approach is required. In other words, most of the time I don't use a...

Gear Reviews

Spiff Plug-In

by Spiff Plug-In  |  reviewed by Garrett Haines

Oeksound (pronounced "oh-ek") created the exceptional soothe2, which Larry covers in our next issue. I made the mistake of dismissing the soothe [Tape Op #127] concept as merely a dynamic EQ with striking graphics. What a faulty assumption. Rarely have I found plug-ins that break new sonic ground....

Gear Reviews

Spring reverb plug-in

by Spring reverb plug-in  |  reviewed by Don Gunn

These days, we have more reverbs than ever before in our various DAWs, all available under our fingertips (trackball tips? mouse tips?!?) whenever we want them. More rooms, halls, plates, and cathedrals than most of us can use in a lifetime. The one category of reverbs that always seems...

Gear Reviews

Stellar X2 Vintage

by Stellar X2 Vintage

Two large-diaphragm FET microphones have been released from TechZone Audio recently; the Stellar X2 and X2 Vintage. I received a single X2, and a matched stereo pair of the X2 Vintage mics mere days before the whole world went on quarantine lockdown, so let's just say I've gotten to know them...

Gear Reviews

T8V Powered Monitor

by T8V Powered Monitor  |  reviewed by Scott McChane

Let’s use some simple steps for choosing monitors, based on how one might select a bottle of wine. Set your monitor price point (much like wine, with monitors you’ll likely need to buy at least two), pair them with your space (not with your food), and maybe pick a bottle with an interesting...

Gear Reviews

TG12345 MKIV 500 Series EQ

by TG12345 MKIV 500 Series EQ  |  reviewed by Geoff Stanfield

Sweet, smooth sounding and easy to use – this is my one sentence review of the Chandler Limited 500 Series TG12345 MKIV EQ. It's nice sometimes to have all the options for surgical precision with an EQ, but there are also times when it's just fine – and generally preferred in my case – to use a...

Gear Reviews

Wow Control Plug-In

by Wow Control Plug-In  |  reviewed by Gus Berry

Many of us have gone down the rabbit hole while mixing, looking for that unique and musical effect to put on a track to keep it from sounding stale. Lately, I've been relying on Wow Control by Goodhertz to achieve that goal. Goodhertz, perhaps most famously known for their Vulf Compressor plug-in,...