Tape Op Magazine - Issue #141

Interviews

Interviews

Interviews

Interviews

Interviews

MORE FROM THIS ISSUE

AUGUST 21, 2025 INTERVIEWS

Aaron Dessner: Collaboration and his Long Pond Studio

BY JOHN BACCIGALUPPI

Aaron Dessner, along with his twin brother Bryce, make up two-fifths of the group The National. I interviewed Aaron and Bryce for Tape Op online (#133) about the making of The National's 2019 album, I Am Easy to Find. But, in addition to The National, Aaron is also a prolific songwriter and producer, and a few years ago built his Long Pond Studio in upstate New York. I recently had a chance to talk to Aaron about his many collaborations with artists he's worked with, from Sharon Van Etten's Tramp to the recent, Taylor Swift albums, folklore and evermore.

AUGUST 21, 2025 INTERVIEWS

Dave Smith & Rival Consoles: When Prophets Collide

BY DAVE SMITH, DAVE WEST, RYAN LEE WEST, DANNY TURNER

When Dave Smith founded Sequential Circuits in 1974, he could not have imagined his synthesizer creations would remain staples of the electronic music-making scene 46 years later. The company folded in 1987 due to the arrival of digital synths, themselves eventually superseded by software synths. However, Sequential was reborn in 2002 – initially as Dave Smith Instruments – and would soon mark its arrival with the 8-voice analogue Prophet '08 synthesizer. One such user is Ryan Lee West, aka Rival Consoles, who spent two years investigating the machine before his career justified the expense of purchasing one. It was a good decision, as the Prophet '08 has become integral to West's production process and has since been featured on all of his records since 2013, including his latest album release Articulation – out now on Erased Tapes. The two briefly crossed paths at Smith's San Francisco workshop when West's Prophet '08 got damaged during transit on tour, and they've kept in touch ever since. With Smith curious about West's approach to using his instrument and West fascinated by Smith's approach to synth building, Tape Op got the instrument maker and instrument user together for an in-depth chat.

AUGUST 21, 2025 INTERVIEWS

Matt Still: More About the Song Than the Gear

BY IAN BRENNAN

Grammy-winning engineer Matt Still has become Elton John's go-to person for decades. This speaks volumes, given the no-doubt exacting nature of such a veteran and commercially successful artist. A lifelong native of Georgia, Matt engineered OutKast's breakthrough album, Speakerboxxx/The Love Below, which arguably altered the course of hip-hop by broadening its palette. With 30 years of experience under his belt, he has worked with a staggeringly diverse group of artists, including Sly & the Family Stone, Jewel, Alice in Chains, Bruce Hornsby, Patti LaBelle, gospel legends BeBe & CeCe Winans, Nelly, Brandi Carlile, and Stevie Wonder.

AUGUST 21, 2025 INTERVIEWS

Piper Payne: Respect For the Craft

BY IAN BRENNAN

A drummer turned mastering engineer, Piper Payne is a Bay Area audio professional who I've long admired. She has worked with the likes of The Go-Go's, Shannon & the Clams, Third Eye Blind, and LeAnn Rimes. She has advocated tirelessly for greater inclusion in the industry via The Recording Academy, Women's Audio Mission (WAM), and by serving on the board of SoundGirls.org. Her forthrightness and positivity in conversation helps shine a light on how much progress still needs to be made regarding achieving greater equality, and how vital it is for us all to actively fight to maintain what progress has been made.

MORE FROM THIS ISSUE

COLUMNS

GEAR REVIEWS