What Makes a Great Recording?
by Larry Crane
I've listened to music critically for most of my life. First, as a teenage music fan, I would sit with headphones on poring over masterpieces by Pink Floyd, The Beatles, Yes, the Beach Boys, King...
Columns
by Larry Crane
Intro / TOC #135
by Larry Crane
I recently had the experience of listening to hundreds of new albums in a slightly disassociated context; many times I knew nothing about who the artists were or what style of music they were...
The Guessing Game
by Larry Crane
In issue #133 of Tape Op, I interviewed Andrew Scheps. "I take everything personally. I curl up in a ball," Andrew told me when we discussed dealing with mix revisions from clients. I've been...
Intro / TOC #133
by Larry Crane
Is there a simple answer to this? Does a quick proclamation that explains everything one needs to know about music recording in a nutshell exist? I keep deluding myself, thinking that I can somehow...
Letting the Process Happen
by Larry Crane
I don't remember a time while growing up when there wasn't clay, glaze, and kilns in my house. My mother had studied art when I was a baby, and she began producing a series of decorative and useful...
Intro / TOC #132
by Larry Crane
"How do we stay interested in the art of recording?" It's a question I was considering recently, and I feel fortunate that I remain excited about mixing songs, producing records, running a studio,...
Intro / TOC #131
by Larry Crane
Since founding this magazine 23 years ago, it's been interesting to me the many ways Tape Op reflects my own journey through music and audio, but also the many facets in which it doesn't. Sure, I own...
At the Feet of the Masters
by Larry Crane
Last year I bought The Beatles’ super deluxe 50th anniversary box set edition of The BEATLES (commonly known as “The White Album”). The new mixes that Giles Martin [Tape Op #103]...
What’s Your Time Worth?
by Larry Crane
Not long after I first opened my recording studio, (some 20 years ago, when people actually booked time via a landline), I got a call one day about a booking request. Client: "Hi, we'd like to book...
Intro / TOC #129
by Larry Crane
When I first started getting obsessed with recorded music as a teenager, I saw the recorded music I enjoyed in a magical light. A tune on the radio was a beacon from beyond, like some special jewel...
Tough Love
by Larry Crane
Is there a fine line between naive encouragement and pessimistic, dour warnings of possible failure? (i.e. "Just do it! DIY!" vs. "Give up. It's impossible.") Over twenty years ago I was making plans...
Intro / TOC #128
by Larry Crane
A songwriter recently asked me to advise him on what type of recording equipment he should buy. He was looking for "a decent interface and a program… that won't make my demos sound like shit,...