Interviews
By Matt Frost
As I traipsed along the leafy streets of London's Primrose Hill, eye-spying an endless stream of high-end restaurants and million-pound houses, I began thinking I'd been given the wrong address. Could this really be the locale where the legendary Primal Scream boys had been hanging out for...
Interviews
Discovering a brand-new head-turning rock song rarely seems to happen these days. Fortunately in early 2012, NPR Music posted Zeus&a...
Interviews
Songwriter, multi-instrumentalist, engineer, producer, and solo artist Jonathan Wilson has worked as a session player with artists l...
Interviews
Ben Harris, along with Paul Harris and Steve Smith is one third of the UK-based group Dirty Vegas. I met Ben through his father in law, Tommy "Snuff" Garrett ( #73), and interviewed him at Snuff's home in Arizona. Dirty Vegas were about to release their "comeback" album, Electric Love, and Ben has kept busy since!
John Peluso has been quietly providing classic-styled mics to some of the biggest names in music for over ten years. Peluso's line of vacuum tube condenser, solid-state condenser, and ribbon microphones are hand assembled and tested, and surprisingly affordable.
Songwriter, multi-instrumentalist, session player, engineer, producer, and solo artist Jonathan Wilson has worked with artists like Erykah Badu, Elvis Costello, Jackson Browne, Robbie Robertson, Graham Nash, and David Crosby. Jonathan's Laurel Canyon jam sessions are legendary, but these days you'll find him working at his Five Star Studios in Echo Park. Wilson's recent production credits include albums by Father John Misty, Dawes, Bonnie "Prince" Billy, and a new album by Roy Harper.
As the head of the Playing For Change, Mark Johnson travels the world with a small crew, a high-end mobile recording rig, and video cameras, to capture buskers and other undiscovered musicians — perhaps a drummer deep in the Congo, a guitarist on a New Orleans street corner, or a choir in South America. But this isn't just an anthropological expedition — after a little coaching, Johnson has them all play the same song, along with the same metronome and/or backing track, stacking overdubs to create a "virtual collaboration" between musicians who otherwise would likely have never met. The resulting videos and albums have turned his project into a viral sensation. The humanitarian spirit of peace and unity at the root of all this makes the goals lofty and the logistics difficult; yet, somehow, Johnson cuts no corners, even in the wildest destinations.
In his best-selling book Predictably Irrational, MIT professor Dan Ariely describes an experiment he conducted with college students and beer. (Be patient, this has everything to do with microphones.) He offered two free samples of beer to his students. The same beer was used in both samples, but...
Here are three more super-affordable accessories from Monoprice's Pro Audio Series. The 602700 universal mic clip looks very much like any other "butterfly" clip that folds open to hold mics of various diameters. What makes this one unique is that it has significantly more clamping force than any...
The Music Mount is by far the best mount I've ever seen for the iPad - and I've purchased several over the past couple of years. Model 603410 is for the iPad 2, 3, and 4, while Model 603400 is for the original iPad. As far as I can tell, the only difference between the two models is the set of...
While recording and mixing Boston band The Monsieurs (featuring members of Tunnel of Love, Shepherdess, and Fuzzy), I was serendipitously contacted by GAS owner George Balogi, Jr, who offered me a loaner of his A-10 four-channel attenuator. The premise of this device is simple; it's a line- level...
When Stephen Bright told me he wanted me to review a new microphone, I was excited. He's a pro audio dealer who always comes up with new, high-quality gear for me to try. But when I asked him what kind of mic it was, he told me it was a mod of the Shure SM57 and SM58. I wasn't so excited once I...
A reliable measurement mic is something every engineer should have. However, high-end, certified models can be expensive. But can't you just buy a cheap measurement mic off the shelf from the likes of Behringer and Dayton Audio? Sure, but a little research reveals that even "measurement- grade"...
Antelope Audio's founder, Igor Levin, came on the scene in the early 1990s as lead designer of Aardvark, before most commercial studios even owned a DAW. By the mid-'90s, the AardSync was the de facto clock for the DAWs in major studios - even when the highest-end converters were in use. Over the...
It's no secret that I love this Mäag stuff. I own a dozen ribbon mics and use the Mäag PREQ4 preamp on them all the time. And the EQ4 [Tape Op #88] is my go-to for mono drum sounds and mix-bus EQ for two reasons: Mäag's trademarked, high-end boosting Air Band; and the 40 Hz Sub low-end boosting...
The first outboard mic preamp I ever shelled out for was the PreSonus MP20 [Tape Op #35], back toward the close of the previous century. I only sold it last year to help finance a cross-country move, and I honestly kinda regret selling it. For its price, it really couldn't be beat. It had solid...
Wade Goeke of Chandler Limited has built his business on the solid foundations of vintage audio circuits with modern enhancements in both manufacturing and audio character. Chandler mic preamps and compressors have become standard fare for rock and pop recording, and their guitar pedals are quickly...
This drum mic set has been serving me well for about a year now. It consists of four PL35 supercardioid snare/tom mics; four DRC-1 drum rim clamps; one supercardioid PL33 kick drum mic; one SAPL-2 mic clip; and a semi-rigid, foam-compartmented briefcase covered in heavy-duty nylon. Each PL35 has a...
Miktek is an American mic company that has quickly gained traction in both professional and project studios. Recently, Miktek attacked the live sound stage with an array of microphones for vocals, drums and amplifiers. The PM9 represents Miktek's entry-level series of dynamic vocal mics. As we all...
This is a fantastic-sounding EQ. It's not a surgical tool, and given the density of knobs on the front of its real-estate- limited 500-series faceplate, setting the controls is not a precise affair. This is a processor that you use your ears to tweak. And when you do, you're rewarded with...
If you have a pulse and have been making records during the last few decades, then you are aware that Wes Dooley and Audio Engineering Associates have been making the finest ribbon mics available. I bought two R84 mics [Tape Op #38] when I opened my joint, based on reputation alone, despite my...
With the compact and affordable little brother to the Spark, their "creative drum machine," Arturia seem to be continuing the practice they began with their Keylab synthesizers - bundling hardware and software in one seamless and well- designed "hybrid" package. The SparkLE is a surprisingly...
I have learned the hard way that the most important factor in achieving a good drum recording, next to the drummer, is proper tuning. Unless you're going for a garbage kit sound (which is a valid goal), poor tuning negates the mic choice, and even the quality of the drum itself. If you are in the...