ISSUE ARCHIVE
NO. 173 | Apr 2026
NO. 172 | Feb 2026
NO. 171 | Nov 2025
NO. 170 | Sep 2025
NO. 169 | Sep 2025
NO. 168 | Jul 2025
NO. 167 | May 2025
NO. 166 | Mar 2025
Dec/Jan 2020/21
As a music recording magazine, certainly one of the aspects of what we do involves recommending and mentioning the tools used in our craft. The variety of recording equipment and range of cost has changed drastically in the decades since Tape Op began, with everything from incredibly affordable computer interfaces to top-of-the-line, over-engineered analog consoles and monitors now available to anyone with $100 or a ready credit card. In the early nineties, when I began doing a lot of home recording, a few of us would chat about what gear we could utilize and what was out there. The choices were minimal, and most paths could be easily defined by budget and the tasks at hand. Not so anymore.
These days, when someone asks me about setting up any sort of studio or recording scenario, there are never easy answers for choosing recording equipment. Even after figuring out a budget and what they wish to achieve, the sheer amount of products available means sifting through hundreds of reviews, querying friends who've never heard of half the items you are curious about, and poring over interviews to see "what the professionals use." I'd always meant for the Gear Reviews section of Tape Op to read more like a post-session chat over beers, where you can get casual, yet unbiased, opinions on what to use when recording. I think we sometimes pull that off! And, on that note, I'd like to announce that we've started the Tape Op Buyer's Guides – an online-only section where staff and others can chime in with a handy list of helpful tools. Check it out and let us know what you think. I know I have a fun one up now!
tapeop.com/collections/buyers-guides
Larry working hard on the new Buyer's Guides at Jackpot!
With the recent release of the documentary Herb Alpert Is... the world got a glimpse into the life of a man with many accomplishments. Sure, most know him for Herb Alpert & The Tijuana Brass, or his '...
Chris Hillman has spent the last 60 years making more music and conquering more sonic territory than most. Being a founding member of The Byrds and The Flying Burrito Brothers would be enough for most...
Jason Carmer's name kept coming up, so when our ad rep, Marsha Vdovin, told me he was sheltering in place in nearby Sonoma County, it seemed to be the right time to do a socially distanced interview o...
As a seasoned professional producer, mixer, and engineer, Toronto-based Richard Chycki has worked with a vast array of musical artists, such as Rush, Dream Theater, Alice Cooper, Aerosmith, and Jeff H...
At 29, multi-instrumentalist and songwriter Sarah Jarosz has already had a lifetime's worth of musical accomplishments. Signing her first deal at 16 with Sugar Hill Records, she has since released fiv...
Around five years ago I went to see Low [Tape Op #31] play in Portland, and their opening act was a guy with a guitar who had a unique singing style. At first, I sort of tuned him out, but within minu...
Anne Gauthier is a producer, engineer, and drummer who cut her teeth in the Montreal punk scene, touring with bands like TR/ST and The Frenetics. In 2015 she relocated to Louisville, Kentucky, and rec...
Chris Cohen may be as well-known at this point for his distinctively self-produced solo records as for playing in bands like Deerhoof [Tape Op #55], Cryptacize, and The Curtains, and for recent produc...
I always thought ATC meant "always translates correctly," but it's really the Acoustic Transducer Company. I've known Brad Lunde of TransAudio Group for decades, and have used many of the products he...
Damon Moon has been producing and recording artists in Atlanta since 2011. He took a huge step in early 2017 with the opening of Standard Electric Recorders Co. and quickly built a faithful client bas...
