Interviews
Bob Blank built his own Blank Tape Studio in downtown New York City in the mid-‘70s out of spare parts and eventually grew the operation into a multiroom facility. Blank Tape recorded everything, from gold and platinum selling disco records to the Talking Heads, Television, The B-52s, and legendary outsiders such as James Chance, Lydia Lunch, and Arthur Russell.
Brooklyn is a fast-moving, noisy place. Hop on a bus at Washington Ave., and a million construction zones later you escape the chaos of Atlantic Ave. and slip into a quiet Bed-Stuy alleyway. As a band loads into a van, you’re greeted by a smiling Philip Weinrobe at his lovely new studio, Sugar Mountain. Here, no click tracks will be tolerated. Headphones will be scorned, and binaural re-amping will be heavily utilized. From his new home, as well as local studio Figure 8, Philip has been making visceral and intimate recordings with the likes of Adrianne Lenker (Big Thief), Tomberlin, and Theo Katzman (Vulfpeck). We spent some time sipping coffee at Sugar Mountain one morning as Philip blew my mind with his “playing quietly” concept.
Chances are, when you think of producer Terry Brown the first artist that comes to mind is Rush. But along the way he was also behind the board in swinging ‘60s London (The Who, Donovan), into the pop hits of the ‘80s (Cutting Crew), and up to current projects at his studio in Toronto. Terry’s work with Rush, from the tightly wound heaviness of Fly By Night up to the icy precision of Signals, formed an impeccable run of studio albums full of inventive recording techniques and vividly-captured performances. Regardless of the studio setting or gear available, for Terry it seems to be about the work: Get great sounds and make awesome records.
I was delightfully surprised when I happened upon the new 1029 Stereo VCA Compressor from AEA. Isn’t the company best known for its great collection of ribbon mics? AEA’s incredible mics are a 21st century studio standard. My partners and I have eight of their ribbons living in our mic closet right...
VCA compressors are generally fast. Almost any other observation about them would depend on which one you’re talking about. Some are fairly transparent while nonetheless adding excitement to sources. Others – I’m thinking primarily of the API 2500 bus compressor [Tape Op #52] and the dbx 160 – are...
Over the course of a few months, a friend of mine had been gently prodding me, asking me if I’d take an honest listen to some new high end studio monitors from Germany. I’m always hesitant to write loudspeaker reviews, especially for expensive gear. As the dollar amount goes up, so do my...
Automated Processes, Incorporated, popularly known as API, has a rich history spanning over half a century. Since their first consoles were installed in 1967, API has developed new technologies, established important pro audio standards, and contributed to the production of many great records....
I’m going to start this review describing an exemplary unboxing experience, which speaks to Audio-Technica’s all-encompassing attention to detail. All three models of the company’s R-Series open-back headphones are packaged in precisely-assembled cardboard boxes. The ATH-R30x and ATH-R50x models...
One afternoon at a TapeOpCon, I was debating equalizers with Rupert Neve [Tape Op #26, #87] when hotel staff endeavored to move four loads of folding tables in a single trip. Basically, a seven-foot Jenga on wheels. Upon taking the corner too fast, the whole thing went caddywompus faster than I...
When my band recorded our first album (Vomit Launch’s Not Even Pretty) in 1986, our producer, Greg Freeman [Tape Op #1], had a Yamaha SPX90 reverb unit. There were no other reverb processors in his studio at the time, and we loved reverb. If you listen, especially to the original vinyl release,...
I have been a big fan of Audeze headphones for years and have enjoyed auditioning and reviewing almost everything in their line. Their open-back LCD-X [Tape Op #119] and MM-500 headphones are used daily in my studio for mixing, and I recommend them to anyone looking for an accurate playback...
I must admit that when I first heard about Memorandum, I imagined it being either another impractically-complicated distraction or a source of amusement while awaiting mix approvals from remote clients. When I looked into it further, I appreciated its conceptual focus enough to explore its...
Mic stands are one of the parts of owning a studio that is not cool or fun. You need them, but they are often abused and constantly need repair. Cheap stands never last, and expensive stands are, well, expensive – and who wants to spend money on something that just gets abused? It's more exciting...
One of my favorite things about doing this work are the relationships we establish. I first met Charlene Gibbs, Sammy Rothman, and Nathan Bowers in 2014, while taking a tour of AEA microphones. I knew Wes Dooley [Tape Op #97] already, and had a great relationship with AEA, but after meeting these...
Pulsar Modular's P821 MDN Tape is a remarkable sounding approximation of the Stephens 821B tape machine. Let me be clear; this is not another they-got-the-rights-to-sell-a-tape-machine-so-they-did-a-pretty-GUI-on-top-of-a-cookbook-EQ-with-variable-delay-some-hiss-plus-distortion-plug-in. This...
A couple of years ago, I moved my studio, SoundShop370, from Manhattan to South Nashville. Since then, I’ve been refining my setup, making sure every piece of gear I use is intentional, functional, high-quality, and built for long-term reliability. Headphones have always played a role in my...
In the shadow of the iconic RCA 44 series ribbon mics produced in the ‘30s is the relatively esoteric RCA BK-5A [Tape Op #65]. It was designed as a directional ribbon mic for higher SPL sources on film sets but gradually found favor with music recording engineers. Some vintage BK-5As are still in...
My first experience with Soyuz products in 2021 was brief but memorable. I still recall the smooth, rich sound of the 017 FET condenser and its distinctive aesthetic heirloom-quality construction. When I heard about The Launcher Deluxe, I wondered if it could offer the classy vintage vibe and...
With its clean, streamlined all-brass construction, Ear Trumpet Labs' Wanda seems to be the first of their unique microphone line that has no plumbing or bike parts in sight. A 26 mm diaphragm phantom-powered condenser mic, Wanda measures under 4-inches long by 2-inches in diameter – with a...
