Gear Reviews

As both a refurbisher and seller of pro tape machines, the name Mara is synonymous with tape. When I saw they were entering the iOS app world with their Mara tape calibration program, I was both excited and curious. To many of us, tape machine calibration comes across like some form of dark art,...

If you have a studio, you have a microwave – odds are the inside of which looks and smells like a truck stop toilet apocalypse (or a Hertz rental car return from Burning Man). Interns would rather quit or buy a new microwave rather than clean it. So, what's an engineer to do? There are...

Acme Audio has been hitting home runs for the last few years with their Motown D.I. [Tape Op #116] and Opticom XLA-series tube compressors [#86], so when the MTP-66 Motown tube preamp recently popped up on the market, a lot of eyebrows were raised – particularly those belonging to fans of late ‘60s...

Plug-in reverbs sure are handy at times, but most mix engineers will admit that the majority of these plug-ins are more convenient than actually good-sounding. I find myself using certain plug-in reverbs as quick placeholder effects until a later time when I have access to a real plate, spring, or...

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" of the analog realm. Over the years I've come to really appreciate the economy of...

While reading Tape Op #128, I came upon Larry Crane's review of Qdea's Synchronize! Pro X backup software. About half way through I came upon the dreaded phrase "for Mac OS only." No worries! I'm a Windows user and I've been using Veeam Agent for Microsoft Windows for...

Along with failing solder joints and dust, overheating can be an equal opportunity menace to electronics. Previously, the solution for keeping the Mac mini, my UAD-2 Satellite [Tape Op #83], and a pair of external hard drives cool was to place them on a cheap USB laptop cooling pad. This proved to...

If you're not a crate digger, DJ, EDM track sampler, post production whiz, or music historian, you might not know what library music – also known as production or stock music – is, or why there would be a documentary about such a thing. But this rare breed of music – mostly being rediscovered...

Consoles are iconic – for decades they were the nucleus of every professional studio. The first time I stepped into a control room and saw one I knew, right away, that was where I wanted to sit, with the faders and meters jumping to life all around me. Now with the shift to more boutique (or...

Micparts is a DIY microphone mod/build company started by Matthew McGlynn, of the wonderful microphone resource website recordinghacks.com and Roswell Pro Audio. Matt started Micparts a few years ago to offer upgrades for "donor mics" (generally less expensive Chinese mics, like the MXL...

A few years back, I found myself on the prowl for a true analog drum machine. I had not owned a capable, dedicated drum machine since my E-MU Systems Drumulator went belly-up some time ago (or arguably since I sold my last Akai MPC 2000). And outside of the odd Ace Tone Rhythm Ace or Korg MiniPops,...

Can you teach an old dog new tricks? I have a medium aged dog, and he’s awful smart and seems eager to learn. In fact, I think because he’s always hungry, he’s hungry to learn new tricks. I don’t feel old but am a little shocked sometimes when I walk by a mirror! The truth is, if you want to stay...

I recently got a new iPad and my CME Xkey mobile USB MIDI keyboard [Tape Op #115] wouldn't work properly with it. It would function perfectly for a few minutes, but would then give me a, "This accessory is not supported by this iPad" message, forcing me to have to unplug it and plug...

A few months ago, I was lucky enough to travel to Copenhagen to record an LP for the awesome band Town Portal. It was easily the best audio experience of my life, and, as a bonus, our basic tracks sounded fantastic. When I sat down at home to mix, all I wanted to do was "big" things up a...

Arcade is a new cloud-based software instrument from Output that offers an ever-expanding subscription-based loop synthesizer, while also allowing you to use your own loops. The plug-in can be used with most DAWs (AU, VST, or AAX), and is compatible with Mac OS X 10.9 and up, or Windows 7 and up...

Digital processing has come a long way. Within the modern DAW there are a plethora of tools that replicate our favorite real world classic gear, yet many engineers still reach for actual analog equipment to achieve that special something. For me, when choosing an analog process over the convenience...

You all know the scenario. You're in the studio, the guitarist is getting sounds, and even though they may have a great tone, as a recording engineer all you hear is the obnoxious buzzing hum from their guitar, pedals, and amp. You pull all the unused pedals out of the chain, swapping wall...

I'm a big fan of the On Stage CM01 Video Camera / Digital Recorder Adapter, which allows me to use a mic stand as a camera "tripod" when I visit studios to do interviews, or to support a Zoom recorder for interviews or those oddball remote sessions. A 5/8-inch socket fits onto a...

The new Special Edition 2×6 I/O Module for Symphony I/O Mk II offers the highest quality AD/DA in the Symphony line. The module can be added to existing Symphony Mk II audio interfaces [Tape Op #118] or purchased pre-installed in a Mk II chassis. I won't rehash details on other Symphony...