Gear Reviews

As an independent audio engineer who likes to have access to my projects wherever I am, headphones have become an essential part of my workflow, especially when I’m traveling or working outside of a traditional studio. They give me flexibility to check mixes in different environments, catch details...

I feel very lucky to be in the type of community where friends will sometimes contact me and say, “Hey, I have this cool thing I’ve been borrowing that you should hear. A buddy made it, but it’s actually really good!” That community is the New York Hudson Valley producer/engineer network, and in...

I reviewed the original Oxford Drum Gate in Tape Op#135. I've seen Drum Gate users make a lot of requests for features over the last six years, and with competition from plug-ins like Black Salt Audio's Silencer [Tape Op#165] out there, it was time Sonnox revamped this useful tool....

We’re already big fans of Josephson microphones at the studio where I work, Tiny Telephone. We have the C725 tube mic, the C700A, and four e22S mics that get constant use. Most of our collection is vintage; the Josephsons are among the few newer mics we’ve added over the years. It’s easy to get...

Do you get sent folders full of audio files from other recordists to mix? If you do, I'll bet there are frequently stereo audio files in there that are actually mono. Apple's Logic DAW seems to be the worst culprit, organizing sessions in an "always stereo" way that confounds...

Something that I look for when I select microphones is the translation from what I’m hearing in the room to what I am hoping to hear come out of the speakers when playback begins. It’s the challenge of being a recordist. It’s chasing a sound that my ears call “done” or “right.” I am constantly...

Royer Labs has been making quality ribbon mics for decades. They are no-compromise products that meet the demands of everyday use. The newer R-12 is a phantom-powered ribbon microphone that features the same 2.5 micron ribbon element as the R-121 [Tape Op #19]. It handles high SPL (160 dB at 1...

Incorporating guitar pedals into studio workflows has become increasingly popular lately. I’ve seen everyone from Walrus Audio collaborating with Aaron Sterling to Chandler offering inserts specifically for guitar pedals in their new REDD Mixing System. Needless to say, everyone’s quickly catching...

Since its release, the FabFilter Pro-C 2 has been one of the most used and beloved compressor plug-ins on the market. FabFilter’s latest update, the Pro-C 3, takes it from incredibly flexible to incredibly powerful, with new compression styles, character settings, Dolby Atmos compatibility...

Solid State Logic was founded in 1969 to manufacture solid-state control systems for organs. They began building consoles with automation in the mid-1970s, when none were available. They were originally known for their large-format mixing consoles, but currently they offer a remarkable variety of...

Don Gunn favorably reviewed the original Ocean Way Studios plug-in [Tape Op#128] in 2018, and I've been using it constantly since then. Both the Deluxe and original versions allow us to place a "track" in a studio room via Re-Mic mode, adjust the mics, and have the ambience around...

Joe Orlandi did not intend to build microphones when he retired from his 20-year career in the film industry. He started collecting musical instruments and building a commercial recording studio in his quiet corner of Ohio. His focus began to shift when he unwittingly bought a knock-off of a...

In October of 2011, I drove my rental car up to Ocala, Florida, to visit a recording studio icon, engineer Bruce Swedien [Tape Op#91]. Upon arrival, I met Bruce and his lovely wife, Bea, and knew I would have a pleasant time with these two warm, friendly people. This interview was a wonderful...

Subtitled Recording 2 Years in Morocco, I'm not sure if this book is a memoir, a travel story, or a remote-recording handbook, but it's certainly an interesting read. The author, Adrian "Ady" Parzentny, is an enthusiastically infectious sort, dragging us on a journey from Poland...

I prefer not to use the phrase “sound design” in my music production, as it feels more like a term our colleagues in post-production use. But what I do like are plug-ins that can take a sound and completely morph it into something else. This native plug-in, FutzVerb, is based on McDSP's...

The quick, five-word review: think Velcro, but not shitty. Okay, a few more words for the modern miracle of Dual Lock: I found this super-strong, reclosable/reusable fastening tape suggested on a few stompbox pedalboard forums, gave it a try, and have since become a little obsessed. Backed with an...

There has been a lot of talk lately about how music streaming platforms, such as Spotify, change the way we listen to and engage with music. As a sound engineer, it’s disappointing when the music I’ve worked on ends up sounding worse after it gets uploaded to Spotify. Their compression algorithms –...

Los Angeles-based engineer Bob Wayne recently released Reel to Real Tales: Notes from Both Sides of the Recording Console to share his career experiences as an audio engineer, studio owner, and musician. This self-published book even comes with a cool custom Reel to Real bookmark...