Interviews
Mark Rubel: Zengineer to Adrian Belew, Hum, and more!
by Jeff Elbel
Twelve years later, I recall Mark Rubel's directions to Pogo Studio from our very first conversation. Passing through that red door at 35 East Taylor was more magical than walking into Disneyland...
Interviews
hotel2tango: The Arcade Fire, Molasses, The Dears, more.!
by Gary Jansz
For several years now, the notion of Montreal as a hub of avant- experimental music has grown judiciously in the mindset and record collections of its followers. If you break this down further in...
Interviews
Mark Linett
by John Baccigaluppi, Larry Crane
Grammy award winner Mark Linett is the veteran of many years in the studio, starting in Hollywood at Artist Recording, Paramount and Mystic Studios in the early seventies after running his own PA...
Interviews
Brian Virtue a.k.a. Gummo: Bob Ezrin, Janes Addiction, Deftones, more!
by Roman Sokal
Back in the summer of 2002, when I was visiting Los Angeles and visited Henson Recording to interview Bob Ezrin [Tape Op #31] for Tape Op, I met a youngish, peculiar looking fellow right upon...
Interviews
American Music Club: Take up the recording reins
by J.J. Wiesler
From 1983 to 1995 one of the brightest musical legacies, critically if not commercially, from San Francisco was that wrought by American Music Club. After seven records and much frustration at the...
Interviews
Menomena: Band meets DIY Software
by Todd Bayles
I met Menomena (rhymes with 'phenomena') at their rehearsal and recording space called The Hot Water Bottle, a beautiful setting on top of a hill at the edge of Oregon wine country. Their album, I...
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Bob Irwin: Sundazed Records and Remastering
by Larry DeVivo
If there's a classic tune running around in your head, more than likely you can find the reissue of it on the Sundazed Label. Owner Bob Irwin founded the company on a love and passion for great...
Jim Odom: Behind the Gear with PreSonus Audio Electronics
by Larry Crane
PreSonus Audio Electronics is celebrating its ten-year anniversary of delivering high quality recording and live audio gear at great prices. The Baton Rouge, Louisiana-based company features over...
Midrange Mgmt.: Middle Managment: The Value of the Midrange
by Paul Abbott
A few years back I came across the following quote by audiophile legend J. Gordon Holt: "If you don't get the midrange right, nothing else matters." And although at the time he was referring to the...
Dummy Head Mic: Making a Binaural Dummy Head Microphone
by John Klepko
Choir Academy: In The Choir Academy Charter School Basement Studio
by Nick Jaffe
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End Rant
And Then Reality Hits You in the Head...
by Steve Albini, Larry Crane, Chris Garges
Anyone that's worked at a studio, been in a band that records or even just sat down and thought about it for a minute knows this question: "How long will it take to record our album?" I hear this...
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Gear Reviews See more →
Acoustical doors, V-Room sound isolation rooms
by Wenger | reviewed by Andy Hong
A few years ago, I visited the Wenger booth at an AES show and was impressed when I walked into the sound isolation room the company had temporarily installed on the show floor. It was a relief to be...
microKORG Synth/Vocoder
by Korg | reviewed by John Baccigaluppi
I know that this little synthesizer is already very popular and quite a few units have sold, but just in case you somehow haven't heard or seen one, let me clue you in. This is one bestseller that...
EQ III plug-in
by Digidesign | reviewed by John Baccigaluppi
Finally! An EQ plug-in from Digi that rivals most third- party EQ plug-ins-and even better, it's free!! Prior to the release of EQ III, if you didn't own a good third-party EQ plug-in, mixing in Pro...
X73i Mic Preamp Equalizer
by Vintech Audio | reviewed by Allen Farmelo
The Vintech Audio X73i is a single-channel, 1RU preamp and equalizer, designed to emulate the Neve 1073 at an affordable price ($1350 street). The X73i uses Class A, all discrete, transformer-balanced...
HealthPro air purifier, HealthPro Plus air purifier
by IQAir | reviewed by Andy Hong
I was prompted to write this review for two reasons: allergy season has kicked into full swing as I type this; and Consumer Reports magazine's May issue states that a previous air cleaner I reviewed...
Plate 140 Reverb plug-in
by Universal Audio | reviewed by John Baccigaluppi
As a long time Altiverb fan (largely because of the excellent EMT plate impulse response), I have to admit I was just a bit skeptical about whether the UAD-1's modeling-or algorithmic-reverb would...
Operator
by Ableton | reviewed by Dana Gumbiner
I've been using Ableton Live since version 1, and it has become the primary workspace for my bedroom, IDM- ish electronic music. So I was excited to test drive Operator, which is the first new...
ULTRA-DI PRO DI4000 4-Ch Active DI
by Behringer | reviewed by Joseph Lemmer
This unit is comprised of four identical direct boxes in a 1RU enclosure. On the front, each DI channel has buttons for +20 dB boost, phase (polarity) reverse, 8 kHz high-cut, and ground lift. The...
SA538 tube condenser mic
by CharterOak | reviewed by Garrett Haines
CharterOak have been quietly making quality tube mics for the past three years. Their first model is the SA538, a squat-looking condenser reminiscent of a short- bodied U 47. The outer shell is...
RSM-2 Ribbon Studio Microphone
by Nady | reviewed by Craig Schumacher
The Nady RSM-2 is the latest entry into the field of inexpensive Chinese mics. Asian-made condensers have been on the market now for several years, so it was inevitable, given the retro craze in...
XLogic G Series Stereo Compressor
by Solid State Logic | reviewed by Craig Schumacher
The XLogic G Series Compressor is another addition to the Solid State Logic family and is part of their SuperAnalogue series. This 1RU stereo compressor is modeled after its patriarch, the compressor...
635A dynamic mic
by Electro-Voice | reviewed by Pete Weiss
Where have I been all these years that I've never tried out an EV 635A? These things have been seen everywhere in the broadcast world for the past, like, forty years. You'd know the mic if you saw it;...
MixWizard3 16:2 DX, PA28 console
by Allen & Heath | reviewed by Scott Craggs
So I get home one day to find both an Allen & Heath MixWizard3 16:2 DX and a PA28 waiting for me. Combined with my Mackie 24•8 and the other mixers around the house, this gave me about...
Speaker Building 201
by Ray Alden | reviewed by Joseph Lemmer
This new book cleared up many mysteries for me. It's a great resource even if you don't intend to build speakers. It's very detailed and goes into deep math for building enclosures and designing...
PRO 37 small-diaphragm condenser mic
by Audio-Technica | reviewed by Pete Weiss
At last year's TapeOpCon, I found myself loitering at the Audio-Technica table, chewing the fat with affable A-T Marketing Director Gary Boss. I was completely bewildered by the huge number of...
LA-610 Classic Tube Channel
by Universal Audio | reviewed by Craig Schumacher
Universal Audio is well known for recreating the classic studio preamps and compressors that were built by the company's original founder, Bill Putnam Sr. The reissues of the 1176 and the LA-2A from...