NUGEN Audio: SigMod Plug-In
reviewed by Andy Hong
My new favorite plug-in, SigMod, is a routing toolbox with various "modules"– Mono, Trim, Phase, DC Offset, Mute/Solo, Switch, Tap, Delay, Mid/Side, Crossover, and Protect– that you can...
Gear Reviews
Dynamics
Decibullz: Professional Music Filters Ear Plugs
reviewed by Larry Crane
Hearing protection is incredibly important for everyone, but when you make your living producing and mixing you get totally paranoid about it. I've been on an endless quest for comfortable,...
Union Tube & Transistor: LAB Optical Compressor Stompbox
reviewed by Larry Crane
I love stompboxes as much as the next studio rat, but if we reviewed all of them there'd be no room for the other swell recording gear we chat about in Tape Op. But when respected pedal builder Union...
Meris: Polymoon Super-Modulated Delay Pedal
reviewed by Pete Weiss
I had a blast reviewing Meris' Ottobit Jr. Bitcrusher and Mercury7 Reverb pedals [Tape Op #123]. The three-person company (steered by inventive folks formerly of Line 6 and Strymon) has been turning...
Antares: Auto-Tune Pro Plug-In
reviewed by Larry Crane
I didn't realize Auto-Tune was 20 years old this year, and I'm sort of in shock. I remember renting the ATR-1 hardware version from a local studio back then and trying to tune some poorly pitched...
Hairball Audio: FET/RACK Revision F DIY Kit Compressor
reviewed by Kevin Friedrichsen
I have always looked at cost versus performance with gear, and although I love the classics, I don't always love the price tag. I enjoy DIY projects for several reasons; gaining a better understanding...
Revive Audio: ART Pro VLA Modification
reviewed by John Baccigaluppi
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...
UnderTone Audio: UnFairchild 670M II Compressor
reviewed by Dana Gumbiner
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....
Chandler Limited: TG Opto 500 Series Compressor
reviewed by Geoff Stanfield
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...
Retro Instruments: Revolver Dual-Channel Compressor
reviewed by Larry Crane
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,...
Manley Laboratories: Nu Mu Stereo Limiter Compressor
reviewed by Adam Kagan
Manley makes audio gear in Chino, CA, for audio enthusiasts and audiophiles. In the same manner that drivers who love to drive (and have lots of money) drive Aston Martins, audio professionals who...
DMGAudio: Limitless Mastering Limiter Plug-In
reviewed by Garrett Haines
I'll admit that when I first tried Limitless, I found myself totally frustrated with its countless features and information-heavy graphics, when all I was trying to do was use it as a basic limiter....