Gear Reviews

The revised Universal Audio Apollo series of interfaces are selling so well that we had a hard time getting a review unit. We were impressed with the price and performance of the original Apollo interfaces [Tape Op #95, #99, #101] and wanted to see more. Two issues ago, Dana Gumbiner covered the...

I remember the first time I saw a Harrison 3232 console when I was a young engineer visiting Southern California. At that point, I didn't have much experience on a large-format analog console. That was in the days before non- linear recording, so a lot was required of a console in terms of...

Standard Audio caught my attention around six years ago when I reviewed the amazing Level-Or [Tape Op #78]. With the Stretch, Standard again took the DNA of some hard-to- come-by vintage gear and built an extremely useful new processing unit out of it. This time, the inspiration was more of a class...

When it comes to mastering, people often ask, "What goes on?" While many have a general idea, there is still a lot of mystery surrounding the process. While I heartily recommend Bob Katz's Mastering Audio: The Art and Science [Tape Op #64], I feel that book better serves a more...

It's almost annoying. This is the second UnderToneAudio product I've had my hands (and ears) on, and the second to become immediately indispensable to my recording setup. However, to be honest, I didn't think I'd ever find myself in a position of wanting/needing/relying upon one...

I recently moved to a new location to have a dedicated mix space. I came across a spot that was so beautifully Seattle in its setting that I wanted to — no, had to — make it work. The room is out over the water on a dock, with boats coming and going, and views of the bridge and surrounding city...

MBHO might not be a household name, but you've probably used their gear. Based in Germany, the company has had a hand in products for broadcast and studio for decades. Audio engineers will recognize MBHO's contributions to well-known gear from Telefunken, Audix, and Brauner. MBHO was...

A year ago, I stumbled across a Kickstarter campaign to build a robotic mic mount. I'd always wanted something like this, where I could remotely move a mic from the control room while actively listening to the changes in placement for the optimal tone. As there was an investor's 33%...

DrumClips came to me by way of a professional session drummer I'd worked with recently. During our session together, I walked into the live room with a roll of gaffer's tape — an all too familiar scene apparently. The drummer smiled knowingly and whipped out some strange, but ingenious...

The RNDI is an active, transformer-equipped, direct interface. It not only provides the best-sounding DI signal I've ever heard, but it can also handle line-level signals, as well as the speaker-level output of guitar amps (more on this later). I was most interested in the RNDI as a direct...

When F. Reid Shippen reviewed the 500-series Mäag EQ4 [Tape Op #88], he gave the six-band EQ high marks while pondering, "I also have to wonder if the EQ4 might not be a really cool mastering tool." Well, the guys at Mäag Audio have delivered, and here is a rackmount, stereo version of...

I was first introduced to Crimson Audio Transformers through their useful Mogaine ribbon mic pre-preamp [Tape Op #110]. I later tried one of their modded SM57 mics while I was working back at Treelady Studios in Pittsburgh a few months ago and was really floored with the guitar sound it produced....

Everything I wrote about the sound of the original ATH-M50 headphone model [Tape Op #63] still rings true for its replacement, the Audio-Technica ATH-M50x Professional Monitor closed-back headphone. Like its predecessor, the newer model has wonderful clarity. In the highs, there's a slight...

Some gear in my studio falls more under the category of "problem solver" and less in the "glamorous" camp. The N-8 is a 1RU-height, rackmount, eight-channel version of the stereo Phoenix Audio Nice DI, and it is certainly a "solver." What was the problem? Every time...

Black Lion Audio, based in Chicago, started out as a "hot-rodding shop," modifying equipment by other manufacturers to improve the sound quality. After gaining traction in the upgrade business, the company slowly built up a catalog of its own designs, including digital master clocks, mic...

If there is one brand of ribbon mic you see in almost every well-stocked mic locker, it is Royer. Royer Labs introduced its first product, the R-121 passive ribbon mic [Tape Op #19], in 1998, and a year later, released the SF-12 stereo ribbon [#25]. In the years following, Royer grew its offering...

Scott, John, and I have all become quick fans of Sonnox's latest plug-in, Oxford Envolution, so all three of us decided to contribute to this review. Sonnox publishes Native (AAX, AU, and VST) and HDX (AAX DSP) versions of Envolution, and the plug-in is also available for purchase for...