Tape Op Magazine - Issue #166 - issue-166

Daniel Tashian

Interviews

Tim Oliver

Interviews

Thai Long Ly

Interviews

Jarrett Pritchard

Interviews

Urian Hackney

Interviews

Azalia Snail

Interviews

MORE FROM THIS ISSUE

JULY 10, 2025 INTERVIEWS

Daughter

Daughter: The Middle Farm Session

BY JOHN BACCIGALUPPI

Daughter's Stereo Mind Game was one of my top five albums of 2023, and a record I listen to fairly often. The songwriting, interesting layered production and arrangements, along with vocalist Elena Tonra's voice keep me emotionally invested in their music after many listens. So, when they recently released the live EP Middle Farm Session, it quickly moved into my regular listening rotation. After a few listens, I was curious if there might be some video of the sessions – it turns out there is! The record is a fantastic listen, but if you can spare 30 minutes the video is well worth the time and a great introduction to the band.

JULY 10, 2025 INTERVIEWS

Jeff Lipton

Jeff Lipton: Peerless Mastering

BY ZACH BLOOMSTEIN, MARIA RICE

Jeff Lipton is a mastering veteran with an impressive 30-year career under his belt. He's been nominated for four Grammy Awards in the Best Historical Album category, thanks to his extensive work restoring and remastering music for the Numero Group in Chicago. Jeff's journey started from humble beginnings in his bedroom in 1993, and he's come a long way since then. Today, he owns and operates a cutting-edge, two-room Dolby Atmos-equipped mastering facility outside of Boston, Massachusetts. Surviving the turbulent music industry and a challenging economy, Jeff is pushing forward with a new venture that sets him apart from the pack. Jeff is helping artists and engineers who don't have access to Atmos-equipped rooms by having them send him stems. With his expertise, he can optimize their music for the Atmos format, ensuring it sounds its best in any environment. Jeff's character shines through in everything he does. He's a kind and generous professional who's always looking for ways to help others succeed.

JULY 10, 2025 INTERVIEWS

Aoife O’Donovan

Aoife O’Donovan: Making Age of Apathy

BY OMAR CRUZ, GEOFF STANFIELD

Grammy award-winning songwriter and musician Aoife O'Donovan has released three critically-acclaimed solo albums, is co-founder of the bands I'm with Her and Crooked Still, and has spent a decade contributing to the radio variety shows Live From Here and A Prairie Home Companion. Her new album, Age of Apathy, was produced from a distance by Joe Henry [Tape Op #129] during the pandemic lockdown, but you'd never know it from the incredibly cohesive sound and "in the room" energy of the recordings. Geoff Stanfield caught up with Aoife to chat on the eve of the record's release. This interview is from her Tape Op Podcast, took place in April of 2022, and has been edited for clarity.

JULY 10, 2025 INTERVIEWS

Archers of Loaf

Archers of Loaf: Not in Decline

BY AXEL OBERG, ROBERT BROOKS, KATE FIX

Eric Bachmann and Matt Gentling of Archers of Loaf discuss songwriting process, reunions, parenting, and working at Drop of Sun Studios on Reason in Decline.

GEAR REVIEWS

Gear Reviews

32Classic MS Mix Strip

by 32Classic MS Mix Strip | reviewed by Daniel Ryan Morse

Harrison consoles are beloved by many engineers, and after I had the opportunity to work with four of the new Harrison 32Classic MS Mix Strips, I understand why. While the Harrisons are not as colorful as offerings by some of the other notable consoles in recording history, they definitely have a...

Gear Reviews

B67-269 (Version 2) Microphone

by B67-269 (Version 2) Microphone | reviewed by Don Gunn

Ben and Veronica Sneesby have been making mics in Australia for nearly 25 years (the name derives from Ben’s nickname in high school). Some of their mics have been designed as modernized clones of classic originals (e.g., Neumann U 47, Telefunken ELA M 251, etc.), while others are original designs...

Gear Reviews

C60 & C90 Type One Cassette Tapes

by C60 & C90 Type One Cassette Tapes | reviewed by Kyle Field

I reviewed the RTM (Recording The Masters) 1/4-inch SM900 tape back in Tape Op #161, was very pleased with it, and have since used it for a few more mixing sessions. Then, at the 2024 NYC AES show, I bumped into Matt and Tim from RTM, and they gave me a few of their C60 and C90 Type One cassette...

Gear Reviews

D-1 Multi-Path DAC

by D-1 Multi-Path DAC | reviewed by Larry Crane

In April 2023, John La Grou, founder/owner of Millennia Media, dropped me a line about a new audio technology venture he was working on, with the caveat that I could not tell anyone what he was up to. Later that year, he asked if I was interested in becoming a beta tester for his new HDR-A...

Gear Reviews

FabFilter: Pro-Q 4 Plug-In

by Pro-Q 4 Plug-In | reviewed by Dave Hidek

Since its release in 2018, FabFilter’s Pro-Q 3 [Tape Op #132] has become one of the most used, if not the most used, EQ plug-ins for professionals and enthusiasts alike. Seven years later, Pro-Q 4 offers several new features and updates, giving FabFilter fans everywhere a reason to celebrate. From...

Gear Reviews

FK Comp 500 Series Limiter & Saturator

by FK Comp 500 Series Limiter & Saturator | reviewed by Drew Vandenberg

I’m a big fan of using audio equipment originally designed for radio and other broadcast purposes to work on recording music in the studio. This gear is typically of extremely high build quality and is easy to use since in a broadcast context any interruption can be a major problem that could cause...

Gear Reviews

FreqOut Natural Feedback Creator Pedal

by FreqOut Natural Feedback Creator Pedal | reviewed by Jonathan Saxon

Fun trivia: The Audio Engineering Society’s (AES) Pro Audio Reference Guide provides three definitions of the word feedback, one being “the longest word in the English language that uses all the letters 'A' through 'F.'” On a more practical point, the AES Guide also defines feedback as “the...

Gear Reviews

iLoud Micro Monitor Pro

by iLoud Micro Monitor Pro | reviewed by Adam Kagan

Good things come in small packages, and that’s especially true for the iLoud Micro Monitor Pro. IK Multimedia first made waves with their iLoud Micro Monitors, which combined a compact form factor with professional-grade sound. Building on that success, they introduced the iLoud MTM monitors [Tape...

Gear Reviews

Knife Drop Fuzz/Synth Stompbox

by Knife Drop Fuzz/Synth Stompbox | reviewed by Larry Crane

Jack White [Tape Op #82] likes a certain guitar tone, right? A fuzz with a low octave and maybe some high octave piercing tone. Union Tube & Transistor hooked me up with their collab Third Man Bumble Buzz guitar pedal years ago, and I love the fact that it has no knobs and a perfect Jack White...

Gear Reviews

MBSI Channel Strip Plug-In

by MBSI Channel Strip Plug-In | reviewed by Kirt Shearer

I’ve always been fascinated with the history of recording studios, the evolution of analog gear, and MCI equipment. There was one particular MCI console that almost seemed mythical: The so-called “Hotel California” console at Criteria Recording Studios in Florida. Criteria’s MCI really can’t be...

Gear Reviews

Model 2400 Analog Console, Mixer, & Interface

by Model 2400 Analog Console, Mixer, & Interface | reviewed by Tim Pratt

In writing this review, I realized it's been over 30 years since I was introduced to my first TASCAM product: The Porta One Ministudio. That little 4-track cassette recorder planted the seeds for countless multitrack creations. It wasn't long after exploring and outgrowing the capabilities of my...

Gear Reviews

Needles and Plastic (book)

by Needles and Plastic (book) | reviewed by Larry Crane

Here are books I enjoyed reading that cover two important underground music scenes that may have escaped some folks’ notice. Needles and Plastic, subtitled Flying Nun Records, 1981-1988, is an exhaustive tome by Matthew Goody. It discusses every record released by the New Zealand label Flying Nun...

Gear Reviews

Nuvo N28 Stereo Ribbon Mic

by Nuvo N28 Stereo Ribbon Mic | reviewed by Matt Anderson

When AEA released their first stereo mic, the R88 [Tape Op #96], in the early 2000s it was quite a statement. Other companies, such as Royer Labs, were fairly new to the scene, and ribbon mics seemed to be making a comeback out of nowhere. I remember looking at the R88’s size and design and being...

Gear Reviews

Probe Diagnostic Listening Tool

by Probe Diagnostic Listening Tool | reviewed by Bruce Harvie

A few years ago, I had a water leak somewhere on a 600-foot-long pipe. There was no wet ground to give the leak away, and I even tried water witching/dowsing to locate it! No dice. Enter the AudioTech Probe, whose motto is: "You can hear what you've been missing." Described as a "Diagnostic...

Gear Reviews

PSP Wobbler Modulation Plug-In

by PSP Wobbler Modulation Plug-In | reviewed by Larry Crane

For decades, I've wondered how the effect on the female backing vocals of Pink Floyd's "Time" from The Dark Side of the Moon was created. I hear a Leslie speaker vibrato or Doppler effect, but it's more focused and clearer in the high frequencies than that kind of re-amping ever gets. It seems to...

Gear Reviews

PUNISHR 500 Series Saturator

by PUNISHR 500 Series Saturator | reviewed by Brian Tarquin

Malcolm Toft [Tape Op #26, #165] began his career as a recording engineer at the legendary Trident Studios in London in 1968, then went on to found Trident Audio Developments, creating the initial Trident A Range consoles and many others to follow. After leaving Trident in 1988, Malcolm founded...

Gear Reviews

PX2 Transformer Interface

by PX2 Transformer Interface | reviewed by Stefan Konstantopoulos

After decades of manufacturing measurement tools and consumer electronics in England, Pye Audio merged with Phillips in 1960, forming Pye TVT Limited. Their studio technologies impacted an era of seminal records from the late ‘60s through the mid-‘70s. Then, the brand was curiously dissolved in...