Give Me a Hammer, Part 2
by John Baccigaluppi
Several years ago, I wrote an End Rant [Tape Op #102] about my frustration with software upgrades, and how I wanted a stable recording platform. I received a surprising amount of positive emails...
End Rants
Sporadic and regular articles from our contributors.
Just Start Over
by Larry Crane
I remember a session, 17 years ago, with the band Quasi, for the album Field Studies. We'd tracked a song, "Birds." I thought the initial take was fine, and I believe we'd started overdubbing on it....
Beware of the "Winner Takes All" Phenomenon
by Larry Crane
When I began Tape Op it was a reaction, in part, to the prevalence of high-end studios in other recording magazines. I'd see a photo of a giant console in a fancy room and think, "I've never made a...
Twenty Years of Learning and Growing
by Larry Crane
Looking back, it seems like I've always been recording something. When I was very young there were a pair of small Sony reel-to-reel recorders floating around our house — previously used by...
Don't Trust Your Microphones
by Larry Crane
While interviewing Andrija Tokic for this issue of Tape Op he told me, "Mics are nothing like ears. It's about learning how to get what you like out of a sound." I couldn't agree more. I'm...
Don't Give Up
by Larry Crane
I'm in front of the console, about one hour into a mixing session with a new client in attendance. I've got too much on my mind, an issue of the magazine to write and edit, gear to upgrade...
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Negative Creeping
by Larry Crane
Last year I met up for beers with an audio engineer who was passing through town while doing front of house for a well-known artist on a sold out tour. While we were chatting about life and audio, he...
It’s the Process, not the Processing
by Larry Crane
For the last six months I've worked on an album that's very much steeped in the style of the classic mid-century crooners. Artists like Frank Sinatra, Tony Bennett, Johnny Mathis, and Julie London cut...
Learn Recording, the Hard (and Rewarding) Way
by Dave Simonett
When I was younger and flat broke, I was offered a place to stay in my friends' house. It was a room in an old, unfinished basement, and I thought it'd be nice to have some walls. Being without funds...
Making Records in the Age of PONO
by Allen Farmelo
We are witnessing the dawn of dramatic format changes for audio delivery. On the one hand, we now have streaming audio and, on the other hand, we have the movement away from compressed digital formats...
All In
by Larry Crane
I opened my commercial recording studio (Jackpot! Recording) in 1997, after years of simultaneously having a busy home studio while working day jobs to pay the rent. Making this leap to a full-time...
Food for Thought
by Larry Crane
I've pulled together a collection of recent thoughts I've had about the recording process. You can agree or not agree. The important thing is to use your ears, mind, and creativity to make great...