Gear Reviews

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...

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...

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....

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...

The Bitwig Connect 4/12 is a versatile desktop audio USB-C interface that provides four inputs and twelve outputs, along with CV (control voltage) I/O and MIDI capabilities. It also sports some cool monitor and DAW control features, not to mention a special Bitwig Mode that sets it apart when used...

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 was delightfully surprised when I happened upon the new 1029Stereo 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...

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 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...

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...

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...

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...

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...

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...

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...

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,...

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...

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 Toft...

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...