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
Feb/Mar 2024
In this issue, we present the second of our interviews with recording engineer and producer Donn Landee, as first seen in issue #157. To say I was thrilled to get Donn into Tape Op is an understatement, as I'd searched for years to find a way to get ahold of him. With credits like Montrose, The Doobie Brothers, Neil Young, Captain Beefheart, and Van Halen, Donn helped define the sound of rock music for all time.
Ted Templeman and Donn Landee in Amigo Studios, circa 1972.
When I read Ted Templeman's autobiography, Ted Templeman: A Platinum Producer's Life in Music, written with Greg Renoff, I enjoyed hearing about Ted's adventures working on so many classic albums, many with Donn as his engineer and co-conspirator. From there, I read Greg's book, Van Halen Rising: How a Southern California Backyard Party Band Saved Heavy Metal. Donn Landee showed up all over that fine tome as well, and his presence added a lot of information and color that no one else could have. When I dropped Greg a line to tell him how great these books are, he offered up the fine article with Lee Herschberg in #154, and after some pestering from me he asked Donn Landee if he'd be up for more interviews. Now we're proud to feature more about the making of classic albums with Van Halen and many others. Hats off to Greg Renoff for his generosity, and many thanks to Donn Landee for his valuable time!
Donn Landee's lengthy discography is a testament to his versatility and skill as an engineer. Landee worked for T.T.G. Studios and Sunwest Recording Studios in Hollywood before he became a staff engin...
Kim Deal is the founder and frontwoman of The Breeders, whose landmark album Last Splash turned 30 in 2023. She also spent quite some time playing bass and lending vocals to The Pixies, but she's a ma...
Known as Kid Koala, Eric Yick Keung San is recognized as an innovative scratch DJ and turntablist, but he's also accomplished a much deeper range of amazing work beyond the DJ moniker than one might b...
Joseph Lorge has been quietly working away on an impressive discography over the last few years. Many know him as the engineer who works closely with Blake Mills [Tape Op #115], as they have made reco...
Lynne Earls is an Irish music producer, songwriter, and sound engineer based in Los Angeles, California. In addition to owning her own label, custom music production shop, and residential recording st...
In 1973, Alhaji Bai Konte's record, Kora Melodies From The Republic Of The Gambia, West Africa, was the first album of kora music to be released internationally. Though mostly found in western Africa,...
Arising from the artistic sludge metal scene of Savannah, Georgia, Baroness skyrocketed into the hard music consciousness with their first full length Red Album in 2007. Tapping John Congleton [Tape O...
Brigitte Angerhausen is a classically trained pianist, composer, producer, and award-winning audio engineer based in Köln (Cologne), Germany. Her career has included film sound, live recording, and co...
Nestled in a multi-use warehouse in NE Portland, Oregon, near a brewery and a distillery/vegan restaurant, you'll find Philip Graham's Ear Trumpet Labs. In this shop, Philip and a small staff hand-bui...