Gear Reviews

Revive Audio is a small company based in Boise, Idaho, that makes boutique audio gear under the Vintage Audio name [MSL VCA Bus Compressor, Tape Op#102] and also modifies a wide range of moderately priced gear. I first learned about the Revive mods when I was looking at some high-end, and rather...

Oh, my. Boutique pro audio builders/mad scientists at UnderTone Audio sent us their recreation of the revered, classic variable mu compressor/limiter, the Fairchild 670, and it does not disappoint. The UnFairchild 670MII recreates the dual-channel 670, which was originally developed in the 1950s....

The Advanced Audio CM251 and CM67se are both large diaphragm tube condenser mics. They come with nine polar pattern power supplies, shock mounts, multi-pin XLR cables, foam windscreens, and a nice case to hold each mic system. On the case handle hardware there is a small label letting you know...

An optical compressor that has four knobs, one meter, one switch, and a single button shouldn't take too many words to review... TG Opto is the latest offering from Chandler Limited in the 500-series format. It's a mono unit, takes up two spaces in the rack, and has a fully discrete...

This January I was wandering around the NAMM Show, looking at all the fancy new recording gear on display in the new Anaheim Convention Center North Hall, when I ran into producer/engineer Darrell Thorp. Being the enthusiastic guy that he is, he dragged me along to the IsoAcoustics booth where we...

Set up as a straight DAC/headphone amp, RME's ADI-2 DAC sounds fantastic and is very much on the neutral and clear, perhaps "clinical" side of things. This tonality is exactly what a professional audio engineer needs in order to make educated sound-shaping decisions. Its built-in...

The CornerSorber is a membrane-based low-frequency (LF) absorber from Acoustic Geometry. Designed to work in conjunction with preexisting treatments, such as the LF membrane Curve Diffusors [Tape Op #88 and #122], each unit is comprised of two panel-wedges that resemble giant chocolate bars. The...

In my 15 years as a studio owner (Sharkbite Studios, Oakland, CA), there is nothing I've dreaded more than operating system and Pro Tools software upgrades. This has become even truer over time, as both macOS and Pro Tools have become mature platforms with newer software versions that...

Unless you're recording a singer on par with Michael Jackson in his prime, competently capturing doubled lead vocals will require acute attention to detail, an enormous amount of patience, and a lot of work. The act itself is boring, it's tough on the performer, and often equally grating...

I'll begin this review with a confession; in over two decades of mixing albums I've rarely mixed through a bus compressor. Why? The more I kept hearing that I "had to" in order to get good results, the more I balked at using one. I'd tried out the stereo compressors that I...

From the moment I started using Mojave's large diaphragm condenser MA-50 mic, it sounded great on everything. There are many budget mics in the $200 to $300 price range, but the MA-50 is certainly worth spending a little extra on. It's a great starter mic, or a smart upgrade, and will add...

France-based Focal is best known for pro and consumer audio speakers, but the company has, in recent years, moved into all aspects of the headphone market. Up for discussion here are the new Clear Professional open-back, full-sized headphones aimed at mastering and recording engineers. Focal's...

Subtitled, "Beginner's Archiving for Musicians", this wonderful little ‘zine-like pamphlet presents some easy to understand concepts to help musicians (as well as engineers and producers) "organize, describe, and back up" their music. Author Jessica Thompson (see her...

My colleague, Kevin Becka, is one of the founding studio recording teachers at The Blackbird Academy in Nashville, along with Tape Op contributor Mark Rubel. Kevin, being a teacher, saw a need for a concise book that provides an introduction to audio recording for his students. I wish this 77-page...