ISSUE ARCHIVE
NO. 171 | Nov 2025
NO. 170 | Sep 2025
NO. 169 | Sep 2025
NO. 168 | Jul 2025
NO. 167 | May 2025
NO. 166 | Mar 2025
NO. 165 | Jan 2025
NO. 164 | Nov 2024
Jul/Aug 2023
As an adjunct to the End Rant this issue, I should explain something about myself and how I work in the studio; something that will likely seem incongruous with my position as Tape Op's founder and editor. Despite the sense of adventure, focus on creative recording, and the "use what you have in front of you" philosophy dispersed by this magazine, in sessions I usually prefer to be using recording equipment I am already familiar with. (See my End Rant "Eliminate Variables" from issue #92 for proof.) It can take me months to get around to trying out a new piece of gear on a live tracking date. For overdubs, I might be more adventurous with new items, depending on the musician's temperament and skill level.But when tracking a room full of people, it's doubtful you'll see me pulling out untested, brand-new equipment. I have too many moving parts to keep track of already, and I want to make sure any (possibly overlooked) details do not render a take useless. Clients have offered up, "Hey, I can bring a pair of those new mics for you to try out when our band records." But years ago I started telling them, "I think you'd rather I be recording and producing your band instead of auditioning new gear." I do love finding great new tools to use in the studio, but never at the risk of doing my job well! And, as much as I always hope to evaluate (and review) new tools within the scope of doing actual recording work, many times I find myself giving the gear a tryout beforehand just to be safe. Plus, this opens up the idea of more "staff days," where we try out new equipment and weird techniques. Now that's fun!
— LARRY CRANE,EDITOR & FOUNDER
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How does a skilled jazz drummer become a hip-hop producer, musical director, DJ, and film scorer? Working with Common, J Dilla, Madlib, Paul McCartney, and Diana Krall, Karriem Riggins has accomplishe...
The Blasting Room, a studio in Fort Collins, Colorado, has been in operation for 30 years. What began as a home base/practice room/band studio for the groups Descendents and All quickly became a busy...
Yuka Honda has been a figure in the New York City avant-garde and indie-rock scenes for decades. Releasing her first album in 1989, she has amassed over 268 recording credits as an artist, producer, r...
Brad Cook has been making and recording music since he was a kid growing up in Eau Claire, Wisconsin. Throughout his 20-plus year career, he's toured with people like Sharon Van Etten and produced rec...
After Tape Op's online editor Geoff Stanfield interviewed both Noah Lennox and longtime collaborator Pete Kember [#46] for the Tape Op Podcast about their work together, and their recent album Reset,...
After Tape Op's online editor Geoff Stanfield interviewed both Noah Lennox and longtime collaborator Pete Kember [#46] for the Tape Op Podcast about their work together, and their recent album Reset,...
If you've been keeping up with the explosion of popularity around hardcore and heavy alternative music, chances are you've heard the name Jon Markson. After a decade in the trenches as a producer and...
When singer, songwriter and pianist Jon Regen met famed UK synth wizard and producer Matt Johnson after a Jamiroquai gig back in 2018, he had no idea the two would soon begin a fruitful partnership th...