Tape Log

Tape Op Clothing!

Thu, 04 Mar 2010 01:15:17 +0000

Yup, we're finally back on track with clothing here at the US branch of Tape Op. Check it all out, plus back issues, at Good Mountain, our new supplier of direct mail order goodies for Tape Op.

Just say No?

Tue, 02 Mar 2010 17:42:18 +0000

I'll bet if you asked any busy business owner or manager what they spend the the most time doing, it would be the art of telling people, "No." For years I've found this to be true in regards to running Tape Op Magazine. "No" may seem a negative word, but in order to keep focused on the work at hand, to maintain my vision of the magazine and to keep workflow manageable I end up spending many hours finding ways to (hopefully) gracefully say, "No."

What do I usually spend my time saying "no" to?

Listening to every CD submitted for review.
Responding to PR requests to listen to these CDs.
Downloading "albums" that will never physically be released.
Anything mentioning the word "demo" unless related to a session I'm producing.
Visiting a MySpace page and sending someone a 4000 word critique of their music.
Watching most any video on YouTube.
Article ideas that obviously don't fit the scope of Tape Op's interests.
Article ideas that are presented by 90% of the PR people.
Article ideas we have already published.
Article ideas about live sound.
Article ideas about post production.
Article ideas about sound for broadcast.
Article ideas about film soundtrack mixing.
Suggestions for articles that seem only bent on benefiting the sender.
Most requests to personally review products.
Requests to personally review products that I would never use in the real world.
Personal emails asking my opinion on two pieces of gear, neither of which I have ever used.
Requests to be interviewed for students' school papers.
Outside requests that involve more of Tape Op's time than we can afford.
Requests for new product mentions. (Uh, where in the mag do you see these?)
Requests to run press releases. (Uh, where in the mag do you see these?)
Press releases that mention XXXX Studio installed XXXX console. (Where?)
Press releases trumpeting the launch of a new studio. I'll wait until they have done lots of cool albums instead.
Anything that mentions John Mayer.
Intern requests.
Requests for information on where to intern.
Requests asking me who should track, mix or produce an upcoming album. Uh, don't I offer these services as well?

Keeping one's self productive is difficult at times. If you find yourself not getting work done and feeling pulled in every which direction, think about the word "no" and how to use it effectively. "No."

Larry Crane to host Recording workshops again

Mon, 01 Mar 2010 20:57:36 +0000

I'll be hosting my Recording Workshops at Jackpot! Recording Studio in Portland, Oregon, once again. The first round of workshops will be held April 24/25 and May 1/2. For more information click on the Jackpot! site and find out what we'll be doing. People liked these events in the past, and I have a good time "teaching" or whatever it is that I do. Thanks!
Larry Crane

Tape Op Bumper Stickers?

Tue, 23 Feb 2010 02:42:09 +0000

We're thinking of printing some bumper stickers to help promote the Tape Op brand name. Our ideas have included:

"My Other Car is a Tape Op"
"My Child is an Honor Student at Tape Op"
"Honk if You're Tape Op"
"I'd rather be reading Tape Op"
"Powered by Tape Op"
"Show me your Tape Ops"
"Don't Laugh, it's Tape Op"
"Tape Op is my Co-Pilot"
"Tape Op, not just for breakfast"
"Gas, Tape Op or Ass, nobody rides for free"
"I read Tape Op and I vote"
"Tape Op on Board"

Monolake and No Compression

Thu, 18 Feb 2010 16:11:57 +0000

Caro Snatch did this interesting online interview with Robert Henke from Monolake on her site. An interesting note is that he created this album, Silence, "without any compression." Well, yeah, uh, if you work in the box and want to draw/automate lots of automation then I guess compression isn't needed. Hell compression is really never needed - it just helps some elements stay in the mix (or it can be pushed to create different sounds, of course.)

Going to SXSW in March?

Mon, 15 Feb 2010 19:51:45 +0000

I'll be doing a "Quickies 6: In the Studio" panel-type thing at SXSW on Saturday, March 20th, 11:00 AM, at the Austin Convention Center, Room 16A. I think you have to sign up for this, so check their website for more info. It'd be cool to meet some Tape Op readers at this. Also, to all subscribers: keep an eye on your inbox this week for a special invite...

Wooden Reverb? Treeverb?

Mon, 15 Feb 2010 17:06:37 +0000

I think it's for real? Is it? What is it? Why?

See Barry Rudolph's report on Treeverb

Workbench Recordings present one song per week

Wed, 23 Dec 2009 23:06:52 +0000

James Beaudreau is a former member of the Billy Nayer Show (1998-2003) and started Workbench Recordings - a netlabel, blog, and recording studio in NYC. They release one track every Tuesday along with artwork and texts about the creative process, recording process, and other experiences of the creative recording artist. "Most of the audio posted so far was recorded in my project studio, in the spare room of my apartment. The whole setup: Mac Powerbook, ProTools 003 Rack, 3 cheap mikes, 2 cheap preamps and a few good plugins (by Massey -- next to Pro Tools and my Mac the best money spent so far). I monitor on Yamaha HS50s and Sony MDR-7506 headphones. We're not going to win any awards for high fidelity, but I think we're achieving some effective recordings with very minimal gear. Plus, Scott Hull and I have set up an arrangement to have Masterdisk master all of the Workbench tracks starting in January. The music on Workbench is going to benefit tremendously from this, of course. And Masterdisk is looking forward to getting involved in the netlabel world.

Alan Parsons’ Art and Science of Sound Recording

Wed, 23 Dec 2009 22:34:24 +0000

I've interviewed and enjoyed Alan Parsons' company a number of times over the years, and a while back he even cornered me at an AES conference and videotaped a quick interview about Tape Op. He claimed to be putting together a video about recording. "What a great idea," I thought. Some of you might think only of the group that bears his name, The Alan Parsons Project, and their many popular songs, but I'd like to point out the fact that this man is a fantastic engineer/producer, with APP as well as Al Stewart, Pink Floyd, The Hollies, Paul McCartney and Wings and many more. He's got a lot to offer and is one smart cookie. So check it out! Alan Parsons’ Art and Science of Sound Recording, the highly-anticipated epic living encyclopedia covering all aspects of sound recording, is releasing the first six exclusive scenes, available for streaming and digital download online.

Ronan's Recording Show features Jerks Behind Tape Op mag

Wed, 23 Dec 2009 22:21:42 +0000

Our pal Ronan Chris Murphy does this cool "TV" show on his site, http://ronansrecordingshow.com, and the most recent one is with me and John Baccigaluppi where we talk about Tape Op Magazine. I think it's a good insight into how the mag works and who we are.

Vinyl Lives?

Mon, 02 Nov 2009 17:37:55 +0000

James Goss has interviewed many independent record store owners across the country to see how they stay in business and what they sell. Every month a new store will be profiled with interviews and photos. Pretty fun. Here's the link: Vinyl Lives

MICS FEATURED IN THE BEATLES™: ROCK BAND™ VIDEO GAME

Mon, 26 Oct 2009 00:45:17 +0000

So I just noticed an email in my inbox from a PR person with the headline: "XXXXX MICS FEATURED IN THE BEATLES™: ROCK BAND™ VIDEO GAME". What's next? "Shure SM57 seen briefly in a movie"? "Rob Thomas sings into wrong side of a mic in a video"? Oh brother.

Damian Wagner and the Sound of the Earth?

Tue, 20 Oct 2009 21:23:46 +0000

Ina previous blog post, we saw the beginnings of this project. Damian Wagner was in issue 64 - here's a crazy project where he's amplifying the sound of the earth! "After destroying 3 subwoofers and having to completely redesign the
playback engine I was able to finally finished mic'ing and successfully creating
a live realtime feed of the earth at the museum in Brazil called Inhotim."

"The first subwoofer went in about 20 minutes after opening the mic's.
A second and more powerful one was blown early the next day.
Finally after convincing the museum to redesign the bench which would conceal
the speaker, an 18" 1200 watt PA subwoofer was used."

"At the bottom of our one mile hole I designed a custom accelerometer made from
crystals that I feed into a tube mic pre with over 200db if gain..... The final six mic's including accelerometers, geophones, hydrophone and even an RE20 then creating a rotating mix between them...."

Here's an audio clip of the rumble! Earthnew.mp3

Meeting Your Maker

Fri, 16 Oct 2009 20:55:58 +0000

Well, not my maker but the man behind the baby that is our RND5088 console at Jackpot! I got to spend a little time (and a photoshoot) with Rupert Neve at The Magic Shop in NYC during the AES convention last week. Thanks to Steve Rosenthal for hosting a fun party and to Rupert Neve Designs for the fun times.

This happens EVERY week

Wed, 07 Oct 2009 00:15:10 +0000

I didn't do this video. But the guy who did must be spying on me. You can replace the style of music with any style, but the conversation is the same. (Recording Engineers, you can replace mastering with 'my friend has a hacked copy of Cubase.')