I’m a big fan of distortion plug-ins – these days, who isn’t? If you are, you’ve got to check out THERMAL, from Output. There’s so much to this plug-in that I’ve...
If you find yourself chasing modern low end, you’ll eventually end up playing with a subharmonic synthesizer. There are plenty of options, ranging from outboard gear like the dbx 120A...
We’re huge fans of Eventide over here at High Bias Recordings. Eventide units have been an integral part of the sonic fabric here both on the front end with the Rose [Tape Op #133], Blackhole...
"Why did the producer cross the road? Because that's how The Beatles did it!" I forget who first told me that joke, but if you can relate to it the way I do, you're going to want to check out the new...
The most remarkable thing about McDSP's APB-16 is just how simple it is to use. One of their ads says, "The Future is Here," and they're not wrong! It really feels like Colin McDowell and his team has...
Steinberg is on an impressive roll with sexy hardware interfaces, collaborating with Yamaha and Rupert Neve to deliver products that lean into the strengths of all three. The AXR4 is clearly meant to...
Apogee and Sennheiser teamed up to make a smart in-ear headset/microphone combo. As a proud owner, I was eager to find out of this magical hybrid beast lived up to its potential. First, what is it?...
My studio in San Francisco is built around an Avid control surface instead of an analog console. Because of that, I rely exclusively on outboard to get sounds before I leave the "infinite sample rate"...
With the Scheps Omni Channel, Waves has delivered a next generation channel strip that plays to its unique strengths in the best way possible. Over the last few years I've really embraced channel...
The Booty Shakers and The Little Booty Shakers make up a family of incredibly simple drum isolation mounts. They have been well designed by two guys in San Diego who refused to settle with drum tones....
If you read my previous review of the Cloudlifter Z Mic Activator [Tape Op #115], then you know I'm a big fan of the Cloudlifter series. The Cloudlifter Zi builds on the success of the CL-Z,...
Audio-Technica has knocked it out of the park with this hypercardioid dynamic instrument mic. This is definitely my new go-to mic for toms and even kick drum. I tried out a three-pack of the ATM230 on...
The original Cloud Microphones CL-1 Mic Activator [Tape Op #85] has been an indispensable tool for me ever since I first discovered it (ironically enough, through a Tape Op review). The Cloudlifter...
