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With 3 number one albums in 2012, Grammy winning mix engineer Ruadhri Cushnan is at the top of this game. Shortly after Mumford and Sons' album "Babel" was awarded 'Album of the Year' at the Grammys, Ruahdri made time in his busy schedule to chat...
 
Everyone has been talking about Dave Grohl's new documentary Sound City a lot lately. That's cool; it's a fun romp of a movie, even if Dave can't decide whether he's making a film about a Neve console, a dying studio, a rock star jam session or an...
 
With news of Neil Young pushing to get studio quality audio out to the consumer, it occurred to me that it would be good to get some perspective on how we go about comparing audio quality.  One of the most problematic issues surrounding audio...
 
While the debates over traditional DAWs often seem to go around in perpetual circles, in the arena of dedicated audio editing Sound Forge has been the clear victor for many a studio professional for over 20 years now. Previously only available...
 
In a fascinating and really open Facebook debate initiated by fellow producer, cycling enthuiasist, and coffee-drinking pal, Eric Ambel (www.ericambel.com), I was alerted to what was finally a clear insight into how and why Spotify could possibly...
 
In a fascinating and really open Facebook debate initiated by fellow producer, cycling enthuiasist, and coffee-drinking pal, Eric Ambel (www.ericambel.com), I was alerted to what was finally a clear insight into how and why Spotify could possibly...
 
Here's a recent email I received: "I am interested in what you do and how you do it. I guess I am not the average person looking to get into audio engineering. I am 44 and I am an anesthesiologist looking for a second career. I am an audiophile,...
 
I'm about to write something that at first will seem like another gray-beard waxing nostalgic for a by-gone analog era. But, stick with me, because I think the tables are turning to where going analog might be as forward-thinking as it gets. Let's...
 
Everyone has been talking about Dave Grohl's new documentary Sound City a lot lately. That's cool; it's a fun romp of a movie, even if Dave can't decide whether he's making a film about a Neve console, a dying studio, a rock star jam session or an...
 
The history of recording music is half folklore. Tales of insinuation and glory have us turned around to the point where we don't know much about what really happened during most of the great...
 
With news of Neil Young pushing to get studio quality audio out to the consumer, it occurred to me that it would be good to get some perspective on how we go about comparing audio quality.  One of the most problematic issues surrounding audio...
 
Dear Tape Op Reader, We wanted to let you, the folks we make this magazine for, aware of a fundamental change in our business.  Short version: We are cutting our ad rates nearly in half. Why? Here's the long version: Tape Op is an...
 
Legendary British sound engineer and producer Andy Johns has died at the age of 61. During his more-than-thirty-year career, Johns worked with some of rock music's biggest names, engineering records for Led Zeppelin, The Rolling Stones, Eric...
 
This is a fascinating article about a brand new study in human auditory perception that is showing that there have been "naive" applications of mathematical formulas onto our understanding of human auditory perception. I cannot claim to...
 
So for quite a while now we've been trying to figure out how to best bring the full Tape Op print magazine into the digital era, and we've think we've settled on some sort of mobile app..but we'd really like your input before committing to one...
 
We had over 450 guests at this year's party! It was a great success. Check out the videos below for some visual insight into the Austin festivities. Full recap of the party from top to bottom. TAPE OP PARTY CELEBRITY INTERVIEW! John...
 
After reading Larry's "Eliminate Variables" End Rant from last issue, I was compelled to write a response. Don't get me wrong, I agree completely with everything he said; so before you read any further, revisit the back page of issue #92. I...
 
I don't want to explore this concept with as many words as I might for a Tape Op "End Rant", but I had to dump this shit out of my mind immediately. Someone dropped me a line recently; "I'd like you to hear this record I worked on. We didn't use EQ,...
 
Yes, this is where I found myself running Pro Tools today. I WAS able to combine my favorite things: cooking, beer, coffee and recording. 
 
Over the last few years we've seen an explosion of online music services. Pandora, iTunes, Spotify, Rhapsody, Soundcloud and dozens of other platforms are touted as groundbreaking ways to deliver music to listeners. But this success is on the...
 
Wall Street PR reports on the woes of Avid, the company behind Pro Tools. What does the future hold? I'm just terrified of having to learn a new platform, buying more gear and software, and there not being a de facto DAW standard for professional...
 
Ever since publishing Tape Op #88, we've been receiving an endless supply of requests to turn the cover art by Kim Krans into some more viewing-optimal format. And so today, we give you the "How A Bunny Sounds" Poster. Please enjoy!
 
Dear Tape Op Reader, We wanted to let you, the folks we make this magazine for, aware of a fundamental change in our business.  Short version: We are cutting our ad rates nearly in half. Why? Here's the long version: Tape Op is an...
 
Over the last few years we've seen an explosion of online music services. Pandora, iTunes, Spotify, Rhapsody, Soundcloud and dozens of other platforms are touted as groundbreaking ways to deliver music to listeners. But this success is on the...
 
I just read an excellent new essay called The Case Against Free in wihch the author suggests that the "free economy" is drying up the economic resources needed to make quality creative works. The article focuses on recordings. It's a well...
 
I don't want to explore this concept with as many words as I might for a Tape Op "End Rant", but I had to dump this shit out of my mind immediately. Someone dropped me a line recently; "I'd like you to hear this record I worked on. We didn't use EQ,...
 
A band I work with is two weeks away from their release date. They've worked tirelessly to prepare for this release, hired an excellent publicist, shot videos, toured....they've done it all right and without fatigue. That record is the most...
 
A couple of years ago I purchased a download package that a friend's band, Blue Skies for Black Hearts, was offering up. It was a generous offer, proceeds went towards a good cause, and the band is really fun (not to mention that the bandleader,...
 
Wall Street PR reports on the woes of Avid, the company behind Pro Tools. What does the future hold? I'm just terrified of having to learn a new platform, buying more gear and software, and there not being a de facto DAW standard for professional...
 
Tape Op: Now in Both Analog & Digital Flavors. "Fantastic! I just love reading this Tape Op interview in binary!" It's been a long time coming, but we are really excited to announce that Tape Op is now officially available worldwide on...
 
 

Welcome to the May/Jun 2013 issue of Tape Op!

Are you recording local artists? Are you a musician? Are you a fan of music? Are you a fan of great recordings? Does a vibrant live music scene mean a lot to you? I'll bet you answered "yes" to more than one of these questions. Now ask yourself, "How much do I know about the music history of the area in which I live?"

I moved to the Pacific Northwest from Northern California twenty years ago. At the time I'd made friends with some of the bands from Portland, Seattle, and Olympia, as well as other artists I'd played gigs with on tour. Moving to Portland, I felt I knew a bit about the music history here: The Wipers, Poison Idea, The Kingsmen, and Quarterflash all hailed from the Rose City. Through ensuing years I've learned more of Portland's musical past, especially as we've worked on the Jackpot! Covers Portland project at my studio. I thought I knew a bit, but I got a good kick in the pants last week as I read Peter Blecha's book, Sonic Boom! The History of Northwest Rock: From Louie Louie to Smells Like Teen Spirit. It's certainly focused more on Seattle, but a lot of Portland's history became unveiled to me. For example, the place I used to buy tape from was the same company that ran the studio that had recorded "The Kingsmen's" Louie Louie. That's crazy! There's certainly plenty of history to discover, and I'm on a quest to find out more.

We may assume that the music and recordings we are creating will become a part of history. But always remember that we also follow in the footsteps of everyone that made music, ran studios, and played shows in the past. Find a way to honor and learn more about your town's musical history; you may find your experience will become that much richer.

-Larry Crane, Editor

jackpotcoversportland.com

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