Interviews
By Jeff Slate
When Mike Rutherford steps in to his hotel lobby from the busy New York City streets, there's barely a stir. Though tall and remarkably unchanged from his days as the guitarist in Genesis and leader of Mike + the Mechanics during MTV's heyday, only a few people seem to notice that a rock star...
Interviews
It is truly remarkable to step back and examine the full societal impact that some recording engineers and mixers have had on Americ...
Interviews
If someone has mastered 8,000 to 9,000 albums to date — many of them rock and pop DNA — they are probably doing something right. Bob Ludwig started cutting lacquers at A&R...
Interviews
Even among recording, mixing, and mastering engineers, Richard Dodd's career has been...
Interviews
Burl Audio, under the direction of owner/designer Rich Williams, has developed some of the...
The ease of modern music software has allowed for the creation of an abundance of average, homogenous, electronic records; but over the last 14 years, Dan Snaith's project, Caribou, has consistently stayed above the fray. Here's a peek into Dan's musical mind, and a look into the tools he uses to bring his ideas to life.
The thing that struck me in talking to Jackson Browne, as the 40 minutes I'd been promised passed the 90 minute mark, was how much he cares; not just about the state of the world we live in, but the details of the songs he writes and the records he makes. Browne recently released his 14th studio album, Standing in the Breach, and it's on par with any of the classics in his canon. Backed by the band he's had for over a decade, and recorded at Browne's own Groove Masters studio, the album mixes the political with his gift for melody and intimate, yet universal, truths about loving, losing, as well as struggling in and with the world. I caught up with Browne as he wrapped up a series of summer shows before heading back out on the road in support of Standing in the Breach.
As a drummer, Jim Sclavunos has kicked it with the best of them for over 35 years: Red Transistor, Beirut Slump, 8 Eyed Spy, Sonic Youth, The Cramps, Alex Chilton, Tav Falco's Panther Burns, Congo Norvell, and — of course — Grinderman, and Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds, all lay testament to that. And as a record producer the list is just as impressive: The Jim Jones Revue, The Horrors, Gogol Bordello, Black Moth, David J. Roch, Beth Orton, Lola Colt, The Callas, and Boss Hog have all called on Jim to help carve out their tracks over the past 15 years or so.
Mark Ronson got his start as a young DJ in NYC before going on to work with Amy Winehouse, Nikka Costa, Lily Allen, Macy Gray, Saigon, Adele, Paul McCartney, Duran Duran, and many others. Mark's own albums have showcased his work, featured many guest singers, and even spawned a hit with Winehouse's cover of The Zutons' "Valerie" in 2006. His recent album, Uptown Special, features vocals from Bruno Mars and lyrics by novelist Michael Chabon. Co-producer credits go to Jeff Bhasker, and even Tame Impala's Kevin Parker [ #95URL] makes an appearance.
This multi-pattern, large-diaphragm condenser mic is hefty and appears to be very solidly made. It does not ping at all when flicking any part of the mic with your finger. The all-metal shockmount — which comes with extra elastics — is well designed and does not sag with the mic at any angle. The...
Is that a ribbon mic? Is that a square capsule? Those are just a couple of the things I heard clients ask when seeing the new Audio-Technica AT5045. In a world of copies and recreations of classic pieces of gear, it is nice to experience pleasant surprises in design and function. With the recent...
Soundtoys Decapitator has been around for a while now, and it's one of my favorite plug-ins. I was surprised when Andy Hong asked if I wanted to review it — oddly, it had never been reviewed in Tape Op before. For those not in the know, Decapitator provides a comprehensive way of applying and...
The legendary TG12345 consoles made by EMI are very rare and scattered around the world, from England to Brazil. If you have scratched the surface of recording history, you know the impact that EMI and Abbey Road Studios have had. Even if you have never heard of the TG12345, you certainly have...
You kids today and your audio interfaces. Back in my day, we had to trudge five miles uphill in the snow by foot to a dilapidated brick and mortar music shop, then find the one crusty, bitter employee in the back of the store who had been designated the "pro audio" guy, taking his...
In a galaxy long ago, it was not uncommon to spend a day or two getting a snare drum sound on a big-budget record. Numerous drums were carted to the session and the pounding "thwack" would begin. The rest of the band was probably nowhere to be seen as the engineer and assistants EQ'ed away, with...
This is the most innovative headphone I've ever seen, and it sounds great. Its low-frequency reproduction is especially impressive — better than any headphone in my collection. But before we delve futher into the sound, let's start by describing the Mo-Fi's stand-out features. First, there's an...
Last year, Phoenix Audio, well-known for their history of servicing vintage Neve gear, debuted the newest addition to their line of summing mixers. While their flagship Nicerizer 16 Mk 2 brings the functionality of a small console to the form factor of a racked summing mixer, the new Nicerizer...
Natural, musical, clear, detailed, open — these are all buzzwords that you hear in studio monitor speaker talk. The search for new monitors can be daunting, and wading through opinions of various models can be convoluted and frustrating, often leading you in circles. With so many great options...
In issue #100 of Tape Op, I extolled the virtues of iZotope RX 3 audio repair software and gave many examples of how I use this "noise reduction" plug-in suite and standalone application in tracking and mixing. One of the workflow issues that I didn't mention, as I couldn't foresee how this could...
Berkeley, California's Keith McMillen Instruments (KMI) has a solid reputation for innovation in an industry sometimes known for releasing products that are often just another variation on a common design. The QuNeo is unlike any other pad controller available, the SoftStep takes MIDI foot...
Brian Horvitz is the proprietor of Boston area-based TB Audio. Brian produces DIY-inspired analog gear, some as kits and some ready to go. His TBDD is a "modern implementation" of Roland's classic Dimension D rackmount chorus, crammed into a dual-width 500-series module. Wow! That's a fairly insane...
Sometimes, it's right in front of your face, and you just don't see it. You're working with your preconceptions and past experiences — and it takes a little time, a flat out mistake, or just some loud guitars to show you what you had been overlooking, what was there just a knob twist away. Some...
When Roland's AIRA line was announced at NAMM last year, it was the buzz of the show, mainly for the new instruments inspired by the classic TR-808, TB-303 and SH-101. The VT-3 seemed a bit like the bastard child of the line. Of course, it was the one product I was the most interested in. To cut to...