Gefell: M930, UMT70S
reviewed by Andy Hong
Recently, I was asked to record a private concert featuring acclaimed cellist Yo-Yo Ma and pianist Paul Cantelon (who is also an accomplished violinist and composer). The concert took place in a New...
Gear Reviews
The means contribute to the end. Usually.
M-Audio: O2 Mobile USB MIDI Controller
reviewed by John Baccigaluppi
This inexpensive 25-key MIDI keyboard was a perfect solution to a small problem in my studio. Virtual instrument plug-ins are getting better and better these days, particularly some of the ones we've...
Native Instruments: B4D Drawbar Controller
reviewed by Rich Hardesty
The B4 has been one of my most regularly used and cherished VST plug-ins, so just for the sake of nostalgia, I took a look back in the archive of Tape Op reviews and saw that my original review of the...
Mackie: Onyx 800R 8-channel mic preamp
reviewed by Craig Schumacher
As most people know, Mackie has become a leading manufacturer of affordable audio products. The company is perhaps best known for its great line of simple but clean- sounding mixers. The company has...
Soundelux: e250, e49
reviewed by Craig Schumacher
David Bock is very serious about microphone making. In ten short years, he's built up a reputation as a builder of some of the best sounding mics you can buy. His primary focus has been on...
Focusrite: ISA 430 MkII Producer Pack
reviewed by Jeff Robbins
I have to admit to a certain amount of amazement when I first plugged in the ISA 430 MkII and heard what was coming through my speakers. There was that clarity and professional sound that I had been...
Geoff Daking: Mic-Pre IV
reviewed by Craig Schumacher
The name Geoff Daking has become synonymous with quality-built, great-sounding studio recording gear. He is well respected for his FET Compressor II, Mic-Pre/EQ, and custom consoles. He recently...
Thermionic Culture: The Culture Vulture
reviewed by Larry Crane
What is this box? I've had it for almost a year, and I'm still not sure how to answer that. For one, it's basically two channels of tube circuitry that can be run in normal or overdrive modes. The...
Earthworks: KickPadT
reviewed by John Baccigaluppi
One of the coolest things I saw at the AES show this past October is this little inline XLR barrel that's both a pad and EQ designed for kick drum mic'ing. For rock drums my go-to scenario is an AKG D...
Great River: EQ-2NV two-channel equalizer
reviewed by Larry Crane
First off, a story: I was tracking some songs in New Orleans this summer, and Dan Kennedy of Great River was cool enough to send me this new EQ to the studio I was at; plus, he sent one of his MP-2NV...
TASCAM: US-2400 USB controller
reviewed by David Huber
Finally, someone has introduced an affordable DAW controller that has enough faders and virtual input strips that it can handle a typical record/mixdown session and feel like a real mixing...
Groove Tubes: VIPRE Variable Impedance Preamp
reviewed by Joe Chiccarelli, Larry Crane
When Larry Crane emailed me about reviewing the Groove Tubes VIPRE, I was very excited. I had used this unit when it was first introduced several years ago but never had an ample amount of time to...