I’ve spent the last decade mastering records every day. That means long hours of listening, plenty of late nights, and more than a few mornings where the world felt half a dB dimmer than it should. I used to treat that feeling as part of the job. It isn’t. The job is listening – and...
","byline":"Alexander Wright","url":"/tutorials/171/listening-for-a-lifetime","contributors":[{"id":"13bfea3d-9cf7-446d-a1b0-8b71d9d8ab6d","name":"Alexander Wright","role":"author"}]},{"id":"faf9062f-ddcd-4489-8577-4c14aa154480","title":"Top 12 Vocal Recording Mistakes","subtitle":null,"issueNumber":170,"publicationDate":"2025-11-19T02:06:06.926Z","imageUrl":"https://images.tapeop.com/bd26eb76-bcaa-4f19-a241-e84d53b1462a?w=1200&f=webp&q=82&fit=inside","excerpt":"I get sent hundreds of tracks a year to mix, and in some of the songs people have shortchanged the vocal recordings in a variety of ways. I won't even mention a song's tempo and key choice, as those should be determined before one starts tracking a singer. Here's a list...
","byline":"Larry Crane","url":"/tutorials/170/top-12-vocal-recording-mistakes","contributors":[{"id":"b8ecd2ed-95dd-4258-aba3-6ecf753995ae","name":"Larry Crane","role":"author"}]},{"id":"3aacef28-efd4-4a2c-90e3-c1ce66cd02e5","title":"The New (and Preferred) Decibel","subtitle":null,"issueNumber":108,"publicationDate":"2015-08-17T19:02:00.000Z","imageUrl":"https://images.tapeop.com/6ccdcc62-ca3c-4e59-abab-5b22af1d7005?w=1200&f=webp&q=82&fit=inside","excerpt":"The dB decibel is ubiquitous in the field of audio technology, recording, broadcast, etc. However, a need for a better notation has arisen to avoid confusion on the dB usage for certain measurements. This article explains this new and preferred dB notation with selected examples.
A Brief...
","byline":"Ronald Ajemian","url":"/tutorials/108/new-and-preferred-decibel","contributors":[{"id":"f79ed148-b611-4b7f-830a-3050c3786e0a","name":"Ronald Ajemian","role":"author"}]},{"id":"8478eed7-ff78-48eb-b374-0cce98cc19d9","title":"Water in the Air","subtitle":"How Humidity Screws with Instruments in Your Studio","issueNumber":108,"publicationDate":"2015-08-15T17:59:00.000Z","imageUrl":"https://images.tapeop.com/8e79b038-3f6b-4c2d-aa66-7913676f76e7?w=1200&f=webp&q=82&fit=inside","excerpt":"From guitars to drums to cabinets, many of the instruments we record are made of wood. As an organic, porous substance, wood tries to equalize to the surrounding air in terms of temperature and humidity. Having a stable humidity level can help to avoid damage to expensive gear as well...
","byline":"Garrett Haines","url":"/tutorials/108/water-air","contributors":[{"id":"6632fe41-706e-4df1-b3ee-d99f57ee6ee1","name":"Garrett Haines","role":"author"}]},{"id":"40f81ba9-ebab-4c83-902c-ab75b5be7753","title":"All About Wall Warts","subtitle":null,"issueNumber":108,"publicationDate":"2015-08-14T17:06:00.000Z","imageUrl":"https://images.tapeop.com/842f87df-e9f7-43ed-ac7c-8c3665a9687f?w=1200&f=webp&q=82&fit=inside","excerpt":"I was reading a review in another recording magazine in which the writer opened up complaining about a device's external wall wart power supply. He went on and on about how irritating wall warts are and how he was miffed that anyone would even use them. My take was the reviewer was...
","byline":"Garrett Haines","url":"/tutorials/108/all-about-wall-warts","contributors":[{"id":"6632fe41-706e-4df1-b3ee-d99f57ee6ee1","name":"Garrett Haines","role":"author"}]},{"id":"ddf0ddc7-5046-4f94-98f8-90e20b3c6cd7","title":"Jamie Howarth bonus","subtitle":"Behind the Gear with Plangent Processes","issueNumber":94,"publicationDate":"2013-03-15T07:00:00.000Z","imageUrl":"https://images.tapeop.com/7b2bf2a1-dcdc-4324-8b0f-02bdd2bd5d5a?w=1200&f=webp&q=82&fit=inside","excerpt":"A while back I was working on a restoration process for an album that was long out of print. The only materials I had to work from were a ridiculously scratched vinyl LP and some 7-inch reference reels from the original session. When I played back the reels, I was horrified by the...
","byline":"Larry Crane","url":"/tutorials/94/jamie-howarth-bonus","contributors":[{"id":"b8ecd2ed-95dd-4258-aba3-6ecf753995ae","name":"Larry Crane","role":"author"}]},{"id":"04104b06-b14e-4bb9-9d19-023054949909","title":"Recordio","subtitle":"Home Recording in the 1930s","issueNumber":87,"publicationDate":"2012-01-15T08:00:00.000Z","imageUrl":"https://images.tapeop.com/437d0790-49ce-45bf-8e46-4700e675f11f?w=1200&f=webp&q=82&fit=inside","excerpt":"It started out as a favor to a friend. His father had died and left a collection of old records, stacked in cardboard boxes collecting dust on the back porch. My friend asked me, an audiophile, to sift through the old musty-smelling records and save anything I wanted before the rest...
","byline":"Timothy Kastner","url":"/tutorials/87/recordio","contributors":[{"id":"94e8a60c-7615-4b98-a59b-d609a76b8585","name":"Timothy Kastner","role":"author"}]},{"id":"a47a01d7-bf02-4372-afae-f535e4afe727","title":"Other Drum Tips","subtitle":null,"issueNumber":79,"publicationDate":"2010-09-15T07:00:00.000Z","imageUrl":"https://images.tapeop.com/079ba76b-797b-454d-8e1c-1ba2fd6212ea?w=1200&f=webp&q=82&fit=inside","excerpt":"Die cast hoops
Die cast hoops give a drum more body, not "crack." I totally think of triple-flanged hoops as giving a drum more crack without the substantial body that a die cast hoop adds.
Nylon washers
Instead of replacing the metal washers between the tension rod and hoop...
","byline":"Chris Garges","url":"/tutorials/79/other-drum-tips","contributors":[{"id":"ce9a079c-6311-47a8-bf5a-f93a78f31edc","name":"Chris Garges","role":"author"}]},{"id":"78a395eb-d654-4bd5-8af8-523ea2e1613b","title":"Prepping Drums","subtitle":null,"issueNumber":79,"publicationDate":"2010-09-15T07:00:00.000Z","imageUrl":"https://images.tapeop.com/bec6d927-ee17-493d-802a-b7c9c52af61f?w=1200&f=webp&q=82&fit=inside","excerpt":"Most engineers would probably agree that recording a drum kit is one of the most challenging studio tasks. The popularity of sampled drums and drum replacement software is a testament to the facts that: 1. Recording live drums may be a dying art, and 2. It can be a pain in the arse....
","byline":"Steve La Cerra","url":"/tutorials/79/prepping-drums","contributors":[{"id":"67f45ba8-3626-4834-b9f9-cbc8f05ba5aa","name":"Steve La Cerra","role":"author"}]},{"id":"2ffa2f68-0dea-4ea6-b495-458da46a125b","title":"A Brief Introduction to Contracts for Freelance Engineers, Mixers and Producers","subtitle":"Protect Your Professional Self Without Being A Jerk","issueNumber":73,"publicationDate":"2009-09-15T07:00:00.000Z","imageUrl":"https://images.tapeop.com/9eaa3a9a-ff8f-489a-b6d2-485a318ad091?w=1200&f=webp&q=82&fit=inside","excerpt":"Over the course of making a recording we enter into a lot of agreements, often quite informally, and many without even a clear oral agreement. Examples from my own career include things like, "If this record goes anywhere, we're totally going to cut you in on it." Or...
","byline":"Allen Farmelo","url":"/tutorials/73/intro-contracts","contributors":[{"id":"50b18e5a-db31-4c9a-bca8-a519e3434c98","name":"Allen Farmelo","role":"author"}]},{"id":"1ee2be5a-4f93-4eaa-8d45-0048f76a30fc","title":"Fixing It Before the Mix #4","subtitle":"Drums: Simple Recipes for Mixing Happiness ","issueNumber":66,"publicationDate":"2008-07-15T07:00:00.000Z","imageUrl":"https://images.tapeop.com/34e1d7be-bb0d-46f4-9fe0-c72bb962725d?w=1200&f=webp&q=82&fit=inside","excerpt":"One of the biggest stumbling blocks for first-time recordists is tracking overhead drums. When I get a song to mix I usually solo these tracks first, and it's always a relief to hear simple, clear sounds that conjure up an aural image of one person playing one instrument — but this...
","byline":"Chris Stamey","url":"/tutorials/66/fixing-it-mix-4","contributors":[{"id":"f3256fd5-fead-406a-8747-f8f77a8450a7","name":"Chris Stamey","role":"author"}]},{"id":"9a713004-6264-40cb-842e-b09642149c32","title":"Clarinet Variations?","subtitle":"Recording Solo Clarinet","issueNumber":64,"publicationDate":"2008-03-15T07:00:00.000Z","imageUrl":"https://images.tapeop.com/e10bc46b-70b1-4724-b3da-4a00bd5bbd0f?w=1200&f=webp&q=82&fit=inside","excerpt":"In April of 2007 I began work on a solo project entitled In Memory of The Labyrinth System. To be released on John Zorn's label, Tzadik, in April 2008, the CD was to be comprised entirely of my solo clarinet music that would then be processed by me on my computer. Like many readers...
","byline":"Jeremiah Cymerman","url":"/tutorials/64/clarinet-variations","contributors":[{"id":"12c11114-09d2-40d1-b01b-ee68425aaffb","name":"Jeremiah Cymerman","role":"author"}]}],"total":71,"page":1,"limit":12,"hasMore":true}