Tape Op Magazine - Issue #94

Interviews

Stuart Sullivan

By Michael Jackson

Stuart Sullivan has worked with a diverse list of artists. Sublime, James McMurtry, Tejano greats Little Joe y La Familia, the Meat Puppets, the Dead Milkmen, James Cotton, and Willie Nelson have all tracked with Stuart at the faders. He's done a number of records with producer Paul Leary of...

Interviews

Tony Rancich: of Sonic Ranch

By Larry Crane

In the middle of a pecan ranch in Tornillo, Texas — 30 miles east of El Paso — you'll find Sonic Ranch, the largest residential recording studio in the world. The studio's owner, Tony Rancich, is the grandson of the ranch's founder. It is here on his family's property that he...

Interviews

Linda Gerard: She's Fabulous

By Larry Crane, Jenna Zine

Some time back I was given the interesting job of restoring tapes and 7-inch singles on a unique project for the Ace Hotel and Swim Club in Palm Springs. I enlisted the aid of Jamie Howarth and his Plangent Processes (see #94URL) in saving these tapes from the early '70s. I was also able to...

Interviews

Mike McCarthy: Spoon, ... Trail of Dead, Patty Griffin

By Lauren Peterson, Steve Ceresia, Larry Crane

Mike McCarthy first came to my attention when he started working with the band Spoon [Tape...

Interviews

David Hough: Audio at Austin City Limits

By Larry Crane

Audio engineer David Hough has been with Austin City Limits since the first pilot episode...

Interviews

Adrian Quesada & Brendan Burke: With Grupo Fantasma

By Larry Crane

A couple of years ago I got an email from Brendan, Grupo Fantasma's tour manager,...

MORE FROM THIS ISSUE

MARCH 23, 2026 INTERVIEWS

Jamie Howarth: Behind the Gear with Plangent Processes

BY LARRY CRANE

A while back I was working on a restoration process for an album that was long out of print. The only materials I had to work from were a ridiculously scratched vinyl LP and some 7-inch reference reels from the original session. When I played back the reels, I was horrified by the obvious pitch fluctuations on the tapes — it was enough to make me queasy. I recalled that I'd met Jamie Howarth, of Plangent Processes, some time before; given a basic understanding of his revolutionary technique, I assumed he could fix my problem. It worked. The process basically uses recovery of the bias tone off analog recordings to "realign" the audio to the state it was in while being tracked or mixed. Jamie's Plangent Process has helped restore recordings of Woody Guthrie, the Grateful Dead, and Neil Young, as well as solving many film audio problems. I had to learn more about this, and wanted others to know that this service is available, so I tracked down Jamie and picked his brain.

MARCH 23, 2026 INTERVIEWS

Adrian Quesada & Brendan Burke bonus: Grupo Fantasma's Aventuras de Grabacion

BY LARRY CRANE

A couple of years ago I got an email from Brendan, Grupo Fantasma's tour manager, noting that their self-recorded album, El Existential, had won the 2011 Grammy for Best Latin Rock, Urban or Alternative Album. After I heard the CD I wanted to know how it all went down, so I tracked him and Adrian down in their hometown of Austin and learned the story of a rented house and trying but fun recording sessions. I was also lucky to catch live sets by Grupo and Brownout, a related band of Adrian's, where both groups delivered the goods to excited audiences. Grupo Fantasma has done several records with Stuart Sullivan, also in this issue, and they have a new album coming out in 2013, produced by Steve Berlin [ #55URL] of Los Lobos. The Making of "El Existential"

MARCH 23, 2026 INTERVIEWS

Mike McCarthy bonus: Working with Patty Griffin & more

BY LARRY CRANE, STEVE CERESIA

Steve and I interviewed Mike McCarthy in 2009. Somehow four years went by before our Austin issue came together. So here's our chat from 2009, and realize that Mike has gone on to do even more records. -LC Mike McCarthy first came to my attention when he started working with the band Spoon [ #27URL], for whom he has produced four albums. Mike's produced five albums with ...And You Will Know Us by the Trail of Dead, plus albums with artists such as Patty Griffin, Heartless Bastards, Dead Confederate, Wild Sweet Orange, Alberta Cross, The Sun, White Rabbits, Crooked Bangs, Girl in a Coma, and AM Taxi. His career began many years ago, as we shall see below, and it might not be a very typical path that led him to Austin, Texas...

MARCH 23, 2026 INTERVIEWS

Paul Leary: Butthole Surfers, Meat Puppets, U2

BY MICHAEL JACKSON

Paul Leary's accidental entrance into the world of recording started in the eighties with his role of de facto button pusher for his band, the Butthole Surfers. Since that time he's produced some of the best- known music of bands like Sublime and Meat Puppets, while earning credits as a mix engineer for such acts as U2 and Weezer. In addition, he's also produced cult favorites like the Bad Livers and Daniel Johnston. His guitar work with the Surfers (and guest appearances on albums with the Flaming Lips and Stone Temple Pilots) made his name known to many music fans, while his formidable production history has made him popular with artists seeking an outstanding producer.

COLUMNS

GEAR REVIEWS

Gear Reviews

3500MP mic preamp

BY 3500MP mic preamp | reviewed by Adam Kagan

Many of you may be wondering who Moon Professional is and why you should pay any attention to another company making mic preamps. These too were my first questions when their first product was introduced to me, so I'll save you the research and give you the short story. Moon Professional developed...

Gear Reviews

A840 active ribbon mic

BY A840 active ribbon mic | reviewed by Adam Kagan

AEA makes some of the world's finest ribbons mics, including their recreation of the RCA 44-BX (the AEA R44) and their groundbreaking active A440, which carry hefty price tags. Wes Dooley, the founder of AEA, wanted to create affordable alternatives for us "married guys" who have obligations that...

Gear Reviews

Alloy 2 plug-in

BY Alloy 2 plug-in | reviewed by Andy Hong

When the original version of Alloy was released, Dave Hidek, Chief Recording Engineer of Treelady Studios, wrote an informative review [Tape Op #76] stating: "Alloy, like its name suggests, is a conglomerate of several sound-shaping tools, many of which you probably already own, and several of...

Gear Reviews

Code MIDI USB control surface

BY Code MIDI USB control surface | reviewed by Dana Gumbiner

Here's a rugged and eminently practical MIDI controller with a great form factor, surprisingly good "feel", and an adaptable DIY programming environment. Code is made by Livid out in Austin, Texas, and it features a 4x8 grid of high- quality endless encoders with LED feedback, plus 13 assignable...

Gear Reviews

ELiTE ProPanels absorptive panels

BY ELiTE ProPanels absorptive panels | reviewed by Brandon Miller

If you're in the market for sound treatment, then you've certainly come across the Auralex name. They've been a staple in the industry for ages, and their product range is vast. Their ELiTE line is relatively new, and ELiTE ProPanels are Class A fire-rated, rigid fiberglass, sound-absorbing panels...

Gear Reviews

FC-387 Atlantis condenser mic

BY FC-387 Atlantis condenser mic | reviewed by Andy Hong

Every now and then, I acquire a product that's so unbelievably awesome, that I have a difficult time penning a review of it. The FC-387 Atlantis - Lauten Audio's newest multi-pattern, large-diaphragm, FET condenser mic - is just such a product. Think of every superlative in the dictionary that you...

Gear Reviews

iXY stereo mic for iOS

BY iXY stereo mic for iOS | reviewed by Larry Crane

I have to admit I'm really not one of those people that lusts after recording equipment. I'm sure one reason is that I have a well-equipped studio with a lot of gear that I've amassed over the years, and at this point, there is very little I need, and I've taught myself to not want anything very...

Gear Reviews

Level 3 Reference Series speaker wire

BY Level 3 Reference Series speaker wire | reviewed by Garrett Haines

AntiCable speaker wires are a high performance yet affordable alternative to boutique speaker cables. Created by Minnesota's Paul Speltz, the AntiCable design flies in the face of just about every high-end convention (hence the name). More about that in a moment. I don't tend to get drawn into...

Gear Reviews

MagREELS

BY MagREELS | reviewed by Garrett Haines

MagREELS are precision auto-centering NAB adapters for the ATR-100 series tape machines. Machined from a solid block of 6061-T6 aluminum alloy, these hubs boast concentricity and axial run-out tolerances of less than 0.003''. They are designed to speed reel changes, improve tape packing, and...

Gear Reviews

Pro-DS plug-in

BY Pro-DS plug-in | reviewed by Dave Hidek

As a fan of all things FabFilter, I jumped at the chance to check out Pro-DS, a new de-esser plug-in that claims both intelligent and transparent de-essing as well as high-frequency limiting. As luck would have it, I had just tracked arguably the most sibilant vocal performance of 2012, so Pro-DS...

Gear Reviews

Production Bundle plug-ins

BY Production Bundle plug-ins | reviewed by Eli Crews

I have been a user and fan of Metric Halo's hardware and software for quite a few years now, having gotten my first Mobile I/O 2882 +DSP [Tape Op #34] almost a decade ago. My two 2d-upgraded 2882s are still the hub of my home studio setup and allow me to achieve superb sonics and complex routing...

Gear Reviews

PS4 Cherry Picker preamp selector

BY PS4 Cherry Picker preamp selector | reviewed by Andy Hong

When you're setting up for a recording session, do you automatically settle on the same mic and preamp that you've used in the past, or do you spend the time to audition and select the combination of components that best complements the performance? I think most of us strive for the latter, but...

Gear Reviews

Relay G30 wireless guitar system

BY Relay G30 wireless guitar system | reviewed by Adam Kagan

During the process of setting up some new guitar amp rigs at NightBird Recording Studios, I was provided a Line 6 Relay G30 wireless guitar system. The system is comprised of a battery-powered belt-pack that plugs into a guitar, and a small wall-wart-powered receiver that plugs into the guitar amp...

Gear Reviews

SoftStep USB MIDI/OSC foot controller

BY SoftStep USB MIDI/OSC foot controller | reviewed by Dana Gumbiner

Most MIDI-over-USB controllers follow a somewhat standard "keyboard and pots" design paradigm. There is often an attempt made to fuse the demands of performance or composition with those of software control. Many designs struggle at this crowded intersection with overly complex user interface or...