Gear Reviews

If a microphone helps me learn about how other mics in my collection sound, then it is worth spending time with it for this reasons alone. The KEL Audio HM-2d not only accomplishes this feat, but does so at an incredibly reasonable price. It's well understood that condensers generally have...

This book is as much of a page-turner as you're likely to find in the field of books about audio. It's very well written and the writers are very passionate about their subject matter. While technical issues are discussed here and there, this book is about the people, not the machines...

I had a Manley Massive Passive. But the tracking guys "borrowed it" for a session. That was over a year ago. I don't think I am getting it back. So, I was excited when I heard Manley released the Mini Massive. Offered under the Langevin brand, the Mini Massive is not simply a...

I'm afraid that this is an unwieldily long review, and even at its length, I'm only touching on a few of the countless points worth discussing if you are considering Nuendo or its near-identical sibling Cubase as your primary DAW platform. (Although I use Nuendo, most of what I say here...

The Arsenal line is the new range of gear from API that is more affordably-priced than the legacy API gear. I am always interested in new EQs, so I asked the folks at API to send me a pair of the V14s to check out. The V14 is modeled after the APSI 562 EQ, which was in the APSI console. The V14 is...

When I first heard about the U.420 compact mixers from Mackie, I immediately realized where they would be effective. I asked Mackie to send the U.420d version to my colleague Brandon Miller, who is a working DJ in the modern sense of the word, producing music at home and then presenting that music...

Algorithmix, in conjunction with Bob Katz, has released a software incarnation of Digital Domain K-Stereo, a patented process that can extract ambience and depth from existing recordings, allowing for post-mixdown adjustments. The hardware version was reviewed in Tape Op #45. Check out your back...

The SE2200A large-diaphragm condenser (Tape Op #48) is one of my favorite mics. At $300 street, it's easily one of the best deals in pro audio. Up until recently, I also had in my cabinet a matched pair of SE3 cardioid mics, which SE Electronics marketed as small-diaphragm condensers with...

EastWest has really made a name for itself in producing great sounds. Its Symphonic Orchestra libraries have set a high standard and are considered a must-have by an enormous number of composers around the globe. With Goliath, they've taken a stab at entering the world of the...

When Sony Oxford released the OXF-R3 in the 1990s, it was one of the most ambitious digital consoles ever. It featured programs so advanced that the company had to fabricate custom DSP chips to run the effects. Years later, Sonnox is making the original Sony Oxford effects (as well as some new...

As a radio station primarily interested in close-mic'ed, live-in-the-studio recording (and also a radio station on a budget), WMBR relies heavily on inexpensive, durable dynamic microphones. While the venerable Shure SM57/SM58 (and lately the Shure Beta 57A/58A) are the workhorses of our...

Prepare to be impressed with a single word-transimpedance. What the hell does that mean? I think it's best explained by Michael Grace; refer to "Behind the Gear" in Tape Op #61 (also available on Grace Design's website under reviews). After reading his explanation and using...

In my personal studio, I rely heavily on outboard preamps: Brent Averill-racked vintage Neve 1272; BA-racked vintage API 312 (in 500-series form), two with original AP2622 input transformers and six with Reichenbachs; three contemporary BAE 312A (Tape Op #45) with Jensen transformers and Avedis...

This could be the shortest review I've ever done. The Komit Treehouse is simple to use, sounds great, and is sensibly priced. If you must have the gory details, read on. The Komit stirred up a local buzz when Stuart Sullivan of Wire Recording in Austin wouldn't send the prototype back. He...

In a digital system, the word-clock signal is used to generate a common time reference amongst all system components. It not only regulates data flow so that everything works together synchronously, but more importantly, it controls the spacing between sample words during analog-to-digital and...