Tape Op contributor and studio owner/engineer/producer Mike Caffrey recently sent me some thoughts he had about visitors to the studio during sessions. See issue 73’s upcoming end rant for the origins of this piece. -LC "I always tell people that having visitors will lead to getting less done. They say, "No, it's cool they'll be quiet." Then they're usually... [KEEP READING]
Welcome to the beginning of Tape Op Magazine's first official "blog" (oh, how I hate some of these computer geek terms). We'll be calling this the Tape Log, like those sheets of paper that keep track of what tracks were on a reel of tape, y'know? Like in the old days? Remember?
Anyway, mostly there will be comments and information dredged up by myself, Larry Crane (editor/founder). I'll also have some of our writers/contributors join the fold as we move along, and anyone is encouraged to add comments to the postings on here. With the publication of each physical copy of Tape Op Magazine, there will also be posts here with bonus interview comments that we edited out for space or continuity reasons, writer's feedback and stories on articles we have run, bonus features that we have laying around and more. Plus I will fill you lovely readers in on the exciting life of a magazine editor, teasing you with stories about places we've been lately, where we'll be soon and interviews as they happen - and maybe even some of my cooking and home remodeling exploits if you're lucky. If you have ideas for items to post on this site, please drop me a line. Thanks for taking the time to peruse this site, and for reading Tape Op Magazine!
-LC
Anyway, mostly there will be comments and information dredged up by myself, Larry Crane (editor/founder). I'll also have some of our writers/contributors join the fold as we move along, and anyone is encouraged to add comments to the postings on here. With the publication of each physical copy of Tape Op Magazine, there will also be posts here with bonus interview comments that we edited out for space or continuity reasons, writer's feedback and stories on articles we have run, bonus features that we have laying around and more. Plus I will fill you lovely readers in on the exciting life of a magazine editor, teasing you with stories about places we've been lately, where we'll be soon and interviews as they happen - and maybe even some of my cooking and home remodeling exploits if you're lucky. If you have ideas for items to post on this site, please drop me a line. Thanks for taking the time to peruse this site, and for reading Tape Op Magazine!
-LC
I recently mixed my first album entirely on my laptop. Yeah, maybe I'm a decade behind the curve but I also own a studio and have done a majority of my work there. On this job we were attempting to cut and mix a record in three days and we didn't get to the mixing part in time. I... [KEEP READING]
I pulled short straw and had to go pick up the take out tonight (take away for our UK readers). The radio was set to NPR, so I let it alone. The announcer introduced a new segment called “Listen to This,” that features famous musicians talking about important music that “must not be missed”. Today’s episode was hosted by Maroon... [KEEP READING]
Why did I think I could set up my home studio in a couple of hours when it took four months to move Jackpot! to a new building? Tomorrow's shopping list: Solder, S/PDIF cables, etc... I'm amazed at how tangled and messy this quickly got. All I wanted to do was start mixing some stuff.... [KEEP READING]
OK, fine, I admit it -- I secretly envy hip hop's most ostentatious bling nuggets (T-Pain's new joint makes me particularly weak-kneed), but let's face it, none of that stuff has any place adorning a guy like me, even if the recession means I now might actually be able to afford a giant dangling TIE fighter or Flava Flav bust... [KEEP READING]
So here it is. The fateful letter that relentless talent scout and A&R honcho John Baccigaluppi sent to my band Vomit Launch back in 1988. Little did we know that soon we'd be holed up in his studio making records, and less than a decade later joining forces to kick my little magazine into high gear. Thanks John!And please check... [KEEP READING]
I thought I'd seen it all until I heard about collectors that pass around bootlegged copies of the test tones and bias pads from all genres of artists and albums. From an article in MOJO this month: "Sorting their collections by "tones at head" or "tones on tail", these fanatics derive pleasure from being able to identify different studios... [KEEP READING]
All around great engineer, and good guy, Ronan Chris Murphy has a few episodes out of his new Ronan's Recording Show. Some studio tours, gear reviews and a look at the SwirlyGig drink holder! Check it out.... [KEEP READING]
Larry’s intro to issue #71 was one of his most important notes for engineers in a long time. It’s easy to press play, but not pay attention to the audio hitting our ears. (Have you ever read a book and found your eyes are scanning over the words but your mind isn’t really reading what’s on the page? That’s a... [KEEP READING]
If you want to stay in business you need to record all kinds of bands, including those you don't care for. (This is actually a shock to some people. It is. They don't last long, and their refusal to work with anyone except bands they hand-pick is a main reason). Well, sometimes, you work with a band that is so... [KEEP READING]
I.R.S. Actually, its an acronym for the Internal Revenue Service. And for our Non-U.S. readers, please enjoy the fun. I recently spent December through April undergoing a multiple year audit or our studio’s financials. I want to share some of my experiences with the gang so you can have a smoother time than I did. 1. Save your receipts. The... [KEEP READING]
Sick of this economy and its doom and gloom? Sick of bands saying they don’t have money to record? Sick of top 40 radio? I have the answer: do something about it. Support independent musicians by going out and purchasing CDs from bands you don’t know. (And if you’re blessed to live in a city that has a vinyl or... [KEEP READING]
Our pal, Howard Massey, has a new book out, Behind The Glass Volume II. Volume I was a real treat, and Howard also co-wrote Geoff Emerick's excellent Here, There and Everywhere: My Life Recording the Music of the Beatles. There's a ridiculous amount of interviews, and Howard says, "Highlights include Larry Levine (Phil Spector's longtime engineer) deconstructing the Wall of... [KEEP READING]
Al Kooper produced this band in the '80s. They really knew how to argue - with him, with each other and probably with anyone in a ten-mile radius. Al edited out the music and kept the wonderful conversation, releasing it on one of his limited (300 for friends and family) LPs, Kapusta Kristmas albums. Up there with the Troggs' Tape. Great... [KEEP READING]
"First off, I really enjoy reading Tape Op. I have read it since I was in 8th grade (2001)." I never imagined I'd get an email that began like this. I will be 46 in May. Tape Op entered its 14th year in April. Jackpot! Recording Studio is over 14 years old. My longest-running band I was in started playing... [KEEP READING]
My friend, Shanna “sts” Doolittle is the Program Director and an instructor at The Rock ’n’ Roll Camp for Girls. They’re currently building up their recording program, Rock Camp Studio and the "Recording Engineer Track" studies and are looking for sponsors to help with providing some of the recording gear needed. The camp has been active since 2001 and... [KEEP READING]
Our busy friends over at the Future of Music Coalition have released a study, “Same Old Song: An Analysis of Radio Playlists in a Post FCC-Consent Decree World”. Check it out - basically the major radio stations owners - Clear Channel, CBS Radio, Citadel and Entercom - "signed a voluntary agreement as a response to collected evidence and widespread... [KEEP READING]
So you just drop a microphone to the bottom of an 800ft hole in the earth? Damian Wagner (issue 64) checks in with Tape Op. "I've just returned from a two week audio expedition to Brazil. I was in Brazil to test nine microphones, cables, speakers and mixer for the sound pavilion installation I mentioned in my article for your... [KEEP READING]
I just stumbled across an interview I forgot I did. Snarky answers and all. Man, I'm a jerk sometimes. All the time?... [KEEP READING]
Okay, so that's not the most original headline ever. I check the MySpace site once every 6 months and see old notes from friends about things that happened ages ago. Sorry. Oops. But what really drives me bat-shit is seeing ads like "Learn Audio Recording" or suggestions on where to get mastering done! Uh, is there a way to block... [KEEP READING]
I was amazed today to be informed that phonograph cylinders are still being manufactured. Madame Pamita dropped us a line a while back and surprised us with some cool music recorded on Cylinders by Peter Dilg, of the Edison Historical Site, and it looks like others are joining in the fun. Thanks to cylinder user Tom Rodwell for this... [KEEP READING]
I'll be shelling out a lot of bucks for this on Sept 9th. Billboard reported this today... "All 14 Beatles titles, along with a DVD collection of the documentaries, will also be available in a stereo box set. A second boxed set, "The Beatles in Mono," gathers together all of the Beatles recordings that were mixed for a mono... [KEEP READING]
So my girlfriend runs the fabulous PantyLine Press, and she scored a sweet interview with Rick Allen (of Def Leppard) and his partner Lauren Monroe to talk about the music they are working on and all sorts of other stuff. She posted a shorter version on her site, so here's the long edit. Enjoy! -LC At The Heart Of It... [KEEP READING]
Expect to see more changes in the music purchasing/acquiring habits of teenagers as time goes by. Courtesy of the NPD Group's press release: "teens (age 13 to 17) acquired 19 percent less music in 2008 than they did in 2007. CD purchasing declined 26 percent and paid digital downloads fell 13 percent compared with the prior year. In the case... [KEEP READING]
Matt Fordham did the great interview with Buddy Miller in Tape Op #34. He also has this great blog, Record Ready, with video tutorials on recording techniques and tips. Many are Pro Tools based, in case you're looking for help in that department. He teaches Music Tech at Shoreline Community Collegein Seattle. Great info, for free, by someone who wants... [KEEP READING]
(me and Elliott rolling in Jackpot!'s original MCI JH-16, Feb. 1997) As most readers of Tape Op may have picked up on by now, I have been involved in the archiving and cataloging of the music of my late friend, Elliott Smith. Here's an interview I just did about this if you are curious. I also was interviewed for... [KEEP READING]
You know those ads? Yeah, some Photoshop jockey took the GUI of a plug-in and made it look like a piece of outboard gear, a synth or something. Drives me nuts. For years I couldn't figure out if one plug-in, I think it was Trilogy, was "real" or not. Ugh. Image courtesy of Sonic Finger... [KEEP READING]
I got to see ex-Grandaddy Jason Lytle play a semi-secret first band-backed show (with ex-bandmate Aaron Burtch) last Saturday. Quite fun and a great set of new songs. Jasons' album, Yours Truly, the Commuter, comes out May 19 on ANTI- records. We ended up at a crazy burlesque absinth party with the band as well, but that's a whole other... [KEEP READING]
So here's a pile of CDs I'm supposed to be listening to right now instead of enjoying The Skids' Sweet Suburbia album. Some of these I actually bought (so I should be enjoying them I guess) and some were handed over by friends (yes, the Scott Hampton CD is good and "yes Scott, I actually have heard it more... [KEEP READING]
Here's a clip of a rare Rolling Stone interview with the Lizard King talking about making records around 2 1/2 minutes in. “I could never produce ... because I don’t have the patience for it. I think that’s the main thing. Who's ever is producing or engineering has to have incredible patience just to sit there for hour after hour... [KEEP READING]
