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. 163 | Sep 2024
Nov/Dec 2024
As I was writing this issue's opening article about having redundant gear in the studio, I had to think for a moment about who this information would be aimed at. I think the answer is "everyone." Of course, any of us running a studio that takes outside bookings and charges money wants to keep the doors open and not have to shut down for days if a piece of equipment fails. But what about even the simplest home recording setup? I used to have a Pro Tools system at home that would sometimes take an hour of resetting (powering off and on until I could make a quick mix revision). Needless to say, that drove me crazy!
Is there a dividing line between professional and "not pro" recordists? I don't think the content of this magazine needs to be focused in that way. You'll never see hobbyist-focused articles like "How to Make Your Home Demos Sound Radio Ready" in this magazine. All the knowledge we acquire and dole out with Tape Op can be applied by everyone reading it, regardless of situation. Even a musician that never records anything but quick smartphone demos can stockpile ideas from our articles and reviews that will help them in every recording scenario.
An article on redundancy in a professional studio can be beneficial to every recording situation. If one has inspiration and cannot record it in their "home studio" because of an errant software update or a broken mic cable, they can lose their ideas pretty quickly. Many musicians have several versions of their main instruments, especially for live performances. Not just so they can conjure up different tones, but so they can grab a second guitar when they break a string onstage. All these lessons can be applied in various ways, so please continue to read Tape Op with this frame of mind, and – please – get as much out of it as you can!
— LARRY CRANE,EDITOR & FOUNDER
I first met Alan Parsons in 2004, when I interviewed him for Tape Op issue #42. We've been lucky enough to work together on Recording Academy presentations and meet up socially a few times after that....
A few years ago, my studio manager, Zach Bloomstein, needed to do a session in the Santa Barbara area, and his client hooked them up with Alan Parsons' ParSonics Studio in Goleta, California. There, h...
With a diverse discography that includes everyone from The Lumineers to Lenny Kravitz, David Baron has carved out a career as a keyboardist, producer, and arranger who can do it all. While he original...
Jordan Brooke Hamlin is multi-instrumentalist, engineer, producer, and owner of MOXE Studios in Nashville, Tennessee. Jordan's portfolio boasts collaborations with Grammy-winning legends such as the I...
I first met engineer/producer/studio owner Clay Blair some ten years ago, and we did a short interview that ended up running later as a bonus feature with Tape Op #111. His Hollywood-based studio, Bou...
Nestled in a commercial building in the Ballard neighborhood of Seattle, Washington, you can find Crackle & Pop! Recording. Open since 2006, Johnny Sangster, with his business partner Andy Smith, init...
I've long been a fan of the seminal punk records that Richard Hell & The Voidoids made in the late '70s. Ivan Julian was a founding member, and he's done quite a bit since, partnering with NY HED Stud...
With roots in Toronto, the most populated and diverse city in Canada, Alfio Annibalini has been working steadily in recording, mixing, teaching audio, producing albums, and playing as a musician – cur...
In an industry where evolution is key to an artist's longevity, Damon McMahon, known as Amen Dunes, is redefining his musical journey by coming home. The self-described "luddite" – who cemented his pl...
We interviewed Molly Rankin and Alec O'Hanley from the Toronto-based Alvvays, and producer/mixer Shawn Everett [Tape Op #115] for the Tape Op Podcast in May of 2023 to chat about crafting their releas...
I was entering the third day of mixing an album at Jackpot! Recording Studio for a client who I really enjoy working with. We were doing remote mixing sessions using my console and a lot of outboard g...
The inscrutably monikered Blood Incantation burst out of Denver in 2015 with their Interdimensional Extinction EP. Expanding their sound over two breakthrough full lengths and the "synths-only" Timewa...