As noted in my review of their new 32Classic console [Tape Op#159], in the of classic records, Harrison Audio had just as formidable a studio presence as console standard-bearers like Neve, MCI, API, and SSL. By the mid-‘80s, Harrison Audio had pivoted almost entirely to film and live sound, but before...
Many studio monitors are based on what we call "2-way" configurations, featuring a woofer/driver (usually a cone speaker) and a tweeter handling the low and high frequencies, but a growing number of nearfield monitors use "3-way" setups, with a midrange driver handling frequencies...
We live in a time where ADC conversion is quite good. I remember when our studio was first getting into digital recording, the sonic differences between analog to digital/digital to analog converters were extremely noticeable. We did listening tests on various units and found huge differences – even...
Call me an AI pessimist, but my initial reaction was lukewarm when I considered trying out the Vocal Reverb plug-in from Antares Audio Technologies. Haven’t I already got enough reverbs? How is this new one going to win me over? Once I dove into it, I realized it was challenging me unexpectedly, and...
For drummers, while playing it’s sometimes a challenge to change between brushes, sticks, and mallets. Of course, studio magic allows us to do that with punch ins, but if you are tracking live with a band that’s usually not an option. Fortunately, now we have the Stick Station from Bopworks Drumsticks....
In 2002, during an internship at Electrical Audio in Chicago [Tape Op#87], I was introduced to Bowers & Wilkins hi-fi (consumer) bookshelf speakers being used as studio monitors. Working on them in Electrical’s Studio B was the first time my mixes translated well. I scored a secondhand pair for...
Earthworks Audio has always been known as a maker of extremely high-quality microphones, historically aimed at studio use. I have used their mics for years, including the kick drum mic included with their DK7 Drum Kit System. I love that mic. It can be clean and punchy when used in a traditional way...
The single-channel, three rack space Mercury 666 MKI is inspired by the Fairchild 666, a later cousin of the Fairchild 660/670 limiters. Unlike those units, the 666 was a hybrid solid-state and tube design. Mercury took that concept (and some characteristics of the original 666) to create something...
The first thing you see when encountering Alder Audio’s H44 online is their slogan: A Better Ribbon For Less. This statement may seem underwhelming against the backdrop of today's pro audio hype machine – touting plug-ins that turn you into Chris Lord-Alge or sample packs that contain Bernard Purdie's...
Ostensibly a drum mixing tool especially built for kick drums, Subloom is one of those plug-ins based on a mixer's workflow, specifically Jesse Ray Ernster [Tape Op#151], and combines several functions in a single "two-channel" GUI. When I look at my own plug-in chain for kick drum mixing,...
Last year, at least once a week, I heard someone mention Coil Audio. Even a few engineers I knew who never hype gear were straight-up saying, "These are the best preamps on the planet.” My curiosity got the best of me, and I offered to do an extensive video review on the CA-70S and CA-286 preamps...
If you took at face value the mythologizing of recording consoles as it stands today, you could be forgiven for thinking that Neve, API, and SSL made all the classic desks used for record production in the '60s, '70s, and '80s. But at the height of the analog recording era, it’s fair...
In Tape Op#107 I interviewed Denny Tedesco about The Wrecking Crew, the documentary film he had recently directed. I'd always wonder how Denny would follow up that fantastic doc, and now we have The Immediate Family, a film about the generation of players post Wrecking Crew – the ones that worked...
I’ve had an original one channel hardware Eventide Omnipressor for years, so it’s been exciting to try the new 50th Anniversary Reissue Omnipressor 2830 Au, which keeps the functionality – both conventional and unique – that makes this a special dynamics processor, while adding some interface improvements...
“What is this crazy thing?” is the heading of the second paragraph in Kludge Audio’s instruction manual for the one knob / two toggle switch 509 Rotating Limiter. Before slotting this single-channel unit into my 500 Series chassis, I was giddy at its perceived simplicity. I’m a big fan of gear that...
To list all the classic, quintessential rock 'n' roll recordings that have been tracked at Sound City Studios is beyond the scope of this review – but trust me, you’ve heard them: Nirvana's Nevermind, Fleetwood Mac's Fleetwood Mac, and multiple Tom Petty albums just to name a few....
I'm a stickler for using stereo mounts for setting up pairs of microphones or grouping two mics on an amp when recording, and I am usually completely unhappy with how all these stereo bars and mounts are designed. My favorite for years has been a simple one K&M made, with two adjustable arms...
The SA-3 is a massive evolution of McDSP’s SA-2 Dialogue Processor. Like its predecessor, it’s still a killer dialogue and vocal tamer, but it’s so much more than simply that. This is a full bandwidth dynamic resonance suppressor. It’s not exactly groundbreaking, as I’ve relied on similar tools such...
In what seems to be a growing trend, Freqtube FT-1 is a saturation plug-in for DAWs that uses an outboard analog processor in conjunction with software. This is my first experience with anything from the Freqport brand, and I hope this well-designed analog/digital hybrid is a sign of more to come. The...