Dirty Dozen Brass Band: From Elvis Costello to the Black Crowes
by Curtis Settino
A Half-Dozen Dirty Dozen Brass Band Facts: 1) Style: New Orleans jazz warped with be-bop, funk, reggae and much more 2) Founded: April 1977 3) Releases: Nine...
articles
Interviews, tutorials, etc. All about the art of music recording.
New Pornographers: Lo-Budget Canadian pop recording
by Graeme McIntyre
I met John Collins just before the New Pornographers took the stage at Lee's Palace in Toronto. About a week after this interview, the album, Mass Romantic, won a Juno (Canadian Grammy) for Best...
Jan Muchow: Recording in Prague
by Heather Mount
On a typically miserable Prague spring day I hauled over to Jan Muchow's studio for an interview. The studio, Balance, is just off the notorious Wenceslas Square in Prague, just by the famed locus...
Jan Muchow and Studio Balance
by Heather Mount
How did you start playing music?When I was about 15 I played soccer, I actually thought I wanted to be like the new Diego Maradona or something. My older brother started to play acoustic guitar...
Fizmo: The Synthesizer That Was And Is
by Jeff McLeod
I'm a Fizzer. I'm one of the lucky folks who own, play and love a "loveable loser" of a digital synthesizer with the funny name of Fizmo. It was available from synth and music company Ensoniq a couple...
The The - Matt Johnson
by Jonathan Kreinik
There was a very innocent time, before I could drive, but I'd already discovered the odd record store, the odd 'zine and most importantly the left-of-field band. My mom would run an errand with me in...
Moviola: Recording All Over The Place
by Stephen Slaybaugh
At first glance Columbus, Ohio's Moviola seems like the perfectly conventional band you'd expect from the heart of the Midwest — a couple guitars, a bass, a drum. But as anyone who has heard the...
PAIA Tube Mic Pre Modifications
by Matt Newport
It's common knowledge that a beautiful, well-designed and well-crafted tube mic preamp is going to cost as much as a budget used car. There is a low-cost alternative, nonetheless. Given the right...
Truckstop Records and Studio
by Michael J. Armstrong
In 1957, Polish immigrant brothers Leonard and Phil Chess converted a former automobile parts factory into the Chess Records Studio and Office at 2120 South Michigan Ave. in Chicago. After years at a...
Phill Brown: Steve Winwood 31st October 1976
by Phill Brown
We interviewed Phill Brown in issue number [#12] of Tape Op. Over the years he's worked with some of the greatest artists ever, like Jimi Hendrix, Joe Cocker, Traffic, Spooky Tooth, Jeff Beck, Led...
Rupert Neve: Pro Audio Guru
by Steve McAllister
There is a humble man who lives in the small town of Wimberley, Texas. His name is on recording consoles all over the world, and so many important works of music have run through his signal chains...
Malcolm Toft: The Trident Legacy
by Bob Marshall, Walt Szalva
In terms of recognition, Malcolm Toft's name is not as familiar within the pro audio world as, say, Rupert Neve's. However, there is a rich history involving the man who is the co-designer of the...