Tape Op Magazine - Issue #89

Interviews

Ann Mincieli

By Randy Harris and Larry Crane

It just seemed like too interesting of an interview to pass up. A new, luxurious studio in Manhattan? An engineer/producer who made her name working with the talented Alicia Keys? I had to meet Ann Mincieli and figure out her game plan, decode her history and see her Jungle City Studios for myself....

Interviews

Todd Perlmutter (bonus): Blue Man Group, LES Records

By Larry Crane

So many of the people we talk to have had a similar story to tell. You know, they were in a band, built a studio, started recording local artists and made a few records people noticed. The story of Todd Perlmutter might start out in a similar way, drumming in bands in Boston, but somehow he ended...

Interviews

Andrew Schneider: Unsane, Cave In, Scissorfight

By Scott Evans

I didn't expect Andrew Schneider's Brooklyn studio to be on a tree-lined residential corner: Unsane records happen here and nobody calls the cops? But, as it turns out, it's entirely possible to have a studio on a block filled with brownstones and restaurants. Apparently floated...

Interviews

Todd Perlmutter: Blue Man Group, LES Records

By Larry Crane

So many of people we talk to have a similar story to tell: they were in a band, built a...

Interviews

Norman Elder

By Norman Elder

In August of 1969 I got the job offer of a lifetime, one that led to the greatest year of...

Interviews

Kevin Ratterman: Louisville's Loudest Funeral Home

By Nick Thieneman, Jason Noble

Kevin Ratterman is a musician and engineer living in Louisville, Kentucky. He plays drums...

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FEBRUARY 25, 2026 INTERVIEWS

Andrew Schneider (bonus): Unsane, Cave In, Scissorfight

BY SCOTT EVANS

I didn't expect Andrew Schneider's Brooklyn studio to be on a tree-lined residential corner: Unsane records happen here and nobody calls the cops??? But, as it turns out, it's entirely possible to have a studio on a block filled with brownstones and restaurants. Apparently floated floors, friendly neighbors, and New York City's built-in 24-hour white noise generator all help. Andrew got his start in the mid-'90s, playing bass and screaming for Boston noise rockers Slughog. Now based in Park Slope, he spends most of his time making fantastic-sounding loud rock records for bands like Unsane, Keelhaul, Made Out Of Babies, and Cave In. He also plays bass in Brooklyn's PIGS, works as a freelancer for Blue Man Productions (see our interview with Todd Perlmutter) and has a new online label, Coextinction, co-founded with Chris Spencer and Dave Curran (Unsane) and James Paradise (Players Club). Coextinction Recordings has released an EP every month for the past year, each tracked and mixed by Andrew in quick, John Peel Session-inspired, bursts. Andrew and I talked for a few hours in his Translator Audio control room while his dog and honorary co-producer, Brady, napped in the live room.

FEBRUARY 25, 2026 INTERVIEWS

An Introduction to Squarepusher

BY VIJITH ASSAR

Tape Op issue #89 features a rare interview with Tom Jenkinson, a man known to the world as Squarepusher. Below is an "introduction" of sorts for someone that might be new to the music this man has created over the last 15 years. I've been lobbying for years for the enigmatic British IDM genius to grant Tape Op an interview as a rare lens into his bafflingly technical creative process, and it finally happened when he decided to swing through New York in March for his first U.S. show in at least as long as I've been watching his career. This was an extremely intimidating undertaking, as Tom Jenkinson composes his tracks from deep below the surface of his DAW, diving deep into fundamental DSP via audio programming platforms like Reaktor in order to build his own tools before he gets to use them. One has to assume that he doesn't actually get to discuss this stuff with other people too often, but because his approach is so carefully considered philosophically, he nonetheless made for a fascinating interview, even for folks who don't instinctively know how to make an LFO do anything useful. This guy is a magician, but for some reason only a legend in very specific circles. So, for the rest of you: we are really excited about this, and in the hopes that you'll jump on board with our enthusiasm, here's a quick introduction to help you prep yourself.

FEBRUARY 25, 2026 INTERVIEWS

Squarepusher: is Tom Jenkinson

BY VIJITH ASSAR

I suppose music technology is just like any other niche in that as you disappear deeper down the rabbit hole, it gets harder to find the other rabbits. Tom Jenkinson would probably qualify as an actual mole by this point were you to fully consider his 15-year reign as the premier virtuoso figure in glitchy drum and bass. But his albums as Squarepusher have also reached into other territory — most famously Music is Rotted One Note, on which he played every instrument himself; a one-man band without any sequencers hosting a jazz-fusion cafeteria food fight. Starting with 2008's Numbers Lucent EP and its follow up, Just A Souvenir, he moved into a friendlier version of digital music. But 2009's Solo Electric Bass is exactly what it implies — and the guy's got some serious chops. All this constant reconfiguration points to a generally restless and adventurous nature, but what's especially impressive is just how deep his reach extends when it's finally time to change course. He writes his own software for MIDI and audio processing for most of his digitally-minded projects using the deepest nether regions of audio creation platforms, like Native Instruments' Reaktor Core Technology. It's quite astonishing to think that Jenkinson can create music in this fashion at all, let alone come up with something that's truly beautiful.

FEBRUARY 25, 2026 INTERVIEWS

Trevor Horn: Art of Noise, ABC, Yes, Frankie...

BY JOHN BACCIGALUPPI, LARRY CRANE

1. Commander of the Most Excellent Order of the British Empire: really. 2. Record Producer: known for albums and hits by ABC, Seal, Frankie Goes to Hollywood, Yes, Dollar, Belle and Sebastian and Grace Jones. 3. Musician, songwriter and singer: as heard in The Buggles, Yes and Art of Noise. 4. Record label owner: ZTT Records. 5. Studio owner: SARM Studios in London. Trevor is all of these, and more. We sat down with him in his offices at the soon-to-disappear SARM Studios one afternoon. One thing I can tell you is that the man who crafted some of the wildest-sounding pop hits of the '80s was a delight to meet and chat with.

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Gear Reviews

Duet 2 USB audio interface

BY Duet 2 USB audio interface | reviewed by Alex McKenzie

Building on the success of the original Duet, while taking into consideration customer feedback, Apogee has set a new standard in A/D conversion for home and project studio with the Duet 2. Simply put, after several years of working at home with an original Mbox, opening my first session with the...

Gear Reviews

Fast Track C400

BY Fast Track C400 | reviewed by John Baccigaluppi

I'm often asked by clients and artists I work with, what good, inexpensive recording interface I recommend. I used to recommend the Mbox, but the USB C400 is my new choice. I was looking for something that Julie Ann Bee from Sea of Bees could use for doing demos that would make it easier to move...

Gear Reviews

Germ 500 MKII Pre Amp (500-series)

BY Germ 500 MKII Pre Amp (500-series) | reviewed by Adam Kagan

Chandler has created a strong following in the niche market of vintage-inspired preamps, compressors, and tone-shaping tools. Wade Goeke has derived modern tools from the original components and circuitry of early Neve, EMI, Telefunken, and Fairchild units. Chandler employs Class A, high-voltage,...

Gear Reviews

GuitarJack 2 iOS interface

BY GuitarJack 2 iOS interface | reviewed by Pete Weiss

The number of audio and music-related iOS apps has exploded lately and so has the need for ways to get sound in and out of the iPhone, iPad, and iPod Touch. There are a good number of such interfaces available now, yet common problems with these include noise, RF interference, and plain old cruddy...

Gear Reviews

Harrison 500-series 32EQ

BY Harrison 500-series 32EQ | reviewed by John Baccigaluppi

These are four-band sweepable-frequency EQs with 12 dB per octave high and low-pass filters. I've been using these EQs for over six months now and have had a hard time finding the right slant to write a review of them. Here's the most simple, succinct thing I can relate about using them: They're...

Gear Reviews

Megalith Fuzz Pedal

BY Megalith Fuzz Pedal | reviewed by Al Lawson

When I first heard about this pedal, I was told that it was used all over the recent OM and Shrinebuilder albums, and it was claimed to be the heaviest sounding fuzz pedal ever. I was interested to say the least. A grey metal enclosure with a hint of silver sparkle doesn't immediately bring to mind...

Gear Reviews

Ozone 5 Advanced

BY Ozone 5 Advanced

Ozone 5 Advanced is the latest version of iZotope's software mastering suite, comprised of six programs: Dynamics, Equalizer, Exciter, Imager, Maximizer, and Reverb. Any single title offers enough functionality to warrant an individual review. But given my space limitations, the amount of...

Gear Reviews

Portico II Master Buss Processor

BY Portico II Master Buss Processor | reviewed by Adam Kagan

Rupert Neve Designs recently debuted the Master Buss Processor, adding to their Portico II range of processors that share the all-new, discrete, high-voltage, Class A circuitry that was developed for RND's 5088 mixer (Tape Op #73). The Master Buss Processor (MBP) was conceived as a stereo mastering...

Gear Reviews

PowerPre 500-series preamp

BY PowerPre 500-series preamp | reviewed by Andy Hong

If you have any open slots in your 500-series rack, the PowerPre should be on your shortlist of preamps to consider. Like other products from Radial Engineering, the build-quality is top- notch, and the design is all about no-nonsense functionality. Soundwise, it doesn't try to emulate the...

Gear Reviews

Pro Tools 10

BY Pro Tools 10 | reviewed by Eli Crews, Andy Hong

A little over a year ago, I asked three other writers to contribute to a four-opinion review of Pro Tools 9 (Tape Op #81), which in my mind, was the most significant upgrade to the venerable DAW in its history, especially with its first- ever "open" support of third-party Core Audio and ASIO audio...

Gear Reviews

Roger Schult W2377 Six-Pack EQ

BY Roger Schult W2377 Six-Pack EQ | reviewed by Marc Alan Goodman

Roger Schult had a very interesting idea. His mastering equalizer, the UF1, which he calls an Aural Editing System for Mastering Environment, has been getting rave reviews from the few people lucky enough to get their hands on one. However, at a price point of €10,399 EUR, it's a little tough for...

Gear Reviews

SRH1840 headphones

BY SRH1840 headphones | reviewed by Andy Hong

Let me preface my statements here with a general note that everyone's heads, ears, and ear canals are shaped differently; therefore, everyone will hear a set of headphones differently. With that said, the best headphones that I myself have ever used (or earnestly auditioned) are the open-back Shure...

Gear Reviews

Supersonic Fuzz Gun, Octave Clang, Interstellar Overdriver Deluxe pedals

BY Supersonic Fuzz Gun, Octave Clang, Interstellar Overdriver Deluxe pedals | reviewed by Alex Maiolo

To Oliver Ackermann, "Death by Audio" means a lot more than meeting one's demise by sonic annihilation, though that does indeed seem to be part of the deal, judging by the sounds his pedals emit. Ackermann, who is known for the Williamsburg Brooklyn performance space that shares the same name as...

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by Larry Crane

by Andy Hong

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