I prefer not to use the phrase “sound design” in my music production, as it feels more like a term our colleagues in post-production use. But what I do like are plug-ins that can take a sound and completely morph it into something else. This native plug-in, FutzVerb, is based on McDSP's...
Los Angeles-based engineer Bob Wayne recently released Reel to Real Tales: Notes from Both Sides of the Recording Console to share his career experiences as an audio engineer, studio owner, and musician. This self-published book even comes with a cool custom Reel to Real bookmark...
As part of their new line of very affordable C Series microphones – aimed at both first-time buyers and seasoned engineers who want solid utility mics in the studio – AKG has released the C151. It is a small diaphragm condenser (SDC) microphone that is perfect for all sorts of applications. The...
I'm gonna say right off the bat that I'm not a pedal/stompbox collector, but I'm totally digging this Vongon delay. First off, it's beautifully built and cased in a solid walnut enclosure that looks more like a nice piece of furniture than a pedal, plus the knobs and sliders...
The folks at Soyuz have been making noise for the last decade or so and releasing top-quality and extremely functional gear, presenting audio in a way that is both familiar and, dare I say, formally unique. I’ve been a fervent supporter since we crossed paths in the Before Times, and the brand...
My studio space sounds pretty good. I have worked toward a balanced listening experience by utilizing space-specific sound treatments such as absorption and diffusion, keeping my monitors decoupled from my desk and their stands, and following all the usual recommendations for treating a room for...
At 750 pages, 30 chapters, and a whopping ten pounds, this hardcover book is literally one of the biggest I’ve ever read. Subtitled The Complete Muscle Shoals Story 1951–1985, Land of a Thousand Sessions covers the studio scene and all the sessions around the Muscle Shoals/Quad Cities region of...
I generally steer clear of microphones specifically marketed for vocals. Past experiences have taught me that vocal mics are typically not “my thing,” as many in this category tend to be fairly bright and aggressive in the high end. There are obviously exceptions, but I personally prefer a...
Mesanovic Microphones is a somewhat newer company from Detroit, eponymously named for its founder, Deni Mesanovic, who built and designed his first ribbon mic for his senior thesis in college. In the decade since, the company has also added to its line of microphones two models of 3-way active...
Growing up, Tom Petty was always part of my life’s soundtrack. Into adulthood (especially when the Wildflowers LP came out), I began to appreciate his music more; the deceptively simple arrangements, awesome harmonies, and catchy hooks. Many of those catchy hooks were courtesy of Tom’s longtime...
Raise your hand if you've spent a considerable amount of time memorizing, or at least creating, your own personalized cheat sheet that catalogs the vast number of keyboard shortcuts for your DAW software of choice. I've had to do it twice: First when learning Steinberg’s Cubase [Tape...
When Placid Audio released their debut Copperphone [Tape Op#42] in 2003, it seemed destined to become a future classic. I have since seen them on concert stages and in studios, and in front of Jack White [#82], Norah Jones, and other notable artists. The success of the original Copperphone enabled...
Many words have been written over the years in Tape Op about the pros and cons of analog and digital recording. Based on the VU meter pictograph on the cover of Analog by Robert Hassan, you might think you would find more discussion on that topic, but you would be wrong. Though there is some...
Like Teaching Machines’ first product release, the Wellspring spring reverb [Tape Op#155], their new beast of a product is also jam-packed with features and functionality. FuzzBillion is a fuzz pedal, but that may be the understatement of the year. Though initially it may have been intended to be...
Although I monitor on loudspeakers for mixing, I do spend a significant amount of time doing detail work on headphones, and Audeze’s LCD-Xs [Tape Op#119] have been my first choice for several years now. They provide a fantastic amount of detail, are comfortable, and have been operating without...
I recently had to fly across the country for a recording session, and this time I needed to bring a bass. Normally, I would just use whatever was on hand in the studio, but circumstances demanded otherwise. Excitement for the trip was quickly followed by dread; how was I going to get my bass to a...
With the glut of studio monitors available today, it can be easy to forget that JBL was among just a handful of top-notch choices available in the not-too-distant past. I reviewed the JBL Professional 705P monitors [Tape Op#163] and was blown away by just how fantastic these compact units...
BIG stands for "Binaural Image Generator," and that's what it does. Via a 5 to 30 ms left/right split dual Haas Delay Spread and a 5 to 25 cent dual micro-pitch shifter Detune, it adds a "width" to tracks. Overall, BIG brings a certain ambience that is fairly addictive and...