Mixerman: Zen & the Art of Mixing 2021
reviewed by Larry Crane
In Tape Op #83 – ten years ago – I favorably reviewed the original Zen & the Art of Mixing book, noting that it was “ideal for someone who is unhappy with their mixes and wants...
Gear Reviews
by Larry Crane
Audio-Technica: AT8470 Mic Clip
reviewed by Larry Crane
At my studio, Jackpot! Recording, while setting up for a tracking session I get pretty obsessive about fixing the little problems that annoy me. One of these “little” irritations is...
Mirror Sound (Book): Spencer Tweedy & Lawrence Azerrad
reviewed by Larry Crane
Subtitled “The People and Processes Behind Self-Recorded Music,” this is a beautiful, hardbound coffee-table-style tome about making recordings that matter. Featuring excellent photos by...
Death By Audio: ROOMS Stereo Reverberator
reviewed by Larry Crane
In Tape Op #104 we chatted with the fabulous Oliver Ackermann from the band A Place to Bury Strangers and the head of Death By Audio. His Death By Audio still makes some of the best stompboxes out...
Daking: Comp II Two-Channel Compressor
reviewed by Larry Crane
Through my (now Virtual) Recording Workshops, I've spent a lot of time advising home recordists on how to track and mix for better results. One of the equipment choices I urge is to have an actual,...
Carl Tatz Design: ICE Cube-12 Subwoofer
reviewed by Larry Crane
Did you know it’s possible to spend $4000 on a 12-inch powered subwoofer? Wait, no, that’s not what I’m reviewing here! While writing this review I ended up scanning Sweetwater and...
D’Addario: 9V Effects Pedal Power Adaptors
reviewed by Larry Crane
Decades ago I grabbed my soldering iron and whipped up this exact device – an adaptor to allow one to externally plug a 9-volt battery into a stompbox's power jack. Given that many pedals no...
KickBlock Product: KickBlock Drum Anchor System
reviewed by Larry Crane
If your studio is anything like mine, you see a variety of drums come through and sometimes the kick drum will not stay in place. Developed by drummer Will Butera with his dad Jay, KickBlock is a must...
Ben Sidran: The Ballad of Tommy LiPuma (Book)
reviewed by Larry Crane
The late Tommy LiPuma's career covered seven hit-making decades of music, and musician/writer/etc. Ben Sidran [father of Leo Sidran, Tape Op #135], who worked with Tommy extensively in the studio,...
M House Studios: 5020 Stereo FET Limiter
reviewed by Larry Crane
I've always wished there was a recreation of the Urei 1178, the stereo version of the Urie/Universal Audio 1176. With its FET-based compression and simple stereo link controls, the fresh-faced lads at...
reFuse Software: Bucketverb Reverb Plug-In
reviewed by Larry Crane
Around 40 years ago I went to Radio Shack and purchased an integrated circuit (IC) chip that was packaged with a technical data sheet explaining how to wire it up as a delay unit. This was the Reticon...
Raising Jake Studios: SideMinder Stereo Width Plug-In
reviewed by Larry Crane
Described as a "Dynamic Stereo Width Maximizer," SideMinder was developed by Jeff Rippe, former president and chief engineer of Rocksonics, and current mixing and mastering engineer at Raising Jake...