The Creative Music Recording Magazine

Greg Kurstin
Beck, Lily Allen, Adele, Paul McCartney
Jack Antonoff

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fun., Bleachers, Taylor Swift, Pink
Phil Thornalley

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Bryan Adams, Thompson Twins, The Cure
Norbert Putnam
Neil Young, Jimmy Buffett, Joan Baez

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Ebonie Smith

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Senior Engineer at Atlantic Records
Maria Elisa Ayerbe
Il Divo, Paula Arenas, Juanes, Kronos Quartet
Recording in Iraq
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Jack Kennedy & Mosul Live
Thomas Jouanjean
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of Northward Acoustics in Behind The Gear

Leo Sidran
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Steve Miller, Alex Cuba, & Solo

Gear Reviews
Clearmountain’s Domain, SpectraLayers,
Oxford Drum Gate, and many more!
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$ 5 . 9 9 N o . 1 3 5
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F e b / M a r 2 0 2 0
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 Hello and
welcome to
Tape Op
#
10 Letters
14 Ebonie Smith
18 Greg Kurstin

135!
26 Maria Elisa Ayerbe
32 Jack Antonoff
42 Phil Thornalley

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50 Recording in Iraq

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56 Norbert Putnam
62 Leo Sidran
p a g e

66 Thomas Jouanjean in Behind The Gear This issue’s cover is an homage to the
Pink Floyd song “Echoes,” from the album Meddle. The

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70 Gear Reviews idea came to me after I saw Brian T. Silak’s photo of
92 Larry’s End Rant

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Jack Antonoff’s vintage tape delays, as the Binson
Echorec features prominently in that track. “Echoes”
was also used as the soundtrack in the classic surf film
Crystal Voyager, in which the last 23 minutes of the

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I recently had the experience of listening to hundreds of new albums in a slightly disassociated context;
film is footage of seminal surfer George Greenough riding
inside the tube with this track as the score, hence the
wave photo. The text was lettered by Bobby Lurie and is
the first verse of the song, written by Pink Floyd
many times I knew nothing about who the artists were or what style of music they were supposedly playing.
(Gilmour, Waters, Wright, Mason) and published by
Removing any of these preconceptions can be a liberating moment, and I found myself getting into lots of
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Warner/Chappell Music, Inc. -JB
interesting groups I might not have stumbled across otherwise. The funny thing is that if some of these
albums had been contextualized – like by theoretical genre, popularity, or even where they originated from
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Stripping away all of this

– I might have passed on listening to many of them.
“other” information helped clear the way for me to really
hear the music.
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When I start a new session with a band, I always hope they don’t tell me that their sound
exists inside some pigeonholed micro-genre subcategory. I want to hear
them with fresh, open ears and do my best to capture their songs in a unique
and sympathetic manner. Genres, labels, and preconceptions can often only
get in our way.
t)

Enjoy music, and begin every day by attempting to really hear the beauty
within all that you listen to. Stay open and creative, and keep your ears
ready to hear something new.
Larry Crane, Editor
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illustration by Scott Hansen (Tycho)

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<instagram.com/tychomusic>
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reprised from Tape Op #123 cover art

Check out our recent podcast with Tycho here:
https://tapeop.com/podcasts/episode-34-tycho/
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 The Creative Music Recording Magazine

Editor & Founder

Larry Crane
Publisher &! Graphic Design
John Baccigaluppi
Online Publisher
Geoff Stanfield
CTO & Digital Director
Anthony Sarti
Production Manager & Gear Reviews Editor

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Scott McChane
Gear Geek at Large

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Andy Hong
Contributing Writers &! Photographers
Angelica Tavella, Lauren Colchamiro, Alexa Nikol Curran, Pax Paloscia, Andres Franco,
Bren Davies, Brian T. Silak, Paul Meyers, Amy Walters, Jack Kennedy, Jake Brown,
Mark Whitcomb, Adam Gonsalves, Gus Berry, Garrett Haines, Eli Crews, Anthony

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Gravino, Christopher Koltay, Mike Kosacek, Adam Kagan, Eamonn Aiken, Ed Hickey,
Tony SanFilippo, and Will Severin.

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Editorial and Office Assistants
Jenna Crane (editorial copy editor), Jordan Holmes (reviews copy editor),
Thomas Danner (transcription, online),
Maria Baker (admin, accounting), Jay Ribadeneyra (online)
(d Disclaimer
TAPE OP magazine wants to make clear that the opinions expressed within reviews, letters, and
articles are not necessarily the opinions of the publishers. Tape Op is intended as a forum to
advance the art of recording, and there are many choices made along that path.
Editorial Office
(For submissions, letters, music for review. Music for review is also
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reviewed in the San Rafael office, address below)
P.O. Box 86409, Portland, OR 97286 voicemail 503-208-4033
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All unsolicited submissions and letters sent to us become the property of Tape Op.
Advertising
John Baccigaluppi
916-444-5241, <john@tapeop.com>
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Marsha Vdovin
415-420-7273, <marsha@tapeop.com>
Printing: Alan Mazander & Matt Saddler
@ Democrat Printing, Little Rock, AR
Subscribe online at tapeop.com
(Notice: We sometimes rent our subscription list to our advertisers.)
t)

Subscription and Address Changes

Can all be made online at <tapeop.com/subscriptions>.
Back issues can be purchased via <tapeop.com/issues>. If you have
(a

subscription issues that cannot be fixed online, email

<circulation@tapeop.com> or send snail mail to
PO Box 151079, San Rafael, CA 94915.
Please do not email or call the rest of the staff about subscription issues.
Postmaster and all general inquiries to:
Tape Op Magazine, PO Box 151079, San Rafael, CA 94915
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(916) 444-5241 <tapeop.com>

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Tape Op is published by Single Fin, Inc. (publishing services)

and Jackpot! Recording Studio, Inc. (editorial services)
www.tapeop.com
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8/Tape Op#135/Masthead
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Please Support Our Advertisers/Tape Op#135/9


Just a quick note to say thanks for being so classy. It
was very cool of you to change Steve Sadler’s long-
running Tape Op MCI service ad into a memorial for him
in the latest issue [#134]. Most companies would’ve used
the ad space to generate more revenue. Thanks for
resisting that temptation and using the space to pay
tribute to a longstanding member of the music industry.
It was much appreciated.
Chris Mara <www.maramachines.com>
We always had a great time chatting with Steve; we’ll
miss him and his knowledge. -LC
My MCI JH-16 and I both shed a tear when we heard
Steve had passed. -JB
Hearing about suicides and mental health issues in
communities I belong to and resonate with always affects
me. I’ve been lucky outside of my (non-professional) music
life to specialize in the treatment of suicide as a clinical
psychologist, and currently run a program specifically for
people having a hard time with managing emotions and
suicidal thoughts here in Portland, Oregon (the Portland
DBT Institute). Like the “Working Happy” article says
[#134], take care of yourselves folks. There is a nice line
about community from the creator (Marsha Linehan) of the
therapy I practice, where in her latest book she dedicates
to people struggling with mental health issues, “You don’t
have to wring your hands today, I am doing it for you.” The
work folks do in our music community is amazing, but it
can also lead to feeling isolated and alone at times. We
need to give each other support and be the people who
help in the wringing of hands. And my main plug is that
there is really, really good treatment out there. We should
obsess over finding a qualified therapist the way we obsess
over microphones, fuzz pedals, and tape calibration
practices. Get good consultation and reach out in the
community. Don’t give up, even when it’s
really hard to find something that works.
Andrew White <www.pdbti.org>
As much as I enjoyed your interviews with Tchad Blake
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[#133], Michael Brauer [#131], and Andrew Scheps
[#133], I noticed the disturbing common thread.
Unattended mixing is great, but people not taking your
(a
time seriously isn’t. I am happy to be as busy as I am,
and I really appreciate being able to work with people all
over the world. But I wrestle with how much it has
changed the gig and the priorities. Thanks for addressing
this. In terms of long distance, unattended mix work, my
records this year include musicians from Tuva, Australia,
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New York, and Kansas. I am really thankful to be working
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in this new paradigm, but I just don’t know how I got any
good at it. Things get done so much faster in person, and
I can’t help but think we are creating more conservative
work because of the new methodologies.
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Steve Fisk <www.stevefisk.com>
10 /Tape Op#135/Letters/
I agree with John
Baccigaluppi [“Zip it Up”
End Rant #133] that more
and more people find it
harder to end a task. But he
misses the real problem,
although he identified one
factor influencing attempts
resulting in the continual tweaking problem: the root cause
is ignorance and arrogance. Perfection is not possible. We
should strive for it, but also realise that it will never be
attainable and know how to settle for “good enough.”
Based on the skills of the person doing the job, the quality
of materials they were given to work with, and, to a lesser
extent, the number of tools available, as well as the time
they have available to spend on improving things, there is
a limit to how good the result will be. At some point, which
varies for each situation, it is no longer possible to further
improve the result, and additional work only makes the
results different, not better, and often makes things worse.
When you reach your limit for your ability with your tools,
the quality of materials you started with, and your
deadline, then you are done and should stop. Anything else
is just wasting time needlessly. Complicating this situation
is the fact that the result is completely subjective. There is
no logical way to say that one item is “better” than the
other when both were done with roughly equivalent
inputs, using adequate tools, by reasonably talented
workers. This can be proven with mathematical
logic, and if you doubt logic, then you will often find
contradictions such as A>B>C>A when you compare
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versions after they have been done and reworked again. It
is true that highly skilled workers using a wide range of
tools they have experience with can take an input and get
top results faster than others. But continually reworking the
result will (once again) not make it better, merely different.
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William Adams, PE, PhD <wmbadams@hotmail.com>
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A response to Douglas Tourtelot’s letter [#134]
wondering why the Rolling Stones concert was too loud for
him: A lot of fans are conditioned to concerts being very,
VERY loud. If it’s not crushing, then it’s not “right,” and
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they will express this to the front-of-house engineer. Either
the engineer will continue about their business and mix it
the way they desire, or re-think what they are doing if
enough people come up demanding that the volume be
louder. The engineer might succumb to the request, and
the house mix gets louder, perhaps for the worse. Mix
engineers are totally to blame as well. Some just have to
mix with the level in the red and push it to the limit no
matter the room, PA, or mix quality. So, yeah, some
engineers just let it rip, without concern for detail or
dynamics. Some mix the kick drum louder than the vocal.
Some mix painfully harsh, and some use way too much sub
bass. It could be plain old bad engineering, PA system
shortfalls, engineer misuse, ear fatigue, or even an
engineer’s permanent hearing loss. Does competition
factor into the mix? I’ve seen the politics. Some bands do
not allow themselves to be perceived as “less rocking” if
their set was quieter than the opening act. There are a lot
of explanations for the volume at a show.
Andrew J Worzella <www.andyscustomshop.com>
Your interview with Andrew Scheps [#133] is one of
the most honest, informative, and revealing ones I’ve
read. In particular the “curling up in a ball” allusion was
so spot on with how most of us feel about criticism of our
work, because we put our heart and soul into what we do
and care so much about pleasing our client. As a former
mixer, I find that what I do now with monitoring is very
similar, although (thankfully) not as subjective. I just
have to toe the line that I’ve created for the process to
produce the results that my clients are willing to pay for.
But inside the process it is a combination of paint-by-
numbers and intuitive decision making, as the systems
are as much the same as they are different. In the end,
we want them to love us, and that’s the fuel
that allows us to do good work.
Carl Tatz <www.carltatzdesign.com>
Thank you for all you do. I’m from Manchester,
England, where I went to music college. We were lucky
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and were taught by some fantastic industry professionals.
One memory I do have is always having a new physical
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copy of Tape Op in the foyer to take home and study. I
remember the very first article I read was about
persevering with whatever recording format you had and
getting the best out of it. I really do wish we still could
get the physical copies here in Blighty. It’s an excellent
)
magazine, and crucial to developing and trying out new
techniques as a recording engineer.
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Simon O’Brien <simonobrienconsultancy@gmail.com>
We wish we could still print and ship an edition in the
UK, but despite our best efforts, and the amazing work that
our publisher Alexander Lawson did for us there, it was very
difficult to generate the ad revenue needed to publish
overseas. Sorry! Please keep in mind that we always offer
free PDF subscriptions (with lots of bonus content recently)
to anyone with an email address anywhere in the world,
and that physical back issues are always available for
purchase at <tapeop.com>. Thanks! -LC
I just wanted to tell you how enlightening and
reaffirming it was to read Justin Douglas' article "Working
Happy" from Tape Op #134. It's one of those things that
no matter how much you think you "know that already,"
it's always so powerful to hear someone else reaffirm
those beliefs. It really puts your life back into
perspective. I will be including a copy of that article in
my annual “Thank You” cards to all my freelancers this
year as a holiday gift! I always try to prioritize mental
health of my staff at our company because it really is so
important to take care of yourself first, and the rest will
come from the heart. Working in the world of music is so
exciting and yet so daunting. I consider myself lucky to
be in a position where I can ensure people are having fun
and staying healthy while doing it! Thank you for keeping
up a great publication! I share it with everyone I know!
Matt Barba <inconcertproductions.com>
Send Letters & Questions
to: editor@tapeop.com
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Ebonie
Keeping the Flow
Smith
Basically, my job encapsulates three areas. One is being anything when they come in the studio. There should
by Angelica Tavella an engineer. I’m a Senior Engineer, meaning I’ve been be no technical difficulties that they are privy to, or
photos by Lauren Colchamiro here the longest, I’ve worked on the most projects, and
I typically have the most responsibility. When the
that affect them as they are creating. It’s my job to be
the liaison. We have a ton of equipment here, and I’m
Last year I had the opportunity to pay artists come in to work on their projects, I’m usually responsible for knowing all of it. I’ve been expanding
a visit to Atlantic Records, right off of the person they get assigned to work on their records. my knowledge as we’ve moved towards digital I/O, and
Times Square in New York City, to have a I’ve known many of these artists for a very long time, I’m Dante certified through Audinate. I also set up
conversation with their Senior Engineer, some of them from before they were signed. most of our Dante peripherals in this room. So, that’s
Ebonie Smith. We talked about her history Engineering is about being the technical liaison another part of my job as an engineer; just maintaining
as a producer and engineer, her favorite between the artist and the the studio from a day-to-day and operational
production tools and studio gear, her technology in a way that perspective, learning the technologies as we get
non-profit organization Gender Amplified, allows sessions them, getting my appropriate certifications, and
and the practice of being a lifelong student to flow very making sure that I’m passing on that
seamlessly. knowledge to our additional engineers.
and teacher.

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The artist Do you have any tips on how to
should keep the creative flow going
You have many credits as a producer,

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not have in the studio?
engineer, and mixing engineer.
to think I think the thing that keeps it flowing
What do you identify with as your
about easily is that artists can get to work
primary role in the recording process?
as soon as they arrive. I am not the
I’m an artist, first and foremost. I think that’s the
type of engineer who arrives with
easiest way to encapsulate all of it. But I get paid to

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the artist. I usually request at least
engineer and produce, primarily.
two hours before, just to make sure
I know that you took the music tech

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that the studio is properly set up. I
program at NYU. Was it from there
like to ensure that all the
that you knew you were going to start
headphones are working, all the
producing and engineering?
I actually set my goal before that, when I was at Barnard
College; part of Columbia University. Going to school
there afforded me the ability to take classes at the
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Computer Music Center at Columbia. I was probably 18

or 19 at the time. I also had an opportunity through the
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college to study abroad in Cameroon [in Central Africa],
which is where I started to learn about studio culture.
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Were you working in a studio there?

I was working in a studio, bouncing around. I
started my own band. I was in two bands at
the same time and doing live gigs. I also did
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TV. I was able to get around overseas in a

meaningful way that showed me that I liked
the functionality of being a working
engineer and working producer, because
that’s pretty much what I was doing. I
t)

was also an artist, singing and doing a

little bit of songwriting as well. But
that was prior to grad school. That’s
when I set my focus on [production],
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sometime between 18 and 20 years

old. I was like, “Okay, this is what I’m
going to do. I’m going to string
together all the resources I possibly
can and make them work towards
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this end goal.”

How long have you been at
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Atlantic?
I’ve been working for Atlantic Records
since August of 2013.
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What is your role here?

 no technical difficulties with any of the issues in the
live room, making sure that all the cables are checked
out, and making sure that all the instruments sound
as they should sound. Making sure the guitars are
properly tech’d, and the drums are tuned to taste. At
least give the drummer a good starting point before
he or she gets into the studio. Make sure the
keyboards all sound as they should, and that
everything has been properly tech’d from the
perspective of the sonics of the instruments. For me
that helps with flow, because artists can get in and
not think about anything. As soon as they go in and
start noodling on the instruments, I’m already
recording. That’s my sound check. I’m getting good
levels. That helps with the process. It also helps the
artist to realize that they’re in good hands.
Yeah, totally.
If they can just come in somewhere and start to record,
they go, “Oh, my god; you got that?” They were just

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goofing around, and then, “Oh, you got that!” That’s
one of those things that establishes trust very early.

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Do artists walk in knowing exactly what
sounds they want, or do you have a
conversation beforehand?
It depends on the artist. Having worked with so many Can you talk about this 1608 console a What are a few plug-ins that you’re
different artists, in so many different genres, you’ll little bit? using the most these days?

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find a variation of methodologies. There are so many Yeah. We have the 548 [preamps] in the API console. I I love the Little Plate reverb by Soundtoys. I also love the
different ways to create a song. Sometimes I’m just think they’re very transparent. I love them mostly on UAD Neve 33609 [compressor]. I use those on every

engineering. Sometimes I’m asked to produce and to
have ideas, or they just trust me to tell them and
usher them through a workflow. I do know processes
that work better than others. My biggest thing is
always efficiency and making sure that we’re
capturing as much as we can, in the amount of time
that we have. I have my methods for that. A lot of
times artists will defer to me at this point, because
they’ve done what you’ve done. They’ve looked at my
résumé and said, “Okay, this person must know what
they’re doing.” So, they typically take good cues from
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guitars, especially acoustic. I think they sound great mix. I also use a [Waves] L2 [limiter] at some point on
on electric guitar and amp sounds that have been every mix as a utility limiter if I need help leveling out
mic’d. They add a tonality, without being super heavy- some of the dynamics in the process of mixing. I enjoy
handed in terms of the coloration. I think it’s a good the 560 API graphic equalization plug-in too.
the pres that are in this board.
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mix of coloration and transparency that you get with What have you been doing with Gender
Amplified?
How do you think that compares to the Gender Amplified is an organization that celebrates and
1073s, as far as coloration? supports women in music production and audio
I think what you inherently get just by turning on the engineering. That’s very broad, because that can
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1073s is a more rounded-out midrange that I feel is include established women whose visibility may not be
richer and has a better sense of harmonic variation. as large as it could be or should be. We try to shine a
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me when it comes to workflow.
Looking around this room, there’s a lot of
gear to choose from. What are some of
your favorite pieces of equipment here?
With these pres and this API board, I find them to be light on incredible women in the field winning
a little bit more transparent and not necessarily Grammys for engineering and production, and who are
adding that much richness in the lower midrange and doing such amazing things that many people may not
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I love the [Neve] 1073s. I’m a big fan. We have a
combination of the newer AMS preamps, as well as
vintage pres from actual Neve consoles. I find them to
be so reliable and trusty when it comes to creating
rich harmonics. They just sound wonderful. It has a
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the high mids as much as the 1073s would. When necessarily know about. For example, Emily Lazar
you’re recording into digital equipment and you’re winning a Grammy as a mastering engineer was a huge
using converters, it’s good to have as robust a signal win for her. NOVA Wav [Denisia “Blu June” Andrews
as you can going from that continuous environment and Brittany “Chi” Coney] took a Grammy home for
to a discrete environment. It makes a lot of a their work on the last Carters album, Everything Is
difference to be going into the computer from such a Love. There are so many women out there making

lot to do with the circuitry and types of components great-sounding preamp. music and receiving credit, but not necessarily being
that are used to make those preamps. I rely on them What does your balance between the use validated in the public space as much as they could be.
heavily during the tracking process, but also during of plug-ins versus outboard gear Gender Amplified serves as a bit of a bullhorn for those
(a

the mixing process. They have line inputs, so I’m able
to mix on them as well. If I had my choice, I would
track everything on them. Over the course of this last
week, I had the opportunity to work on a 64-
channel Neve 88RS [console]. Those pres sound
incredible; there are 64 of them, so I was able to
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usually look like? When are you
doing things in the box?
During the tracking process, I’m tracking everything
through this 32-channel API going into Pro Tools.
After that, I’m in the digital world, so I rely very
heavily on the UAD plug-ins and the Waves plug-ins.
women. Then there are women who are aspiring to do
this. We try to provide resources, workshops, panels,
and conferences for those women looking to
professionalize themselves and give themselves a leg
up, and who are looking at the women we highlight as
potential role models and mentors.

really spread out. My setups can be pretty I have a number of plugs that I rely on in that space Do you work with a lot of young people?
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expansive. We do have 32 channels of analog I/O
in this room. I don’t have 32 Neve pres, so I do
have to be selective about what I send through
them. But I also absolutely adore the API pres that
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to get a good mix in the box. Then, when I have We’re working with a lot of young ladies. We have our
something that I feel like sounds interesting enough, newsletter, and we also run a music production camp
I usually will use the API to further mix, find some called THE CTRL ROOM SERIES. We’ve been partnering
interesting harmonics, and add back some analog with NYU and the Clive Davis Institute of Recorded

we have in the 1608 [console]. warmth to the digital mix I’ve achieved in the box. Music to make this available for their students who are
E. Smith/(continued on page 16)/Tape Op#135/15
 producers and are looking to find their way into the done, and to further our mission. That’s really the to expand your mind and read as you can, to make
music business. Every month, we run this camp where vision for Gender Amplified: an institute with its education not just something that you do, but
we bring established producers and engineers to their own studios, and its own curriculum that’s looking something that is of your fabric and of your
campus and do a day-long recording session with critically at gender and how it’s affecting the music personality. It becomes an extension of your
them where they’re writing for artists. It’s a small business, as well as our world in general. personhood. That’s one of the things that has helped
initiative right now; but I think it’s something that’s Is education something that you’ve me tremendously as I’m in this position, because I
helping to change the lives of these young people, always been interested in personally? feel like a student all the time. I spent the last week
and to show them that they can be producers and find Education is something that is necessary for me, in at Berklee College of Music as an Artist in Residence,
professional opportunities while they’re still in school. every facet of what I’m doing. As a producer and and I feel like I learned more from the students and
What do you hope for Gender Amplified engineer, I’m constantly reading books. I just being in that environment than I was able to give to
to become? How do you envision it finished On the Record by Al Schmitt. I’m reading All them. It was a great, symbiotic back-and-forth; to be
looking in five years? You Need is Ears by George Martin now. I feel like I’ve constantly learning and constantly thinking of
I have been talking with a major university to start the gotten an MBA building out Gender Amplified as a yourself as a student, as well as allowing the
Gender Amplified Institute. It will be an institute non-profit. I had to get my Dante certification. atmosphere and the environments that you find
that focuses on the study of music technology, Everything about being an audio engineer and music yourself in to teach you and for you to teach them.
alongside gender and women’s studies. It’ll be the producer involves education. Reading manuals, r
first of its kind. It will be doing the work of THE CTRL studying trends in the business, going to conferences <www.atlanticrecords.com/member/ebonie-smith>
ROOM SERIES – the work of mix sessions and the like AES and NAMM, as well as making sure that I’m
work of our newsletter – just in a very interfacing with other people in my community while interview by Angelica Tavella <www.angelicatavella.com>
institutionalized way where we can make sure that also learning about new products. photos by Lauren Colchamiro @laurencolchamiro

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we’re able to touch so many lives per year. We’ll be Yeah, there are so many ways to learn
these days.

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www.tapeop.com
under the umbrella of an accredited college and
university, but we can start to bring in guest Books are great. I’ve read tons of books by musical
lecturers and do the types of studies we need to do executives as well. The Soundtrack of My Life by Clive Bonus content online!!!
to figure out if we’re making a difference in the Davis is an excellent read. Ahmet Ertegun’s book,
music business by way of the young people who Atlantic Records: The House that Ahmet Built, is also an
we’re preparing to enter that industry. We’ll be able excellent read. In addition to reading non-fiction, Tape Op is made

)
to keep track and not be as fledgling as we have there are some bits of fiction I draw from. There’s a possible by our
advertisers.

been in the past. We’ll be able to use the resources
and the support of an established, accredited
university to get the things that we need to get
ot
wonderful novel called The Autobiography of an Ex-
Colored Man by James Weldon Johnson. It’s a bit of a Please support them and tell them
you saw their ad in Tape Op.
review of the jazz age. I think the important thing is

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16/Tape Op#135/E. Smith/(Fin.)

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Greg Kurstin
Music is My Happy Place
interview and photo by John Baccigaluppi
Greg Kurstin is an in demand producer who’s worked with a laundry list of great
artists, including Lily Allen, Sia, Pink, The Shins, Foo Fighters, Liam Gallagher, Beck,
The Flaming Lips, Tegan and Sara, Peaches, Kelly Clarkson, Lykke Li, Ellie Goulding,
Adele, and Paul McCartney. He’s won seven Grammy awards, including two for Producer
of the Year in 2017 and 2018. Greg’s also one half of the very cool duo, The Bird and
the Bee, with vocalist Inara George. They recently released their fifth full-length album,
Interpreting the Masters, Vol 2: A Tribute to Van Halen, featuring covers of Van Halen
songs rearranged for keyboards (in lieu of guitars), with Inara’s soulful vocals casting
these classic songs in a new light. I recently had the chance to meet up with Greg in L.A.
to talk about the album and his production work.
You’re a composer, multi-instrumentalist,
and producer. These are the three main
roles that pop up on your credits.
Do you identify with one role over any of
the others?
I was a musician first, playing in bands, so I think of myself as
a musician first. I also love writing ideas with my
instruments, so songwriting is probably second. Producer falls
in there next. I love getting the arrangements of songs. I love
thinking, “This is what the bass is going to do. This is what
the guitar’s going to do. This is what the keyboard’s going to
do.” And then getting into the sonic mixing of it; like what
different frequencies are happening in the track. “Oh, we
need a shimmery thing here, and maybe a low end thing
there.” I guess that falls into the producer category, or at
least one of the things that a producer can do.

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You mentioned the mixing aspect. Are When someone hires you as a producer, In 2006, you produced records for Pink,
you hands on when you mix your are they getting you as a player as
records, or do you have someone you well? Do you end up playing on the
work with for mixing? records that you produce?
There’s a certain point where I started to use outside Yeah, unless it’s a rock band or something like that. Most Actually, The Bird and the Bee was really the turning
mixers. When I finish producing a track, I will do the
best mix I can possibly do in the amount of time that
I have, and I use that as an example of how I want it
to sound. Then I hope the mixer will take it to the next
level; maybe make it a bit more punchy in the drums,
and maybe a little bit bigger or wider. But sometimes
my mix ends up getting used. I’ll usually mix The Bird
and the Bee tracks, and occasionally I will mix a song
here and there if people like the rough mix. But a lot
of times I’ll use different mixers. I’ve worked with
[Mark] “Spike” Stent a lot. I’ve also worked with Serban But you do play? Is that you on The Bird
Ghenea, Tom Elmhirst, and Manny Marroquin [Tape Op
#109]. Those are the main mixers I’ve worked with.
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Peaches, Jessica Simpson, and Kylie
Minogue. Did that year feel like it
was a turning point for you?
of the time, I’m working with an artist; probably a point for me. I would say that was really the first time
singer. A lot of times I’ll play all the instruments on I got to show what I can do. As far as an outside
a track. Maybe I’ll get a drummer every now and then, project, beyond The Bird and the Bee, I’d say that Lily
or I might get some outside horn player or Allen was the first record [Alright, Still, 2006] that got
something. But when it comes to keyboards, guitars, noticed. I felt I got to show the more unique side of
and bass, a lot of times I will play those, and even what I like to do, like referencing older ‘60s music,
drums occasionally. I do have some friends who are bossa nova, Brazilian music, and The Beach Boys. I
great drummers, and sometimes it’s outside of what I got to incorporate those elements into pop music. I
can do on a drum kit. That’s the instrument I’d say was free to do that with Lily. That was the first time
that I probably play the least. I felt I got noticed. I started to work in the UK more,
and then some of that work started to get noticed in
and the Bee? the United States. I’d say that was the start.
Yeah, but not all of it though. Joey Waronker is playing So, when you did the first The Bird and
on a few of the tracks. On Sia records, or something the Bee album [self-titled, 2007],
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like that, it’s me on drums if it’s a live kit. A lot of was that something you did as a fun,
musical project? Or was it like,
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times it’ll be a hybrid of me playing, chopped up, and
I’ll do some programming with me playing. On a lot “I want to make a demo for myself,
of records where I’m playing drums, it’s a hybrid. as a producer.”
Do you create loops out of what you’ve That was a huge learning experience for me, that first Bird
done on drums? and the Bee album. I really wanted to start to produce
For me, I have to do that. Unless it’s a certain kind tracks and make albums. Meeting Inara was really great,
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of song that I can play straight through, really because it was the first time I was able to be self-
simply. But a lot of times it’s more of a pop thing, sufficient, and learn [Apple’s] Logic, and do it myself.
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where I will find the best of myself and chop it up. Before that, I was in bands, or I was a studio musician,
I wish I could do it straight through, but I’ll feel and I didn’t really know how to record on a computer
like those four bars are the best. That’s going to be yet. The Bird and the Bee was the first time I was able
variation from there.
I feel like loops can be more hypnotic
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the meat of the track, and then I’ll fill in some to make a full album on my own with a singer. Learning
how to mix that record was a big learning experience.
I’d never really mixed anything before.
and can suck you into the track. Were you looking to move into
There’s something hypnotic about the loop that I production?
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probably picked up from early hip-hop, which was I was. I had gotten a publishing deal, but nothing was
some of the music that got me into making tracks in really happening, except for The Bird and the Bee. We
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the first place. I feel like there’s something really got signed to Blue Note by Bruce Lundvall [former
great about a lot of early hip-hop samples, where president and CEO of the label]. We put out our first
they loop the intro of the song over and over again. album, and I didn’t have much going on, other than
I love that simplicity. some outside production.
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You said earlier that you identify Almost ten years later you worked with
primarily as a musician, but looking Adele on her album 25.
back at what you’ve been doing for That got a lot of attention, and then the Grammys. That
the last decade or more, it seems like was a whole new experience for me. That was really
you’re mostly a producer. fun. I produced three songs on that album, and we
Well, that’s how I got into production. Production for me wrote the songs together. I went to England and we
was guys like Prince. That’s who I used to look up to did a bunch of writing sessions. In those writing
growing up. I would imagine his productions and how sessions, we ended up doing “Water Under the
he would build a track with his Linn [drum machine], Bridge,” “Million Years Ago,” and “Hello,” which was
as well as play the keyboards and all the instruments. the first single. I was producing the tracks
That’s how I started making tracks, and that’s how I simultaneously while we were writing the tracks.
got into production. Then later, when I worked with And playing on them?
Paul McCartney, the Foo Fighters, and artists like Yes, I was playing everything on those tracks.
them, I needed to learn another way to produce You’ve got a lot of cool horn
where I’m not playing all the instruments. I need be arrangements on tracks that you’ve
on the other side of the glass and help these artists produced. Do you play some horns?
with their vision, and not play all the instruments. I don’t play any horns, but I used to play a lot of jazz in my
Production, for me, is mostly being a musician, and twenties. I would play in jazz bands and write jazz tunes;
playing, and coming up with the parts, so I do look part of that would be writing the horn parts and
at it as hand-in-hand. arrangements. I feel comfortable doing that, and I love it.
G. Kurstin/(continued on page 20)/Tape Op#135/19
Are you actually writing them out with a How long did you guys spend on You’ve done five records with Pink.
pencil and staff paper, or are you
doing the charts in Logic?
I used to write them out on paper by hand back then.
Now I’ll do the MIDI, and then the two engineers who
work with me – Alex Pasco and Julian Burg; they’re
great – will print them out. Julian’s figured out Logic,
so we can print out the pages from the MIDI. We’re Are you doing more records that way now, I have to go in there and not have any expectations that
self-sufficient that way.
Last year you worked with Paul Yeah. I’d say a lot of records are done like that because
McCartney on Egypt Station. What’s it
like working with a Beatle?
Working with a Beatle? It’s amazing! I get it. I saw what a
genius Paul is. Every day I would come in and he’d sit
down at the piano and say, “This is a song I feel we
should work on.” I’d hear these new chord progressions
that I’d never heard before. Then he’d play the bass, and
those bass lines are incredible. He’s the greatest bass
player, for me. Everything is very complex, what he’s
doing. He thinks he’s just a rock ‘n’ roll guy from
Liverpool, but he’s so much more. There’s so much
complexity to the harmonies that he comes with; the
chord structures, melodies, and everything are so
amazing. He comes up with new ones all the time. I
don’t hear him repeating himself – even production
ideas. I think he really likes to always move forward and
not do something ordinary. He always wants to push the
envelope. I think if he works with the right person, that
person will help him do that as well. I really wanted to
be that guy for him. Instead of the typical “band comes
in and plays a song,” he wanted to use a cello, or he’d
do that on a guitar part. Maybe we’d have his
harmonium doing that, and a flute will play this part –
something that’s not the obvious. I love that he wants
to do that, and he always pushes that boundary.
Were you playing much on that record,
or was it mostly Paul?
Occasionally I played parts. Keyboard is my number one
instrument. Sometimes I’d say, “How about this,
Paul?” I’d go out there and play something, and he’d
say, “That sounds great! Just play that.” Or there’d be
a Minimoog bass part; I’d hear something and present
him with it. If he liked it, I’d play it. But he played a
lot of the instruments on the record, and his band also
came in. Abe Laboriel Jr. played drums a lot on the
record, and sometimes Paul would play. I love hearing
Paul play drums, guitar, and piano. He’s great.
Was most of it more built up rather than
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tracked as a band?
It was a variety. The majority of it was built up. It would
be the two of us in the room adding parts and trying
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to solve the equation of, “What does this track need?”
I was trying to feel out what Paul was needing at that
moment. He’d always come into the studio with a plan
for what he wanted to do each day. Sometimes he
would have a clear vision of how to achieve that, and
sometimes he would look at me and ask, “How do you
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think I should achieve this?” Then I would chime in,
and I would start coming up with ideas. There would
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be days where he wanted to bring the band in for a
week, so we would cut it live, which was really fun. I
think Paul really enjoyed that. He likes to mix it up
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20 /Tape Op#135/G. Kurstin/(continued on page 22)
Egypt Station? How do you keep the musical
It was off and on around his touring schedule. He’s always relationship fresh? What makes
got something going on, so we would fit in a couple people want to keep working with
weeks here and there. I think it was a couple of years, you again in an industry often in
off and on. If you were to add it up, it would probably search of the newest flavor and
be about four or five months. hippest new producer?
where it’s spread out over a year or two? what we did before is going to work this time. I have
to really be careful about that. People go through
the artists are working with multiple producers. I might changes, I’m going through changes, and I find that
be doing half of an album, and then they’d go work you can never repeat what you did. I’m always trying
with someone else and I would jump to another to make it feel like it’s the first time we’ve worked
project. When I work with someone like Foo Fighters, together, and not get too comfortable. I think that’s
it’s concentrated in a short amount of time. Whereas really important. I try to be open-minded and be a
The Bird and the Bee sessions are very spread out. We’re good listener. Maybe that’s why people come back to
chipping away at it because we’ve both got other me. Hopefully they feel they’re getting good work, but
things going on. A lot of sessions are spread out. I’m really hard on myself. I want to do a good job,
Do you like bouncing around constantly? always, so I try not to get too comfortable.
I do, actually. It gives it a very fun and interesting feel. You straddle different sides of the music
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Do a little bit of this, and then jump to something industry. You’re doing highly
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else. I get perspective and learn from new projects. I commercial-orientated records with
can take a little bit of what I learn, and when I revisit Adele and Pink, and then working
an older session I’ve been working on, I can bring with Beck and The Flaming Lips.
some of that into the new project. Then I can see how Yeah, it’s funny. I started out more in the indie rock world
this compares to everything I’ve been working on. in the ‘90s; that’s where I started playing in bands.
How was it working on Beck’s Colors? Then, in the early 2000s, I wanted to be a producer
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I love working with Beck. I play a lot on that record, and who builds tracks and the only place you could really
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Beck jumps in there occasionally and plays a guitar or a do that at the time was the pop world, so I jumped
keyboard part. I have a lot of respect for his ideas when into the pop world. A lot of my friends who were
he plays. He thinks differently than I do, but we also playing in bands in the indie rock world were laughing.
overlap. He’s such an easy guy to work with. He’s very Like, “That’s funny. Greg’s working with this or that
– we’ll narrow it down to something that we feel
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free and doesn’t mind exploring the most ridiculous idea
comfortable that we can put out. He’s such a creative
artist!” It seemed a little bit out of place for me. But
all of a sudden everything merged, and artists like The
Shins and Beck were looking for someone outside of
guy, harmonically. He comes up with such great chords, the indie rock world to work with. I played with Beck’s
as well as interesting melodies and harmonies. Very ‘60s, band in the early 2000s, then I left, and then we came
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like The Byrds. He’s really good at that, or these Beach back around and worked together again. He wanted to
Boys countermelodies. At the end he’ll do the vocals, do something a little bit more pop. It’s funny how it
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and then he’ll start throwing in these harmonies. That’s came back to that world. I felt comfortable in the indie
great, and it really turns into a Beck track. rock world because of that. Now, who knows what is
I had read that that album was spread what? It’s hard for me to decipher if the tracks for pop
out over several years as well. music are the same as the tracks for indie rock music.
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Yeah, it was similar to the Paul McCartney album, where I don’t know!
we were going to get together for a couple of weeks The barriers are going down a little bit.
and work on it. He would go off and tour, and I’d start Yeah. It’s really about the songwriting, the voice, or the
working on other records. We were both pretty busy. I lyrics that differentiate it. Everybody’s working on pop
was producing a lot of different records, and Beck is music now. It’s a whole different thing, and it’s great.
always busy. It took a long time to figure out what the The Liam Gallagher records you did must
record was. We got serious at the end, “Okay, these are have been fun to work on.
the songs. Let’s finish these up.” That was fun. I worked with my old buddy, Andrew Wyatt
Do you get to a point sometimes where
[Blakemore], on that. We played in a band together in
it’s like, “I need to get this one out college, so it’s fun to work with him again. Liam was
of my life! We need to get it done.” great, super straightforward, and he knows what he
It’s easy when you’ve worked on something so much to likes. I got to rock out more, which was really fun. He
lose perspective, but I knew down deep that that was into what I was doing, and I was really proud of
record, specifically, I was really proud of. It was what we did on that first album [As You Were]. I did a
something I was not doing anywhere else, or with any few on the new one [Why Me? Why Not.]. I don’t really
other music. It really straddles all the music I grew up get to do stuff like that too often. It’s nice to branch
listening to, but also pop music. I felt very excited out; it’s definitely part of who I am, and a far cry from
about the music, even though I might have heard the some of the music I’ve put out. I grew up playing in
songs a million times when working on them. I still rock ‘n’ roll bands, so it’s nice to have these
could remind myself, “This is going to be great.” opportunities to do that with different people.
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c Alexa Nikol Curran
The Bird and the Bee meet
You said you were into rock more when you were younger.
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That should be pretty obvious with the new Bird
and the Bee album, Interpreting the Masters, Vol 2:
A Tribute to Van Halen.
We took the rock out of it. When Van Halen came out, that was the biggest band in
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the world to me. It was the first music I got into when I started playing in bands.
Van Halen, Ozzy, and Rush. That lasted for a short time, and then I got into punk
and The Clash. I stopped listening to the hard rock bands and got more into punk
and new wave music. But 11-year-old me was all about Van Halen. That was as
big as you could get.
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I love what you guys did with it.
It was really fun to tackle that music and turn it into The Bird and the Bee music.
Where were you when you first heard their debut album,
Van Halen?
(a
I was probably in a car somewhere. Maybe a day camp. I bought the vinyl; I still have
the same album. It’s all scratched up. I think I heard “You Really Got Me” and
“Eruption” first. It still sounds huge. When I was working on The Bird and the Bee
versions, I would use the sonics as an educational thing. In Logic you have the
Match EQ plug-in. I was wondering, “What’s going on in that guitar tone?” I noticed
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there’s so much low end to the guitar on that record; the guitar fills so much space.
I Match EQ’d it to my [Sequential Circuits] Prophet-5 [synthesizer] going through an
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amp to see if I could Match EQ the Prophet-5 to his guitar tone – I wanted to see
what the difference was. All this low end got boosted by the Match EQ. Then I have
that EMT digital plate panned to the right, guitars on the left. I used a little bit of
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that. Isn’t it that digital EMT? That record’s drowned in reverb.
22/Tape Op#135/G. Kurstin/(continued on page 24)
It sounds huge. It also has a lot of space, because there’s not
that much going on. Drums, bass, and maybe two guitars.
The drums sound massive. Drums and guitar take up a lot of space; but then, when
he takes a solo, all the rhythm guitar drops out and it still sounds full. I tried to
keep that feeling on The Bird and the Bee record. There are a lot of layers to the
record, but there were times when I wanted to keep it keyboards, bass, and drums.
When the keyboard’s soloing, maybe not have any other keyboards under it. I
wanted to keep a little bit of that tradition going on.
Which keyboard is the main synth on “Ain’t Talkin’ ‘Bout
Love”? Do you remember?
Definitely the Minimoog.
There’s a polyphonic synth, too.
It might have been the [Roland] Juno-60, [Korg] Polysix, or the Prophet-5; those were
the main ones. There’s probably a little [Yamaha] CS-80. There was [Roland] Space
Echo on some of the long, held-out notes. I think I flanged the drums. We did some
real tape flanging. My engineer, Alex Pasco, ran the drums through a tape machine,
did some VSOing [Variable Speed Oscillator], and got a real flange like The Cars did.
That was fun. That one was Joey Waronker on drums, and Justin Meldal-Johnsen
[Tape Op #93] played bass on that. We cut that mostly live. The Prophet-5 is some
of the lead on there, played through an amp. That was a fun one.
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You don’t see too many CS-80 synths working anymore.
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This one is working great. It’s an incredibly deep synth, and I do use it quite a bit. I
like that you can make your own presets. I do a lot of the Blade Runner trick, where
I hold out a note and let the frequency open up a little bit. I get a little vibrato
and it bends with the aftertouch, using it as a lead synth. I know Bruce Springsteen
used it in a polyphonic way on “Born in the U.S.A.” It’s a cool instrument.
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Michael Anthony never overplayed the bass parts in
Van Halen.
There’s definitely a lot going on with the drums and the guitar. Eddie Van Halen’s
rhythm playing is incredible. I think that’s one of the things that people don’t
mention enough.
The riffs are what make that record.
Yeah, and the solos are so fluid, like [Jimi] Hendrix. Then David Lee Roth; you can’t
mess with those vocals. He really has an incredible phrasing. There’s no one like him.
Did you have to pull back on your bass playing in order not to
get too complicated?
Well, I did what I wanted. There’s some bass on the record, but there’s also a lot of
keyboard bass. I took it a little bit into the world of Devo or The Cars. Those were
some of the references I was thinking of: that angular new wave realm, which is
another area of music that I really love. I thought, “What if I bring a little bit of
Devo to Van Halen?”
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 You’ve spent the last ten years working with some huge pop stars.
Do you ever get intimidated? How do you manage the egos in
the room, or does it melt away once you get down to working?
Everything melts away. When you get in the room with anybody for the first time,
there’s a little bit of nerves. I want to be liked and to do a good job. Growing up,
I was more nervous outside of music. Music was my sanctuary where I could feel
at home and comfortable. I never want that to get in the way. When I’m making
music, I remind myself that this is where I get to feel good and shine. That’s why
I play music in the first place. Everywhere else, I was awkward. I don’t let the
He’s got such a great voice. It’s so unique. nerves get in the way. I’m getting in a room with a human being and I try to treat
Yeah, definitely. When you have a vocalist like that, it makes my job easy. They go them like a person. “How’s your day? What did you do today?” We’re all the same.
and sing and deliver. “Oh, okay. My job is done.” It’s a nice thing. I can easily jump into that and get comfortable with somebody, even though they
When you’re working with a vocalist, do you find yourself might be a famous person. Even Paul McCartney. You can get nervous with a Beatle,
coaching them? Or do you let the singer decide what’s a but I realized I feel comfortable in my ability. I’ve worked really hard in music, and
good take? I feel I can do what he wants me to do. If he wants me to arrange vocals or help
I tend to let the singer decide, but I’ve been really lucky that I’ve mostly worked with him harmonize, I feel very comfortable in that world.
great singers who have a personality. When I’ve worked with singers who have So, music is your happy place?
trouble singing, sometimes it’s hard for me to know what to tell them. I could get Music has always been my happy place. I didn’t ever want to let anything get in the
technical with them, but I’m really a vocal producer who lets the vocalist do their way of that. I feel like this is the area I’m supposed to have fun, and I always want

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thing. I try to make them feel comfortable. I try to take any pressure off so that to remind myself of that. r
they know they can do as many takes as they want. I don’t make them do a million <gregkurstin.com>

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takes. We can do a few takes to get that initial energy. “Let’s do a few takes, and
we can always come back to it later if you feel we didn’t get it.” If they want my
feedback, I will give it to them. Certainly I’ll say, “I like when you did that” or,
“Maybe if you could hold that note a little bit longer?” But I don’t really get into
“relax your diaphragm.” I don’t really know the technique of it. I do love harmonies

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and vocal arrangements. I can really get in there when it comes to that. I have
ideas for days. I can almost be annoying, like, “Can we do one more harmony?” I

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love coming up with countermelodies and harmonies. That’s where I really step in
there with a lot of singers.

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24/Tape Op#135/G. Kurstin/(Fin.)

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 In 2019, I was asked to moderate a panel at Music Expo Miami, and luckily for us one of the panelists was Maria Elisa Ayerbe,
a local recordist, producer, and mixer I had heard much about and wanted to see in Tape Op. With a story stretching from her roots in
Colombia, Bolivia, and Chile leading to Nashville and Miami, as well as work with legendary engineers and producers like Jose Pupo,
Pino Squillace, and Julio Reyes Copello, I knew she had already done a lot and was on her way to do far more. Sessions on albums for
Il Divo (massive international stars), Paula Arenas (2019 Latin Grammy nominated), Juanes, Kronos Quartet, and Bogotá Philharmonic
Orchestra evidence her wide range of abilities. She’s also taught recording at many universities, worked in post-production, and mixes lots
of reggaeton and other music from Colombia, Haiti, and elsewhere. It’s not surprising that the Latin Recording Academy awarded
Maria Elisa with a Leading Ladies of Entertainment honor in 2019, for “outstanding performance as a professional and socially conscious
woman within the arts and entertainment fields, inspiring the next generation of female leaders.” Very cool, very important, and she deserves it. 

Maria Elisa Ayerbe

“You’ve Got to Tell Your Story”
by Larry Crane

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You’re from Colombia?
I am, born and raised. I was born in Bogotá and I lived
there for 16 years. My mom was working for UNICEF,
t)
c Pax Paloscia
I’d have an audio engineer saying, “Could you please get arts faculty. I lived in Chile for almost three years.
close to the microphone?” Very early on in my life I Then one of the top universities in Bogotá had
realized I was very musical. When Nirvana’s MTV changed their audio engineering program into a five

and she got transferred to Bolivia when I was 16. I Unplugged in New York came out, I knew I wanted to year music program, with a major in audio
graduated from high school there. By then, I knew I play guitar. I really wanted to go to music school, but engineering. I basically had to start over. I was
wanted to do audio engineering. I never felt I was a performer. I can sing in tune, but already two and a half years in from Chile, so I ended
(a

How did you know that?
My mom told me to be an audio engineer. When I was
born, my mom was a television producer. She would
take me on set to the telenovela she was shooting. I
remember being at recording studios with my mom
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I never thought I had the personality to be a singer.
I was studying classical guitar, but I didn’t see myself
as a classical guitarist. The other thing is that,
throughout my life, I’ve always been very handy at
fixing things. When I was about to graduate, my mom
said, “You know, there’s a career called audio
up doing seven and a half years in undergrad
programs. I was working at a post-production house
as an audio professional already while I was still a
student, and I was also teaching audio basics as a
student. I was also a sound designer for a couple of
movies, one of which [Contracorriente] got picked by

since I was seven or eight. She’d be like, “Do you want

to go inside the booth and do a recording for a young engineering. There’s a career where you can blend Peru for their selection for the Oscars as a foreign film;
el

girl?” She’d have me overdubbing and doing
voiceovers for her shows.
You learned the routine of it, to wait for
the cue and to put on the headphones?
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those two.” There weren’t any universities in Bolivia a French/Peruvian/Colombian production. I was
that offered that program, but I moved to Chile and dealing with real clients. There was a Colombian audio
got into the Universidad de Chile – a huge university. engineer, Jose Pupo, who had just come back from
They offered an audio engineering program inside the the McGill University program in Canada. Martha De

26/Tape Op#135/M. E. Ayerbe/(continued on page 28)

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 Francisco is one of the head professors at the McGill You were out of school and working? How did you end up in Nashville and
program; she’s Colombian. She came to Bogotá, where Out of school, but I couldn’t find more work in Bogotá so going to MTSU [Middle Tennessee
we had several workshops with her. Her assistant, Jose, I went back to teaching at a college. I was producing State University]?
who had been working with her for a while, came back bands, as well as recording and mixing, but it was at a I always wanted to be at a studio. Things have drastically
to Colombia and was doing some recordings, and he very limited level. Not because there wasn’t a scene changed in Colombia, so what I’m saying may sound
chose me to assist. After that, he was going to do the there, but because people would see me, which still irrelevant to people now; but back then there were two
first big classical professional, all-in album for the happens. “Can you do what you say you do? Are you places where you could go and see an SSL console, or a
Bogotá Philharmonic, with a real budget and actually good at doing it?” That happened 12 years Neve console, or gear. I didn’t see one at my university.
distribution deal. They took me again to be the ago, and I’m still getting the same questions. I’ve Nowadays they have the biggest audio program in Latin
assistant recording engineer. That’s how I entered the gotten used to it. If I’m in a venue and I have a guy America. Back then we only had three computers for the
classical recording world as an audio engineer. who’s assisting me – who might look much younger entire program! I thought about going to McGill, because
Were they tracking sections of the score than I am – the fact that they’re going to say hello to it made sense. Parallel to this, I was starting to get
and editing later, or was it a full him, and introduce themselves to him, that tells you professional label mixes in Colombia; reggaeton, back in
performance? something about what people are expecting. 2010. I wanted to get a different perspective. Jose was
It was a full performance, with some retakes. That special It’s so annoying. like, “You’re not McGill material at all! You’re going to
record was orchestral renditions of Colombian folklore. Then again, I understand I’m not the face of audio. drive yourself away from pop music and be stuck in this
The arrangements included Colombian instruments. By The sexism is going to go away someday. whole musical jazz super-strict world. But I’ve heard
the end of that recording session, I was sleeping one or That’s my belief. about a program in Tennessee.” I started looking into it
two hours a day. We were obviously running on a budget I hope. I’ve suffered through it, in a way. That’s why I’m very and thought it was perfect. But I had no money to go.
and tight on schedule. We had 120 mics to set up. I supportive of every single initiative that comes in, or that In our career, we don’t make a lot of money.

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didn’t really do the studio thing, like being the proper I hear about [that champions women in the industry]. She If I’d gone to a college in a different
studio intern. I had a different internship approach state than I grew up, it would have

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Is The Music, SoundGirls, Women’s Audio Mission, Women
doing post-production; I was dealing with real clients In Music – you name it. The farther south you get from cost me more.

)
“The music comes from people who didn’t

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know what they were doing. That was the
sound, like reggaeton. It was people in San
Juan, Puerto Rico learning how to do that.
(d
The amount of compression they’re getting
on it is stylistically correct – it doesn’t matter
how technically “incorrect” it is.”
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c Andres Franco
t)

and real television networks with real, paid expectations. Miami, the more sexist it is going to get. That’s our When you are an international student they ask you to
Then, on the other hand, I was dealing with real culture; we can’t deny it. It got to the point where I wasn’t have a lot of money in your bank account, just to get
recordings of classical sessions of people who were doing the job that I wanted. Jose hired me to be the post- the visa. I thought, “I’m going to write to them and
(a

expecting a lot. Classical musicians are interesting; their
relationship with technology is very weird. They hate the
presence of the microphone, because it’s all about them
being on stage, which I understand.
What happened after school in Bogotá?
e
production supervisor for a reality show [Protagonistas de
Nuestra Tele]. I was the second in charge. We had a team
of 20 audio engineers, and they were all under my wing.
We had 15 people living underneath a roof, and everybody
was wired. We had about 70 mics all around the studio
say, ‘Here’s my biography and résumé. I really want to
go there, but I have no money.’ Let’s see what they
can come up with.” They actually offered me a full
tuition. They have a program that’s an assistantship
tuition. I became a graduate teacher; an assistant.

When I graduated, I kept working with Jose Pupo. There’s house where they were living. The audio engineers would So, I did the graduate program for three years.
a big festival in Colombia for classical music in Cartagena do shifts of eight hours. After everything was shot and What did you think of going to there
el

[Cartagena International Music Festival]. It’s a beautiful recorded, I was doing post-production on that. I got the from a totally different culture and
city, and they bring the top classical performers from all episode delivered at 2:30 p.m., and by 9:30 p.m. the school?
over the world. It’s a once-a-year program – four to five episode was airing for millions of viewers in Colombia. It
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concerts a day, for a span of two weeks. was very hard work.
28/Tape Op#135/M. E. Ayerbe/(continued on page 30)
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I loved it. The audio engineering program was a dream
to me. There’s an API Vision [console], an [SSL]
Duality [console], two SSL 900 [consoles]. Any mics
that you want. The rooms were beautiful. Because I
was a tutor and working as a graduate teacher, I had
the chance to stay at the studios and do more studio
time than anybody else. For me, it was a dream come
true. Then I started interacting with the whole
Nashville community, going to shows, and meeting
people. It was perfect.
I assume you were still mixing and
working while you were doing the
school thing outside of work?
Yes, I never stopped. I was getting mixes from Colombia
all the time. I kept working for all of my clients. I was
lucky to find an internship at a studio, Creative
Caffeine, in Nashville with the sweetest, craziest Italian
producer in Nashville; Pino Squillace. He’s probably the
only guy who knows how to really play Latin percussion
in Nashville. He played with Tito Puente. I managed to
start out the internship through MTSU. The day I
arrived, the studio engineer quit. There was an Amek
Angela console wired to a Studer. Pino was on the
drums, and there was a guitar player. They’re like, “Do
you know how to run this?” I jumped in and I ran the
session. He said, “You’re no intern. You’re going to be
the studio chief now.” My entire one year internship, I
was actually the studio chief and I ran all of the
sessions. We were getting a lot of work, but, at the
same time – because of my whole immigration situation
– I couldn’t get paid for it. When I graduated, it was the
summer in Nashville. It’s dead. I needed to figure out
my situation; I needed to change my status from being
a student to having a one-year work permit. Then I
thought, “What if I go to Miami?”
How come Miami?
Because I’m Colombian, and it makes sense! Miami is the
hub for the Latino music industry. I had been applying
to other different jobs in Nashville, and people would
say, “Do you know how to record country drums? You’re
Colombian!” I’m like, “Yes, I know how to do it.”
With coming to Miami, what was the path
to finding people to work with?
I had a professor from MTSU, John Merchant, who helped
me out with a lot of introductions. He had lived here for
20 years; he was one of the head engineers for Criteria
Studios. He introduced me to the people at Criteria and
all of the top engineers from here. I drove here and
t)
interviewed with a bunch of people, and I also called
old acquaintances who had moved here. I was an intern
and a runner for ten days over at Hit Factory Criteria
Studios. They offered me a job, a contract, and
(a
everything that I needed. The hours were crazy. I was
delivering pizza to Lil Wayne, which was obviously a
different status in the chain, but I was okay with it.
Then one of the top producers from Miami called me,
and said he was producing Il Divo. They’re huge all over
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the world. He said, “My in-house guy is not going to be
available tomorrow. Are you available tomorrow?” I
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said, “Uh, I have a shift at 6 p.m. at Criteria. I need to
take out the garbage.” He’s like, “What?” He’s got a
beautiful studio down by Coral Gables and is the top
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Latin Grammy-nominated producer.
30 /Tape Op#135/M. E. Ayerbe/(Fin.)
Is that Julio?
Julio Reyes Copello. He’s also Colombian, and a very nice
person. When I met with Julio, he said, “You’re coming I have. I’ve also taught classes and done workshops. I
to work with me.” I left Criteria, and I ended up mixing
for Il Divo and doing all the engineering for half the Do you feel like there are more jobs in
album [Amor & Pasión]. I worked for the top Latin
artists with Julio.
That’s a really amazing opportunity.
Yeah. Then when I needed to get an actual work visa, he
offered to be my sponsor, and he still is. He basically
gave me the opportunity to stay and work. Nowadays,
I’m a freelance engineer. Whenever Julio wants to work
with me, or sees an opportunity where I can jump in,
he’ll hire me right away, and he recommends me a lot.
He runs a production studio, not a commercial studio.
It’s not open for the public. He’s also allowed me the
freedom to work for whomever I want to work with. With the mixing work you’re getting
Before working with Julio, I’d never done professional
live sound. Then he partnered up with a very fancy
restaurant venue here in Miami, and they came up with Yeah. I came to the U.S. with a couple of bags and my
a showcase for his label, Art House Records. Julio said,
“You’re going to do it!” I said, “I don’t know how to do
live sound!” He said, “Well, you’ve worked with all of
the artists, because all of them have come through our
studio. Even if you don’t know how to do live sound,
I’d rather have you there because you know how to
deal with them and know how they should sound.” I
had no idea how to tune front-of-house. I hadn’t done
that since college. It was very stressful, but I figured
it out. Now I’m getting lots of live sound gigs. When
you’re at a studio, the monitors never bite back at you
like they do in live sound. You’re not doing that in front
of 500 paying customers. I was a total nervous wreck
for a few months until I figured it out.
What about studio work?
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There isn’t a lot of tracking going on in Miami besides
vocals. I have a pool of customers. They know I’m a go-
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to person when it comes to real tracking, and they’ll
call me up. I also started working for the New World
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Symphony – a symphony made up of graduate
students. It’s like an in-between orchestra for It’s not our job to change that, but
professional performers between college or graduate
degrees, as well as a professional orchestra. I worked
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with them, recording all sorts of different shows and I recently became the Chair for the P&E Wing here in
performances with New World Symphony. The venue is
beautiful. The audio system they have there is the top
in the country, and the hall sounds amazing. I did that
for about a year, and then I started getting back
problems. I spent so much time at the computer, and
we had to set up and break down about 100
microphones for every show. You can’t do that when
you’re in pain. I dialed down on that and started
getting more and more into mixing and recording.
Where do the mixing jobs originate from?
From Colombia, or from here. I started getting a bunch <www.mariaelisaayerbe.com>
of clients from Haiti and the islands. I’ve actually
managed to work with Haiti superstars that I didn’t
even know about. The Haitian community is huge
here in Miami. We’re blocks from Little Haiti right
now, which is the second most Haitian populated
place in the world. I also produce and look for bands
to develop.
Have you gone back and done sessions
in Colombia?
feel like you’ve got to go back and tell your story.
Colombia for people in audio now?
Yeah. Studios are popping up everywhere. Now it’s
cheaper to travel to the U.S. People can come here and
buy gear. Colombia is a place that has exported talent
to the world. Everybody knows who Shakira is. Those
sorts of talents open up the world to Colombia. J
Balvin is Spotify’s most played artist in the world.
“Despacito” was produced by a classmate of mine.
Andres Torres and Mauricio [Rengifo] are both
Colombians, and I went to school with Andres. As I
took off to Tennessee, he went to L.A.
sent, do you have a space that you
work out of?
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computer. With the very few bucks that I would make
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a month from MTSU for being a teacher, I saved for
about a year and I purchased myself really nice
acoustic treatment that I’ve been tweaking over the
years. I started getting very used to my home studio
situation. When you walk into the actual studio at my
place, it’s like you’re in a real studio. I call it my mixing
)
suite. I’ve tweaked my speakers. I work in the box. By
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mixing a lot of reggaeton and a lot of urban genres, I
noticed certain analog equipment colors my low end.
It’s beautiful for when I do rock or pop, but it doesn’t
work for this. As audio engineers, we know what is
right and what is wrong. But when you’re dealing with
a style, such as the urban style, their roots are in the
street. The music comes from people who didn’t know
what they were doing. That was the sound, like
reggaeton. It was people in San Juan, Puerto Rico
learning how to do that. The amount of compression
they’re getting on it is stylistically correct – it doesn’t
matter how technically “incorrect” it is.
instead to reinforce it and do it as well
as we can.
Florida for 2019-20. We had a loudness committee with
the P&E Wing in L.A. in February. They all said,
“Loudness is killing us!” I said, “Hold on, hold on. If
we don’t have loudness in Latin America, we’re going
to disappoint an entire continent. People are not going
to be able to dance, because we’re giving them some
air to breathe. They don’t want that!” A reggaeton
track has to make your chest pump and your hips
move. You can’t take loudness away from trap. It’s not
going to make cars rattle. r
Tape Op is made
possible by our
advertisers.
Please support them and tell them
you saw their ad in Tape Op.
mp
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Messages in Bottles
Jack Antonoff at Home in Brooklyn
by Bren Davies
photos by Brian T. Silak

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 Born in Bergenfield, New Jersey, Jack Antonoff has performed,
recorded, and toured with the bands Outline, Steel Train, fun., Bleachers, and,
most recently, Red Hearse, with a self-titled album released in 2019. He has co-
written with (and/or produced) Taylor Swift, St. Vincent [Tape Op #134], Lorde,
Lana Del Rey, Carly Rae Jepsen, Pink, and Sara Bareilles – basically a Who’s
Who of recent pop stars. He’s won four Grammys, and he’s even started his
own music festival, Shadow of the City, in New
Jersey. He produced the soundtrack for the
2018 film Love, Simon, which includes four
Bleachers songs. Brian and I caught up with
Jack at his Walters-Storyk designed home
studio in Brooklyn, NY.

You maintain a busy writing, recording,

performing, and touring schedule, with
multiple simultaneous projects. Is it ever
hard to keep track of so many events?

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When you read it like that, it sounds like more than it is.
At any given time, I actually consider myself to have less

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going on than a lot of other people I know who do what
I do. It’s because the focus is on albums. Me and Kevin
Abstract made an album that took a month [ARIZONA
BABY]. Right now, I’m making an album with the Dixie
Chicks that’s going on two years. If you make albums, you

)
can do different projects at once, because it’s more of a
meditative thing – it’s all-existing. I’ll be working on one

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project and think, “Okay, these songs need help,” and
then I’ll spend a couple of hours there. I’ll go into a
session with these people [whom] I’ve been working on

(d this long project with for a week, and then everybody goes
their separate ways. You take a step back. To have these
ongoing album projects, it actually enables me to jump
around more, because they’re living and breathing. They’re
almost like family. How do you have time for friends and
family? Well, I don’t spend every day with them. If I go on
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vacation with my family somewhere, I’ll be focused and

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spend time with them. Then I’ll come back and spend time
with my girlfriend, and I’ll be focused and spend time with
her. I think that’s what albums are. It comes up a lot
where people have this idea that it’s this crazy output, but
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sometimes these things take a long time. Sometimes they

line up where it seems like they’re just firing out, [and
then] there’s a period when nothing’s coming out. I’m in
this period now where a lot of records are coming out.
You appear to be continually productive.
t)

I sleep eight hours a night. I travel and tour a lot. I try

to put the focus on the bigger picture and not get too lost
in the minutiae. That’s what it’s all about. Making records,
albums, songs – anything – I make it so it feels good, and
(a

I’m not convincing myself that it feels good because of

how I did it. I get all the way under the hood and do it
in a way that feels interesting – if you want to put that
microscope on it. Obviously, you guys [Tape Op] are gear-
related. You can have everything dialed in perfectly; the
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greatest gear in the world – the board they did this on,
and the mic they did that on. They’re tools to get you
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somewhere. You want to have all that going so that if

magic happens, you capture it in an exciting way. I’ve
been in a lot of situations where something magical
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happened, but it wasn’t captured well.

J. Antonoff/(continued on page 34)/Tape Op#135/33

You’ve said that the whole point to You’ve recorded in L.A., Atlanta, New
writing songs and making records is
to relate to people. How does Jack
Antonoff relate to his fans through
his music, his songwriting, and
through his productions?
I don’t think that the point of writing songs and writing your other favorite places?
music is to relate to people. I might have said that, When I was growing up in New Jersey, I would move the
but I actually think that the point of releasing music is recording session to my room, to the basement, to my
to relate to people. A lot of times, I write and record
music I don’t intend to release, and I’m doing it to feel and you can burn them out. At one point, I burned this You’ve spoken about a certain darkness
myself. Maybe the long-term goal is to find an
interesting bass line that’ll go somewhere, but I’m just
having a good time. Releasing music is an act of
throwing a message in a bottle and sending it out into
the ocean. The nature of releasing music – and writing
and recording music that you know you’re gonna
release – is somewhat a cry for help; but really it’s
more like a call. It’s like shouting, “Does anyone else
feel this way too?” Everyone’s DNA comes out in
everything [they record]. For example, the way you EQ
a mic: are you someone who wants to have it bright
and have [the listener] feel like they’re talking right to unchanged, by the nature of college students and drug
you? Do you want it to feel distant? It’s fascinating
how all these things are expressions of the soul. To
release that music; you’re trying to find your own little L.A., I’m usually at Conway [Recording Studios], which
tribe, your people who hear it. Take Nine Inch Nails: all is also one of my favorite studios in the world. Every
of those albums sound a very specific way, even the
ones that are a departure. Or David Bowie, who made
so many different styles of music; there’s still this
common thread that if you get it, you get it. Releasing
music is just asking if anyone’s having a similar
experience to you. That’s why so many people who
make records didn’t relate super well early in life – at
least a lot of people I know. They use this medium to
find people all over the world, because maybe in their
small town they didn’t find enough people.
What was your first recording setup like?
When I was in my house in New Jersey, I had a laptop.
I had a [Shure] SM7 going right into the interface –
not going through anything. I think it was the first
Mbox. I was recording on cassette when I was a kid.
I was always super into recording. When I was 12
years-old, I was taping everything. I recorded my
band called The Fizz from ‘97. Early recordings were on
little cassette recorders. Then I saved up and got this
weird Zip disk recorder, the Roland VS-840. It was
massive, and the latency was out of control. It was
t)
almost impossible to multitrack, but I did. From there,
[I worked with] local studios that had ADAT. It was
that super shitty phase of recording when it was post-
(a
tape and pre-Pro Tools. At some point, that first Mbox
came out. I recorded on that forever. At that point, I
had no concept of anything. I’d turn the knob until it
hit red. I’d only seen Pro Tools in big studios. There
was this guy named John Naclerio at Nada Recording
in Newburgh, New York. He would record us and let us
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come in for a month for $1,500. It was on ADAT;
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punching and punching to try to get the punch right.
Why weren’t we recording on tape? Obviously, it was
the cost issue. Then he got Pro Tools, and it was mind-
blowing. My old band, Outline, was his first Pro Tools
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recording. It was so cool because of the options.
34/Tape Op#135/J. Antonoff/(continued on page 36)
York, and other cities, and have
spoken about differences in the vibe,
sound, and feel from city to city.
When you’re not working here in
your home studio, what are some of
sister’s room, to the living room. Spaces are important,
space out, and now I’m falling back in love with it. I
did a number of records in a row in here. I started to
hear myself repeating myself, because it almost gets
too easy and everything’s good to go. I love Electric
Lady Studios. I’ve been spending a ton of time there.
I have a room at Electric Lady, so when I’m in New York
I bounce back and forth between here and there.
Electric Lady’s one of the greatest places on earth – it’s
one of the most important studios, historically. It’s an
honor to be there. You get to walk around in I think we all have it. For a long time I would brush
[Washington Square Park] and think. The park is very
addicts always being themselves no matter what’s
going on in the world. I spend a lot of time there. In
room there has a Neve [console] that I love for
different reasons. I spend time at Henson [Recording
Studios, formerly A&M Studios]. That’s a great place.
One place I’m dying to go to is Candy Bomber in
Berlin. I heard about it from Nick Cave’s people. I saw
them recently at Conway, and they were saying how
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brilliant [Candy Bomber] was. There’s a studio called La
Fabrique in France, where they do Mix With The Masters.
I want to check that place out. I try not to go to big
studios, unless I go somewhere for a specific reason.
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Obviously in L.A., I’m at a [big] studio. I took the band
up to a place called Outlier Inn in upstate New York,
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which is an interesting studio. In Atlanta, we were at
Atlanta Doppler Studios – a wonderful place. I’ve
worked all over the world, and I basically work every
day, so I almost see it like gathering. It’s more about
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working in the quiet of a hotel room, or finding bizarre
sounds in the town, and bringing that back [to the
studio]. If I’m out traveling, I’ll record as much as
possible, go to my hotel room, do a ton of editing, and
then bring it back to here, Electric Lady, or Conway. I’ll Christmas. I hope I’m not alone next Christmas. I hope
sift through and decide in those spaces, where I know
what it sounds like. My whole plan with a room is have
it ready to go and have tricks everywhere, with mics in
every corner; no fiddling, and I can have options.
Picture this: you’re sitting at the piano, so we’re going You’ve said in interviews that “if you
to record stereo mics on the piano, obviously. But then
why not also throw up that Telefunken and the Wunder
Audio CM7 because we’re doing vocals all over the
room? My favorite is a [Rode NT5] stereo pair, which
gets the coolest room sound. Now you have one piano
take, plus all these other possibilities that, if you
didn’t have, you would sit there and try to create with
plug-ins. This doesn’t break the bank; we’re not talking
about crazy mics. It’s about options. Then you can
bleed them together, or set them off of each other by
a few centimeters. You can send one through some
tape echo and keep another one dry. Any space that I
build is just options, to get it all and then figure it out
later. I can’t tell you how many times the piano sound
on a record has been from those two mics up there
[pointing to Rode NT5s]. Or the guitar sounds; we had
this one mic on guitar, but the CM7 in the corner got
the cooler sound. The downside to that is that you can
get locked into certain sounds, but that doesn’t
happen too often.
and melancholy that seems to inform
a lot of your solo songwriting, your
cowriting, and your production. A big
part of this comes from the passing of
your sister [Sarah, who passed from
brain cancer when Antonoff was a
senior in high school]. Are there any
other places within your life that
inform this melancholy?
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things under that rug and be like, “Oh, I’m sad and
introspective because of this loss.” That’s bullshit.
Everyone is having their own version of a hard time.
This work that we do is a function of figuring that out.
We’re not people who make something tangible or
specific. [This process] is an emotional tool. Every
)
side of it is about getting to the bone of something.
ot
Happiness is pretty uninspiring, historically – and
specifically in music. What’s inspiring is taking the
darkness and trying to sift through it. Happiness, or
having a great old time – well, we all know what that
feels like. If you pull up any playlist you have, even
ones you don’t think are particularly dark, what’s way
more interesting is sifting through the darkness where
you can’t find your way and can’t make sense [of
anything]. When I was younger and was going
through grief and loss, I thought, “Oh, I’m out here
on an island reporting about this thing that very few
people can relate to.” The older I get, the more I
realize it was always going to be that way. Everyone I
know and relate to in this work seems to come from
that space of just sifting through darkness. Even
songs about feeling good are about darkness, because
they are all about “when I didn’t feel good.” The best
example of that is Christmas music. Every Christmas
song ever is, “I hope my baby comes back on
I survive.” It’s always a twist. Even the happiest songs
still have that tinge of “maybe it’ll go away.” It’s the
fabric or thread that connects all of us, and that’s
what we do. Music is meant to connect.
live in the suburbs, you dream. If you
live in New York City, you’re not
dreaming, because you’re there.” Or,
“Growing up in a place that is forced
to be in the shadow of something is
really special, because there’s so
much energy in that.” What was it
about growing up in the suburbs that
has had such an influence on you
and your music?
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Laura Sisk
Brian and I met up with Laura Sisk at New York’s Electric Lady Studios in the room that she Your lyrics, your chord changes, the notes you gravitate
shares with Jack Antonoff. We talked a bit about her workflow with Jack. Look for a longer to, and the sound you gravitate towards – your whole
interview with Laura in Tape Op soon. sound – is based on where you’re reporting from. If
you’re reporting from a town in the middle of
What’s your approach to bringing out the best vocal from an artist? nowhere, that’s a perspective. If you’re reporting from
We normally try to record everything in the control room. It’s a much warmer environment. It’s treated well, and the center of New York City, Hollywood, or London,
it’s a little bit bigger than a normal booth, but smaller than a live room. It’s so much nicer to be able to speak that’s a perspective. That changes things, and you
to an artist without the pause of people talking in the control room before they reach out over a talkback mic. hear it in the songs. My perspective, and the place I
It feels more like you’re in it together. With recording in the control room, we’re balancing it against the amount report from – I lived there my whole life, and it’s
of noise. We’ve worked in places too where it’s so loud in the control room, and it’s hard to mitigate. [We put] ingrained in me – is a specific place. It’s New Jersey;
packing blankets over all of the gear, because we have to leave at least some of it on while we’re recording! and what’s so specific about New Jersey is its
The first thing that I have to do when I get to any new studio is turn off everything that I don’t need. proximity to one of, if not THE greatest city in the
It makes the artist feel like they’re participating in any production decisions that world – and the almost medieval cruelty, where there’s
are being made along the way. this thin body of water that separates [the two]. So,
And we can also flip back and forth between the speakers, as well as jump out of headphones for a second if we want it’s not the same as being from “near the city.” It’s
to hear anything. [We track everyone in] headphones, usually. I love the CM7 S. It’s the Wunder Audio clone of very specific, and it creates what I’ve come to know
the [Telefunken U]47. It’s an incredible mic. It has a dip around 8 kHz, which helps with sibilance, but it’s still as “the New Jersey sound.” It’s staring into the
bright. It’s a little more controlled, and I feel like I don’t have to EQ it as much as a 47. We play with turning it window of the party. There are these feelings in New
a little bit [off axis] for background vocals, or, depending on the part, recording slightly off-mic. Pretty much all

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Jersey of, “We’ve gotta get out of here.” But there’s
of it is cardioid. It’s usually through a BAE 1073 [preamp]. We’re bouncing around studios all the time, so using more to it than that, because you get these East Coast
the reissues can be helpful for us because we can get a consistent sound in a bunch of different places.

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sorts of sounds. You feel that in some of the changes
The original units, if they’re modified or recapped, will have a slightly different in the horns, [and] there’s such a melancholy to it.
sound at each studio. Then you go further up the coast, and it gets a little
You never quite know. There are two [original] U47s here that are from different years at Electric Lady, and they bit brighter and a bit more settled in. “We choose to
sound very different – which is another reason the CM7 S is great, because it’s so consistent across the board. live here. It’s wonderful. This is a great little town!”
Then we have the [Tube-Tech] CL 1B compressor, which is awesome – usually not compressing too much on

)
But that New Jersey thing – “in the shadow of the
the way in. It has a fixed attack and release setting that’s quite nice. It’s pretty fast, but it kind of catches city” – it’s so devastating. It’s very emotional and it
transients. I don’t like compressing too much on the way in because it makes it harder to tie sounds together,

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creates a deep melancholy, but also a hope. It’s
even if we end up compressing a little bit more on the back end. Sometimes we use a [Shure SM]58 or little literally who I am.
[Rode] NT5 room mics. One of the coolest things about Jack is that he treats the studio as a place to You’ve cited a nostalgia for John
experiment. We’re all trying to figure out new chains. Hughes’ movies, what they stand for
You and Jack often work on different aspects of a recording in separate areas of
the studio at the same time.
My job should be invisible, in certain ways. Jack and I often have dual setups, so we’re not always in the same
(d in your mind, and how they’ve
affected your songwriting and
production style. How has this
room together. I have my little laptop rig in [the live room] right now. We’ll bounce sessions back and forth all pervading sense of ‘80s nostalgia
day. We’ll record something, I’ll take it and work on it in the other informed your music?
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room, and he’ll keep moving on, working. Jack’s easily the The ‘80s were a complicated period. Most periods are.
most productive person I’ve ever met. Part of the way What speaks to me about the ‘80s was the willingness
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we keep up with everything is that we’re working to accept dark feelings in some big songs. There was
in tandem at the same time. When we’re in the more rage in the ‘90s, which was when I grew up. The
same room together, we’re bouncing back and music in the ‘80s was so goddamn pouty. It’s such a
forth between using the computer and making
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relatable vibe. My biggest influence is more ‘70s, like

sure that everything’s sounding good on the [the band] Suicide – that’s sonically what touches me
way in. When we’re working separately, we’re the most. But there are certain sounds – such as the
able to keep everything moving. Jack never low end on a [Roland] Juno 6 that is just
gets stuck on anything. There’s always so heartbreaking to me. Some of the string sounds on a
much going on, even with one artist, that [Yamaha] DX7 are so bizarre and warped; they send
t)

he’ll do something and be like, “We’re me into an emotional tailspin. I feel like I had a
going to listen to that in 30 minutes, bigger connection to it a decade ago than I do now.
after we work on this other song for a I’ve been really into mixing lately. I’ve been obsessed
little bit. Then it’ll be very obvious [how
(a

with putting acoustic 12-strings on top of the low end

to proceed].” r coming from a Juno synth. You grab sounds from
<www.laurasisk.com> different decades. I love the way snare drums were
treated in the ‘70s. I love the way bells of all kinds
were treated in the ‘60s. They were so reverbed, and
the pitchy tail would carry on forever – like the [Phil]
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Spector recordings. I love the low end of the ‘80s

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[more] than that of modern times. It was more

interesting. It’s become very commonplace [today] to
make your low end follow very specific melodies. The
low end in the ‘80s had weird stuff going on. I love
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the looseness of the ‘90s. I like ‘90s style guitars. I’m

36/Tape Op#135/J. Antonoff/(continued on page 38) pulling from all these different places. There are
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 certain sounds you hit. Put a certain reverb on the
snare drum, or the higher registers on [Oberheim] OB-
8s and Junos is unmistakably ‘80s. I don’t store
patches, ever, and I won’t use soft synths, not even
to mess around. If I know I can pull up the exact same
sound [a second time], part of me dies. If I can pull
it up, then anyone can pull it up! What I dislike about
a lot of modern recordings is that the pitch is so
goddamn perfect. I mess with Auto-Tune all the time,
and I love plug-ins and messing around, but it’s got
to start with something [unique]. I don’t want a soft
synth and then plug-ins, because then I have a chain
that, while unlikely, is technically recreate-able.
Anyone who knows the Moog [Model D] – what’s the
first thing you do after you tune it? You tilt the
oscillators a little off. That’s what sounds great. I can
hear in my recordings when we’re on month three of
that piano not being tuned. All these create a human
sound. It’s what people love about music. And it’s got
nothing to do with genre. The greatest pop music in
You were showing us samples of glass [in that moment] than that whole month. If you can’t
being broken before we started this come to peace with that and realize that that month
interview. You’re a collector of was just a part of you getting there, you’ll go crazy.
sounds and samples that you’ve Does this translate into your mixing
recorded yourself at various locations process as well? Do you tend to favor a
over the years. subtractive mixing strategy?
If I hear something that I feel like I’ve never heard I do that more in the production phase; I’m always mixing
before, I get new ideas. All that matters is what as I’m going, because it informs every decision. It’s
inspires you. I know what inspires me. I always want unfair to a song to not have it sound right along the
to be out there – a little scared, a little concerned, way. The way I treat mixing is, if I mix a record, then
because I’m in new territory. If I’m not, some version it’s because I have it there, and I need to make it gel.
of artistic depression would set in, because I’m If I send a record to mix, I usually work with Tom
somewhere I’ve been before. I always want to be Elmhirst or Serban Ghenea. I either want it a little bit
looking around and sifting through places I don’t pushed over that hill, or I’m interested in having
know. The only way to do that is to keep confusing someone tear it apart. During the production phase,
myself. I don’t write on the Juno anymore. I love it, there’s a lot of, “All right, take everything out, and let’s
but some of the tones bring me to a place I’ve already hear the vocal and the bass.” I feel like my process is
been. That will change. I had that with the guitar for commonly like: I do things, do things, do things – and
a while, and now I’m back on it. There was a period then take it all out. Sometimes you have this big mess
when I could not stop running everything through the that feels so cool, and sometimes I’m like, “I don’t

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the world has these wavering tones. If you think Binson. I’m off that right now. Anything that freaks know how we got here, but this is awesome.” You learn.

about Prince, sounds are wavering in and out. They’re
phasing, they’re imperfect. Everything here is always
one click away from going through the Binson
[Echorec tape delay] or the [Roland] Chorus Echo. I’m
recording the room – anything to create a situation.
Which is a pain in the ass. Sometimes we shoot
me out and shocks me. It’s almost like the most basic
concept of a lot of psychotherapy or treatment: shock
the person into a new place.
Do you put forth conscious daily, or
weekly, efforts to make big changes,
to force growth?
co
Different albums are filling in puzzle pieces. In the
beginning phase [of recording] this Lana Del Rey album
[Norman Fucking Rockwell!], we were messing around.
There are pianos, and acoustics, and a drum set. We
were also throwing 808s on; totally messing around.
When we recorded a song called “Mariners Apartment

)
ourselves in the foot where “that’s the vocal tone, and I make big efforts to take myself out of myself, but I also Complex,” we said, “Oh, there it is!” It’s this drum

it’s not coming back,” because it’s those mics going
through the Binson at who knows what setting. What
are the odds the tape will ever spin that exact same
way again? It’s cool. That’s what you’re looking for –
those moments.
Near the top of your list of ‘80s
influences is Yaz and Depeche Mode.
What was it like to work with Vince
Clarke as one of your producers on the
Bleachers album Strange Desire in
2014? You did everything over email.
ot
have developed good armor for when I know it’s right. sound, where it’s very roomy but quiet. I turned off
If you get “there” and don’t know you’re “there,” that’s everything but the overheads and the room. It was this
a big problem. Defining that you’re “there” is a feeling. quiet drum take, but there was so much room in it that
You need to have style and feeling, but you can learn it was amazing. “That’s the drum sound for the album!”
(d
[the technology]. It’s pretty easy to know what gear is
great and how to patch it all together. You can go nuts
making interesting sounds. There’s a lot of finesse
Then there was a very specific piano which happened
to be in Conway Room C, recorded a very specific way
because we had eight mics on the piano. The close mics
there, but it’s learnable. To know that you have “it” sounded weird, and it was a specific vocal tone. I start
and you’ve hit “it” – by the way, it’s not like 90 to fill in this palette, and once I have the palette, then
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percent, or you’re “almost there,” or you “pretty much I have tools. “Now let’s attack all the songs through
have it.” You do it, or you don’t. You have the this palette and see if it’s going to keep working.” If it
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I spoke to him yesterday, actually. We spend time
together, but we’ve never worked in the same room.
It’s just a vibe I got from him. He has this cave of a
studio [in the basement of his home in Brooklyn]. You
recording, and you have the song, and you have the does keep working, then you might have an album.
takes, and you have everything in the mix – or you In the case of that Lana Del Rey project,
don’t. To know when you’ve hit that feeling, that is the it sounds like you decided to go
most important skill. organic across the scope of the
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go down and he’s got a museum of synthesizers. A big
part of producing records is figuring out how you’re
going to get the best from someone. I don’t need
Vince’s name on my record. Believe me, it’s cool, but
what I need is for Vince to have a good time. I’ve
t)
I’ve heard you talk about this notion whole album.
that, in the end, all that matters is That album’s totally organic. We talked about the theme
the mix and what works. This speaks of an album – or maybe there is no theme. When
to what evokes the most authentic you’re making an album, there’s a period of time
version of the feeling you’re trying where you’re totally messing around and want to be

given him songs, and then he’ll send me back more to capture. in rooms like this where you touch a whole bunch of
tracks. Anytime you work with anyone who’s That’s 100 percent true. So many records have been instruments and see what happens. Once the people
specifically affected your sonic DNA, it’s weird. You destroyed by people getting obsessed with, “But we in that room have a glimmer of what that palette is,
(a

hear them doing parts that you have very specifically
lifted and done again, and then given back to them,
so now it’s this crazy loop. I learned how to play
synthesizers because of Depeche Mode and Yaz. That’s
why I love synthesizers, which, in my opinion, is a very
good jumping off place. Synthesizers are so delicate.
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spent a month on that string section.” But it doesn’t
sound good. “But remember when we stayed up all
night and we pitched these bells together until they
were perfect?” But they don’t sound good. You’ve gotta
be okay with that.
And if it doesn’t sound good, if it doesn’t
then you can start seeing if it’s going to be something
that is exciting for an album. Sometimes you’ll land
on a palette. You’re recording, and a month later you
say, “This doesn’t really do it for an album.”
Let’s talk about the design and setup of
your home studio. You were working

You’re tweaking and tweaking until you finally hear serve the song, are you a strong with Jeff Bhasker [Tape Op #130] and
that perfect sound. To send Vince my Bleachers tracks, believer in scrapping it? fun. at NYC’s Jungle City Studios
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which are so influenced by him, and having him play To do this work, you have to be acutely aware of the fact [#89]. You were so impressed with the
on top of a sound that he, in some way, already did – that you might work on something for a month – setup there that you decided to hire
through me – it’s weird. But that was a lucky whether it’s recording it, writing it, or mixing it – and the Walters-Storyk Group to design
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relationship to have. He’s the Picasso of synth. then walk in one day, throw up a mic, and do it better this room?
38/Tape Op#135/J. Antonoff/(continued on page 40)
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 I love John Storyk – he’s a genius! He built Electric Lady brilliant mixer. Unbelievable vocal producer. A lot of
Studios. He gets it. He and I are building another one times, editing can be the difference between making
in L.A. right now. It’s turning into an interesting place. something usable and making something shit. I’ll go
Is it around the same size and scope as in, play drums, and say, “Okay, I want the bridge and
this? the chorus.” Then she edits it and it sounds how I
Much bigger. It’s an honor to work with him. I’ll say to want it to, which is not perfect. I don’t want it on a
him, “Here’s what I’m thinking…” Then he’ll come grid. I want it a little bit more presentable than what
back and have an even better idea of what I was I did, but I want it to sound like me. I only work with
thinking! We’ve been going back and forth over email her now. But in other experiences I’ve had, that
about the B Room in L.A. “little bit too much” ruins everything and makes you
What are the particular items in want to go home for the day.
this room that help shape your How did your collaboration start, and
sound, your production style, and how long have you been working
workflow? together?
I don’t have a Fairchild [limiter] here. I’ve been She was engineering for a producer named John Hill,
recording a lot of drums, so that would be a goal. who I was doing the first Bleachers album [Strange
These [Chandler Limited] EMI strips – the TG2 rack Desire] with. We did that whole record, the three of
units – the lack of options makes me way more us. Then I was starting to make other records and
creative. I used to be obsessed with recording amps. seeing if she wanted to come help. It’s six years later

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I don’t think I’ve recorded a guitar amp in a few years at this point, and we pretty much work together
because of these strips; I’ve been doing all my guitars every day. It’s such a delicate thing to be able to pick

and basses [through] them. If I have a distorted
tone, it’s that. You have your red and blue-gray
knobs, and you’re in this dance of how much you’re
going to distort it. It’s so dynamic and reactive to my
playing. That’s my favorite way to get these tight,
incredibly gritty sounds. I’m extremely obsessed with
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up on peoples’ cues. Every time you put a body in the
room, it’s a plus or minus, and she’s always a plus.
She always brings more to the picture. She’s got a
great ear for everything. We have similar goals, and
the bar is constantly being pushed. To work with
people where, when something happens, no one says,

)
tape delays. At Electric Lady, I’ve got a bunch of other “It’s good enough.” That’s what people deserve, if

ones. I just got a Binson [Echorec] Baby. It sounds
totally different from the full-sized one I have here.
I love this German one, the Echolette NG51 from the
‘60s. I’ve had it for a couple of months now at Electric
Lady, and I put it on everything. The ‘70s Watkins
Copicat is my favorite piece of gear right now at
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Electric Lady. What I love about it is the tape is right
there, so when I’m recording something on tape, I’m
messing with the swell with one hand and literally
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squeezing the tape with the other to manually slow
it down. The Copicat has four knobs, and you don’t
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you’re going to put this music out into the world.
Gear is way secondary to developing the skill of being
able to capture something exciting, different, and
honest. You can do that on the crappiest rig on earth.
My advice to people is to focus on capturing a vibe.
Don’t try to make your records sound like other
people’s records. It’s already been done. If you’ve got
Pro Tools, go nuts in there. See what happens. The
ultimate goal is to do what you feel truly sounds like
YOU – and then to feel proud to share your work
because you’ve hit that level on all fronts: the

see anything – just the tape sitting there. It’s not
covered by anything. It’s fun to put your hands on
the tape. I’m doing it to an absurd [degree], feeding
it back and then squeezing it. Physically
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production, writing, mixing, and everything. r
<www.instagram.com/jackantonoff>
<twitter.com/jackantonoff>

manipulating tape and tape echos on drums and Bren Davies is a singer, writer, and voice coach living and
working in Brooklyn, NY. <www.brendandavies.com>
vocals. I’ll send them into the EMIs and blow them
Brian T. Silak is a professional freelance photographer
out that way. I don’t feel like I’m hearing a lot of
that. It really excites me. from New York City. His work focuses on creative
Let’s talk about your collaboration with personality portraiture and graphic illustration.
t)

your longtime engineer, Laura Sisk. <www.briansilak.com>

She’s at Burning Man right now. Please print that!
Is Laura’s role more as a tracking
engineer, or does she also share in
(a

the mixing duties?

Mixing too. We basically do everything together. I
believe in keeping the room as small as possible.
Anytime we work, it’s me and her, or me and her and
anyone we’re working with. I don’t like having a lot
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of people around. You could be working on the

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biggest album in the world – you don’t need a big

staff. You never need more than one other person in
Tape Op is made
the studio – besides maybe if it’s a big studio and
possible by our
you’re recording a big session with assistants. We do advertisers.
Please support them and tell them
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everything together – there’s a sonic language that’s

you saw their ad in Tape Op.
40 /Tape Op#135/J. Antonoff/(Fin.) so quick. She’s a brilliant tracking engineer, and a
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 Apart from the world of
recording, Phil Thornalley may not
be a household name, but a quick scan of
the many records he’s produced, engineered, and co-
written (or all of the above) reveals a discography steeped
in such universally well-known acts as Bryan Adams,
Thompson Twins, The Cure, Prefab Sprout, The
Psychedelic Furs, The Jam, XTC [Tape Op #19], Duran
Duran, and even Paul McCartney. He also co-wrote and
produced the 1997 worldwide smash hit single “Torn” for
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Thornalley mixing The Cure’s
Pornography at RAK
Studio One, January 1982
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Australian pop star Natalie Imbruglia, co-wrote and co-
produced “On a Day Like Today” with Bryan Adams, and
played the iconic upright bass part on The Cure’s “The Love
Cats,” which he also produced. Last year, after touring the
world for nearly two years as Adams’ bass player,
Thornalley took his recording chops and songwriting skills
back into his home studio to make an album of original
songs which paid homage to the earliest sounds of the
studio that first pulled him towards a life in music.
Thornalley’s Astral Drive album, released in 2018 and
Phil Thornalley
I Want it to Sound Like This
by Paul Myers
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named after the L.A. street address where Todd Rundgren
created much of his 1972 album Something/Anything?,
was a handmade labor of love; a decidedly analogue-
sounding affair, recalling his early fascinations with the
sonic experimentations of Pink Floyd’s Dark Side of The
Moon and, most significantly, Rundgren’s experimental
soundscapes on Todd. Thornalley got swept along in the
late ‘70s punk explosion and took his first musical steps in
a band literally called The First Steps. Their 1979 debut
single, “The Beat is Back,” even got a few on-air spins from
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legendary UK broadcasters David “Kid” Jensen and John You’re currently sitting in your studio I was hanging around the Nocito household with Mike.
Peel. But, by then, Thornalley’s fascination with the but there have been several Swamps
recording studio had landed him a dream job at RAK over the years, haven’t there?
Studios in London, apprenticing under the tutelage of Yes, The Swamp has been the name of my home studio
legendary producer Mickie Most, before moving on to everywhere I’ve moved. In the ‘70s, in my hometown of
assist and engineer for two more significant producer Suffolk, “The Swamp” was originally one of my teenage
mentors, Steve Lillywhite [Tape Op #93], and the late mentors; a really good lead guitarist who was the brother
great Alex Sadkin. I caught up with Thornalley via Skype of Johnny Hates Jazz member, Mike Nocito. He figured out
from his home studio, The Swamp, in North London, where how to use two 2-track machines and overdub. That was
he remains busy on both sides of the glass. probably ‘74 or ‘75, when we had a band and did cover
songs of the Eagles and bands like that. The Nocitos were
Italian-Americans, and their dad was the principal at the
high school on this US Air Force base. That’s where a lot of
my musical influence came from, those guys getting Steely
Dan, Todd Rundgren, or albums that weren’t necessarily on How did you end up apprenticing with
the radar for British radio at the time. These Air Force bases
were incredible; it was a real culture shock going into those My mum could see I was going nowhere academically,
places. That’s where I got my first bass guitar, a fancy
Fender Precision, from the PX [post exchange].
How did that American immersion affect
you in the mid-70s, while the punk rock
explosion happened all around you?
It actually divided a lot of people. There were the people
who were still listening to the Eagles and Steely Dan,
and then there were guys like my best friend Chris,
who bought right into the Ramones and threw all the
other records out. I sat on the fence and thought,
“Well, I still like those old records too.” I liked the
punk records, and I was in a punk band where we
would cover the Ramones and the Sex Pistols, but
then I was also in a nine-piece soul band that played
the American Air Force bases.
Do you remember the first moment you
became aware of recording gear and
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that recording was a “thing”?
Yes, absolutely. I had all the studio gear in my bedroom,
like TEAC and ReVox tape recorders, and it would move Mickie Most made his name in the ‘60s
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from one guy’s house to another, depending on when
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the parents would say, “That’s it! Get that stuff out!”
We’d rehearse, and I had a tiny bedroom with a piano
and a set of drums in the corner. I had a go with these
2-track machines. You know that Todd Rundgren tune, Before I was working for him, Mickie had had all these
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“There Are No Words,” where it’s improvised,
multitrack singing? I tried that. I started by singing
the bass note, sitting at the piano going, “And then
I’ll sing this note, and then I’ll sing that note.” It was
totally out of tune, but in a way it was like looking in
t)
a mirror and thinking, “Wow. I look good!”
And with recording, you can overdub.
Yes. Our band owned one pedal, which was this amazing
phase/flanger thing. You know how Electric Light
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Orechestra’s “Strange Magic” had this [flanged guitar]?
I would put the mic through this phase pedal before it
got to the tape machine. I’d use it on the piano and
the drums, and it made it sound exotic. I’d be thinking,
“Oh, I wonder what that would sound like?”
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One of your song titles from Astral Drive
is “Summer of ‘76”, which is around
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the time you had discovered Todd
Rundgren, right? What happened
when you started to hear what
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Rundgren was up to on those records?
P. Thornalley/(continued on page 44)/Tape Op#135/43
We both loved Burt Bacharach and all kinds of
“uncool” music like Jimmy Webb. One time Mike said,
“You’ve gotta hear this!” I put on my headphones and
he played me Todd’s “Useless Begging.” That was my
big epiphany. From there I wanted to know how you
could make a record sound like that. Of course now I
can deconstruct it and hear that he’d borrowed some
Beach Boys influences in the percussion, temple
blocks and echo, the drum machine, and that he was
probably playing a synth bass. There’s also a very
inaccurate clavinet or piano just about playing some
chords. Yet it all adds up to a beautiful song, and it
moved me. It still does.
Mickie Most at RAK Studios?
but that I was quite passionate about music and
recording. RAK’s studio manager was a friend, of a
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friend, of a friend, so I got an interview and I guess
he liked the cut of my jib. At that time, the studio
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was very much that of, “you sit in the corner, you
operate, and you shut up.” The chief engineer on the
first session even told me something to the effect
of, “Don’t talk. Do what you’re told, and you’ll get
on.” At a very young age, I got to see the recording
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studio as a career, first as a tape op, and as a tea
boy at RAK Studios. Within the space of the first six
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months, I’d worked on orchestral recordings. I was
the assistant on the sessions for Barry Manilow,
Siouxsie and the Banshees, and The Jam. I’d done
pop, punk, new wave, middle of the road, and all the
music that came in. For the first two days I thought,
“What is this crap?” Then, two weeks later, after the
producer or whoever worked his or her magic, I’d
realize, “Oh, actually yeah. I see what this is about.”
with acts like The Yardbirds, The
Animals, Donovan, and Herman’s
Hermits. Does that make you kind of a
bridge to another era?
hit records. Some of them had very bizarre
arrangements by people like John Paul Jones. He
took me under his wing, for some reason. Even
though I was the assistant, we would look at each
other and he knew that I had a sense of what a good
performance was, just as he obviously did. A band
would be playing; there’d be nobody else in the
control room, and Mickie would look over at me, and
I’d say, “That just slipped.” He’d say, “You’re right.
Start again!” He’d hit the talkback, and the band
would do another take. Mickie liked to do take after
take until he got it right. I kept a little notebook,
and one time we got to take 113, but the final track
went to number one. Mickie talked in colors – I think
that’s actually a recognized condition now
[synesthesia]. He would say to the band, “We need
some green,” and then he’d get an arranger in who
would add the overdubs, like strings, brass, and
backing vocals – the big colors – onto these massive
but simple bed tracks.
 I sense that what drew you to Rundgren, It was a great education. Record sales were not great, I suppose part of the skill set for the job of a
and what you saw with Most, was the so producers no longer had the budget to bring in producer or engineer is working around
concept of feel, this idea of capturing some brilliant engineer from America, like Al Schmitt the ego, or the vision, of an artist. Do you
excitement on a record and not just or Bill Schnee. They had to use the house guy. It think that skill was nurtured during
going for cold, technical perfection. meant that after 18 months I was engineering your apprenticeship years?
I’m glad you mentioned that. I worked with Mickie, sessions, or mixing The Psychedelic Furs with Steve Mickie and Steve both knew how to handle the
and later Steve Lillywhite, and these were both Lillywhite, who was a very capable engineer but, at psychology of dealing with artists, either with humor or
people who were looking for feel, and it didn’t have that point, was more interested in trying to create a with presence. Another great thing happened when I
to be recorded nicely. It was about capturing a vibe for the band. You could tell when a band came in worked with the producer Sandy Roberton on a John
passion or a moment. It was fantastic to be exposed full of angst, with no confidence in their playing. Martyn album [Well Kept Secret]. By this point I had a
to that. When I joined RAK in ’78, Mickie was still Steve would do a trick like, “Oh, what’s that over very strong opinion of what was good and what was
having hits with acts like Hot Chocolate and Kim there?” Before they knew it, the track was done! Steve bad, but Sandy was in the producer’s chair asking,
Wilde. My first session probably would have been showed me this neat trick about putting limiter on “What do you think, Phil. Is that any good?” I’d say,
Hot Chocolate backing tracks for songs like “Every the drum ambience. RAK Studio One had this big “No, do another take.” I started being more vocal, and
1’s a Winner.” Mickie had real clarity about listening wooden room, and we would have close mics on the maybe a little arrogant. Sandy saw that I had potential
to what he was doing, and he would only take ten kick, snare, and toms. But Steve was the first person to be a producer and started managing me. He actually
minutes to do a mix. Mickie would be bam, bam, and I ever saw put a [Neumann] U 87 a far distance from became a very successful producer manager, and still is.
the [VU meter] needle would be clicking. He actually the drums and then put an UREI limiter on it. That I didn’t know any A&R people, so [Sandy] would go and
liked the gritty sound of distortion from the over- made it so it sucked the room up and made drummers, tout my wares. He’d say, “This kid is good, and he

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compressing of the tape. Mickie used to do tricks, who were perhaps technically not that great, sound knows how to program drum machines,” which, in
like putting the bongos through a wah-wah. That’s kind of like John Bonham. It was over the top. When those days, made you a genius! I had read the first

him operating the wah-wah pedal on Hot Chocolate’s
“You Sexy Thing.” He was basically trying to
replicate that Donna Summer sixteenth-note
synthesizer sequencer sound, but on the bongos.
I wonder if such an in-depth
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I saw him do that, it was like, “I don’t want drums to three pages of the manual. [laughs]
sound like drums. I want them to sound like they’re But you had probably logged a lot of
busting out of the speakers.” Then, of course, as the “flying time” on your own?
years went by, working with other producers I realized Yes. I used the down time to do my own songs, and
that you can compress the close mics as well. You can muck around with the synths. This is more on my

)
apprenticeship might be a lost really control the sound. demos, but then I’d get a flavor of, “Oh, yeah. This is
tradition? the sound I like.” I’d worked with an Oberheim DMX

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Thornalley recording and
mixing Bryan Adams’ “On A

(d Day Like Today,” at The

Warehouse studio in
Vancouver, summer 1998.
(Photo credit: Bryan Adams)
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44/Tape Op#135/P. Thornalley/(continued on page 46)

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 drum machine on a song called “In the Name of with careful placement and use of percussion. Although I got on well with Paddy, Wendy, and the
Love,” which Steve Lillywhite produced for the He’d spend forever on a bass line, which was, I drummer Neil Conti, I unfortunately fell out rather
Thompson Twins when they were still this seven- suppose, that Island Records thing about getting a badly with Paddy’s brother Martin, the bassist, after I
piece, Talking Heads-type band. The Oberheim had a kind of R&B groove going. had been highly critical of his playing and parts.
particularly bad sound, but with compression, gating, The reverbs and space around the When it came time to produce the album, I had
and EQ, you could turn the sounds into something. It percussion parts seem to be as already been fired. Fair enough.
was all about ducking out the mid-frequencies on the important to the overall sound. Didn’t you once take the RAK mobile
snare drum, adding lots of top, compressing it, Alex was very much about space, as well as tightening studio out took out to work with Paul
and gating it. kick drums, snare drums, and bass sounds so that it McCartney?
You also worked closely with the allowed all of the reverbs, the atmosphere, to speak. I had worked on a couple of sessions for Wings’ Back to
Thompson Twins later on, but this Sadkin eventually handed the co- the Egg at RAK Studios, and McCartney nicknamed me
time with another mentor, the late producer reins to you. What was it like “Little Phil.” After these sessions, he hired the RAK
Alex Sadkin, producing. How did that working together at RAK Studios? mobile for location recording at this castle in Kent, so
come about? We had some beautiful vintage gear from the ‘60s – I went down there for a few weeks. One morning, the
Alex Sadkin was not only a true mentor; he also became Fairchild compressors, Neumann valve mics – but they session engineer didn’t turn up, so Macca [McCartney]
a good friend. He had been Chris Blackwell’s right- were so unreliable, with power supply problems, that put me to work while he recorded the drums and the
hand man at Island Records. He came from a very I rarely used them. And yes, this comment is bound synth bass on this stoned, pop operetta he’d made up.
different philosophy; he was very controlled, and he to get the gearheads exploding with rage. I should say He’s out there playing everything while I’m sitting
was a lovely, lovely guy. He had actually been the tape that today my vocal mic chain is usually a Neumann there at the mixing board, and Linda is at the back of

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op on [Todd Rundgren’s production of Grand Funk’s] U 87 with an API mic amp and EQ, and a rare blue the room showing me her photographs. It gets to the
“We’re an American Band” at Criteria Studios in Miami. face UREI 1176 limiter. RAK had a big control room, end of the session when Macca comes in to mix it. He

I wrote a whole book about Todd Rundgren,
and yet I’d never heard that!
Alex told us that story while he was producing the
Thompson Twins [Quick Step & Side Kick]. Alex was
great; we got on famously, and he was very generous.
although the monitoring was more out of control. It
had the bass and took off, so it was difficult to put a
mix on the big speakers and not go, “Oh, something’s
wrong.” But this bass sound was super tight, like in a
club, so you could whack up this Thompson Twins mix
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knew the mobile well; there was a really small
monitoring board with these 24 tiny faders. Paul
comes over and pulls them all down; he mixed it
himself, balancing how he fancied hearing everything.
After about a minute, Linda said, “Uh-uh, Paul. Phil’s

)
He loved it when I would put on crazy reverbs, delays, as loud as you like, because it’s tight. That was all was better!” Paul turned to me and said, “Go on,
and over-compressed sounds. If I went too far, he’d Alex. He had a very scientific approach. then!” It was very warm. There was no attitude about

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dial it back; but usually he loved it. For instance, You also produced one of my all-time it. Unfortunately, that track was never released, and I
when I first worked with XTC, it was actually Alex and favorite singles, Prefab Sprout’s doubt very much that it will. It’s likely buried in the
I as a pair, but since I was on fire Alex would sit at “When Love Breaks Down.” vaults of [McCartney’s production company] MPL.
the back of the room. One of the XTC guys came up to I did that song at RAK Studios over five days, which was How did you end up working with
me and asked, “What does Alex do?” I said, “When (d
the standard production [turnaround] time back then. The Cure?
things are going right, he’s letting me do my thing. I’ve heard you speak before about how I don’t know this for a fact, but I have a feeling that
When something goes wrong, you’ll see that he knows much the vocal pads were inspired by they must have heard [Thornalley’s mixes on] The
how to fix it.” 10cc’s vocal tape loop experiments on Psychedelic Furs’ records. I think they wanted a
You engineered two great Thompson “I’m Not in Love.” change. I was 21 or 22; the lead singer [Robert Smith]
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Twins records with Sadkin, including This was in the days before digital samplers, so we had was 22, and the drummer [Lol Tolhurst] might have
their subsequent breakthrough to do a lot of leg work in the studio to get that sound. been 23. Before we worked together I met them in
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album Into the Gap, and the single There was none of this instant dial-up for a hundred the pub, which was very unlike me, and we all got on.
“Hold Me Now.” voices. Prefab Sprout’s Wendy Smith had a beautiful They were very well-rehearsed in the studio. We did
That was a great record for me, because that was the breathy tone, so we triple-tracked her singing [each demos of the whole album to check out the vibe and
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first one I had a royalty on that did really well. It of the individual] notes in the song’s key; then I see if I was up to it. A couple of those demos ended
was right after Alex and I had done Duran Duran’s finally “played” this 24-track vocal tape loop to the up turning into masters, because we caught a vibe.
Seven and the Ragged Tiger. I was parachuted in to track, manipulating the faders. That became the Pornography, their fourth album, was very dark, with
finish off Duran, got on a plane, went back to principal production trick on a great song. lots of eighth notes on the bass. This was my first
England, and went straight from the airport to the Another feature on that track was the moment to let loose with all my ideas about getting
studio and mixed “Hold Me Now.” I was so hot! I was huge, ethereal and melancholic parts to sound a certain way. There was nobody
t)

at the board and I was like, “I know what reverb is keyboard sound. sitting at the back saying, “You can’t do that,” so I
going to work here.” This was my first record where MIDI was available, so was compressing the drums, getting that drum
That’s when everyone seemed to be [Prefab Sprout leader and songwriter] Paddy McAloon ambience, and throwing on delays. Whatever the song
(a

“sacking the drummer,” to use the
English expression, and reaching for
the machines.
Well, the penny dropped for Tom Bailey, the principal
songwriter, that this was the way forward. They
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played these beautiful, Bacharach-esque, two-
handed, cluster chords on a “Rhodes” patch whilst
we MIDI’d that to a warmer, floatier pad sound;
probably a Juno. I’m very proud of that record. So
many people still tell me they love that track, and it
needed. There was no “grownup” in the room, and the
band liked what I was doing. Their confidence in me
gave me confidence. I remember saying to Robert
Smith, “I don’t like your guitar sound. Have you any
other guitars?” You wouldn’t say that now. He ended

fired the rest of the band. Then Alex produced this stands the test of time. up using this horrible-looking Ovation electric guitar.
pop/dance record with drum machines and And yet, you did not work on the rest of I don’t want to make too much of [my role]. I think I
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synthesizers and let me engineer. That’s another
case of a guy who’s a really good engineer, but very
different and very particular. He would compress
sounds, but sensitively. It was to get an effect,
mp
Prefab Sprout’s Steve McQueen album, did a really good job – but the band were well-
which ended up being produced by rehearsed, and, as the record shows, Robert Smith is
Thomas Dolby [Tape Op #119]. a pretty fine musician.

46/Tape Op#135/P. Thornalley/(continued on page 48)

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Yes. Suddenly, I was getting calls from everybody
Thornalley in his studio, “The Swamp,” London, UK, 2019, (Photo credit: Amy Walters).
Eventually I got a new manager who knew Natalie, and
new my publisher, Marc Fox, loved the song “Torn.” He
told me it would change my life, and he was right.
Over the next week or two, Natalie and I got together.
We spent a lot of time working on perfecting a vocal
performance for her demo, and we also wrote a couple
of other songs. It was presented to RCA Records, who
signed her. In the space of six months, “Torn” took
off, which was so phenomenal. I ended up with a lot
of my productions and a lot of my songs on her [Left
of the Middle] album. It saved my bacon.
Is that how you came to the attention of
Bryan Adams, with whom you wrote
“On a Day Like Today”?
because I was now a “genius,” of course. An A&R
man, David Roth, called me up and said, “Do you want
to work with Bryan Adams?” We’re still working
together to this day. Probably five albums, over the
last 20 years. I had two songs on his 2019 album

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But confident enough to know that if Even while your studio career was Shine a Light. Bryan is such a brilliant singer and
he you let you shine, at the end of flourishing, you had this whole

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communicator, and the best singer I’ve ever recorded.
the day they’re going to say, “It’s a other side of you; the songwriting. Incredible tone and phrasing; every take different.
great Cure record,” not, “Great Phil Didn’t you even sign a record deal in Which leads us to your recent solo
record.” How did your iconic jazzy 1983 as an artist? project as an artist, Astral Drive. Tell
bass line on The Cure’s “The Love Yeah, I did a couple of singles that flopped terribly. When us a bit about how that fits into what
Cats,” which you also produced for I told Sandy Roberton that I was going on the road you’ve been doing all your life.

)
them, come about? with The Cure, he was like, “You’re nuts! You’ve just For most of my professional career, up until “Torn,” I was
After Pornography The Cure’s bass player, Simon Gallup, established yourself as a producer. You’re making good

had left the band for whatever reason, so I ended up
filling in on bass for a few festivals, as well as a
showcase tour in America. When we flew back to Paris
to do some recording, Robert taught me this bass line
idea. When they’d started, they’d been this post-punk
pop three-piece. Then they’d done Pornography with
me, which was very doomy, and the record after that
[The Walk EP] they had a drum machine and
synthesizers. They were sort of flip-flopping. Robert
wanted the vibe to be like the Hot Club de France,
money.” But the life experience was good. When I came
back and started producing again, I also decided I was
going to make a solo album, which again he was not
(d
particularly happy about. I made a solo album on MCA
[Records] called Swamp, an honest effort that flopped.
My songs were getting better and better, but it wasn’t
until I was 38 [in 1997] that I finally had a song that
got on the charts, a Top 40 hit called “Today’s the Day.”
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I’d actually written it for an artist I produced; soap star
Sean Maguire. It was a big moment for me to be
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an engineer, a mixer for hire, or producer for hire. In
the years after “Torn,” I became that creature known
as a “songwriter/producer,” so I could express myself
more in music as well as sound. I found myself trying
to get back in touch with my own music, as well as
monkeying around with Rundgren-like changes. It was
a great opportunity to share some of the stories of my
life, looking back and thinking the way I did when I
was a teenager full of idealism. It made me happy.
Astral Drive is what I wanted to say back at 17, only
I didn’t have the production and songwriting chops to

with a touch of the Aristocats, actually. We were in validated as a songwriter. After 30 years! do it. It’s also made me happy that a lot of people
Studio des Dames [in Paris], which had all these You also produced Australian television who I admire enjoyed it too.
orchestral instruments, like vibes, tack pianos, soap star turned recording artist Your long apprenticeship seems to have
glockenspiels, tubular bells, and the like. Robert was Natalie Imbruglia’s worldwide smash given you not just the chops you spoke
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playing the tack piano, then the drummer, Andy hit, “Torn,” which was a song you of, but also the applied knowledge to
Anderson – who passed away recently – was playing had co-written with Ednaswap’s Anne make something musical out of it.
brushes and a kick drum. The guitar sound is a U 87 Preven and Scott Cutler. How much of I spent years and years in studios, but I’m not a great
in the middle of this great room, and it’s all the sound a gamechanger was that for you? technician. I think I’ve always been drawn towards
of the room. I was engineering and producing it, and Quite! Scott Cutler was an L.A. songwriter for hire who the feel, rather than what EQ is being used.
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I somehow managed to play the stand-up bass. I had
never played the stand-up bass before. I remember
getting the tuner out and putting Chinagraph marks
on the neck where the notes were in tune, because I
(a
I’d worked with writing songs for Johnny Hates Jazz, Technically, if somebody got my tapes, they might
and his partner, Anne Preven, wanted to do a demo say, “Oh man, what were you doing here? You’ve over-
tape as an artist. Around this time I was totally recorded this.” Having said that, I do have the
unemployed, very cold, and seriously not getting any

technique to mix songs and squeeze them if

had no idea. I could barely get through two bars, so
I opened up two tracks and comped it in overdubs. I
played the lower parts of the phrase on the first track,
and then the [counterpoint] higher notes on the
second. When it gets to the end, the bass starts
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gigs. Scott knew I had my production chops, so they
flew over to London and we made a demo tape for
Anne. One of the songs we wrote was “Torn.” I played
her tape to a few A&R people here, and one guy was
like, “This song is good,” but he didn’t sign her as a
something doesn’t sound right, because I know how
to use limiters and EQs. People tend to forget that
“feel” musicians like Rundgren, Robert Smith, or
McCartney, intuitively or otherwise, they’ve studied it.
We can have a laugh about it, but I’ve spent most of

walking in a scale; but if you listen to it closely, you’ll solo artist. Back home, Anne and Scott had wisely my career being quite serious about, “I want it to
notice that it’s not particularly accurate. There are decided that they needed a vehicle, so they created sound like this.” r
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probably jazz bass players still now listening to that
and thinking, “What is that guy doing?” Repeating
notes, and playing notes in the wrong chord. Hooray
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this group, Ednaswap. They recorded a post-grunge-y
<www.facebook.com/astraldrive>
version of “Torn,” changing the chords to make it
Paul Myers is an author who has written several books
darker, which was the sound of pop back in 1995.
including A Wizard, a True Star: Todd Rundgren in the Studio,

for me! [laughs] How did the song get to Natalie? and co-edited the recent anthology, Go All The Way: A
48/Tape Op#135/P. Thornalley/(Fin.) Literary Appreciation for Power Pop. <@pulmyears>
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 Recording in Iraq
Capturing Mosul Live

by Jack Kennedy

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I had been writing and producing music in Los
Angeles long enough to question the state of my existence when I
got an email asking me to come to Iraq and help record an album to be called

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Mosul Live. My heart leapt with joy. Finally, a break from gluten-free lunches
and vegan ice cream. Finally, a break from young songwriters and various A&R
guys not calling me back. Finally, something bigger than the music business. I
may as well have been going to Mars. I joyously told my girlfriend about the job
offer. She was alarmed by my excitement and we split up shortly thereafter.
Some people got visibly uncomfortable when I talked excitedly about going to
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Iraq to record musicians living under the Islamic State. Some changed the
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subject to Game of Thrones. I have never seen Game of Thrones.

Back in 2013, a poet, translator, and friend named David Shook brought
me to Haiti to help with some relief work. I brought my Digidesign Mbox 2
and recorded a great Haitian singer in Port Au Prince. David had now moved
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to Iraqi Kurdistan, where he was an artist in residence at The American

University of Iraq Sulaimani (AUIS). AUIS, under the leadership of author
and translator Alana Marie Levinson-Labrosse, was beginning a project to
document people living in Mosul during the occupation by the Islamic State
(2014 to 2017). They had been recording the spoken word stories of civilians
t)

in Mosul and wanted to make an album, Mosul Live, by affected musicians.

During the occupation music was outlawed, taken off the radio, and
forbidden to be performed in public.
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In the months leading up to the project I assembled a recording system. I

needed a multitrack recorder that was battery powered and could last all day.
Some areas would not have electricity, and the areas that did have power
experienced outages throughout the day. (Case in point: as my plane was
landing in Sulaymaniyah, Iraq, I watched a large section of the city’s lights go
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out.) The Sound Devices MixPre-10 was my best option. It would run for 20
hours at a time on two battery packs, and it had eight mic inputs with Kashmir
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preamps that record to a hard disk/thumb drive. I combined that with a handful
of microphones from SE Electronics, and the whole setup fit nicely into an
over-the-shoulder Stingray bag made by K-Tek.
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50 /Tape Op#135/Mosul Live/(continued on page 52)

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The Directive for Mosul Live
“Kashkul, an arts and research collaborative at
the American University of Iraq, Sulaimani, will
record a live album on the Mosul city streets,
featuring musicians, including Awtar Nergal, who
lived and rehearsed through the occupation of the
Islamic State. Kashkul will provide the mobile
studio and will be working with producer Jack
Kennedy, who is also a musician and sound
engineer. We see emerging and established
musicians playing out in the city, among the rubble
and the bombed out structures, trying to get the
music we hear in these interviews back out on the
streets, in the air. We can rebuild Mosul’s physical
structures, but we must tend to its metaphysical
structures as well: the cultural foundations that
brought people from such diverse ethnic, religious,
and linguistic backgrounds together. We see this
album as a way of encouraging creation among the
destruction. The project will reach Mosul city
musicians, Mosul city residents, people displaced
from the city, the larger Iraqi and Kurdish
populations around Mosul, as well as the broader
community of world music supported in the West.”
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52/Tape Op#135/Mosul Live/(continued on page 54)
My fears about going to Iraq outweighed the actual We set up in an abandoned restaurant on the edge of
danger. I arrived in Baghdad and Iraq felt quite secure. the Tigris river to record a classical trio called Awtar
Especially in the Kurdish-controlled parts of Northern Nergal (Strings of Nergal). I asked the band what life
Iraq, where life was a lot safer than Los Angeles. was like living under ISIS. The violin player said he had
Meanwhile, Mosul, Baghdad, and non-Kurdish Iraq buried his instrument under his garden after one of his
had safety risks from kidnappings, and in these areas we neighbors tipped off ISIS that he was a musician. They
had armed fixers with us. Mosul was liberated from ISIS came to his house to question him. He told them he
in a 10 month battle in the summer of 2017, and the hated music. He said he couldn’t stand the sound of it.
old part of the city was in rubble with residual sleeper He was arrested and tortured over the course of a few
cells. Two car bombs had exploded in the weeks leading months. It was incredible that he had so much love and
up to our trip. In Mosul, we stayed at a safe house with dedication to music in the face of real adversity. I was
armed guards posted around the house. I was given a ready to give up on my music career after a few music
loaded Kalashnikov automatic rifle to keep by my bed managers passed on my album!
“just in case.” I explained to the fixer I had no idea how Another musician had been caught with a handful of
to use an assault rifle. instruments in his house. He had numerous ouds,
guitars, violins, etc. Because he had so many
Iraq is an all-cash economy. Credit cards are not
instruments, ISIS thought he was possessed by a demon.
accepted and there are very few ATMs, none of which
They took pity on him and performed some prayers to
take American cards. I was given bricks of $100 bills as
m
payment and spending money. Between the cash, the get rid of the demon. He was left alone.
rock ‘n’ roll, and the potential danger, Iraq felt like a
“During the
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spiritual home for me. I was made for this
environment. The inner monologue in my mind occupation music was
dimmed way down and I felt present. It was very easy to
outlawed, taken off the
get into the headspace to create music.
radio, and forbidden
to be performed in
)
public.”
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 Back in Mosul, a few artists bowed out of the
recording sessions due to safety issues. They were
concerned about the possibility of the Islamic State
returning to power or having a mafia-type
influence on the community. One hip-hop artist
said it was too risky to participate, as it would put
his family in danger.
Another hip-hop artist, Yabangi, agreed to move
ahead with the recording sessions. We sampled a choir I
had captured singing in Aramaic a few weeks before for
him. Then we had him rapping in Arabic over a beat.
The choir was tracked at one of the oldest churches in
the middle east, in Nineveh, just outside Mosul.
Yabangi was a real talent, and we recorded three more
songs together during my stay in Iraq. His EP is going
to be released soon.
After five weeks and 20 recordings later, it was time
to go home. I was flagged by a customs agent coming
through passport control into Los Angeles. She asked

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me what countries I had traveled to on my trip. “Oh,
Iraq? How did you like it there?” she said pleasantly. I

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told her I had enjoyed my time there. Her smile faded
and her tone shifted. “Interesting,” she said stoically.
She told me to step aside and wait. A police officer
One night we were in a Kurdish shisha (hookah) We made a three hour drive from Sulaymaniyah to a came and ushered me into an interrogation room. I
bar in Sulaymaniyah. We joked around with the owner Yazidi IDP [internally displaced persons] camp near was questioned for 30 minutes. He knew all of my

)
that I would do a concert there. He thought this was Zakho. David was translating a young Yazidi poet, Zêdan social media accounts and also about the large amount
great idea and booked me the following week. I made Xelef, and I was hoping to record some Yazidi musicians. of cash I was transporting without me saying a word.

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up some flyers and sent them around the local The Yazidis underwent a genocide during the Iraqi’s had jokingly told me that all of my movements,
university. The show went over really well with the occupation. The Yazidi religion predates Judaism and texts, and phone calls were being monitored, which I
non-English speaking crowd, and the owner asked me the Bible, which made them a target for ISIS. If you were thought seemed a bit paranoid. I was wrong. However,
to perform again the following week. At the next show Christian or Jewish, the Islamic State gave you the
the same group of Kurdish people showed up with all (d
of their friends. They had listened to the music online The Yazidis are considered pagan by ISIS, so they were
and learned the lyrics. I didn’t want to tell them what not given these options. Thousands of men were killed,
after a lot of questioning, my passport was stamped and
options of paying a tax, converting to Islam, or moving. they let me back into the USA.
I walked out of arrivals at LAX with a sense of
accomplishment. After five weeks in Iraq we had
my English lyrics meant in Kurdish. and the women and children were forced into sexual
recorded one amazing album. I had made some
slavery. They fled their homes in the Nineveh Province
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Most of my days were spent with a Kurdish lifelong friends and learned a lot about the world and
writer/translator named Biryar Bahhaalddin. and were relocated to this camp of tents in Kurdistan.
myself. I got into a Lyft and made my way across town
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Bahhaalddin was forcibly Arabized by Saddam We spent a few days with one family. They had lost to Moonlight Rollerway, where I kill time as a roller
Hussein’s Ba’ath Party as a child. His whole community seven family members fleeing ISIS. Though ISIS was skating DJ. I started telling a young skater that I had
was taken from their homes, relocated to a remote gone from their homelands, they could not return there. just returned from Iraq. He wasn’t interested. Maybe it
camp in the desert, and forced to “become Arab,” The area had been littered with land mines and was all a dream. r
gm

shunning their native Kurdish language and giving up explosives. Household appliances, like refrigerators, were
<mosullive.com>
their culture. Biryar spoke perfect Arabic and Kurdish, jury-rigged with improvised bombs. They had been
<soundcloud.com/kennedykarate/awtar-nagal-mosul-
which was an asset in the areas we were working. He had living in this camp for a few years.
lives/s-Unags>
a deep knowledge of the region, the people, and The recording sessions were casual. We set up in a <auis.edu.krd/kashkul> @kennedykarate
connections all over Mosul and Kurdistan. Acting as Quonset hut/tent that was acting as the family’s living
t)

part A&R scout, translator, and road manager, he room. We ate, drank tea, and smoked shisha. Someone
found the artists we recorded, organized the sessions, would pick up a saz or an oud and start noodling
and drove all over Iraq in treacherous driving around. Then another person would pick up an
conditions. We spent most every day together and
(a

instrument and join in. The only thing they had in

became very good friends. abundance in the camp was time. Boredom prevails, and
playing music is one way to deal with that.
Another group of boys in the community had
formed a band. They rehearsed in a mobile office that
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was being used as an HIV testing clinic. We recorded

them at night, in the middle of a heavy rainstorm and a
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power outage. The sound of wind and rain overtook that

of the instruments. After the band recorded one of their
songs, we recorded the flute player doing a solo piece that
would put any player to shame. He used a cheap wooden
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flute and his tone was unbeatable.

54/Tape Op#135/Mosul Live/(Fin.)
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 Norbert Putnam
From Muscle Shoals to Nashville to Margaritaville
With Joan Baez in the studio, 1971.
Photo courtesy Norbert Putnam.

by Jake Brown

A recording studio in a house is something you’d expect in Nashville in

today’s age of in-the-box recording, but back at the dawn of the 1970’s it
was an unheard of move most country music record producers would
never have bet on. That’s precisely why it made perfect sonic sense to two
of the town’s hottest session musicians, Norbert Putnam and David
Briggs, who – after playing on thousands of sessions between them
around town at Nashville’s best and biggest studios – boldly decided to
go against the grain when they opened Quadrafonic Sound Studio in
1971. Known around town in rock circles as Quad, it produced a
generation of hits, from Neil Young’s “Heart of Gold” to Dobie Gray’s
“Drift Away.” Norbert takes us through two hits he produced there;
Jimmy Buffett’s iconic good-times anthem “Margaritaville” and Joan

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Baez’s “The Night They Took Old Dixie Down.” He’s also recently
released an autobiography called Music Lessons: A Musical Memoir.

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Your roots run back to your teenage days as one of Muscle Shoals
most famous bass players. How old were you when you first
stepped foot inside a real recording studio?
I never planned to be a record producer. I never planned to be a musician. I grew up in
Florence, Alabama, and when I was 15 the kids in my school were putting a band

)
together to play early Elvis [Presley]. We’re talking the era of Bill Black, Scotty Moore,

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and DJ Fontana. One of them remembered my father had an acoustic bass. No one else
in school did, so I was approached by this kid, Danny Cross, to play with the band,
and I said, “Danny, what makes you think I can become proficient enough to play in
your band overnight?” He said, “Norbert, this Elvis music only has three chords.” That
was the beginning of my journey. Tom Stafford had started a music publishing
company [SPAR: Stafford Publishing and Recording], and his office was right above
the city drug store where his father was a pharmacist. He was also the manager of the
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Princess Theater. He said if we’d come play on demos, he’d get us into all the movies Nashville. The first year I did 100 record dates, and the second year I did about 250.
free. At 16, after school, we’d run up to Tom’s place and he’d be preaching to us, “Right By the third year, I’d played on some hits and had established a style of playing that
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here in Florence, Alabama, we can write hit songs and hit records, and be in the music was different from anyone else. By 1970, I was playing 600 record dates a year! It was
industry.” Tom was this older guy, 26 or 27, and he wore his blue blazer, gray trousers, me, Bobby Moore, Junior Huskey [Roy Huskey Jr.], and Henry Strzelecki on bass. On a
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and school tie every day; and he’d sign anyone who could make a rhyme. We were
writing original parts for original songs. David Briggs [keyboards], Jerry Carrigan
[drums], and myself were coming up and demoing songs for Tom Stafford after school.
That’s when I was between 16 and 18 years old.
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lot of dates, it could be any one of four or five drummers, four or five keyboard guys,
and any one of a dozen guitar players – because most sessions had two guitars. The
culture of the Nashville session players, at that time, was that they were focused. If

You three became the famed Muscle Shoals Rhythm Section. Is
it true you three actually got to open for The Beatles while
still in high school?
We had been written up in print as the Muscle Shoals Rhythm Section, because we were
the only rhythm section in Muscle Shoals that made records between 1961 and 1965.
t)
you had a 10 to 1 session in the morning, everyone was there at 10, ready to hear
the first song. Us Muscle Shoals guys would wander in around 10 o’clock, get some
coffee, talk about what we did on the weekend, and maybe by 10:30 everybody comes
in and they play the first song down. In Muscle Shoals we’d play it for an hour before
we memorized it; but this was the culture of professionalism, we fell into it once we
got to Nashville. Thank god we did, because by 1970 a good studio guy could make

In 1964, The Beatles were coming to America for the first time, and they asked if we $100,000 a year. I would drive my station wagon in every morning, and I might be at
would be the backup band for the opening acts. That was, of course, February 11th, RCA Studio B from 10 to 1 in the afternoon, Studio A from 2 to 5, Columbia from 6
1964. In those days most acts didn’t travel with a band because it was too expensive, to 9, and, a couple nights a week, I might have a 10 to 1 a.m. session, and get home
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so they would show up with their charts. We got to open for The Righteous Brothers. at 2 in the morning. That’s at 23, 24 years old.
The Righteous Brothers and Tommy Roe were on the bill, and when The Beatles came How did your years as a session player help prepare you to
out, they were the first loud rock ‘n’ roll act I’d ever heard! transition into the role of record producer?
You arrived in Nashville a year later and quickly made a name Every day was an education. When I got to Nashville, I got to work with some really
as one of Nashville’s most in-demand session players. incredible record producers, and it was a great education. I worked for some really
What was the secret to your success in that first stage of your great producers, but the best part of it is that I also worked for some really horrible
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studio career? producers, and the horrible producers taught me what not to do. The only time the
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Nashville musicians were chameleon-like; they could hear the voice and type of song and Nashville session guys ever had any problem with a producer is when he’d come out
morph into that kind of backing musician. I had to be able to play seven or eight and try to tell them all what to play. The thing he would tell you to play would be
different styles of bass. If you could play all the styles, write your part out, and listen some commonplace part that shut off any creative thought you might have for this
to the singer, and play with much emotion as possible, you could be a Nashville studio guy. That was probably my first lesson in producing.
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guy. It took me about three years to get into the top four or five [session bassists] in You had the rare opportunity of recording over 100 songs with
56/Tape Op#135/N. Putnam/(continued on page 58) Elvis in the studio.
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 I did 122 tracks for Elvis over a seven year period. I started
with him in June of 1970, and – get this – I was just
retiring as a bass player. I played five years in Nashville,
and I think the last year I played I did 625 record dates.
I was so exhausted; I was 28 years old and my back hurt
because half the dates I played were on the upright
acoustic bass! Felton Jarvis had been producing Elvis
Presley for two or three years, and Bobby Moore had
played on all of Elvis’s records when he came back from
the service. In 1969, Felton brought in some of the
Muscle Shoals guys that had been up here. I did it
because I wanted to see what Elvis was all about. He
was on my bucket list, and I only had two or three guys
on that list. Another one of them was Ray Charles, and
I’d done a television show in Nashville with Ray. I got
to spend the whole afternoon with him, and we did a
whole bunch of his classics. The first week, June of
1970, we did five nights with James Burton and Chip
Young [Tape Op #124] on guitars, me, David Briggs,
Jerry Carrigan, and Charlie McCoy, because he could play
everything in the band. We did 35 or 36 tracks that first
session! He [Elvis] came in with a big smile on his face,
and had his arms open like, “Come over here,” like a
football huddle. He gathered everybody around, and he
said, “Guys, let’s sit down and talk for a minute before
we go to work.” We wound up spending that first night
sitting on the tile floor at RCA Studio B with Elvis, and
for two hours he regaled us with the funniest Elvis
stories you’ve ever heard. He had us laughing. Over that
two hours we forgot this was the biggest artist in the
history of the world. Then we knocked out three tracks
in three hours, and there was no pressure. He would nail
his vocal on the first take. He didn’t need to work up to
it. I could see him getting ready to do the vocal. He’d
take a deep breath before that first take, and he’d say,
“Guys, we’re gonna get this on the first take,” and he
would attack that song right off the bat. Most of the
artists I worked with worked up to it, so they would
sing it two or three times, and then would feel like they
were about to get it. We started at 10 o’clock, Elvis
would go from 10 to 3 or 4 a.m., and by 4 we were all
dragging. Most of us would work a morning and
afternoon session before we got to Elvis at 6. He was
the greatest recording artist I’ve ever worked with.
What inspired you and co-founder David
Briggs to go against the grain and
take a gamble on building a studio
in a house?
t)
As a matter of fact, it was like remote recording in a little
old house. There could have been a remote truck out
back instead of having a control room on the front
porch. It was not designed to be a studio, although we
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started to deaden down some walls. After the first year
went by, Gene Eichelberger came to work for us. Gene
had a degree in Electrical Engineering, so he wired the
place, and he became one of Nashville’s greatest
engineers in the early 1970s. That’s Gene’s mix on Dobie
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Gray’s “Drift Away” – the biggest record of 1973. Gene
grabbed Neil Young at a show in 1971, and said, “Neil,
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you’re in town for a week. Why don’t you come down
and do a few sides with me at Quad?” Over a weekend
they did “Heart of Gold.” In 1971 I got “The Night They
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Drove Old Dixie Down” with Joan Baez. In 1972 Neil got
58/Tape Op#135/N. Putnam/(continued on page 60)
the biggest album of his career, Harvest, and in 1973
Dobie Gray came in and does “Drift Away.” Between all
that we had Joe Walsh & The James Gang, Grand Funk
Railroad, and more. Within three years Quad became
this mecca for pop rock in Nashville.
How did the original house become a
recording studio?
I think the house was built around 1905. It had a front
porch with a bay window that looked out to the street,
and you came into the entrance foyer, where there was
a hallway and a staircase that led upstairs. There were You produced five studio albums for
only two big rooms upstairs and a bathroom. Below it
there were parlors with a sliding door between the front
and second parlor. The kitchen was to the left, behind
the staircase. It was a very small house, and Dave and He’d come to Nashville and he was writing for Billboard
I were trying to figure out, “Should we take that front
parlor and make it the control room?” Then we thought
we wouldn’t have enough space; but the front porch
happened to be quite large, so we decided we’d enclose
the front porch, take out the bay window, and put in
new glass. We leveled the floor as best we could. We put
the Steinway grand piano in the second parlor. The
entire rhythm section went in there. The front parlor
was for the singer and quieter things. We put glass in
the pocket doors so they could be shut for some
isolation. Then we had this bizarre idea, “What if we
took the kitchen, put in a window that can go up and
down, and we’ll put some drums in there?” We now had
a console with good headphone outputs, and we made
the drummer wear headphones all the time while we
were tracking. Our kitchen became one of the town’s
first iso drum booths! Gene Eichelberger put 2 inches of
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sand down and built the floor around that so it would
absorb more of the kick drum, and it worked great. He
could push a button and the glass would go up. Even
with the glass windows down, we could still hear the
drums well enough in that second parlor to play with
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the drum kit without headphones if we wanted.
One of the first records you ever produced
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was Joan Baez’s cover of “The Night
They Drove Old Dixie Down.”
Kris Kristofferson was originally supposed to produce that
record! I got there about 20 minutes before the session
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was supposed to start and he told me, “I’m not doing
it. I’ve been talking to Joan, and she thinks you should
do it.” So, I ran upstairs, found Joan, and she said, “Can artist I produced – to the way the backing track
you help me do the record? You could plug your bass in
in the control room, and listen and play, couldn’t you?”
So, I became a record producer 15 minutes before my
first production. I had a great band! I basically said,
“Joan, get your guitar and play the first song down.” At
2 o’clock she picks up the guitar. We all had legal pads, of!” I told him, “I’ll rent a house for a month on the bay;
and, as she started playing, we all started writing the
charts. Every session man was responsible to write his
own chart. She played it down, and I said, “Joan, play
the second verse again.” I said to the band, “Guys,
you’ll notice she’s got a syncopation into the second
verse going into chorus. Let’s notate that. I think we
should all play that together.” When we recorded “The
Night They Drove Old Dixie Down,” she had the door
open to the second parlor in Quad and was standing in
the front room facing us as she played that guitar part.
She played along with the rhythm section in perfect
time, and she delivered that great vocal. Everything on
the record she sang with the band. The band played
until she got it. She was such a great singer it only took
her two or three takes to get a great vocal. The same
[Neumann] U 87 we recorded her lead on was used for
all the backing vocals, and nobody in the band wore
headphones. They could all hear Joan well enough, and
she could hear them well enough with the doors open.
The bleed was controlled from the drums because he
was in a separate room.
Jimmy Buffett in the 1970s. What
grabbed your ear about Jimmy’s style
of playing?
Magazine, doing concert reviews. I think he came to the
studio when we were doing Jerry Jeff Walker. My friend,
Don Gant – who was producing Jimmy Buffett in the
earlier ‘70s – first suggested Jimmy call me, and we had
a meeting. Jimmy said, “Norbert, my band is more like
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the Rolling Stones than some Nashville studio band.” I
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remember trying to imagine the Stones performing
“Come Monday.” I said, “So you think your band will
give you more energy?” He said, “Yes! That’s it. If I can
record with them in the studio.” I said, “When can I
hear your band?” I saw them at Hermitage Landing a
couple weeks later. They had a floating stage they
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pushed off the sand there. Jimmy’s band was a rock ‘n’
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roll show. The band was killer, but they weren’t a country
band. After it was over, I went back and saw Jimmy and
the band partying. I said, “When can we get together to
play me some songs?” He came over the next day and
played me ocean songs. Songs about sailing, drinking
rum, and being in the islands. He asked me, “What do
you think?” I told him, “We need to go to Miami.” I’d
been doing a lot of work down in Miami at Criteria
Studios in 1976 and ’77. He looked at me in confusion
and said, “Why? You’ve got one of the greatest studios
in the world.” I told him I’d been recording with Dan
Fogelberg in Colorado, and when I’d do the vocals in his
neighborhood, he was more comfortable. “Jimmy, if you
were able to breathe salt air, and you and I could go
sailing every day, maybe we could bring in some
Caribbean sounds.” As a record producer, I thought it
was important for me to give some thought with every
sounded. When it came time to work with Jimmy Buffet,
I was trying to get him to buy into what later became
known as the “Trop-Rock” sound. I told him, “I want
your record to be like Caribbean rock.” He looked at me
and said, “That’s the most boring thing I’ve ever heard
we can bring your roadies and they can be bartenders.”
I didn’t think he was coming back to see me, but he
called me a few days later and said, “Norbert, I think
you may have a good idea. I’ve started the first song.
It’s called ‘Changes in Latitude, Changes in Attitude.’” I
found myself in Miami two months later, and Jimmy had
made enough money to buy a 33-foot boat. He brought
that over to the marina at Coconut Grove. I explained to
him that since most of his guys had never been in a
studio before, they were going to find themselves in this
terrible environment. “It’s like going into a space
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Please Support Our Advertisers/Tape Op#135/59

 capsule.” He had them rehearse, and I said, “I want to
bring in a couple other guys. If the drummer has a
problem, you have to shut everything down.” I told him
I wanted to bring Kenny Buttrey down to play
percussion. But I didn’t tell him that I was also bringing
Kenny down so that if Jimmy’s drummer fumbled, I could
put Kenny in. Then I added a guitar player from New York,
Michael Jeffry, and they both played prominent roles.
Did you know that “Margaritaville” was
a smash the first time Jimmy played
it for you?
We recorded for two weeks, and going into the second week
Jimmy told me, “I’ve got a song I’m trying to finish. I
think I’m going to call it ‘Margaritaville.’” I remember I
wasn’t fond of the title. He came in one morning – about
two days before we completed recording – and he’s got
his legal pad. He sits down and plays, and he starts
singing. It may have been the only time an artist ever
played me a song fresh in the studio. I said, “This is a
great. It’s a great story, a great lyric, and it’s also maybe
a brand.” I knew it should be a hit when I heard it. I
didn’t tell anyone what to play – I never do that – so I
let the players come up with parts that they’re happy
with. The track gelled based upon Buffet’s original
rhythm he played, which dictated a lot to the band. If I
remember correctly, we had a few problems with the
drums, because the band hadn’t rehearsed this song. I
suggested that Kenny Buttrey replace the drummer,
because he was an old studio pro who would kill that
part on the first take, and he did! When Kenny got
behind the drums, two or three takes later, we had it.
Buttrey pulled the whole rhythm section together. A
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60 /Tape Op#135/N. Putnam/(Fin.)
great drummer commands the rhythm section. We were
having fun, the band was having fun, and it all came
together. “Margaritaville” became our signature song.
Later on, when we mixed, we changed one vocal line at
the end of the chorus, because ABC Paramount made us
change “It’s my own damn fault” to “It’s my own darn
fault.” Jimmy punched that in at my studio in Nashville.
Once we came back to Nashville, Michael Utley came to
my apartment one night, and he and I wrote all the
strings, flutes, and woodwinds on my nice grand piano
over a couple of bottles of Chandon wine. Michael Utley
and I did those flutes on “Margaritaville” together, and I
think it was based on something he played in the
keyboard part on the intro. They were wooden recorders,
just like the ones you played in grade school. We had
Billy Puett – a great flute player in Nashville – and I
called and asked him if he had a recorder that played in
tune. Maybe I should have had him bring the one that
was out of tune. But he brought down to the studio a
real, professional recorder, and he played both those
parts one after the another. The strings were done in the
front room of Quadrafonic. Because the room was so
small, it was a section of two violins, two violas, and two
cellos. They would play it through once, and then I
would say, “Would you guys do that one more time?” We
would punch up two more tracks, and it would sound like
12 violins, four violas, and four cellos. At that point in
time in Nashville, the symphony was so bad we couldn’t
go down there and grab players because they couldn’t
play in tune very well. Jimmy came up with a couple
guys from his band, and they did all the harmonies on
all the vocals. That was all overdubbed at Quad.
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Did you have a favored vocal mic back
then?
We had two mics we liked – a [Neumann] U 67 and a
[Neumann] U 87. All the records I made in the ‘70s – all
the Jimmy Buffet and Dan Fogelberg hits – they were all
singing into a U 87, because if I had to go to California
and record a verse with Fogelberg – I never used any EQs
or any compression to speak of on the vocal – that way
I could punch in a part in L.A., New York, or Miami, and
it sounded exactly the same. You couldn’t do that with a
U 67. That whole album – Changes in Latitudes, Changes
in Attitudes – all the vocals were done live while the band
played. It’s a very efficient way to work. We didn’t have
to come back and put headphones on and try to get into
the same emotional place. The modern way day of doing
it is to always bring them back. By the time we left
Miami after two weeks, I nearly had all the guitar solos,
the keyboard parts, and Jimmy’s lead vocals. We recorded
old style. The band played until Jimmy got the vocal, and
Jimmy was excited. After I did the Changes in
m
Latitudes… album, I did five more with him and had this
co
great catalog. Everything was gold and platinum, and
Jimmy Buffett was touring every summer. We used to sell
a million records from the catalog every summer he
would tour. That went on for 25 years. Unbelievable! r
<www.musiclessonsbynorbertputnam.com>
)
Award-winning music biographer Jake Brown is the author of over
40 books, including Beyond The Beats: Rock & Roll’s Greatest
ot
Drummers Speak, in stores now!
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Please Support Our Advertisers/Tape Op#135/61

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LEO SIDRAN
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HANDED DOWN
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BY MARK WHITCOMB
e
el
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 Leo Sidran is an accomplished solo artist, of those songs.” I brought it home and played guitar, cappella, but I know that the songs are also shaped
multi-instrumentalist, award-winning music vibes, and Rhodes [electric piano] on that song, and by production. I think that’s goes back to the time
producer, and podcast author. He grew up I was really pleased to discover that it all does still when I was 12 or 13, and I learned to record, to play
surrounded by great musicians, producers, feel like my production. There’s a way that each of us guitar, piano, to program, to sing – I learned all of
engineers, and recording studios via his produces and records that has its own personality. I’ve what I do now by doing them all at the same time.
father, producer/keyboardist Ben Sidran. been playing with that idea more over time: How far Your album Mucho Leo sounds as much
When he was a teenager, he wrote a few can I go, and still maintain my identity? If I’m not like production as songs.
songs for The Steve Miller Band and playing, but I am recording, does it still have my That’s cool; thank you for saying that. I know it has a
watched with perplexity as his demos sound? If I’m not playing or recording, and I’m just different life to it, because I’m not precious. When I
became the actual album cuts on Steve’s dancing, am I still transmitting something? play all the instruments, I try to keep it feeling pretty
next record. He went on to win Oscars and a Can you trace how, as a young kid, your performed. I don’t overly fix a lot, and I leave it
Grammys for productions with other artists producing identity developed? rounded on the edges. I leave it a little sloppy, a little
that were essentially from the original demos I don’t remember the first time I walked into a recording loose, because there’s something, particularly in the
as well. In the spirit of his brilliant The Third studio, but it must have had an impact on me. By the rhythm, that happens when I’m locking with myself.
Story Podcast, where he interviews prolific time I was three or four years old I was taking piano I know it can happen when I’m not playing too. The
creative types and looks for the moments lessons, but I didn’t want to take piano lessons Alex Cuba track we were talking about; we got a great
that helped shape their success, I caught up anymore. I told my parents that the room I wanted to feeling, and I wasn’t playing bass or drums on that.
with Leo to get a glimpse into his production be in was the room with the musicians and the You were dancing!
ethos, and to track how that may have been microphones, not the room with the piano teacher. I I was dancing, and who knows, maybe the dancing did

m
shaped. We talked about demos, dancing, definitely had some concept of what recording was, something. [laughs] But in terms of what happens on
eureka moments, gymnastics, and making where it happened, and who the people were that those tracks where I play everything, and I also record

records in the parlor.
I want to talk about Alex Cuba’s Healer
album. It’s an amazing sound. How
much of that is you?
made records. I started playing drums when I was 5
or 6, jamming with my dad and local teachers in
Madison, [Wisconsin]. The first was Clyde
Stubblefield, who came over to the house because he
was a friend of my father’s. He didn’t really teach
co
it, even the introduction of an engineer can change
it, because I’m so fast at grabbing a punch-in, or
rolling back to exactly where I need to be. That
communication, of having to talk to someone else,
can trip me up. My house is generally set up so that

)
The Alex Cuba record was, in many ways, the perfect exactly. He guided, you could say, and encouraged me. there’s a general version of “set up” that’s ready to go
culmination of all that I have been doing all these You put out a tune about Clyde at all times. Right now, there are two ribbon mics that

ot
years. The Spanish aspect of it, the jazz and soul [“Handed Down”]. It was so touching. are ready to be the room mics at any point, and
influences; he’s a singer/songwriter, and it’s a largely That’s the demo, right? But you there’s this Bock 251 that is my go-to workhorse mic.
acoustic album. He reminds me of a classic kind of released it to the world. The drums are mic’d up and those mics can move
artist from the 1970s, and a perfect fit for me to work There’s been a real evolution in my thinking. I used to
with. The record started when he sent me demos of
himself playing guitar and singing, and asked, “What
believe that there was some fundamental difference
between a demo and a record, and I feel that much
(d around the room to grab guitar amps, vibraphone, or
percussion. Everything is ready to record. There is
almost never set up time; maybe a half hour.
would you do?” I did that thing where I’m alone in a less now. Our studio needs are usually zeroed, so
room and I play all the instruments. I stacked the When you work so quickly, is that if I want to do something of my own I
because you don’t know where it’s have to really be committed because
l
track up, and I sent it back to him.
I love the tune, “Realidad Que No going, or because you do know where of set up time.
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Escogimos.” Is that what I’m hearing it’s going? Yeah, I did a lot of work for three or four years at Let ‘Em
there? I don’t really know! Sometimes I have a vision and I’m In [Studios, NY]. What I loved about it, initially, was that
Well, not the song that you’re asking about. Alex trying to catch it before I lose it, but a lot of times I really it was a 15-minute walk from my house, it was cheap,
eventually came to New York and we did another part don’t know what it’s going to be. With that Clyde song, I and I could run it by myself. But I used to say to the
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of the record with a rhythm section tracked live in the really didn’t know what it was going to sound like. I had owner, “I don’t know why you don’t keep everything
studio, and I wasn’t playing on those tracking a little bit of an idea that I wanted to write a sweet, story- mic’d up in here.” My mentality was not that of a studio
sessions. I brought those rhythm tracks back to my song, almost from the point of view of a child, and owner, it was that of a guy like me, “Why do I have to
place and filled them up with additional elements. My underneath it I wanted a Clyde-styled breakbeat. waste time every time I come here to set up the whole
main concern was, “Will this be coherent? Will this all Did you know what you wanted to say, or room?” I did the same thing in that room that I’ve done
t)

sound like the same production, if some songs are did that evolve? in my own room, now that I have the space. I’d go in
made by one or two people playing everything? Will That came out of a song club that I’m in. Every two and set up the kit, mic the piano, set up the Rhodes, set
the other songs with a more traditional rhythm weeks I’m emailed another song title, or a lyric; up a guitar rig, set up the bass rig, and basically prepare
section tracked live in a room feel like more of an old something that can get your juices flowing. That week the room as if a band were about to record. Then I would
(a

school recording?” I had a lot of conversations with the title was “Hand Me Down,” so I started thinking move from station to station. I made a lot of Mucho Leo
Alex about it. The track that you’re asking about, about hand-me-downs, or things that are handed that way. We also made Alex Cuba’s record there, and we
“Realidad;” that’s one that was cut live with Alex down. Clyde handed something down to me, and made Joy Dragland’s last EP [Tumble Town] there.
playing guitar, a bass player [Rob Jost], and a that’s how I approached that song. How long does it take you to make a
drummer [Rob DiPietro] in another studio. I was How complete was the song before you track this way?
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recording it, and basically just dancing. started recording? Almost all of the tracks on Mucho Leo are made in a day,
That’s awesome. The songwriting happens in tandem with production. I and that might include set up. “Tonight Someone is
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Alex talks about the effect of my dancing on that might walk into the studio with a lyric sketch and Me” was a day. On most of Mucho Leo, that whole
record, about how he would look through the glass some chords, and the song will take shape as I’m record went through two iterations of mixes, and, in
and I’d be dancing around the studio. He said, “Your recording it. I try to write songs that you can play on most cases, it’s a tweaked version of the rough mix
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dancing was a real influential element in the tracking the guitar or at the piano, or you could sing a that’s on the record. I couldn’t get it back. “Speak to
L. Sidran/(continued on page 64)/Tape Op#135/63
 Me in Spanish” is the demo. When I was making it, I told on top of the demos. There’s a little additional Taylor, I learned that they seldom worked with the
myself, “Well, when I go back and fix, it I’ll do this and drumming, but not too much. I remember thinking, luxury of getting to second guess when their cakes were
that.” When I tried to get back into it – even though it’s “These are my demos. Why isn’t he fixing them?” baked. They were like, “We are mixing today. We’re
the same guy in the same room, you’re never in that What tracks are those? making a record right now. We’re doing it.” My father
moment again. That’s part of the reason I work so quickly. There’re four of them, from his record Wide River: wants it done, and he’s not particularly interested in
That is the “moment.” “Conversation,” “Lost in Her Eyes,” “Walks Like A second guessing anything. He’s interested in, “First
Yes. The “moment,” meaning the closed circuit of Lady,” and “Perfect World.” I don’t love the way it thought, best thought.” I’ve never heard him say
creativity when you are working on a song. sounds. I was 15 and it was 1993, so there’s a lot something like, “Oh, the kick sounds too woofy.”
And a moment can be a moment [snaps working against it, but they were my demos. Fast That’s not even on his radar.
fingers], or it can stretch. It’s an forward ten years, when I worked with Jorge Drexler He’s not even hearing it! I mean, he may be hearing it
elastic thing. on the song “Al Otro Lado Del Rio” for The Motorcycle emotionally, and if it’s too wet, or too dry, or too
Sure. There’s an argument to be made that a moment Diaries [soundtrack]. heavy-sounding. But most of the choices that I’m
could last the length of a record. If you were working That one sounds great! making in mixes – reverbs, delays, EQs, and
every day on a record for three weeks or a month, that Thanks! But, again, it was essentially made as a glorified compression – he’s not even [focused on that]; he
could be a creative moment. But because I tend to demo. It was his demo, where he’s playing acoustic just wants it done. He’ll say, “Turn the vocal up” or,
work piecemeal, where I’ll do a song then a week later guitar and singing to a loop, on top of which we went “Turn the solo up.” He wanted to get the record done
I’ll do another song, or month later another song for into the studio and recorded drums, bass, and piano. fast. He was really motivated to get that particular
the same project, I have to try and stay as committed Then we went back to my apartment and recorded collection of songs recorded and released. We even
as I can, and get as much down as I can. I recorded strings straight into a [Digidesign] Digi 002 with no booked the mastering date before we tracked the first

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a track yesterday. It sounds so ridiculous, but I was preamps; super homestyle. We mixed it at Smart song, because he knew how many weeks it was going
trying to make it to see my daughter’s gymnastics Studios [Butch Vig (Tape Op #11) and Steve Marker’s to take to manufacture the CDs in order to have them

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recital. I found myself playing this shaker part, studio, located in Madison, WI] in a day, very quick. ready for his European tour. So, six weeks before that,
because I was thinking that I really heard shaker on Was that a board mix? we were making a record so that we could have a
the track. I wasn’t going to leave the room until the Yes, and it was my first experience working with stems. master file to send to the manufacturer. I’m very
shaker was finished. It was 4:45, and I’m supposed to We mixed stems back into Pro Tools, and then re- happy with the sound of the record. I know it sounds
be in the gymnastics place at 5:15, and here I was balanced the stems back at my apartment afterward. silly, because we just made it, but I know I could

)
doing this shaker overdub. It’s because I knew if I Wow, that was a good idea. make it sound better today.
didn’t do it then, even the shaker probably wasn’t Yeah, I learned a lot on that job. [laughs] And that It’s weird, you can get up to 96 percent

gonna feel right if I came back at a different time.
Have you figured this out over time, or
was there a “eureka” moment?
The closest thing to eureka for me has been, over time,
coming to terms with the fact that that is the work. It’s
not a rehearsal for the work, or a demo for the record.
Those become the records. Yesterday, for example, I
cut drums first, then started to put electric piano on
it, then put the whole thing through [Pro Tools’]
Elastic Audio and slowed it down 15 bpm. Then I
recording won an Academy Award! Ten years after the
experience working with Steve Miller, having started
making records and starting to learn how to work in
studios, and I was thinking that in order to make
serious sounding recordings you had to do it in a (d
serious way. But we did this song in a very hybrid way
with very few resources, and it translated. I would say,
to an extent, that the Alex Cuba record, which
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happened after I had done a lot of commercial work
and learned how to really spend money if I needed
ai
ot
pretty quickly. The other 4 percent...
James Farber said to me, “Ninety percent of the work
happens in 10 percent of the time.” Previously we
made a record at The Bunker in New York that was
beautifully recorded. I mixed it at home, and it got
played on the radio. Then we made a record at your
studio [DNA], I mixed it at home, and it got played
on the radio. And then we made a record in my parlor,
I mixed it, and it got played on the radio! The
previous two records were recorded so beautifully; the

realized it was too fast, so I recut drums, recut piano.
When you work with a client, I imagine
it’s still a similar process.
Yes, and it’s taken me a long time to understand that
to, still was made in a small, very contained way. Alex’s
record is what it sounds like when I make demos. He
did spend a lot of time doing vocals on his own, and
it was mixed in Canada by Joby Baker, a great mixing
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fact that the one I recorded at my house is
comparable blows me away. I’m astounded that
people think that they sound similar, because I hear
all the differences.

this is what I’m offering clients a lot of times.
What do you mean?
I’ve had three or four projects, other than what I’ve
done with my dad, that made me realize that my
career – my life, this journey – is built around this
t)
engineer and producer. That won a Latin Grammy, and
was nominated for a U.S. Grammy. It seems, if you look
at those three albums alone, the message that keeps
getting sent to me is that the most automatic, natural
work that I’m doing seems to be rewarded and comes
I don’t hear any of the differences. The
players are causing so much of that
sound.
And that’s Ben’s thing. He comes from the old
producer’s school: finding material, assembling the

thing that I do. I kept making apologies for it, for a back to me with bigger results than when I worry players, and choosing the engineer – that’s the job.
long time. It starts with the first thing that I did about whether or not I’m doing it the “right” way. You grew up being around all this: the
professionally, when I wrote songs with Steve Miller. There is no “right” way. producers, the players, and the
It didn’t have so much to do with the songs, although There is no right way! I went with Alex Cuba to the engineers. Tommy LiPuma, Clyde
(a

I look back on it and I can’t believe I was writing Grammys, and it seemed every other speech was Stubblefield, James Farber, etc. You
songs at 15 that he recorded. But the real crazy thing someone up there saying, “When we recorded this in probably learned through osmosis,
about it was that he took my demos and played on my apartment in Brooklyn, we never thought that it but did you see it that way?
top of them, on his record. I went to his studio in Sun would have…” Yeah; I never studied what I do, but I learned it all.
Valley, Idaho, and they had put together a mirrored rig Speaking of recording albums in When I interviewed Ryan Hewitt [Tape Op #61] for my
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from my rig at home. I wrote him a list of everything apartments in Brooklyn, Picture Him podcast, I was envious because he’s someone who did
I had at my house, and he had all the same gear there. Happy [Ben Sidran’s recent album] it both ways. He learned it from his dad, and he went
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I pressed “play” on the sequencer and ran my sounds great. You recorded and and studied it. He focused on a specific area of
sequences into his Sony PCM 3348 [digital tape] mixed that quickly? recording, and he’s a master. In my case, I picked up
machine. Then I played reference rhythm guitar, some So fast. In the experience of having interviewed people a lot from a lot of different kinds of people, in a lot
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of which stayed on the record, and he played guitar like James Farber [Tape Op #114], Al Schmitt, or Creed of areas.
64/Tape Op#135/L. Sidran/
Did you know you were picking it up at I failed at being Prince! [laughs] I failed at being all
the time? these people, and the only person I can even come
I would watch James Farber work a lot, and I knew close to succeeding at sounding like is myself.
when I went into the studio that I was taking ideas Through the course of the interviews that I do, I’m
from him at the time. I saw [the late] Tommy LiPuma very focused on getting to that same moment in other
work when I was a boy, and it was not until more people’s careers, because it makes me feel not so
recently when I was working with him – in the last alone, and it’s a very significant part of creative
few years – that I was able to better understand what development.
he did. He was so mysterious in that he made it look You started The Third Story Podcast in
like he wasn’t doing anything! [laughs] I know people 2014, as a way to learn about creative
say that about the greats, and he was like that. You people and what they do. Are you still
could not tell why he made it come out so good. It learning? What do you see for the
was done so much through his personality and future of the podcast?
through his approach to dealing with people: his I’m at that moment where there’s no turning back, but
attention, his elegance, and his respect. How do you I can’t quite see the finish line. I don’t know if it’s
study that? That was in the man; it wasn’t something good or not, but I’ve come so far that I know it has
you could ever really study. But, later on, I did have value; yet my life and motivation have changed a
“a-ha” moments with Tommy; I know a lot of people little bit since I started it. It really is a constant
did. The biggest one was when I realized that he companion. I’m constantly preparing for an interview,

m
trusted me. It was really incredible how much that booking an interview, editing an interview. Originally,
I was doing it every two weeks. Now I’m doing

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meant to me, how much I wanted to do a good job,
and how much confidence it gave me to know that something every week as a new challenge to myself,
this guy trusted me. I lot of times when people trust because it was starting to get less fun for me to do. I
me, I think, “Oh, shit. They’re gonna find out that I’m had two options: I was either going to stop it or do
faking it and they’re gonna be so disappointed.” I more of it. I decided to do more. [laughs]
knew that that would never happen with Tommy. He How does that make you feel right now?

)
had a very in-tune bullshit detector. He knew when Every week it’s another race to the finish. But I love
something was good and when it wasn’t. You could being inside of these conversations, I love the

not fake in front of him. When he thought it was
good, it made you believe that it was good! His
acceptance of me made me believe in myself more.
How about Clyde? You wrote about times
in “Handed Down” that sounded like
a-ha moments.
There were a few a-ha moments with Clyde, but it was
more of a cumulative effect of being around him,
seeing him, and playing two-drummer gigs with him.
That was an amazing feeling – it really showed how
ot
process, and I’ve learned a lot. There might be a more
commercially-viable version of it that I could do. The
format is long – it’s over an hour – so I have to give
(d
myself over to [the interviewee] to get the good stuff.
A lot of times it’s like, “Where does the work meet
your life? How do you think about that?” These are
ideas that are slow to emerge, especially with
musicians who are not very practiced at revealing
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themselves. Musicians are often solitary people, and
their process is very private. But I’m talking to the
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strong he played and how he felt. We would do gigs people that interest me and that I can learn from. I’m
where we would trade off playing drums, and then we gonna keep doing it, but I hope it leads to another
would play at the same time. It obviously felt so thing, and I don’t know what that is yet!
different when he stopped playing and I started It’s making an impact.
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playing, and I thought to myself, “What is he doing I’m sure people with more listenership get more fan
to make this feel this way?” But if you wanna play like mail than I do, but I’m getting about a letter a week.
Clyde, one of the worst things you can do is watch It’s reaching people. This beautiful level of people
him and study his technique. He had this unique, self- wanting to share their experience with me, their story,
invented way of playing that you would not want to or their question. I couldn’t hope for anything more,
t)

try and copy. really. Knowing that people are hearing it, and they’re
But you were able to study Clyde. moved enough to write to me. That’s very special. r
I’ve gotta find my own way to make it feel good. I can’t <www.leosidran.com> <www.third-story.com>
make it feel like he could make it feel, so I’ve got to
(a

Mark Whitcomb is a music/multimedia producer and co-

make it feel as I can make it feel. I knew, from
owner of DNA Music Labs in Madison, WI.
watching my dad and hearing him talk about this,
<www.dnamusiclabs.com>
that I still had to learn by myself. One way to find out
what you do that’s unique is to fail at trying to sound
like what other people do. I spent my early years Tape Op is made
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trying to make records that sounded like the people I possible by our
was listening to. Like Prince, James Taylor, Paul advertisers.
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Simon, and then Elvis Costello. I went through Please support them and tell them
periods where I discovered an artist and I wouldn’t you saw their ad in Tape Op.
just try to write a song in their style, I would try to
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record it like that too. Over, and over, and over again
L. Sidran/(Fin.)/Tape Op#135/65

Behind The Gear
Thomas Jouanjean of
Northward Acoustics
by Larry Crane with Adam Gonsalves
Northward Acoustics is an acoustics
engineering and consulting company
based in Brussels, Belgium. Its
founder, Thomas Jouanjean, developed
his Front-To-Back Control Room and
Mastering Suite design in the early
2000s, and he now has constructed some
of the finest studio rooms all over the
world. Clients include Sterling
SoundNew York and Nashville, Skrillex,
Brad Blackwood’s Euphonic Masters
(Tape Op #102), Dave Collins
Mastering, and many others. I was lucky
to chat with Thomas right before my
pal, Adam Gonsalves, had him design and
oversee construction on a new facility
for Telegraph Mastering in Portland,
Oregon. The resulting room speaks to
Northward’s quality, and, having spent
many hours there, I can attest that the
design works. I’m humbled when I hear
mixes I’ve done in Telegraph, and it’s
amazing how other work sounds in the
new space.
How did you get your start in this business?
First, I had a business school diploma, because my dad
wanted me to have a “serious” diploma. Then I went into AG: No studio designer says, “If you
engineering, because that’s what I wanted to do, and I
studied acoustics. I knew I would never be a good mix
engineer, because I don’t have the patience to deal with Right, a guaranteed measurement at the end. It shows that
clients. I knew that this area of audio was what I liked.
I decided I would try it for a few years, and I starved for
t)
quite a while. Coming out of Brussels, what were my
chances? For three years, it was really hard. I would do This is your Front-To-Back [FTB] Control
horrible little rooms with no budget. My parents helped
(a
me get fed. But then it picked up; and then it just
exploded.
What were some of the breakthrough The system is two-fold. I looked at how the room should
projects for you?
The breakthrough was coming up with my own technology.
When you come out of university you don’t want to
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reinvent the wheel, so you look at what they’ve been
doing. I thought, “If they’ve been doing that, then it
el
works.” I did that for a while, and then I realized I didn’t
think it worked. It took me a few years, and a few room
designs, to realize what the problems were.
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66/Tape Op#135/T. Jouanjean/
zone around the sweet spot, so they sound a little more
natural than the ones that had been deadened, such as
old LEDE rooms with an absorptive front of the room.
But the RFZ rooms don’t really get rid of energy until it
is far down in the room, and they’ll still feed back
something – a diffused version of the Hass kicker –
which is basically like introducing distortion in the
system. You’re adding a variable between the engineer
and the speaker, and that variable is related to the
direct interaction between the speaker and the room.
To me, that’s always been, “Why would you want to do
that?” Also, that Hass kicker was related to the size of
the live room on the other side. That Hass kicker had
to be within a certain time frame compared to the time
frame of the live room. It made studios incompatible
In a traditional sense of studio room between one another, due to the time frame of the live
design, what was not working for you rooms being different. There were a lot of very blurry
and how were you perceiving it? areas, and it was running in circles. You justify Paper A
I think they encountered the designs by chance, and with Paper B, and there was not anything I could grab
then tried to justify it. When you look at it in depth,
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onto; it was just a matter of opinion, at that point. I
there are some things that just don’t add up. I thought didn’t like that. I decided FTB was a way to still provide
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there were a few things that either I didn’t environmental feedback to the engineer that did not
understand, or there was something wrong. My initial involve the speakers, or anything related to speaker-to-
reaction was to say that I misunderstood it, and so I engineer and speaker-to-room response. The idea is
kept doing it. And then I thought, “No, I’ve got to do very basic. What is another source of sound in the room
something.” So, I looked more in depth into it and that I can use, besides the speakers? It is us. It’s the
found, according to my vision of things, there are a
)
noise we make when we walk, talk, and enter the room.
few things I didn’t understand that felt like flaws. So, From studies, I knew quite well what HRTF [Head-
I decided, “Why not see what I would do?” My solution
ot
Related Transfer Function] is; I knew how long it would
is two rooms in one. There’s no distortion between the take for the brain to actually calibrate to a space, what
speaker and the engineer, but it doesn’t feel strange. it needs to do that, and what the auditory system
That’s the bulk of it, and what started everything. would consider a “natural” space.
that a hard sell for someone to take (d
With having a new system in place, was AG: Not everyone knows what the idea of
a head-related transfer function is.
the leap of faith and say, “Northward It’s basically the influence of the torso, the head, and the
has a new vision on how to build a pinna – the shape of the ear – on how we perceive
control room”? sound. So that’s the transfer; the influence of all of that
l
Yeah, it took a few “crazy” people. [laughter] But this is on the way we hear. For example, the pinna will give
when I started guaranteeing my work, because I knew you a lot of information about elevation from the
ai
the system inside and out, and I knew the odds that reflection inside your ear. Another aspect is that it’s like
it wouldn’t work were very low. I gave these a fingerprint – everyone has a different set of ears. Part
guarantees; they went for it, and it worked! [laughter] of the auditory system’s response is acquired when
gm
you’re born; it’s embedded in your DNA. The other part
design the studio my way, I can tell you are learning as a kid by moving your head around;
you in advance how it will measure.” your brain learns how to identify objects around you
from learning what it sounds like when it comes from
mathematically – from foundation to completion – the this direction or that direction.
entire design is tight and checks out. Even people who AG: Why is that important when you’re
build great-sounding rooms will not do that. building a room that is semi-
anechoic?
Room and Mastering Suite standard. Well, our brains and hearing systems don’t like to be in
What would be the basic tenets of
anechoic environments. It’s very unnatural. What you
construction that guarantee this? see is constantly correlated by the brain to what you
hear. If you’re in a dead, anechoic space, the cues that
behave to be problem-free, but also I tied in the your brain receives about the space don’t match the
subject of how we perceive sound in an entirely visual cues. The whole auditory system will distort its
different way. In the old Live End, Dead End [LEDE] steady state response in a way that it will become a
system, they used the Hass kicker [see sidebar] and lot more sensitive to small reflections, high-
other effects to feed environmental info back to the
frequencies, and anything that can give the brain
engineer about the space. In a Reflection-Free Zone detail more environmental data about the space.
[RFZ, a more modern version of LEDE] it is a little bit Everything will be enhanced. If you get your brain in
easier, because you have reflective areas in front of the that mindset, and then you play music, what you hear
room. RFZs use geometry to create a reflection-free
 is not flat, in the sense that your brain will add a
series of filters in between because it’s looking for
missing environmental information.
AG: It’s overcompensating.
Yeah. That’s why engineers complain that they add too
much reverb or too much delay in dead rooms. Mixes
are imbalanced when they move out of the room. The
responsibility is not in the room being dead, because
the room might measure flat. But we don’t measure
flat in the space. It’s a combination of these two
things that makes a room translate.
More how humans listen and perceive
the space?
Well, by not having an auditory system not in a
“stressed” mode – as in “not its usual steady state.”
It’s in a “flat” (steady state) mode; it’s not looking for
missing environmental information, it already knows
where it is. It doesn’t accentuate any of the
environmental cues. That’s partially what they were
doing with LEDE. They wanted that to come, they just
over the years, and ATC’s are the only brand that’s the speakers. We have an East Coast contractor in New
never failed me. It’s not something that I initially York, and West Coast in L.A. But it’s good to work like
decided. We built ATC rooms, and people were this because we never know where the next room is
systematically saying the ATC rooms were the best. going to be. If we had to hire all of these people all
Even though technically the rooms were the same; of the time, it would be an insane price for the design
it’s only the speaker that changes. I don’t force it, I because we’d have to sustain all that manpower.
recommend it. But there are some brands that we It’s independent contracting, with
say, “No, we’re not going to work with that.” trust?
I know Adam already invested quite a bit Yeah; really “partners.” We trust them, and they know
in his monitors. what they need to do. But they do other things when
We discussed that earlier. There are pros and cons to both they’re not doing studio work, and that’s the best way
systems. But if I made that choice, I would go in-wall to optimize for everything.
anyway, because that’s always better than free- You couldn’t have a crew waiting for a
standing. You have more control over everything, and job to fly them around the world.
the room is going to be bigger. It’s a different way to In 2020, that’s not possible. I don’t know how it was in
design. The speaker cavity and the room behave like the ‘80’s. It sounded like it was like that! I think that,
coupled rooms. But if I have free-standing, it’s a single to me, that model is dead.
unit. The bass trapping of the front wall becomes very Outside of recording studios and
complicated at that point – because I need it mastering rooms, do you end up doing
reflective – so there’s a very complex system of broadcast rooms or other types of

m
did it in a very strange way. For FTB, having the membranes in the front wall that absorb the low end spaces?

reflective front wall and these two diffusers in the
ceiling, the two in the back provides just enough
information when you make sound in a room that the
brain actually calibrates through these reflections. It’s
able to say, “Okay, I know where I am. The room makes
sense. I’m not stressed by the environment. I have
co
that comes from the back of the speakers, and that Sometimes we do post-production, but mostly locally,
eats a lot of space. Down the line I have to respect the because otherwise it would be too expensive. They
choices from the engineer, but the rational decision don’t have to be as good as the studios, but we make
would be to go for in-wall, because it’s always going them that way! [laughter] We tell them it won’t be a
to be better. watered down version. For cost reasons, these tend to
AG: If Thomas is designing a room with be in Belgium, the Netherlands, or France, so we don’t

)
control over what’s going on.” In FTB terms, these are freestanding speakers in mind, and have to fly. The budgets are usually lower, though
he’s putting tuned membranes at the

all called “environmental cues.” They feed back
environmental information by interacting with “self-
noise cues” – the noise we produce in the room.
With a system like yours, how big would
you consider the “sweet spot” of
listening in the room to be?
That depends on how the speakers are positioned. It’s
fairly big, the sweet spot. But, you know, as soon as
you have a difference of distance between the two
speakers, then you have comb filtering. You need to
be in the sweet spot. You have some head movement;
exact point behind where the woofer
goes, those speakers are in that spot
and they can never move or be
changed.
(d
If they are soffit mounted, the dispersion is perfect and
there’s a cavity in the wall. If a speaker ever did need
to change, for whatever reason, it would be fine as
long as it was soffit mounted again.
l
When you build a studio, I assume we are
talking ground up.
ai
ot
technically they should have more of a budget. We do
a few test laboratories as well. We’ve done a few for
Philips. We’ve done a test room for Focal as well. These
are fun projects. We designed an “average living room”
for Philips, which was just some basic furniture and
treatment so they could reproduce smaller houses or
smaller living rooms. They also had an ITU
[International Telecommunication Union] and a FTB
room built for high-quality testing too. Because they
design drivers, and it’s all about price optimization,
they need to know exactly how their drivers behave.

you can move around. But if the speakers have bad
dispersion, then that’s no good. The room sounds as
good as the speakers do. It doesn’t have a “sound.”
I know you recommend the ATC monitor
Yes. Usually it’s ground up. I don’t do upgrades. The What gave Northward Acoustics a real
problem with upgrades is that usually it’s because reputation, at this point?
someone messed up, and then we’re called after the That’s a good question! As we say in French, “When
fact. We come up, the space is finished, there’s no you’re riding a bicycle, you’re looking at where you’re
gm

speakers. Do you ever have to build a
studio with someone else’s preferred
monitors?
Yeah, but there are a lot of problems with speakers. That’s
not something I knew when I started; that’s
t)
budget left, and usually the answer to the question of,
“Can you fix it?” is, “Yes. But how much do you like
bad news?” When you have to take down a whole bass
trap, or you discover the shell of the studio is badly
designed, then it’s like having a bad chassis on a
going.” You’re not looking right, left, or behind. This
is what I have to do. I’m glad I have all this work and
I’ve liked every one of the projects that we’ve done.
There’s not one I would say I like better than others.
The first project I had in the U.S. was with Brad

something I learned the hard way. sports car. You’re just not going to win. That’s it. We Blackwood; he was nice to me and gave me a chance
What kinds of problems have you tend to avoid that because it’s a negative way the to work in the U.S. He’s one of the guys that helped
encountered with monitors? client can perceive us. We just want the room to me in my career. Dave Collins was amazing to work
(a

Poorly designed ports. Poorly designed bass extension.
High distortion. Just bad drivers, really. Speakers built
for price; not built for performance.
And this is not in the cheap range that
we’re talking about?
Oh, yeah. There are some that we have blacklisted,
e
perform, but if it’s impossible to do the modifications
that are needed, then we don’t feel like our input is
worth the money spent. And usually our advice is, “Go
back to your original designer. They should fix it.”
How many rooms a year do you think
you’re taking on, at this point?
with as well. We recently worked with Skrillex [NEST
Studios] and it’s interesting to see how nice the guy
is, and how good he is at what he does. He has very
sharp ears. But he expresses that in his own way, and
you need to learn to read him to see if he’s happy with
the low end response or if he wants more bass. He’s

because once you get into that environment the Eight to ten. I’m in a bubble. I don’t really know how incredibly detailed in what he does. All these people
flaws are in your face. It’s not really subtle anymore. much work the other designers have. give us something, because they feed back on what
el

If you’re in your living room, you wouldn’t catch it. How many people work with you? we do, and they all have their own way to express
But in my rooms, you think, “What is that?” It’s port In the company, just one. But we have a contractor in their relationship to our work. We take all that
noise, it’s high distortion in a low frequency, and it’s Italy that does a lot of build for us, and I have information in. But, so far, FTB hasn’t changed at all
mp

bad crossover integration. It’s been narrowed down woodworkers in Brussels that do all the decoupling for in how it functions. It’s evolved in the way it’s built,
T. Jouanjean/(Fin.)/Tape Op#135/67
 in terms of maybe being more efficient than the first Yeah, but I kind of like it. I like to meet guys like Adam
ones were. But the benchmarks haven’t changed.
Do you find yourself testing new
acoustic products?
Yeah, we’re very careful with them. We do the little step
method, so each project we might just change 1% of
things, or 5%, and see how it measures so we know we
can still offer the guarantee. We have so many different I assume the input from engineers and
measurements of so many different rooms that we can
see the deviation. The rooms tend to be of fairly similar
size, within a narrow envelope. We haven’t done huge, Even how they use it physically.
huge rooms or very tiny rooms. We can see the AG: Northward makes their own
deviations, and we can compare the theory to practice
and see if we have a lead as to whether that change I make my own furniture now, after talking to these
created that small difference or not.
Right. And was it better or worse?
And sometimes you can’t really measure it; you just feel
it, in a way. Like if you push something too far. The
only complaint we’ve ever had was about a quietness
in the room. Some people are disturbed by that, and
that’s something we’ve learned. There’s a proportion
of the population that is very sensitive to quietness.
They perceive that as pressure in their ears. They
mistake that for deadness. They say, “Oh, it’s dead in
here.” “No, it’s quiet.” But that has its points,
because you can work at lower volumes and you can
hear a lot more detail. There’s a small percentage of
people that are affected by that. We’ve learned to
speak with the engineer and ask a few questions that
would give us an idea as to whether or not that
engineer would be sensitive. In a couple cases we’ve
even had to change the lightbulbs because the
filament was audible. We had to go to lower watts, How?
then it was more or less gone.
Outside of designing and spec’ing the
It’s a push-pull system. The push-pull system allows you
rooms, do you have to do quite a bit of
continual follow up to make sure
construction is correct?
Yes, because we give the guarantee. We’ll go visit before
the floating floor to make sure everything is correct,
because sometimes we have surprises. We need to
ensure that the shell is built correctly: the right
angles, the right geometry. Then we’ll check the
membranes. Eventually we’ll do measurements at that
point, if we have a doubt that they used the actual
right thickness for it. Then we’ll test it. And you can
see it immediately; the deviation is massive. If they
use 3 millimeters instead of 4 ½, it’s going to be 20
t)
hertz off. If it’s 2 hertz off, it’s fine. We do a whole lot
of testing at 80% [of the build] before the fabric is
on the walls. We’ll usually come and install the
(a
speakers, tune the decoupling system, test
everything, and then test the room. But we first listen
to the room with the engineer, and then we’ll look at
the graph. There’s a psychology when you look at the
graph first. “Well, maybe I hear that 1 dB bump at
500 Hz.” No, you don’t; you’re just imagining it. We
e
have an extensive listening session. Sometimes it
lasts a couple of days. We’ll sit down and discuss our
el
favorite tracks, and then we’ll listen and test. We’ve
never had to modify a room.
It sounds like you’re involved with an AG: Thomas’s rooms are really heavy.
mp
incredible amount of traveling.
68/Tape Op#135/T. Jouanjean/(Fin.)
Haas-Kicker
and talk; it’s the fun part of the job. The AutoCAD Many older LEDE control room designs had reflective
part is less fun. It’s important, but when I have to panels placed at the rear and side walls to create
detail 90 pages of plans, I feel like I’m not moving specular reflections from the speaker signal, delayed in
forward because it’s so much detail to process. I’m time and narrow in bandwidth, which were thought to
happy to get on a plane and get my hands a little provide a sense of space in an otherwise dead room, and
dirty after that. supposedly enhance the stereo listening area and
intelligibility.
people who are using the spaces is
really important.
On average, it’s 60 to 70 tons. Once you pour the
concrete on the [floated] floor, that’s a big part of the
weight. You can jump in these rooms and you don’t
furniture now [Northward Systems].
feel like you’re floating. You feel like it’s hard.
Concrete is cheap; just get the load high and
people. We measure rooms without the furniture,
everything gets better. You lose the problem of the
and sometimes we measure with the desk in. We
resonance between the concrete floor and the other
see the impact on sound of that and how some
floor because the concrete is so thick. Very little bass
desks are fairly poorly designed, in the acoustic
goes through. There’s distortion in non-concrete
sense. We started designing desks for Noisia [Dutch
floors. When the floor is based on wood joists, it
production trio – Nik Roos, Martijn van Sonderen,
m
creates resonant cavities that deteriorate the room’s
and Thijs de Vlieger], and I actually found it
response. They can bend up and become concave,
co
interesting and a fun thing to do as a side hobby.
then the load is not okay. In the case of floating
Then we came up with a mastering desk design and
wood floors, the loading on the decoupling interfaces
a production desk design, all slotted systems. They
easily and becomes uneven. It’s sometimes hard to
are very minimalistic, and they make a big
tell people that they don’t have the budget for what
difference, actually. We found a good manufacturer
they want. For a professional, our rooms are fairly
in Italy, and they know how to produce detailed
)
reasonable. If you’re a professional and you make a
furniture there. We have a partner that takes care
normal income for a mastering engineer, you’ll be
ot
of daily management. The next step is to
fine.
streamline production, which is being done right
now, and also get the speaker stands out. They
AG: The whole point is to get into a
decouple down to 5 hertz.
situation where you’re doing the best
work as you can, as fast as you can. It’s
to compensate for the lack of weight of small
(d about refining your workload. Over
the life of the room, I’m going to be
speakers. You can always tune it to the optimal
turning over many projects. This is
setting for that weight.
the point.
You just need to have the work. On average, the rooms
l
The actual stand has a system built in?
are paid for in less than five years. They’re usually
Yes. It takes a little bit of time to tune it, but once
ai
paid for fast because the engineers get more work
you’re done it stays there. It’s the push-pull system
done in a day. Sometimes they can raise their rates,
we use for every in-wall set of speakers. They are in
but they usually get more work. r
that box and you can see the springs sticking up and
down. That is a more refined version of the speaker <www.northwardacoustics.com>
gm
stand, which can be as performative. <telegraphmastering.com>
Do you have patents?
No. That’s like putting a patent on the wheel. It’s all
about how you design the system. It’s basically
springs.
It seems like so much of what you’re
doing, besides designing, is quality
control.
That’s exactly what it is. You can’t get sloppy. Otherwise
you’re just designing plans and you’re not sure if it’s
going to work.
Besides the budget requirements that
someone might have, what would
make you pass on a job?
Conditions are not met for the room to meet
benchmarks. If the space is too small, there are a
couple pillars in the middle of it, or the structural
conditions are not okay.
 “Amphion
Two18
tells me
the truth”

m
co
Rob Kinelski
Billie Eilish

)
ot
® MADE IN FINLAND

(d
l
ai
gm
t)
(a
e
el
mp

Please Support Our Advertisers/Tape Op#135/69


Apogee Digital
Clearmountain’s Domain plug-in
Bob Clearmountain [Tape Op #84, 129] is responsible
for mixing some of rock music’s most iconic records and
happens to be one of my favorite mixing engineers of all
time. So, when I heard Apogee had created a plug-in
with Bob that recreates his effects signal chain, I
immediately emailed Gear Reviews Editor Scott McChane
to ask if I could write this review! Together with Apogee,
Bob Clearmountain has designed Clearmountain’s
Domain, which they say, “reproduces Bob
Clearmountain’s personalized effects signal chain for
creating the cohesive spaces, expansive dimensions, and
rich atmospheres where his mixes live.” This is not your
typical reverb or delay plug-in, with settings like Decay,
Size, and Diffusion. Instead, Clearmountain’s Domain has
multiple impulse response reverbs to choose from, a
stereo delay, and a modulation section, all of which can
be routed to each other internally to create unique and
lush spaces for your mix.
When you first open up the plug-in, you’ll see four
main tabs: Input, Delay, Pitch/Reverb, and Mixer. Input
is where you can set your input level to the plug-in as
well as “pre-condition” your audio with De-Ess’ing and/or
a 3-band EQ before hitting the effects (a major factor in
how Bob creates his sound on his original hardware).
Next is the Delay section, which looks a bit clunky at first
but makes total sense once you’re familiar with the
parameters. The stereo delay can provide simple, clean,
tempo-synced or manual delays, with a 3-band EQ for
each channel. But the magic is in the Offset, Spin, and
Blur controls. The Offset control allows you to apply
subtle feedback time differences between the left and
right channels to create a wider stereo effect. For
t)
instance, you may set an eighth note delay and have the
left channel feedback a few milliseconds quicker with the
right channel a few milliseconds slower. Spin is your
(a
Feedback control, but the left/right channels can be
linked to decay at the same time. This is incredibly helpful
when you’ve got different delay times in the left and right
channels but want them to decay at the same rate. A
great example of this is the guitar delay from David
Bowie’s “Let’s Dance” (which Clearmountain mixed and
e
added as a preset in Clearmountain’s Domain). Blur
el
control is the amount of saturation added to the delay.
Bob says he likes to add short blurred delay to the rear
channels when mixing live concerts in surround sound.
The Blur effect is very musical, and a huge part of what
mp
makes this plug-in achieve so many different sounds.
70 /Tape Op#135/Gear Reviews/
Now onto the Pitch/Reverb section. There are three
reverb sends: two that are fixed, plus a third with a drop-
down menu with six different impulse responses to
choose from. One of the fixed sends is the Apogee Studios
impulse response, a short and warm room ambience
captured from the in-house studio at Apogee Digital. The
second fixed send is the stereo Mix This! Chamber from
Bob’s personal studio. This one is bright and splashy;
think Motown wall-of-sound. I spoke to Bob on the
phone about this plug-in, and he mentioned that this is
a true stereo impulse response because it’s actually two
different rooms connected by a doorway that they left
slightly open when capturing impulse responses. This
means even if you send signal hard right to the right
chamber, you’ll still get a little ‘verb from the left
chamber. The third reverb send is user selectable, with
the following options: Concrete Stairwell (very cool on
drums), Marble Bathroom, Mix This! Shower, Roscoe
Chamber 1 (impulse response taken from a pair of AKG
451s), Roscoe Chamber 2 (same chamber as Roscoe
Chamber 1, but impulse response taken from a pair of AEA
mics), and Gated Plate (again, the Roscoe Chamber 1 but
gated). Bob likes to set up a few instances of
Clearmountain’s Domain on aux sends to use the Apogee
Studios room, the Mix This! Chamber, and a longer or
more effected verb like the Roscoe Chamber or Stairwell.
Each reverb send has its own Pre Delay setting and a
send to the Delay/Pitch section, where you set the level
of the Delay/Pitch sound (i.e., from the output of the
Delay and Pitched Delay) sent to the reverb. The Pitch
section has two faders, one for the left channel, and one
for the right channel. Here you can pitch your delays up
(d
or down a few cents, up to a whole octave. The amounts
can be fixed or random, allowing for nice movement and
realistic modulation. You can also adjust the Pitch Delay
– meaning if you have a 50 ms delay and add an extra
25 ms pitch delay, your signal will be delayed 75 ms. It
l
would normally take up to a dozen or more plug-ins to
customize sounds like these in your DAW. Having it all
ai
in one place not only makes it easy, it actually makes
you try new things and stumble on FX that you may
never have thought to create before. While the preset
menu is a fun way of getting nostalgic sounds from
gm
Bob’s classic mixes, I recommend trying the Randomizer
which sets random values throughout the plug-in. This
wields totally wild sounds while helping to kick start
ideas and originality.
Lastly, there is the Mixer window, showing you the
Delay, Pitched Delay, Apogee Studio, Mix This! Chamber,
User Selectable Verb, Wet/Dry Blend, and plug-in Output all
on their own faders with Solo and Mute buttons too. This
page is helpful for fine-tuning the overall sound of your FX
chain. This page is also the first place I jump to when I
open up a new instance of the plug-in to mute whatever
the Apogee default setting is. Friendly tip: Create your own
preset, with all delays and verbs turned off so you have a
fresh start when you open up the plug-in.
Bob Clearmountain has developed a method of mixing
on his SSL console that involves intricate routing to
outboard gear, with physical and hardware reverbs and
delays. Thanks to Bob and Apogee, it is now available in
one simple, yet powerful plug-in for anyone to use in
their home or fully loaded commercial studio. It is
compatible with both Mac and Windows, the manual is
easy to read and informative, and a free trial is available.
Bob mixes everything in stereo and surround these days,
but Clearmountain’s Domain is only available in stereo at
the moment. He hopes a surround version will become
available in the future. Another thing I should mention is
that the plug-in runs a bit hot at the moment, so send
levels and inputs don’t necessarily need to be set at unity,
like most other plug-ins. Bob says he will usually start off
by turning down the plug-in input a few dB, at least until
this is addressed in a future update. I strongly suggest
auditioning this plug-in on a mix if you’re trying to create
depth and space (which is all of us?). It sounds wonderful
yet forces you to get creative, instead of doing the same
old thing on every mix. When I’m mixing alone in my
studio for hours on end, it’s nice to have something in my
toolbox that sparks creativity and produces excellent
results every time. ($349; apogeedigital.com)
-Gus Berry <gusberry.com>
Stedman
m
co
PureConnect GP-1, SK-1, PK-2
connector cleaning kits
Sometimes it’s the lesser heralded, helpful products
that catch my eye more than some fancy new compressor
or microphone. Stedman’s PureConnect connector
)
cleaning kit series – the GP-1 Gig Pack, SK-1 Studio Kit,
and PK-2 Pro Kit – offer up 2 mL tubes of CAIG Labs
ot
DeoxiT, custom 3/4-inch cotton pads, plus custom-made
microfelt tips (a larger combo one for both inside 1/4-
inch jacks and a hole for XLR male pins, and a small 1/10-
inch one for inside female XLR jacks). The kits also
include a threaded aluminum handle for the tips, plus
cases. The GP-1 Gig Pack is meant for musicians and
includes pads and tips for 1/4-inch cleaning, and 1 tube
of DeoxiT, in a small, metal Altoids mints-style box. The
SK-1 Studio Kit adds the tiny 1/10-inch tips for female
XLR connectors plus a few more pads and tube cleaners
in a reusable cardboard box. But the PK-2 Pro Kit is the
one I want you to buy, as its sturdy plastic case includes
two handles, 25 combo tips, 50 1/10-inch tips, 15 pads,
and three tubes of DeoxiT. In fact, I would suggest
ordering this kit and spares of everything – stock up and
get to work cleaning cables and jacks all over your studio!
In use, I especially was mortified by the amount of grey
gunk coming out of female XLR jacks on some adapters
I’ve had for decades, and cleaning out the jacks on our
overused stompboxes, instruments, and guitar and bass
amps was similarly terrifying. How did they even pass
signal? All kits include instructions in the box, and this
process way less messy than spraying DeoxiT into a guitar
jack and wiggling a Q-Tip around inside. I asked Stedman
if they would make a PureConnect kit for TT patchbays,
and they said, “There has been a lot of interest in that
size. We hope to have it out sometime in 2020.” Excellent
news! ($26, $48, $116, www.stedmancorp.com) - LC
Tape Op is made
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 Steinberg
SpectraLayers Pro 6
spectral editor
SpectraLayers Pro is an exceedingly powerful program
for restoring, editing, and manipulating audio. I
mistakenly ignored this product, classifying it as just
another spectral editor. Ultimately, they’re all the same
right? Wrong. Not only does SpectraLayers Pro offer more
tools, but as the name suggests, users can divide audio
among layers, expanding the possible uses significantly.
The spectral display (where all of the action is) is very
customizable. From color mapping to amplitude to FFT
size to resolution and even a 3D render, it is possible to
isolate audio like never before. This is critical, as generic
spectrograms do not always provide a clear picture of
problem areas, making selection difficult or impossible.
Initially published by Sony, the title moved to Magix
Software and now lives with Steinberg. This means the
application runs on Windows 7 and up (64-bit) or macOS
Sierra and up, is optimized for high DPI displays, and is
backed by Steinberg’s customer support. The editor can
run as a standalone application or instantiate from within
your DAW. Version 6 adds ARA (Audio Random Access) 2
integration, which is respected as the best spotting
protocol available. Pro Tools users can relate stories of
trying to pitch edit audio with an external application
only to have the processed material return to the wrong
spot on the timeline. With ARA, I experienced a seamless
handoff between Magix Sequoia 15 and SpectraLayers 6.
You can also launch other programs from within
SpectraLayers, including iZotope RX [Tape Op #130],
Melodyne [#84], or WaveLab [#127].
Most spectral utilities have rudimentary selection tools
and unsophisticated crossfading of processed with source
audio. In addition to the standard square select and replace
tool, SpectraLayers offers extensive selection options,
including their famous casting/molding routine. Similar to
a metal foundry, Spectral Casting takes the frequency
fingerprint of one layer and places it over another. The
result removes audio that overlaps with the cast’s shape.
Molding is the inverse process, leaving audio-only where
overlap occurs. The levels and polarities of both layers can
be tweaked until the results sound best.
There are too many tools to cover here. If you’ve
dabbled with popular photo editing software, you may
recognize some of these tools: Eraser deletes or minimizes
sounds, Clone Stamp copies and migrates specific sections
t)
to a target area, Frequency Pencil directly paints
overtones, Amplifier brings elements forward (similar to a
dodge tool), Frequency Repair heals gaps, and Noise
(a
Sprayer helps match room ambiance. Each tool can be
adjusted for size and hardness – the interaction of
processed sounds blended with the source. For the most
natural-sounding edits, the hardness value adjusts the
real-time crossfade around the brush. SpectraLayers
implements two-dimensional crossfades that work with
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time and frequency. Changes can be previewed before you
apply them, and the edits are often invisible.
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Plenty of information about this title is available on
Steinberg’s site. I’m going to devote my remaining space
to the top ten real-world uses I found during my tests. I
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was working with the only copy of a mix that cut off
abruptly before the fade finished at the end of the song.
With SpectraLayers, I was able to copy sections, add them
to additional layers, stagger their fades, and spray noise
to match the source. Though this did take some time, the
results were certainly better than forcing an abrupt fade
in the master. In another instance, I was working with
the only track from a live show and was able to uncouple
the vocal from the guitar in order to treat them
separately, which took even more time and was
essentially science fiction at work. The remaining other
uses: de-ess’ing of sibilant vocals, erasing bad fade-render
clicks, convincingly healing dropouts form a tape transfer,
cloning good audio to apply over errors, selecting
harmonics of variable intensity and frequency with a
single tool (!), limiting edits to the specific wave shape
rather than using a clunky Minecraft-like square selector,
and reducing enunciation issues on a vocal performance
hampered by dentures.
Though I didn’t edit with a pressure-sensitive tablet
or with digital pencil, SpectraLayers supports those
devices – let your mind run wild with that! Stuck on a
plane but have edits to do? Get out the tablet and
pencil, because you’re about to be productive and
billable from wheels up to touchdown. There are days
when we review tools that advance our powers as audio
custodians in remarkable ways.
Spectral editing applications are lifesavers that
engineers rely on day-in and day-out. But don’t
mistakenly assume they are interchangeable.
SpectraLayers makes most other offerings look like
children’s toys. I’ve threatened Steinberg that I would
hunt them down should they ever stop making this title.
-Garrett Haines <treelady.com>
Sonnox
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So yeah, I love this software. ($299; steinberg.net)
Oxford Drum Gate plug-in
For years, I’ve been tortured by drum gates. First, in
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the analog realm, where I’d be mixing poorly-recorded
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tracks (sometimes my fault) and I’d attempt to use gates
to add punch and clarity to my drum mixes, only to have
them frequently open at the wrong times or pump nasty
cymbal wash or hi-hat back into the blend in the worst-
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sounding way. I assumed digital, computer-based
recording would provide us with smarter tools, but I never
heard any plug-in gate work as effectively as I wished. In
my opinion it took right up until now to do so, with
Sonnox’s Oxford Drum Gate.
Intelligent detection is the initial key to gating drums
this effectively. Yes, we’ve all tried sidechain/key inputs
on gates to keep snare out of kicks and vice versa, but it
only worked up to a point. The Kick, Snare, Tom,
“Matched Transients” button presets on the Detection
pane (there are three panes we’ll discuss) start us out in
the right direction. You’ll see the hits scrolling by, and
marker arrows will show you where transients are and if
they are opening the gate. If we’re not getting a close
enough detection, we can “match transients” by selecting
a snippet of what we do want to hear in the track,
pressing the “Learn Unmatched” button, and playing the
source into the plug-in. You can add multiple instances
as well, so dynamic playing that no gate before could
figure out can be gated properly. “Oh, heck yes!” you
might be saying by now.
Gear Reviews/(continued on page 72)/Tape Op#135/71
The Decay pane is the second most important feature
of the Oxford Drum Gate. A frequency-dependent decay
viewed via spectral waterfall plot shows us what tonal
ranges are sustaining, and also when the next hit – like
hearing a bit of snare in a kick track – appears. You can
see where snare ring notes exist, and tailor those with an
easy-to-set Resonant Decay to sound the way you’d prefer
in the mix. With kick, I found myself tuning the sustain
length (and at what resonant frequencies) while playing
back an entire mix, allowing me to sculpt the way the
bottom end was working and how the kick and bass
worked together in the song. With toms, I was able to
sustain the low end and not let crash or ride cymbals
bleed in, helping to restore the power of the drum and
cleaning up the overall mix.
The Leveller pane is the one I honestly paid the least
attention to, though I will be messing with it more as
time goes by. Think of it as a very versatile limiter, with
a lot of control to allow drum hits to become closer in
volume to each other – this could save some poor
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recordings I get sent at times. It seems to do more than
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just flatten out all the levels, in an intelligent way via
“dual target control.” Leveller can also be pushed the
“wrong” way via the Split control, like using a gate to
duck, and I was able to make a statically played part
sound more dynamic. Hmmm... might be useful with
programmed drums?
)
The “extra” feature I like is MIDI Out, where you can
ot
send MIDI to a plug-in (or external device) or also to
capture MIDI (like Massey’s DRT [Tape Op #85]) and use
it to trigger other plug-ins. I exported a gated snare track
to MIDI and dropped in on the EZdrummer 2 [#101]
instrument plug-in (my fave programmable drums) and it
was perfect, even on a track with ghost notes and such.
You can fine tune the gate to get even better results for
triggering, if needed, but I simply used the one I’d set for
mixing the audio.
There are more layers of control and features I didn’t
even cover here. If you want it, it’s likely able to do it.
There’s a helpful bar below all the action, with
information to help you understand and run Oxford Drum
Gate (the plug-in takes up more screen space than some).
I didn’t download and open the manual or watch a video
until I was writing this review, and most aspects I’d
figured out during mix sessions. In fact, overall this plug-
in was far easier to implement and get great results from
than I was expecting, and it ended up on my mix sessions
from the moment I first tried it out.
The Oxford Drum Gate is an amazingly-powerful plug-
in that was designed properly, and with the real world in
mind. I’ll be hard pressed to not use it when mixing,
unless the song has no drums. Flat out, Sonnox has raised
the bar for anyone hoping to release a drum gate plug-in
in the future, and I’d purchase Oxford Drum Gate in a
heartbeat if I were you.
(MSRP: $229.99, www.sonnox.com) -LC
www.tapeop.com
bonus & archived reviews online!
 Cranborne Audio
500R8 500 Series chassis
& interface
Cranborne was not an audio company I was familiar
with. When first contacted about reviewing the 500R8,
I was immediately intrigued. Here’s why: the 500R8 is
an 8-slot 500 Series rack and 28-in/30-out high-
quality converter USB interface with a built-in discrete
analog summing mixer. Standout features include
zero-latency tracking, two headphone amps, a built-in
monitor controller, plus loads of connectivity options
like channel expanders and breakout boxes. It can be
integrated into an existing studio, used as a
standalone mobile recording set up, or simply as a
standard 500 Series rack with so many more options.
Yes, I was intrigued.
Cranborne Audio shipped the 500R8 with two of
their Camden mic preamps [Tape Op #130] (not
included with the purchase of the 500 Series rack). The
Camdens have standard preamp controls but add a
continuously variable knob that dials in an amount of
what Cranborne calls “Mojo”; two different flavors of
transformer coloration (Thump and Cream) achieved
through a saturation circuit. The claimed frequency
specs are impressive. Without Mojo engaged, the
Camden is a very clean and clear preamp with low THD.
The 500 Series rack itself is well built, modules seat
easily, and connections seem solid. On the 500R8’s
rear panel, XLR connectors handle the main I/O with
TRS insert points on all eight channels. Each 500
Series module slot can be turned on or off with an
easily accessible switch inside the unit. If you are
using a module you switch the channel to On. If not,
you can bypass it while still taking advantage of the
500R8’s 8x2 summing functionality.
The AD/DA converter with a 121 dB (unweighted)
signal-to-noise ratio and a master-reference grade
internal ultra-low jitter (sub .5 picosecond) digital
clock on the unit sounds great. I listened and tracked
for long periods and found it to be uncolored and
generally true to sources. You can also integrate your
own converter as the master clock if desired.
I tested the 500R8 as a mobile rig by loading it up
with preamp, EQ, and compressor modules. I then
packed up the Cranborne into a small bag with some
mics, cables, headphones, etc., and took it all to my
house for a session with “anything with strings”
t)
master Danny Barnes. He wanted to track some 12
string guitar pieces he’d been working on, and it
seemed like a great opportunity to get the 500R8 out
(a
of the studio in a remote scenario.
For this project, I installed some Burl B1D mic
preamps [#111], a pair of Rupert Neve Designs 535
compressors [#133], and two Rupert Neve Designs 551
EQs [#134]. I simply connected the 500R8 to my
MacBook Pro laptop via USB, then configured Pro Tools
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and my Mac – be sure to set session sample rate in the
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Audio/MIDI set up before you set it in your DAW. I did
not do this the first go and had a session sample rate
of 88.2 kHz with an internal sample rate of 44.1 kHz.
Even though the session played back fine at the right
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72/Tape Op#135/Gear Reviews/(continued on page 74)
speed through the 500R8, when I played it back with
no interface it was chipmunks on seven double
espressos because I’d actually recorded at the wrong
sample rate.
I used my much-loved pair of Schoeps CMC-6 mics
set up in X/Y configuration. These mics always sound
amazing, and I have come to love them paired with
the Burl preamps. Tracking was a snap, with no errors
or crashes and no latency issues when we did a few
vocal overdubs. To my ears, it was a stark contrast
between the converter quality of the laptop and that
of the 500R8. With rich and full sounding audio,
monitoring through the Cranborne was much more
enjoyable than through the Mac’s internal converter.
For recording tracks back into the DAW, I created a
stereo chain with EQs following compressors and
utilizing the Chain feature on the 500R8. It was not a
massive, complex mix by any stretch, but this simple
bit of analog processing for the stereo mix was a cool
option for a basic mobile rig. Danny and I both liked
what we were hearing back, plus he loved the form
factor and simplicity of the rig.
On the module section of the unit there are several
function switches. Each module has a source switch
that toggles the input between C.A.S.T. (more later),
ANLG (analog), and USB sources. Mix Level and Pan
controls for the built-in summing mixer are located
directly below. The Chain switch sends the output of
the preceding module to the input of the next. You
can build creative processing chains this way – four
stereo chains or any configuration you desire, up to
one mega chain of eight modules.
The monitor section on the front panel is simple
but functional. A standard feature set offers A/B
speaker selection, mono and mute buttons, plus
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talkback controls (external mic required). Additionally,
there are cool AUX and Monitor blend controls that
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combines the summing mixer with the DAW playback
together into the AUX and monitor buses
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independently. A DAW 2 select switch assigns an
alternate pair of playback returns into the Blend
control for Aux and Monitor buses. The two headphone
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jacks (Aux and Monitor) finish off the section.
In addition to the previously mentioned XLR and
TRS inserts (post module and pre-A/D) on each
channel rear panel, the 500R8 offers tons of additional
I/O options. Digital I/O includes S/PDIF, BNC Word
Clock, MIDI, and USB 2.0. DIP switches control clock
settings. Analog connections are provided for DAW 2
input (to be used as perhaps a click track or a cue mix
from a stereo analog DAW output), talkback input,
stereo Mix and Aux outputs, and two sets of speaker
outputs. Also located on the back of the 500R8 are
C.A.S.T. inputs on every channel for Cranbourne’s
breakout boxes (C.A.S.T. = Cat 5 Analogue Signal
Transport). These N22 breakout boxes are 2-channel
mic input devices that can be connected to the
500R8’s mic preamps via CAT5 cables with runs up to
300 feet. They are also making N22H breakout box
units that have a monitor section so that a musician
can be listening to and setting their own level for the
mix while tracking with no additional headphone
systems. So, you can run eight mic lines (over CAT5e,
CAT6, or CAT7 cables) to various locations around a
studio, house, church, barn, or whatever – plus each
module has monitoring capabilities! All controls remain
on the preamp with the unit’s operator.
I hope to explore this unit more thoroughly in the
upcoming weeks to unlock more of its features and
functionality. Every “studio head” friend that comes by
and sees the unit is immediately intrigued and
impressed by its sonics, form factor, and capabilities. I
enjoyed working with a little less, in terms of gear.
Swapping a few modules in and out for tracking and
mixing forced me to make choices in terms of tone, but
also kept things relatively simple which had me thinking
about what I really needed for a specific project or song.
The 500R8 can be used as part of your existing studio
setup, be a great mobile rig option, or a standalone
(along with a computer, of course) recording solution for
those that either already have some 500 Series modules
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or wish to start building a collection. When you factor
in the option of adding Cranborne’s 500ADAT expansion
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unit for 16-channel functionality, this gets attractive! It
truly is a very well thought out mini-studio that packs a
ton of punch with has loads of flexibility and
expandability. ($1699 MSRP; cranborne-audio.com) -GS
Triad-Orbit
)
Advanced Stand System
ot
Accessories
Back in Tape Op #130 I reviewed the Triad-Orbit reissue
of the Starbird mic stand and was very favorably
impressed, as have been all the engineers who’ve used it
here at Panoramic House Studios. Since then we’ve picked
up a few more of the Triad-Orbit stands and accessories. I
continue to be impressed with how useful and well built
the whole Triad-Orbit product line, called the Advanced
Stand System, is. Below are just a few examples of
problems that have been solved and/or things that have
become easier to set up for sessions here.
We have an odd space here at the studio, on the landing
of the stairwell to the upstairs room. This landing is pretty
small – maybe three and a half feet square – but it
overlooks the main tracking space and has a window
isolating it from the rest of the room. In other words, it
would be a perfect spot to cut a vocal or an acoustic
guitar while isolating it from the rest of the band.
Unfortunately, this scenario had never really worked
because there is barely enough room for a sturdy stand
capable of holding a larger mic. The space is so cramped
that it’s not comfortable for an artist with a large
microphone stand, not to mention that mic placement for
better sonics is not really an option. But once I started to
wrap my head around the Triad-Orbit universe of
mechanical connectivity, I ordered three things from
them: An IO-W wall plate/desktop mount, an IO-A2A
telescopic IO boom arm, and an OA orbital arm ball joint.
For the wall on the landing, I permanently mounted the
IO-W plate about shoulder high. When not in use, it’s
covered up by a small piece of hanging art. When we want
to put up a mic, we just move the art aside a little bit,
attach the OA joint and the IO boom arm, then whammo!
– we’re ready to record! The Triad-Orbit system is so
versatile that we can even add additional accessories and
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Please Support Our Advertisers/Tape Op#135/73

 mics to the set up without the need for additional wall
plates. For instance, we have one of the IO-Vector bars,
which is like a stereo mic bar on steroids. It has five
different points of connectivity, so you can use it as a
stereo mic bar, a Decca Tree bar, an inside/outside kick
drum mic combo, or in the case of our little landing setup,
support a vocal mic and an acoustic guitar mic attached
to the one IO-W plate.
Now I just hang a cool, vintage Spanish bota bag as wall
art to cover up the IO-W plate when it’s not in use, but if
you don’t have a handy piece of vintage art lying around
you could just attach one of Triad-Orbit’s String Swing
Yokes (essentially a guitar holder/hanger) that simply
snaps into the Triad-Orbit quick release for hanging a
guitar on the wall. Speaking of guitar stands, there’s never
enough, and they’re always in the way, right? Well, Triad-
Orbit has a solution for that too – just use one of their Grip
Clamps (available in two different sizes) to add a guitar
hanger onto a Triad-Orbit heavy-duty mic stand that’s
already in use during a session. All of these accessories
can handle a lot of weight, so once you add in the Grip
Clamps, possibilities multiply. One mic stand can hold
several mics, multiple guitars, and even an iPad (with the
iOrbit tablet/phone holder). Super cool! When you get
down to it, calling all this a simple “mic stand” would be
short-changing the Triad-Orbit system’s capabilities quite
a bit – it’s really so much more and can address many
different scenarios in the studio.
(www.triad-orbit.com, pricing varies) -JB
Neumann
U 67 tube microphone reissue
history of Neumann microphones and how the U 67 fits
into it. There are already plenty of places to read about
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I’m not going to do the thing where I give you the full
all of that. We’re taking it for granted here that original
U 67s, produced from 1960 to 1971, had a very special
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sound that inspired many people to use them on a lot of
important records.
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Neumann’s recent reissue of the mic has gotten
people talking, particularly since the company reports
that it’s a 100% replica of its predecessor, “made to
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original specifications” and “sonically identical.”
Although I’ve used several vintage U 67s over the years,
I didn’t have one at hand for direct comparison with the
reissue during my review period. I did, however, have
Figure 8 Recording’s oft-used vintage Neumann M 269 c,
which is essentially a U 67 with an AC701 tube instead
t)
of an EF86. The AC701 is known to be brighter than the
EF86, and my experiences certainly confirmed that. The
capsules, on the other hand, are the same. The reissue
(a
also uses the K 67 capsule, which has been in constant
production for the past 59 years, and this was evident by
the fact that other than that high end boost from the
AC701 tube, a male vocal sounded almost identical in the
two mics. I could have done a completely believable
comp between the takes after cutting a couple of dBs at
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10 kHz on the M 269 c; the body of the vocal sounded
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equally rich, full, and deep. The only other difference
between the two mics was a more pronounced plosive on
the M 269 c, which makes me think the internal shock
mounting of the capsule has been improved upon.
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74/Tape Op#135/Gear Reviews/
I had a couple of sessions during my review period
with singers whom I had recorded before, using other
large diaphragm condenser mics at Figure 8 Recording,
such as the Josephson C700A [Tape Op #62] and Brauner
VM1 KHE (Klaus Heyne Edition). Both of these mics
originally sold for almost identical prices as the reissue U
67 does now (although the Brauner has skyrocketed on
the used market since it was discontinued) and both of
them lost in these comparison tests to the new Neumann.
That doesn’t mean those other mics aren’t amazing,
because they are, but discerning singers with great ears
who had at one point chosen them in similar blind tests
against other mics happened to prefer the U 67 this time
around, and I wholeheartedly agreed in these particular
cases. There’s a reason the U 67 is many singers’ preferred
vocal mic, due to the presence and depth of the response,
and the mic’s ability to represent the full dynamic range
without sounding fuzzy or restricted.
Throughout the rest of the test period, I used the
single U 67 for mono piano, acoustic and electric guitars,
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sitar, multiple percussion instruments, and as both a
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drum overhead and room mic. It excelled in all of these
applications in whichever pattern was right for the
application – the mic wields cardioid, omni, and figure 8
polar patterns – and didn’t get kicked out of bed once.
My notes contained adjectives like “balanced,” “warm,”
“throaty,” and “natural,” with nouns like “depth” and
)
“clarity.” However, other than as a vocal mic, I had two
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revelations. One was on saxophone, while recording
multi-instrumentalist Will Epstein at Spillway Sound in
the Catskills. He’s a great player, and I record a lot of
great saxophonists, and this was the least harsh, most
balanced, pleasing alto sax sound I had gotten in ages,
with zero EQ and minimal compression. The preamp was
a Retro Instruments Powerstrip [#82], which has several
tubes in the signal path, so perhaps the tube-on-tube
action was part of the magic.
The other head-turning moment was recording Shahzad
Ismaily (the owner of Figure 8 Recording) playing bass in
a duo with Dirty Three drummer Jim White. I placed the U
67 a couple of feet away from Shahzad’s vintage Ampeg B-
15 bass amp, which was cranked in an iso room. The
preamp was a vintage Altec 458A (also tube). The
resultant tone was exactly what we both wanted from his
vintage Fender Precision bass guitar, with just enough
growl, body, and depth to contend with Jim’s tom-tom
rumbles and resonant kick drum. It also helped that we
were recording to two-inch tape, but in any case, it was a
bit of a holy grail moment for me in regard to achieving a
classic, forward-leaning bass tone.
After all of those positive feelings, I have a few words
about the accessories that come with the mic. There’s the
NU 67 V Power Supply, which has the same militaristic
heft and look that the original ones did. It was redesigned
for modern safety specs and to pair better with the
modern EF86 tubes, but you can also use it with any
vintage U 67 you may be lucky enough to have. The case
everything comes in has a nice look and feel as well; it’s
both handsome and instills confidence that it will protect
its valuable contents for many years. But the other two
accessories, the shock mount, and the cable, both failed
to impress me (and the other engineers at Figure 8
Recording. First off, I take every opportunity I can to
implore mic manufacturers to stop using the “classic”
elastic hairband and spiny metal ribcage design for
mic shock mounts. They’re cumbersome, can hinder
precise placement, are prone to breaking, and are
expensive to replace – a new Neumann Z 48 shock
mount runs $400! Worse than all of that, it’s super
easy to accidentally flick one of the little retainer
clips, and if the mic is hanging upside down it will fall
directly through and to the floor. This almost
happened to me a couple of times over my review
period, but luckily, I had the cable attached so
disaster was thankfully averted. Speaking of the UC 5
cable (which connects the mic to the power supply via
hefty vintage-looking Tuchel connectors), it’s quite
thin compared to standard mic cable, which makes for
much less kink-free coiling than I’m used to. I know
for both of these Neumann was going for a classic
look, but I wish they had modernized these two.
If this mic is in your price range, and you’ve been
on the fence about whether it’s worth it, I can report
that it is, especially given that vintage U 67s go for a
significant amount more money and don’t carry a
warranty. Also, it seems impossible that it won’t retain
most of its value, should you change your mind about
it down the road. On top of that, who hasn’t always
wanted a U 67? I think so highly of this mic that I’ll
be purchasing my loaner. However, I would like to
point out that if you’re reading this review and this
mic is out of your price range, you no longer have to
spend this kind of money to get a quality microphone.
Believe it or not, there are $400 mics being reviewed
in the pages of this magazine that can hold a pretty
serious candle to the U 67. Plus, if the cachet of the
Neumann badge is attractive – and it undoubtedly is –
the company makes some excellent microphones that
are much less expensive. There may well be some small
amount of semi-intangible magic you’re missing, but
trust me, you can still make great records without $7k
microphones! ($6995 street; neumann.com)
-Eli Crews, www.elicrews.com
Mara Machines
Transformer-Based I/O card
At this point, it is safe to say that analog tape
recording is not going away. Tape machines still have
a loyal and enthusiastic user base all around the world,
ranging from professional engineers and audiophiles
to basement analog warriors. One of the people
leading the charge of this analog resurgence is Chris
t)
Mara, owner of Welcome To 1979 Studios and Mara
Machines, the later well known for refurbishing MCI
tape machines and selling them to happy tape users
(a
worldwide, including myself.
The latest offering from Mara Machines is a
transformer-based I/O option card for the MCI JH-110
B/C series tape recorders. Mara Machines’ Transformer-
Based I/O cards replace the OEM MCI I/O cards and
allow users to have the option of either the stock
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electronically balanced circuit, or a transformer
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balanced input and output. Both the input and output
transformers can be selected independently using push
button switches, allowing for a variety of color
variations during record and playback.
mp
I must admit I was a bit skeptical. I have owned a
Mara Machines JH-110C for several years, and love the
way it sounds. However, I am always willing to listen,
and upon unpacking the Mara Machines cards, they
looked impressive were are well built. Installation was
simple, and I immediately did a full calibration of the
machine to see how they compared to the stock cards.
Somewhat surprisingly, I barely had to adjust anything
in the calibration process, other than a small tweak in
the low frequency.
After calibration, I printed a song that was up on the
console to the tape deck with and without transformers
selected. In blind listening tests, it was pretty easy to
hear the differences, and I strongly preferred the sound
of the transformer-balanced audio path. The sound stage
felt bigger, while the low end was more cohesive with a
seemingly smoother top end. I then did the same test
with a different style of music, and once again found
myself preferring the transformer option. They seemed to
embellish the sound in a subtle, pleasant manner. Next,
m
I played random songs through the machine
co
experimenting with switching the transformers in and
out to familiarize my ears with what they were doing to
the sound. The input transformers are transparent and
change the sound very little. However, the output
transformers impart more color, mostly noticeable in the
low end. I also performed tests using tones to see what
)
differences in measurable frequency response exist. The
ot
main difference is that the output transformer gives a
small boost between 35 to 60 Hz.
After thoroughly testing the cards, I decidedly
preferred the sound of the transformer audio path more
(d
often than not. Since then, I have mastered several
projects using the tape machine as a color device in an
attempt to breathe life into somewhat sterile tracks. In
these instances, the transformer option has been
fantastic for adding extra girth and glue to somewhat
l
anemic mixes. One of the best features of the cards is the
ability to switch both transformers in and out for quick
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auditioning. On one particular mastering project, most of
the songs felt weak in the low end and the transformers
were perfect for giving them more weight. However, one
of the songs was randomly quite bass heavy, so having
gm
the option to switch the transformers out was very useful
in that instance.
If you own an MCI JH-110 B/C tape machine, it is
worth your time to take a listen to these new
Transformer-Based I/O cards. Obviously Mara Machines
has put a lot of thought and effort into designing them,
and to my ears they are a clear improvement sonically
over the stock I/O. The transformer’s sound reminds me
a bit of the old Ampex machines I used to own. Tracks
simply sound bigger and better running through them.
Mara Machines has always been a great company that
sells reliable, excellent sounding analog gear, and these
new cards are no exception. I already loved my Mara
Machine. Now love it even more. ($700 direct, $600 for
existing Mara Machine owners; maramachines.com)
-Anthony Gravino <anthonygravino.com>
Gear Reviews/(continued on page 76)/Tape Op#135/75
 Antelope Audio
10MX Rubidium atomic clock
One of the things I love about studios is the way they
grow over time and the delineations in sound that happen
due to gear changes along the way. You hear this all the
time; “… then we got a 24-track” or “that’s when we got a
pair of Coles...” etc. Often this is an adaptation to new
technology, but other times it may be due to client demand.
Sometimes workflow leads the way. Then there are these odd
moments when you encounter something you never knew
you needed. Such was the case when I strolled by the
Antelope booth at summer NAMM in 2013. Coming from an
analog tape mindset, I’ve always looked at digital as a
necessary evil. While I still prefer tape when possible, on
that day I learned how wrong I was. I hung out at the
Antelope booth for what seems like hours and listened to
familiar jams while marveling at the detail and imaging – it’s
the kind of thing you do at these conferences. Later that
night Marcel James and I met for beers and talked about the
music and records we both loved – that’s when I decided to
review the then brand new Orion 32 [Tape Op #99]. The
effect that piece of gear had on my studio was nothing short
of dramatic. A few weeks into the process of having my mind
blown and remixing recent stuff before deadlines, another
box showed up with the Antelope 10M [#68] in it, and I
began the process all over again! That was the day I learned
about what next level clocking can do for your studio.
Years later, I’m still working on the same rig and I still
love it. So, when the Antelope 10MX came up for review, I
was stoked. For the unaware, Antelope makes a full line of
audio gear for virtually any situation. From super portable
touring interfaces to intense mastering rigs, and now
microphone modeling – they do it all. Everything they make
sports incredible specs and performance, plus they use
technology like oven-controlled discrete transistor crystal
oscillators, rubidium cores, and other things I frankly do not
understand, that all bring unheard feature sets to any studio
scenario. The Orion 32 made a big splash, but right behind
it was the 10M Atomic and Isochrone Trinity master clocks.
Each one has lots to offer, and with the 10MX you get both
the atomic precision of the 10M with the astute jitter-
management algorithm of Trinity. It also sports a redesigned
smaller rubidium oscillator, new power supply, and a more
streamlined circuitry. The 10MX also has ten BNC atomic
clock outputs that generate an ultra-stable 10 MHz signal.
In addition, you get four BNC word clock outputs selectable
to 768 MHz, plus two word clock outputs for both AES/EBU
and S/PDIF. All of this flexibility and clocking is wrapped up
elegantly in what seems like an indestructible single rack
t)
space unit enclosure.
I will assume if you are the type that reads clock reviews,
that you know what it is and what it does. If you do not,
please refer to Jessica Thompson’s excellent review of the
(a
Antelope 10M and Isochrone OCX [#68]. She offers a way
better description than I ever could. Much the same as that
reviewer, this one prefers to sidestep the technological
debate and the adjacent hellscape of Gearslutz threads
littered with mastering room man caves. I’d rather talk
e
about what matters. As stated earlier, like many engineers
in their late 40s I started recording on analog tape and was
el
initially skeptical about digital, but eventually I made the
jump. Enjoying the flexibility and ease of digital, I gave up
the pleasantries of tape as a trade-off. Then digital seemed
to get a lot better, so I upgraded to the Antelope Orion and
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got a 10M. The difference was dramatic, but since they came
76/Tape Op#135/Gear Reviews/
as a pair it was hard to separate the two. Switching to the
10MX has been very informative. Like most small studios,
there’s never a great time to change gear here at High Bias
Recordings, so the 10MX was installed while I was in the
middle of a few things. While making big changes mid-
project can be unnerving, it was also super enlightening.
Sisters of Your Sunshine Vapor are a heavy-duty
psychedelic band from Canton, Michigan. They sound like
the second side of Deep Purple’s In Rock meets White
Heaven’s Out and Rain Parade’s Crashing Dream. Good bands
hit a sweet spot after a while, where they become a well-
oiled machine; the exceptional ones seem to do that
without getting stuck in a rut. I was fortunate to catch
these gentlemen at just such an interval. We recorded a
single of blazing, fuzzed-out psychedelia with some of the
gnarliest guitar sounds I’ve ever tracked. As we started to
mix, each song became a fairly tenuous structure between
face-melting fuzz and the rhythm section/vocals. It was
right before I finished my final mix notes that the 10MX
arrived. The difference was subtle at first, but it wasn’t until
the guitar solo that I really felt the difference. Crazy
presence and midrange detail with ripping fuzz felt like it
jumped out of my speakers, then started dancing around on
the desk. The kick drum seemed placed identically as before,
but the whole mix felt extended in the sub territory – not
boosted at all – it just seemed to open up all this inky, dark
real estate. The mix, which was admittedly a little
claustrophobic, opened right up with the 10MX. It’s one
thing to hear this kind of clarity with an acoustic band or a
jazz recording, but with high gain rock jams this can be
harder to attain or perceive. The 10MX also revealed some
dubious placement and EQ choices I made previously in an
attempt to accommodate the intense amount of harmonic
mirror the same way you thank a good friend who lets you (d
information shredding my reality. I appreciated this truthful
know that you should grab a mint on your way into the club.
Next up was a mixing session for the upcoming Shigeto
Live Ensemble record Versions for Ghostly International. This
record was a departure for Zach Shigeto, as he used a live
l
band and tracked the jams off the floor. Zach was on drums,
Dez Andrés on percussion, Brennan Andes on electric bass,
ai
Ian Finkelstein on keys, and Marcus Elliot on sax. Should you
not be familiar with the Detroit scene, these are all living
legends at the top of their games, and the session was
nothing short of transcendent. This was the first session I
gm
did top to bottom with the 10MX. Because it is a clock, and
I’m focused on quite a bit during these sessions, I really
didn’t notice the difference until the band was up and
running. I frontload the recording process wherever
appropriate, and we did a creative style of tracking by
treating each instrument as I did a quick line check. I was
able to achieve this significantly faster with the 10MX and
could move forward more efficiently without second
guessing myself – all because the material was presented to
me with the utmost clarity and truth. On playback Zach
exclaimed that it sounded “like a record” and the band
agreed that the takes had a more finished quality. When it
came time to mix, I spent about half the time I usually do
and got heavier sounds much quicker. It just felt like the
10MX broadened, deepened, and widened the canvas while
making the mixes higher res sounding. The thing I noticed
the most was that the depth of my mixes were more
apparent. It’s hard to explain, but even in the best control
rooms with killer gear, the speakers can sometimes seem to
exist on their own 2D vertical plane a few feet away. The
10MX extended the sound field. I felt things moving to and
fro across that plane more. A shaker sounded behind the
speakers; some of Marcus’ sax peaked. Dez’s conga fills
jumped out and seemed to envelop the listening position. I
know this sounds like hyperbole here, but I have a very “real
world” control room, and the 10MX made a huge difference
in my mixes, cutting my working time nearly in half while
providing a better end result.
I just finished tracking the first new Demolition Doll
Rods record in what seems like forever. The band sounds
like the first Stooges album, White Light/White Heat era
Velvet Underground, and Odetta mixed with the sweetness
of The Shirelles but better. The sheer prowess and visceral
nature of this band is hard to convey, and even harder to
capture; this means I need to be on my toes. This pressure,
combined with the astute ears of Margaret Dollrod and
Danny Kroha, made me a little bit anxious when we listened
back in the control room for the first time – all I got was,
“Whoa! This sounds great” and, “Those are drums!” A band
like this (or any band really) cares little about clocking – to
be honest, due to its invisible nature I didn’t really think
m
about it until this review happened. What I do care about
is my clients and being true to them and their vision. It’s
co
this way with gear sometimes. You like (or even love)
something as an engineer, but it can be rare that anyone
else notices. Then there occasions that your clients let you
know how important something is. I’ve done seven albums
and a few singles with the 10MX since that Doll Rods’
session – the above reaction happens every time. It’s not
)
like we’re never stoked at playback around here, but there’s
usually a lot to review performance-wise, and sometimes
ot
the tones aren’t always the focus for playback in the control
room. It’s worth noting, however, that there has been a
definite uptick in enthusiasm during playback at my studio
since the 10MX showed up!
The above examples happened during my initial
experience with the 10MX and in the ensuing months I’ve
had time to really notice its effect. I never turn it off, and
since I used my 10M for the last six years, I didn’t A/B them.
But every session I’ve done with the 10MX has followed suit:
Sounds come together more quickly regardless of genre or
source, and the link to source material seems unveiled and
immediate while a very truthful and comparatively extended
soundstage is presented without being hyped. Every session
I’ve had since the 10MX arrived has garnered noticeably
more enthusiasm from the band at initial playback. This can
be a pivotal point in sessions and an important place to earn
trust from the band – a crucial commodity in record making.
Often the trajectory of an album is decided in the control
room, and I’m super grateful for this unexpected gift. That
difference alone, and the amount of time the 10MX has
saved me, justify the price tag when you look at a year of
record making. Add to that the psychic benefits of achieving
sonic vision sooner, while being genuinely excited and
inspired by what’s immediately emanating from your
speakers – this is priceless. So often, it’s only at the end of
a record (after many long hours and hard work) that I have
a real sense of accomplishment. It’s super refreshing to get
that feeling earlier in the process, and that kind of
inspiration has changed the way I work. When a company
starts off great, like Antelope has, you wonder how they’ll
top themselves. Well, if the Orion, Trinity, and 10M can be
compared to Coltrane’s Giant Steps, the 10MX is A Love
Supreme. ($6495 MSRP; antelopeaudio.com)
-Christopher Koltay <highbiasrecordings.com>
 Royer Labs
Model 140NM plate reverb High
Performance Magnet Assembly
I could write 10,000 words about plate reverbs,
modifications, reasons I feel these physical reverb units are
unique sounding, and why I love the EMT [Elektro-Mess-
Technik] 140 that I own. But the people who will need to
know about this product either own an EMT 140 (and probably
have the same feelings that I do) or are out looking for a
vintage plate right now. Here’s the story: Rick Perrotta, one of
the principals at Royer Labs, bought his second EMT 140 plate
reverb a while back and during transport the magnet assembly
was lost. Now, in case you think one can pick up the phone
and order spare parts, remember that these plates were
manufactured many decades ago. So, being that Rick works at
Royer and ribbon mics are nothing-but-dependent on magnets
in order to function, he got together with friends at Advanced
Theoretical Concepts, and designed a new magnet assembly
for the ubiquitous EMT 140.

m
What arrived at Jackpot! Recording was a beautifully-
constructed new part for my 140. Unlike the solid metal casing

co
of the original assembly, the 140NM has a clear plastic ring
where one can see the parts inside, with perfectly engineered
metal casing and flange on the rest. It also comes with
mounting screws and washers (if needed) and a custom
alignment disc. Swapping out the assembly isn’t technically
that hard, but there is a certain process to opening up the

)
wooden outer box on the plate and carefully removing the old
magnet, as a wrong movement can destroy the drive coil that

ot
centers inside the magnet assembly. I bolted in the new 140NM
and ran some tone tests (printing and recording tones through
the plate into Pro Tools) to compare to the original’s signal.
When I realized the levels were lower, I had to change the
alignment of the mount that the assembly is bolted to by
removing some washers (using the alignment disc to keep it
centered). With the drive coil slightly deeper within the magnet
(d
assembly I achieved levels matching my previous magnet, and
much more balanced left/right frequency responses.
l

When I compared audio examples (to ones I’d previously

printed with the old magnet assembly) I had to do some deep
ai

listening. These EMT 140 plates originally had tube or solid

state electronics, and many people replaced them with
Martech’s retrofit assembly, but my EMT 140 has custom input
gm

and output electronics built by Hamptone, and I love the way

it sounds. What I heard from the new magnet assembly – after
a lot of A/B listening – was a certain amount of midrange
definition that I had not been previously experiencing. High
end was very similar to my old magnet, but now I felt a wide
range of mids had gotten clearer sounding. I get the feeling
t)

my old assembly wasn’t suffering from too much loss of

magnetism, and Rick warns that some users may need to
calibrate the I/O levels as the new magnet can increase the
output voltage of the drive coil. I’m happy that I’ve increased
(a

audio fidelity of my 140, and I’m obviously not worried about

having an unmodified vintage plate, although it’d be easy to
swap the magnet assembly back out if someone wanted that!
But I’m mostly excited that Rick has reverse engineered a new
part for us with the EMT 140NM. I know there are others like
e

me that will be excited as well, and I’m hoping this review

serves as a notice to check in with Rick and pick one up!
el

($799; royerlabs.com/custom-shop) -LC

mp

Gear Reviews/(continued on page 78)/Tape Op#135/77

 United Plugins
FrontDAW
Full disclosure: I saw an introductory promotion offering the United Plugins FrontDAW
plug-in for free, so I downloaded and registered it. The promotion has since expired, and
the plug-in is now available at its regular price, but that shouldn’t stop you from
checking it out. You can download a fully functioning 15-day trial. After the trial period,
you won’t be able to set the high-pass filter, and a few other settings are locked, but
there are no drop-outs or white noise blasts after 15 days, so you can still use it.
Licensing is accommodated through a downloadable license file – no iLok or dongle
required, and you can install on all your computers as long as you’re the user.
But I’ve jumped way ahead. United Plugins consists of a group of independent plug-
in development teams under one umbrella headquartered in Prague, Czech Republic.
FrontDAW (say “front door” with your favorite accent) is a VST/AAX/AU plug-in for
Windows or Mac developed by Soundevice Digital that adds analog, console-like
saturation in the box. I’m running Pro Tools 2019 on Windows 10, and it installed
without a hitch. Since the initial download, I’ve also installed plug-in updates (v1.1 and
v1.2), plus a Pro Tools update with no issues. The user manual is online, and I noticed
a few errors with the documentation and contacted support (disclosing nothing about

m
a review). United Plugins replied and updated the documentation quickly – hopefully
this is a good indicator of support responsiveness should you ever need it.

co
FrontDAW is the brainchild of producer/remixer Greg Brimson, and offers a choice of
BR (British), US (American), or GE (German tube console) style saturation. United
Plugins says their VARM (Variable Analogue Random Modeling) technology makes each
plug-in instance sound slightly different, even with the exact same settings. The
saturation modes do pretty much what you would expect: BR adds some fatness in the

)
low end with a bit of air on top. The US setting offers solid lows with punchiness in the
mids. The GE mode might be my favorite, adding a noticeable sheen to the highs and

ot
slight grittiness in the low end.
I often add a high-pass EQ on tracks to get rid of any mud – especially on AUX buses
with effects – so having the ability to roll off up to 500 Hz with FrontDAW frees up an

(d
insert point and gives me back a little CPU power. The GUI is scalable – just drag the
bottom right corner! Double clicking or right clicking can get you to additional, finer-
grained parameters and settings. The Mojo knob lets you dial in saturation. You can also
use the Input control to drive the channel harder, but be aware that the input can
change the output on the channel by +/- 24 dB – acting a bit like Pro Tools’ Trim plug-
in. I mention this because it can be easy to fool your ears with “louder is better,” and
l

some other console emulation or saturation plug-ins I have used have input adjustments
ai

that try to keep the output level consistent when introducing saturation. Because of
this, I found it was easier to dial in the sound of each track with FrontDAW before I
started mixing. You can still tweak the high-pass filter and Mojo setting, but use your
faders after you settle on a tone.
gm

I added FrontDAW to a mix I was working on for a local artist. This was a ‘60s-style
rock ‘n’ roll song with female vocals. I created mixes with and without FrontDAW on each
track and then also compared the same mix with a different console emulation plug-in.
The mixes with console plug-ins sounded exciting in a different way, but, in the end, I
used the mix with FrontDAW, and the artist loved it too. On another project I put
t)

FrontDAW across the master bus, and again it made the mix sound better to my ears. In
the future I will probably mix and match FrontDAW with other plug-ins to achieve the
specific character I’m looking for on audio tracks or aux buses. Download it, give it a
whirl, and see what FrontDAW can do for your mixes!
(a

(€49 direct; unitedplugins.com) -Mike Kosacek <doubledogrecording.com>

tapeop.com
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Bonus & archived

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reviews online!
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78/Tape Op#135/Gear Reviews/(continued on page 80)

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Please Support Our Advertisers/Tape Op#135/79

 MXL
PA-5K Pro drum mic kit
MXL has been making affordable microphones since
1998 (the ubiquitous MXL 2001, anyone?). One of their
latest offerings is the PA-5K Pro six piece drum microphone
ensemble. The kit consists of two CR21 small diaphragm
condenser mics (for overheads), two A-5t dynamic tom
mics, a 606 small diaphragm mic for snare/hi-hat, and a
dynamic A-55 Kicker mic for bass drum. The 606 mic
includes its own small aluminum case (more about this
later). The A-55 includes a vinyl, drawstring bag for
storage. The A-55 and A-5t mics have built-in mounts,
while the others include plastic mic clips. The A-5t mics
also include mounts for clipping the mic on the rim of a
tom. All six mics include a microfiber cleaning cloth.
My first opportunity to use these mics was in the
studio for a tambourine overdub. I put up the 606 and
noticed it has plenty of gain, even at 3 feet away! After
engaging the -20 dB pad on the mic, as well as a pad on
the preamp, I was able to rein it in. This mic is bright,
but not in a harsh way, and after some EQ the tambourine
sat nicely in a rock track.
Next, I placed the A-55 just inside the ported front
head of a kick drum and got a very familiar pre-EQ’d
sound. I arranged the CR-21 as overheads in a spaced
pair. They also have quite a bit of gain, so I had to back
off my preamps from typical settings. The sound
reminded me of the MXL 603S [Tape Op #28] but with
upgraded capacitors to smooth out the highs – it seems
MXL took notice and upgraded the build of these. I also
noticed the CR-21 mics were pretty sensitive to air
movement. If using these for outdoor gigs foam
windscreens would be in order.
With the 606 on snare and its pad engaged, I got a
(d
nice, full-bodied thwack. In fact, the 606 really made me
re-evaluate my typical use of the dynamic snare mic I use;
l
one I always have to EQ in the mix. With this mic I was
ai
already 95% there with the finished sound I wanted.
I used the included clips to mount the A-5t pair on the
toms. I’m not always a big fan of this method, but I didn’t
hear any extraneous noise transmission problems here.
gm
The mounts attached easily (even on die-cast rims) and
positioning can be adjusted closer or further away from
the drum head. Both mics had a noticeable boost in the
upper mids that accentuated the attack. I adjusted the
mics on the mounts but did not notice a big change from
t)
proximity effect – I was hoping the A-5t would capture
more low end from the floor tom, but I switched it out
for the 606 and it captured the bottom I was looking for.
With the 606 now on the floor tom, I clipped the A-5t I
(a
was using for the tom to the snare. The A-5t gave me a
very familiar snare sound, which was totally workable
after a little EQ.
I took the PA-5K to a local gig where the venue was
looking to purchase a drum mic kit. The sound engineer
e
mic’d up the kit with the CR21s on overheads and the A-
55 on kick. We saved the A-5t pair for percussion. Though
el
we could not use the clip mounts due to the design of
the congas and bongos, we mounted them on stands
with success, and they provided the percussionist with a
fighting chance against the guitars and drums.
mp
80 /Tape Op#135/Gear Reviews/
As mentioned earlier, a case is not included that will
hold all six mics, and I missed that when transporting
them to shows. There are plenty of configurable, third-
party cases out there (for mics, cameras, etc.), but
remember to factor that into your purchase. Overall the
MXL PA-5K Pro six piece drum microphone ensemble is a
solid choice for home studios, gigging drummers, and
clubs looking for an affordable yet versatile mic set.
($299.95 MSRP; mxlmics.com)
-Mike Kosacek <doubledogrecording.com>
NUGEN Audio
Modern Mastering Bundle plug-ins
Mastering audio today involves more than just
creating loud and exciting stereo music masters. The
mastering engineer takes on the roles of quality control,
metadata oversight, and of course, producing
impressive sounding, competitive audio. The NUGEN
Audio Modern Mastering Bundle combines three
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sophisticated plug-ins that each play a vital role in
creating masters in the modern world of audio
co
production for music, podcasts, audiobooks, and
multimedia. The three plug-ins, each one available as
AAX, RTAS, VST2, VST3, and AU versions, provide level
control and several different types of audio analysis,
from visual analysis of levels and imaging, to visual and
)
audible level comparisons of your master to various
streaming standards. These are professional tools, and
ot
you will benefit from spending a good amount of time
learning to use each plug-in. I have used NUGEN plug-
ins for a few years now, and have found that by learning
about and applying these plug-ins, I have developed a
better sense of the applications of audio levels and feel
I can easily meet the expectations of content producers,
distributors, and, ultimately, the intended audience.
The most utilitarian plug-in of the Modern Mastering
Bundle is called ISL True Peak limiter. Essentially a
mastering limiter, or maximizer, ISL provides an inter-
sample True Peak limiter with comprehensive and
flexible metering along with dithering. The ISL provides
an input gain control, and a separate true-peak limit, or
ceiling control. The limiter activity is displayed via three
metering sections. The first section displays the post
input gain stereo input levels. The second meter displays
the amount of gain reduction as one of two user-
selectable display styles. The output meters display the
resultant stereo output levels as dBFS (True-Peak).
NUGEN provides further metering options, called
Steering and Ducking, which display the byproducts or
interaction between left and right channels as one or
both channels trigger the limiting action. Steering and
Ducking work along with and are affected by the Linking
function of the limiter. Additional controls affect
lookahead, release time, comprehensive dither, and
noise shaping options. ISL thoughtfully provides the
ability to listen to the difference signal, or gain
reduction effects only, of the limiting process to help
fine-tune the processing against any undesirable
artifacts. NUGEN has provided presets that comply with
ITU-R BS.1770, and Apple’s afclip standards that offer
the ability to create level compliant masters for iTunes,
Netflix, or any other streaming or broadcast standard.
It should be noted that the ISL meter is designed as a True Peak meter (not a traditional
loudness meter), which measures the highest point of an analog signal, versus a Sample
Peak meter, which evaluates only the digital signals, as it has become important to
closely monitor peak levels for the best possible conversion to lossy codecs, like MP3.
The MasterCheck plug-in provides a more traditional loudness metering and level
optimization, geared towards music mastering as well as streaming services that use
proprietary data compression and loudness matching algorithms. MasterCheck provides
metering for loudness monitoring (LUFS/LKFS), dynamic range (PLR/PSR), real-time
comparison to reference tracks (via the NUGEN Send plug-in), codec preview functions
and true-peak level compliance metering (ITU, afclip). The MasterCheck meter has
been my go-to meter when mastering for the last couple of years, and I have benefited
greatly from its features.
The basic meter functions include K-level metering via the LKFS displays, Peak to
Loudness Ratio metering, program loudness metering, mid/side levels, true-peak
levels, and an assignable external reference input, which allows a separate reference
audio track level to be displayed inside the MasterCheck plug-in. All these metering
displays have accompanying preference settings for behavior and display options and
will be familiar to anyone who has used mastering meters. MasterCheck also provides
a sophisticated Codec Monitoring section, which essentially allows the user to meter

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or monitor the audio stream as encoded by many different streaming services,
including Spotify, Tidal, iTunes, BBC iPlayer, and many others. Since each service plays

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audio using a specific codec and audio level, MasterCheck shows an instant comparison
of the DAW audio to a specific service’s profile and allows you to create an optimized
version of the master for a particular use. In practice, I find it informative to audition
these codecs, but many of my clients do not have the ability to provide optimized
masters to each platform, as the clients use an aggregator like DistroKid, to distribute

)
to several services. It is still helpful to audition and be aware of level and codec
differences between services. Occasionally it is valuable to optimize a program for a

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specific platform, such as in audiobook or podcast preparation.
MasterCheck’s plug-in preset menu provides common profile settings and loading
these will help orient you to the many options that this meter provides. I find the
external reference meter extremely useful to provide a real-time reference level of
another track in my session. True-peak levels have also become increasingly important
for any audio that will be encoded into a compressed format, and MasterCheck provides
(d
confidence that your audio will meet specific distribution requirements. Despite the
complexity and thoroughness of this plug-in, the manual is brief and easily digestible.
I think the MasterCheck plug-in by itself is worth the price of this bundle.
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The most involved and complex plug-in of the Modern Mastering Bundle is called
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Visualizer. This plug-in, designed for comprehensive audio analysis, is comprised of eight
different visual analysis displays. These tools include a variety of level meters, frequency
spectrum analyzers, spectrogram displays, vector scopes, and phase correlation meters.
Each meter display may be individually turned on or off, plus each display has its own
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preferences settings for behavior and look. Further, any display may be “soloed” and takes
over the entire plug-in window to show more of that view. For instance, the user can select
a familiar looking spectrum analyzer and customize its behavior and appearance while the
vectorscope displays either a familiar Lissajous or polar plot while the level meter displays
LKFS, RMS, FS, or various mid/side information. The in-depth spectrogram meters display
t)

frequency and level against time, with mouse-over detail readouts, while the phase
correlation meters can show simple stereo phase correlation or phase correlation displayed
over the entire frequency range. In my case, I set the K meter to show green bars up to K-
12, yellow bars from -12 to -8 and red bars above -8 dBFS. Those settings make it very easy
(a

to get a sense of the level without having to read specific numbers on the meter scale.
Similarly, I could adjust the response and fallback times of the meter in either horizontal
or vertical display modes. Each of the eight displays has a similar depth of control and really
must be explored to develop a set of meters that is comfortable for a given production task.
As with the MasterCheck plug-in, the Visualizer provides a comparison button to
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quickly compare the current audio to a reference track, again by using NUGEN’s Send
plug-in on the reference audio track. The comprehensive and concise manual for the
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Visualizer provides an informative section that explores the technical background and
applications of FFT analysis, which is the foundation of the Visualizer plug-in.
Understanding FFT analysis is certainly not required to use the MasterCheck meter, but
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it may help in understanding some of the meter’s geekier preference settings.

Gear Reviews/(continued on page 82)/Tape Op#135/81

 Overall, the Modern Mastering Bundle provides a suite
The Compex of professional tools for anyone who requires an
compressor understanding and control over master levels for audio
production for music mastering and distribution, podcast
in 500 series or audiobook production, game audio, or mixing for film
format! and TV. Some plug-ins, like the ISL in the NUGEN Modern
Mastering Bundle, provide stereo-only operation while
the complete ISL provides multi-channel metering for 5.1
or 7.1 surround production.
($299 direct; nugenaudio.com)
-Adam Kagan <mixer.ninja>
Retro Instruments
500PRE 500 Series tube preamp
Years back, when I installed my console and sidecar, I
sold off most of my outboard preamps. I was looking
forward to a new era of not having to choose preamps,
and instead just getting on with what mattered, like
listening to the instrument in the room, choosing
flattering mic placement, and paying attention to
arrangement and performance. Burned out on the
minutiae of matching preamp to source, I welcomed the
simplicity of choosing just “fast” API 212 or “slow” Neve
1084 preamps. My mantra became, “You don’t need a lot
of options, only one or two good ones.” As such,
checking out a new preamp didn’t carry quite the
excitement for me that a new EQ or dynamics module
might, but my deep and unrelenting love for the Retro
Instruments Sta-Level [Tape Op #66] (that I’ve used on
about every project in the past 12 years) suggested that
the new 500PRE might be a unit worth looking into. To
quickly sum up the rest of my review: it is.
(d
While unboxing the 500PRE, I got a little giddy. This
preamp looks and feels fantastic. The controls all have a
nice substantial feel to them, the faceplate doesn’t feel
crowded, and the Retro signature grey finish looks great
– all in all a very professional feeling piece of equipment.
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You get Input and Output gain controls, along with
toggles for gain range (Low or High), phantom power,
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and polarity. I was eager to get the Retro racked up but
ran into an issue. The 500PRE draws 160 mA, which is
above API’s VPR Alliance standard. While most newer 500
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Series racks will deliver the necessary power for the
Retro, you might want to double check if you’ve got an
older rack. I only had 130 Ma per slot available, and had
to pick up a new rack – in my case, a secondhand Purple
Sweet Ten [#100] – to provide the needed power. Retro
“The Compex became a legendary recommends a linear power supply, but I’ve encountered
t)
and coveted piece. Easily the best no issues using the Purple’s internal switching supply.
So, where’s all that juice going? The 500PRE contains
drum sound I had gotten in recent three 12AT7 tubes, CineMag transformers, and is rooted
memory.” -Chris Koltay, review of the
(a
in the Sta-Level circuit, offering up to 76 dB of gain. In
F760X-RS in Tape Op #108 my earlier days, when I’d run low on options, I’d often
utilize the Sta-Level as a mic preamp by plugging in a
tube condenser mic and taking advantage of the
substantial amount of gain on tap. It always sounded
thick, so my expectations were high.
e
Ahead of my first tracking session with the 500PRE, I
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took an evening to run some line level audio through it
to get a sense of what this preamp sounded like. Retro
advertises the unit as a capable limiting device when
q2audio.com pushed over the tube clipping threshold – and as well
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they should! Synths that were feeling a little flat and
82/Tape Op#135/Gear Reviews/(continued on page 84)
sleepy suddenly bristled and jumped forward in the mix.
Dialing in just enough grit was unusually easy; the
saturation slope on the 500PRE is wonderfully gentle. If
you’ve ever wrestled with a mic or line preamp, trying to
eke out the right degree of saturation before it goes to
papery, crapping-out fizz, you’ll appreciate the 500PRE.
It’ll certainly take you to that blown out static-blast level
of distortion should you want it, but you’ve got plenty of
more useable, predictable range ahead of that extreme.
Even at moderate levels without audible limiting, the
circuit left a pleasing imprint on the audio – altogether
a little more exciting than your average preamp.
On day one of tracking with the 500PRE, I first set
it up with a Telefunken M82 [#102] on snare drum. I’d
never really used tube preamps on close drum mics in
the past, but having heard the way the 500PRE could
ease into gentle harmonic grit and unobtrusive limiting
I wanted to hear how that translated on a much more
transient-heavy source. Good news: it worked really
well! I was able to dial in enough saturation to help
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bring out a little bark from the drum without it getting
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too tone-heavy or turning hi-hat bleed into a mix time
nightmare. The Retro cut through an overdriven Vox
AC30 guitar amp wonderfully without suffering any low
end loss. Experimenting between takes, I was pretty
amazed at how I could gain the pre up in High range
to find a setting where dynamic response was clamped
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down hard enough that my snare mic was printing
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distinct and balanced kick drum as well – it could pass
for a close in “crunch” mic for the whole kit, yet
without harsh distortion or heavy compression
envelope artifacts. I’ve never heard that kind of
response from a mic preamp before.
For our next track, I moved the 500PRE over to the
front of the drum kit, powering a Coles 4038 aimed into
the ground a couple of feet from the kick drum. I drove
it pretty hard, and the Retro added a nice texture that
blended in easily with the other drum kit mics. As we
moved into overdubs, I set the 500PRE up for acoustic
guitars. I was recording with The Beanstalk Library, a
band that writes guitar driven songs in the vein of Tom
Petty or George Harrison, with a lean towards power pop.
We were laying a couple tracks of strummed acoustic in,
and I was again pleased to be able to dial in the right
degree of transient softening without compromising the
fundamental tone. However, be advised – the slope from
saturation into distortion is so smooth with the Retro
that it can sneak up on you! During a bass overdub with
an Ampeg B-15 amp in the control room, the influence
of the amp against my monitoring prevented me from
hearing that I’d dialed in a little bit too much of a good
thing during the first take, and I had to ask the bass
player for a redo with the preamp backed off a little.
My next session was with Swamp Rabbit, recording a
song with a great gently-churning gauzy lilt – a hazy,
jangling Lou Reed feel. I used the Retro on an electric
guitar amp during live tracking, and for Farfisa and Ace
Tone organ overdubs. There are only a couple of sources
where I start splitting hairs with preamps, and electric
guitar amps are one of them. Amp. Mic. Neve 1084. If I
stray from that, it may still work, though I’m usually a
slight bit less happy about it. No such misgivings with
the 500PRE. I briefly swapped between the two and felt
like (outside of EQ) I wasn’t losing anything stepping
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 away from my tried and true process. Varying the gain
staging to suit the source, I was without exception
pleased with everything we recorded through the Retro.
It’s easy to be seduced by the instant gratification of
that harmonic glow and overdo it, but if you deploy it
strategically, you’ll be rewarded with loads of great
texture and surprisingly little loss of definition. It’s notthe 6061. Use for such mics range from broadcast “talking
all about grit, though; when used at gentler levels, the
500PRE has a rich, euphonic tone that is colored but not
overstated, and there’s no reason to pigeonhole this
thing as an effect or character pre – it can totally be
your do-all mic preamp. For backing vocals, I kept the
Retro running pretty clean and achieved a great
sounding track that blended in well with the lead vocal
– clear, but far from sterile, and definitely flattering.
Lead vocals were sung through a Bock Audio 251, which
sounds amazing but sometimes comes off a little too
squeaky clean in the mids for some material. Running
the 500PRE just a little hotter gave the vocal great
midrange traction without unduly exacerbating sibilance
or obscuring pronunciation. With the Sta-Level next in
the chain, the vocal was locked in, and fit right where I
wanted it – present and clear but tucked into the mix
rather than on top of it.
Aside from being a bit more particular about the rack
that powers it, there’s little to complain about here,
especially for the price. Even at high gain settings, signaltheir forehead or in front of their mouth. For video and
to noise ratio was impressively good. The noise floor
native to the source (or the room!) always became an
issue before the preamp’s did. The unit does run about as
hot as you’d expect from its three enclosed vacuum
tubes, and only time will tell what that may mean for its
lifespan – though it’s worth considering Retro’s
(d
reputation and trusting that this consideration did not go
unplanned for in the design. I’ll be leaving some space
above the 500 Series rack to be safe. Ably handling most
any recording scenario with gobs of gain and a wide and
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controllable texture palate, this preamp reduces my
desire to patch in compressors at tracking while
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providing exciting harmonic and limiting possibilities at
mix. The 500PRE has won me over, and I’m hoping to
have a pair permanently parked in my rack.
($895 street; retroinstruments.com)
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-Eamonn Aiken <thebastillestudio.com>
DPA Microphones
6060 Series Subminiature
Microphones
t)
Good things really do come in small packages! Sure,
bigger budgets for that record you’re working on would be
nice, but with all the bragging about crowd sizes, big
rockets, big armies, miscellaneous “yuge” stuff, and other
(a
nonsense, it’s nice to have someone touting the virtues of
being small. Leave it to the Danes, with all their self-
confidence and style, to be the ones to do it! I was trying
to get DPA to sell me their company or at least move
manufacturing to Greenland, but all they did was send me
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some lavalier mics to review... but seriously folks, I have
been using the DPA 4061 lavalier microphones [Tape Op
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#127] for over a year now and have been very pleased with
their durability, response, and sound quality.
An updated version of this microphone style, the 6060
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and 6061 subminiature lavaliers, have recently been
84/Tape Op#135/Gear Reviews/(continued on page 86)
released by DPA and they asked if I would take them for a
spin. At just 3 mm across the head of the mic,
subminiature is exactly what these are! These
omnidirectional, pre-polarized mics have a claimed
frequency response of 20 Hz to 20 kHz, and each a THD
rating of <1% at up to 126 dB for the 6060 and 128 dB for
head” interviews to other wearable applications such as
theatre and stage. My primary use for such a mic has been
for interviews, but with the option of the MicroDot (DPA’s
proprietary mini connector) to XLR adapter, I have found
use in a studio setting also quite viable.
These little DPAs can really handle a variety of duties for
music recording. I have tried them taped to the body of an
acoustic guitar, taped next to a more traditional vocal mic
for an unobtrusive second source to process differently than
the main source, and for a variety of drum applications.
These mics are so tiny that you will have a hard time finding
a spot that they will not nestle into when you are looking
for an interesting place to get a cool and unexpected tone.
m
With a max SPL rating of 134 dB, the 6060 floats in
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the “normal SPL” range of that category and is
recommended as a chest-worn lavalier mic or for sound
sources that are further away. The 6061 is billed as “loud
SPL” and handles a max SPL of 144 dB – recommended
for theatre performers that wear the mic mounted on
)
audio interview use a lavalier mic is a great choice. They
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attach to the clothing with a small clip or fold neatly into
a buttonhole and are very unobtrusive. After trying a few
different options for lavs, I landed on the DPA 4061 and
never looked back. I found the 6060 series to be basically
identical in performance except for its smaller size. The
tone is robust in the midrange and generally has a nice
balance when placed around and just below a subject’s
neckline or mid-chest. Depending on the source, I
sometimes cut a bit around 800 Hz while adding a touch
of highs, but often no EQ is necessary. The cables are
ample in length, and if needed extension cables are
available for an additional cost; I own the extension
cables and have not yet needed to use them.
The mics have removable caps for cleaning that protect
them from sweat and water (IP58 certified). Color choices
are beige or black and come in individual small hard plastic
snap cases. The DPA 6060 Subminiature Microphones are
high-performance miniature microphones, suitable for a
variety of voice and music applications. Highly
recommended.
($549 MSRP; dpamicrophones.com) -GS
www.tapeop.com
see more of our
bonus/archived
reviews online!
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possible by our
advertisers.
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you saw their ad in Tape Op.
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Please Support Our Advertisers/Tape Op#135/85

 Vanguard Audio Labs
V1S Stereo Pencil Condenser Kit
Vanguard Audio Labs’ latest offering is the V1 small
diaphragm condenser microphone. Each mic comes with four
interchangeable 22 mm capsules: cardioid, wide cardioid,
hypercardioid, and omnidirectional, whether purchased as a
single mic or stereo pair. I found the V1s to be great on just
about everything, outperforming other microphones far above
their price point.
Everyone likes attractive tools, and Vanguard delivers here.
The V1S stereo kit comes in a lovely pinewood box with brass
hardware filled with custom foam to fit all the bits and pieces
snugly: a matched pair of V1 pencil condensers, four matched
pairs of capsules, two VSSM shock mounts, a stereo bar, and
cutouts for a pair of Vanguard’s large diaphragm lollipop
capsules. The multi-pattern V34C “LOLLIs” can be purchased
separately, or in a kit (V1S+LOLLI). For this review, we focus on
the pencil kit alone.
The V1 bodies are finished in a glossy, pinot noir color and
trimmed with a polished nickel. Vanguard is proud of the
included custom VSSM shock mount, and rightfully so. Unlike
most flimsy plastic shock mounts I’ve encountered, these zinc
and high-impact ABS accessories weigh as much as the mic
they’re designed to support! The V1 capsules are custom-
voiced and built specifically for Vanguard to their
specifications, as are all included accessories – nothing
generic here. Vanguard’s Derek Bargaehr notes, “We’re very
proud of the capsules in particular, but also that everything
we do is 100% original and custom – it took me nearly 18
months to get the small capsules right… the circuit design
was a cinch by comparison.” Though the included stereo bar
isn’t as much of an overachiever as the capsules perhaps, it is
portable and performs the job for X/Y or ORTF set up. The only
thing missing from the package is a handle on the box, but a
trip to the hardware store might easily solve that.
With so many capsule options, I decided to start simple by
close mic’ing acoustic guitar. I recorded multiple guitarists,
setting up each mic in a mono configuration with a different
capsule to compare. When close mic’ing with many SDCs, I find
there is a buildup in the low register when the guitarist is
playing loudly and letting chords ring. While tracking a forceful
12-string guitar shredder, the wide-cardioid capsule was a
perfect in capturing the full-spectrum intensity of the
instrument. I was able to position it close enough to represent
intimate detail, but it never seemed muddied by proximity
effect. Compared to the standard cardioid capsule, the wide
cardioid really showed an ability to manage the drones in the
lower registers while at the same time smoothing out the busy,
chimey top end.
t)
Vanguard doesn’t publish frequency response data, but to
my ears the wide cardioid capsule has a very natural response
with decent off-axis rejection for such a large picture. In
close mic’ing both guitars and percussion, the additional
(a
ambience of the wider polar pattern was minimal compared
to the regular cardioid. In fact, I found the wide-cardioid
capsule fairly magical – I kept choosing it on every source!
It provided a wonderful balance of rich body with a touch of
air. However, the standard cardioid capsule is no slouch,
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either. I found it to be the perfect solution for a different
guitarist with a much softer, delicate playing style. The
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capsule really added support to the low mids, while providing
a bit more bite than the wide cardioid.
The hypercardioid capsule was the clear choice for mic’ing
both snare drum and hi-hats on a soft, jazzy tune with brushes.
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The increased rejection and smooth top end made the task of
86/Tape Op#135/Gear Reviews/(continued on page 88)
mixing hi-hats less painful than usual. When moving to regular
drumsticks on a rock performance, the V1s showed their single
weakness: the lack of a pad. As with most condensers, mic’ing
the snare proved to be too much in the SPL department,
resulting in distortion; the same was true on a loud guitar amp.
In line attenuator pads can be had pretty inexpensively and
would be a good accessory to keep handy in your studio for
mic’ing loud sources with condenser mics. The omni capsule had
a hard time beating out the others in most settings, except as
a mono drum-room mic. Positioned 15 feet from the front of the
kit gave a lively, complete picture, which for my use only
required a small notch out of the 400 Hz range to really shine.
There are two mics in the kit, so what about stereo? On a
funk drum track, I used the pair of V1s with wide cardioid
capsules in XY as overheads alongside a pair of Neumann KM
184s for comparison. With their top end boost, the KM 184s
sounded more detailed and immediately more exciting, but the
V1s were sweeter and more natural sounding. “Natural” is
sometimes used to describe sterile recordings, but that is far
from the case here. During multiple sessions, I wrote down
“super-natural” in my notes: the V1s provide a realistic but
nicely enhanced picture of every instrument I recorded. There’s
very little upper frequency hype with a strong, balanced
richness in the low end. At mix time, I found the V1 overheads
could work as the sole drum mics, something the KM 184s (for
all their merits) could not. The V1s definitely offered more of a
vibey drum sound, and I was really happy after mixing in only
a touch of direct kick and snare for added pop.
Having so many capsules on hand really opens things up for
experimentation and makes it that much easier to get the right
sound at the source rather than trying to fix it in the mix. The
wide cardioid capsule is stellar, and worth the price of admission
alone. With the V1S Kit, Vanguard again shows they’re a
company driven to make affordable products that can enhance
even the deepest of mic lockers.
(V1S kit $699 MSRP, V1S $349 MSRP/each;
vanguardaudiolabs.com) -Ed Hickey <edhickey.com>
(d
RØDE Microphones
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TF-5 microphone pair
The latest addition to the RØDE microphone line is the TF-5
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small diaphragm cardioid condenser matched stereo pair. The
mics come packaged in a nice two-tiered box with precision cut
dense foam that included the mics, windscreens, really nice
clips, and a wonderfully useful stereo bar (more on the
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accessories later). They’re finished in a flat black with the
signature gold dot near the business end of the microphone. The
first thing I noticed was the mic’s heft – these mics are small,
but they have a nice weight that instills confidence. Luckily, I
didn’t drop either mic while I had them, but if they were mine
I’m certain in time they’d take a fall or two, and I wouldn’t really
be worried if they did – they are sturdy.
I’ve been using the TF-5s for a couple months on several
projects. I threw just about everything I could at them to see
how they’d fair, and I’ve been quite impressed with most of the
sounds I’ve heard. I think I would characterize these mics as
slightly hard, but never harsh sounding. They have a defined
presence, whether placed close to the source, or used to capture
ambience. On a project with Chicago singer/songwriter and
comedian Megan Hosack, we built up a lot of the songs starting
with her playing guitar to a click. Both acoustic and electric
guitars were used, with a few different amps. I was often using
a close mic on the speaker paired with an ambient mic. What
really impressed me, when I used the TF-5 for ambience, was
what I can only describe as reach. It made the ambience really
unique, as it was focused in a very different way than most mics
I’ve used. I experimented a lot with different positions of the
room mic, and, often I’ll be somewhat random in this approach.
With some mics, the tone will slightly change, but generally
they just sound “roomy.” With the TF-5, I felt I really could
sense where the mic was pointed, and how the sound was
interacting with the walls of the studio. I’m not sure if this is
due to a tighter cardioid pattern than similar mics, or if there’s
something else going on here, but I found the TF-5s to be a
great asset in this application.
The sound of this mic is quite clear, which aided in the
capture of Megan’s acoustic guitar. Her specific make of guitar
isn’t one of my favorites tonally, but, with some patient
maneuvering, I got some really nice sounds with the TF-5 – it
worked really well for articulating pick sounds. On one song she
used the studio’s acoustic guitar and the studio’s Nashville-
tuned acoustic on the same song. The TF-5 easily captured the
tonal nuances of both guitars and maintained a unique
character on the different tracks of each guitar. I didn’t favor
the TF-5 close mic’d on guitar amps, but, to be fair, I almost
never like condenser mics on guitar amps unless the tone is
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really clean. I ended up swapping out the RØDE for a dynamic
or ribbon mic but kept the TF-5 for room sounds.
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I cut drums for both Megan’s project and a project with Jeff
Walker while I had the TF-5 pair. I first used them as drum
overheads in ORTF configuration, which is a breeze with the
included stereo bar. Again, the sound of the RØDEs was
present and defined – making it quite easy to hear cymbal
placement in the stereo field. The snare was present and
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strong, with a really nice attack from the toms. There was
excellent definition on the ride cymbal, with loud crash
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cymbals never becoming too strident. I often feel like crash
cymbals are the place overheads can easily fail – thankfully
this was not the case with the TF-5s.
On later sessions I tried some different things with drums.
For Megan Hosack’s song “Head Space,” I kept it simple with
just a single bass drum mic and the TF-5 pair as room mics. The
tone of the entire drum set was clear, with a nice air around it.
On the mix, it was really easy to EQ the tracks in general and in
a way that helped to pull a little extra snare out. A big tom fill
articulated a nice classic feel – not a modern “in your face”
thing – it really worked perfectly for the track.
On Jeff Walker’s song “Giant Stacks” I put the TF-5s on short
mic stands to use as room mics. Thinking back to the guitar
sessions, I decided to point the mics away from the drums and
absolutely loved how they sound on this track. The
aforementioned reach and focus made for a really interesting
tone. My room can be somewhat splashy, but in this position,
the TF-5s put a nice air around the drums while deemphasizing
any of the typical splash. I really like the snare tone from these
mics in my room, and, though I haven’t mixed the track yet, I
can already hear that I’ll be able to really push the room mics
up without the track turning into a mess.
I needed to add Hammond organ to Megan’s song
“Pointlessness.” I have the Leslie model 145 rotating speaker in
the vocal booth, and decided to grab the ORTF pair of TF-5s off
the large boom for overheads I was using on drums, then put
them on a medium height Atlas stand – your studio does not
have enough of these and other shorter mics stands. That put
the pair about 26-inches off the floor and about three feet away
from the speaker. I had two different sounds set up on the
Hammond (one on each manual) and got to work. I performed
some typical volume swells with the pedal while changing the
Leslie speed several times. The TF-5s reacted quite well, and the
organ sat perfectly in the track. The stereo spread is really nice,
and on louder sections the tube drive from both the Hammond
and the Leslie translated really well.
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 My good friend Mike Gardner came by to try the mics on
piano. The piano at our studio, Oxide Lounge, is an 80- to 100-
year-old Shulz school upright. It’s a character instrument but
still pretty versatile, and I often mic the soundboard, in back of
the piano, for a richer, woodier tone, plus I capture less
mechanical noises from the pedals. Mike played three jazz tunes
for me. For the first song, I set up the mics in a simple X-Y
configuration, with the second I used an ORTF setup, and on
the third I placed the TF-5s behind him in the room. The close
mic’d examples both sounded mix ready. The focus and tone
adaptors, which I know I have plenty of extras hanging around
should one of the gold colored RØDE ones go missing. Both the
clips and the stereo bar are also sold separately, and I plan to
buy both these accessories after I’m forced to send back this
pair of mics. Minor beefs aside, the TF-5s are wonderful mics
that would be welcome in just about any studio.
($1499 MSRP; rode.com)
-Tony SanFilippo <Record@OxideLounge.com>
Roland
one 22-inch ride. Both have options for stick, rod, or brush
hits. Rounding out the kit are two 16-inch crashes (left and
right), one 18-inch China cymbal, and a 10-inch splash. All
cymbals have options for stick, rod, or brush hits. The kit
selections can be a little limiting (depending on the style of
music you compose), and I miss the identifiable names
associated with each drum that are found in other virtual
drum plug-ins.
The Mix tab setting gives you control over the blend of

worked really well. The entire range of the piano was well
represented, without anything sticking out or dipping out in a
bad way. Both X-Y and ORTF spacings sounded very even. The
X-Y offered (as expected) a much tighter picture, with the left
hand playing feeling a little closer in than the ORTF recording,
which sounded just generally bigger. With ORTF it sounded
almost like I’d moved the mics away from the piano even
though the stand was in the same place. Using the pair on the
room gave a wonderful airy sound while maintaining a lot of
midrange detail.
Roland Cloud Drum Studio - four mics (dynamic, condenser, mid room, and far room) as
well as which set of outputs you’re sending the channel
Acoustic One virtual drum software signal to. When you select Comp at the channel top you are
Everything is on the “cloud” these days and Roland’s
given an On/Off switch and controls for Thresh, Gain, Ratio,
treasure trove of synths and drum machines are up there
Attack, Knee, and Release – all standard but effective. The
too. The Roland Cloud has a wealth of quality plug-in
Reverb layout has an On/Off switch plus controls for Decay,
instruments available, but we’ll be focusing on Drum Studio
Mix, Pre-delay, high-pass filter, Density, and low-pass filter.
- Acoustic One, Roland’s cloud-based acoustic drum sample
There are four selectable reverbs including a room, two
plug-in, the flagship drum program on the Roland Cloud
halls, and a plate setting. Always present at the bottom of
subscription service. We’ll cover what Acoustic One has to
the plug-in window is an effects chain that includes Flanger,
offer and then briefly discuss some of the other sample-
Chorus, Distortion, Doubler, and Stereo Delay. These are all

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On a tambourine overdub the TF-5s impressed me quite a bit
based instruments and software emulations of the
– with one placed close like an overhead, and the other about nice to have, but unfortunately only apply to the entire kit
company’s classic synths later. System requirements are Mac

ten feet away and chest high. As most of you know,
tambourines can be a lot harder to capture than they should be.
But with the TF-5s there was no smearing of the transient, and
the jingly ring of the tambourine’s bells came through really
well. A plastic Rhythm Tech tambourine seemed to fit best with
the song but others sounded great too. Again, the reach of the
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globally. Would have been nice to be able to control the
OS X 10.10 (Intel Core i3 or greater) or Windows 7 SP1, and
amount sent to each channel.
a 64-bit DAW or host that supports VST, AU, or AAX
So how does it sound? I thought that sound quality was
instrument plug-ins.
top notch. The drums are very well recorded. They’re realistic
Once you sign up at rolandcloud.com, you will need to
and easy to get up and going in a mix. While “playing” the
download the Roland Cloud Manager app. The Manager is
kit, I was taken by the detail in the touch velocity

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room mic was quite impressive and though I mostly use room where you will find all the various downloadable
sensitivity. Apparently during the sampling process many
mics with close mics, the TF-5 room worked well on its own instruments and updates. In order to use Drum Studio, you

without sounding super splashy or unclear.
On a simple brush on snare drum, I got a perfect sound with
a single TF-5 about 18-inches over the drum. I spent a lot of
time getting the drum to sound how I wanted, working with
tuning, muffling, snare tension, and even putting a small bit of
tape on the head of a lovely old Rogers wood shell snare. This
was a pseudo bluegrass train beat, so articulation was key. The
sound from the TF-5 captured everything I worked for in tone
and performance.
I also recorded some backing vocals with the TF-5 as well,
and they worked quite well. On occasion I work with a chamber
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additional samples were captured for the fractions between
will need to first download Concerto, Roland’s sample-based
velocity levels for a much more dynamic instrument… and
software host. Once Concerto is installed and opened as a
it shows. There are also multiple samples for the same
plug-in in your DAW, you can download the Drum Studio
velocity – like an amped up round robin – which adds to the
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software from the Concerto window. You need to be online
to install, but after that authentication only happens once
every seven days. So, an online connection after initial
install isn’t mandatory. It’s also worth noting that up to five
realism. If you want to get something going quickly with
minimum fuss, this works very well. Having said that, if you
like to dig deeper with tweaking, then other drum plug-ins
might work better for you.
devices can be authorized at the same time. With that in
As a composer who doesn’t play drums, I find
mind, subscribing to the service makes a lot of sense for a
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programming realistic drums challenging without a jumping
studio or post-production house.
off point. With that in mind, I wish that Roland had
Drum Studio’s main window is cleanly laid out as a group
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group of piano, cello, and flute, and though I didn’t have the supplied MIDI files along with Drum Studio to take
of 12 mix channel strips. There are ten kits onboard to
opportunity to use the TF-5s in this application, I really think advantage of the awesome dynamics on display here. For
choose from at the top of the window. They range from
the it would work well for recording ensembles. most mainstream applications Acoustic One excels. The kits
straight ahead rock to jazz and vintage kits, with sticks,
Now, let’s talk about the included accessories. The mic clips sound great and were recorded in a top-notch studio with
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are not only snug, but they have tightening levers quite similar
to Drum Workshop cymbal stands. These might be the best mic
clips ever – you just set your angle and tighten them down.
How many mic clips do we each own that periodically need
tightening with a screwdriver, or that we eventually stop using
t)
rods, and brushes available for each. There are also knobs
incredibly playable dynamics.
for Sample Randomization, Key Sensitivity, Pan (global),
In addition to drums, I also had a chance to audition
Limiter (on/off), and Volume (global).
many of the other synths and drum machines the Roland
Each channel has four viewable options: Info, Mix,
Cloud has to offer. And I have to say the content here is
Comp, and Reverb. Info is the default setting with controls
outstanding. The software modeling does take a toll on your

because they just don’t hold position anymore? This clip
tightens around the mic, holding it right where you put it. The
hard plastic with metal thread stereo bar is damn near perfect.
There are spacers designed to pop off easily, so one mic can be
(a
for Tune (-1200 cents to +1200 cents), Decay (100 ms to
CPU, more so than some other emulators on the market.
3500 ms), Pan, Level, Mute and Solo buttons, plus an icon
That said, Roland’s Jupiter-8 and Juno-106 emulations were
of the drum assigned to that channel. You can audition the
spot on, sounding damn near identical to their hardware
drum sound by clicking on the icon. At the base of each
counterparts. The venerable TB-303 bass synth and TR-

placed above the bar and the other below. The bar is about an
inch and a half tall and keeps either the cables (when using
ORTF) or the mics (in X-Y) from hitting each other. Add to that
90 and 110 degree markings, width markings, and a mark for
ORTF. The box is coated cardboard, with foam cutouts that stack
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channel is the name of the drum on that strip. If you click
808/909 drum machines were equally impressive. Bottom
on the name, you are able to substitute any of the kit pieces
line: all the samples here sound great! As someone who has
in that category. So, on the kick fader you can select any of
owned various Roland synths over the years, I found the
the ten kicks on board.
Roland Cloud to be a literal living museum of all Roland’s
While we’re on the topic of drum kit pieces, there are five
greatest gear. If your musical passion is based in synthesizer

the mics and clips in one tier and the stereo bar in the other.
At this price a hard case with a carrying handle would be greatly
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kicks which range in size from 26 by 16 inches to 18 by 16
land, then you know the ridiculous cost associated with
inches, with soft and hard beater options. The snares sizes
acquiring all of the gear available. For a synth nerd, the

appreciated, and the cutout for the stereo bar requires you to
put the spacers on the same side of the bar. Though there is
some documentation in the box, I actually had to watch a
YouTube video to realize how the spacers popped off. The
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run from 14 by 8-inch to 14 by 2-inch with options for sticks
Roland Cloud is pretty much heaven.
and rods and one for brushes. Three toms are in this kit: Low
($19.95 per/month; rolandcloud.com)
(16 and 18-inch), Mid (12 and 13-inch), and high (9, 10,
-Will Severin <www.willseverin.com>
and 12-inch). There is one 14-inch set of hi-hats, as well as

spacers require you to use the included European thread

88/Tape Op#135/Gear Reviews/(Fin.)
 Gear Geeking w/ Andy…
In 2014, I attended the inaugural Advanced Audio +
Application Exchange (A3E) conference and wrote about it
in the TapeOp.com blog. A3E has continued to grow, and A3E
events now run tangentially with the semi-annual NAMM
Show (and are free to attend for all NAMM badge holders).
Our editor Larry Crane has moderated two A3E panels,
indluding The Future of Digital Audio at A3E NAMM
2020. I caught up with A3E President Paul Sitar over the
phone, a few weeks before NAMM 2020. ••• What was the
original premise of A3E and how has it evolved? We’re
building an exchange of ideas, information, and intelligence
between three communities: music and audio software
developers; musicians and audio professionals; and music,
audio, and technology manufacturers. Seven years ago, when
I wrote the original business plan, a forum for music-industry
developers didn’t exist. Apple had WWDC, but AES and NAMM
weren’t really focusing on developers and their ideas. We saw
the developers being that major disruptive factor —
empowering but also challenging the existing business
models. The original thought was to wrap in these three
communities and let them work together to develop next-
generation music technology — new ways for the industry to

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create, produce, collaborate, distribute, and monetize. Since
our first event, it’s been amazing to see small companies

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burgeon into really solid companies. Back then, iZotope was
just a few employees, and today, Artiphon has major artists
behind it, for example. We’re now getting richer and broader
into art, technology, and business. That’s what A3E Research
is doing. We’re boiling it down to the disruptive
technologies, and we’re helping the industry pursue their

)
challenges at a business level. Right after 2014, the bigger
conferences approached us and asked us to co-locate: NAMM

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in Anaheim and Nashville; Musikmesse in Frankfurt; Music
China Prolight + Sound in Shanghai. The validation comes
from these other big events asking us to bring A3E to their
attendees. When I look at Jack Joseph Puig, or Pete Brown
from Microsoft, or Steven Slate, or David Mash from Berklee,
or Marcus Ryle, who was instrumental in bringing affordable
DSP-based products to the market — we’ve had some really
great people say, “We like the mission, there’s a void, and we
(d
want to help you fill that void.” ••• What’s a disruptive
technology that you see shaping the industry? The survey
we just did reached a nice cross-section of the music
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industry — artists, business management, manufacturers,

developers, media — and I don’t want to give away too
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much yet, but one of the biggest challenges and

opportunities facing the music industry right now is artificial
intelligence. At A3E in 2015, Intel came in with two
computers — one representing a guitar player and the other
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a bass player. One of their music-technologists started

riffing, and the computers were listening and picking up and
adding to the performance. And then the actual human
stepped out, and the computers kept riffing off each other
and creating music together. That kind of blew apart the idea
that only humans can make music. A3E is working with
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companies big and small, not only to showcase their

skunkworks accomplishments, but also to bring them
together to continue to involve the industry. In one of our
Executive R&D Board Rooms, we brought in Touch
International, whose focus is advanced touchscreen
(a

technology for medical and automotive. We introduced them

to the music industry, and now they’re showing a globe-like
touchscreen that allows artists to create in a whole different
way. A3E is bringing together thought leaders, both
established and up-and-coming, to focus on these new
disruptive technologies and business models. We’re
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benchmarking and seeing what’s happening across peers and

different verticals, and we want to start providing
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consultative and strategic advisory services. That’s what’s

going to help us assess the uncertainties challenging the
music industry, as well as understand the best practices in
regard to, for example, artificial intelligence and machine
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learning, or new interactive interfaces for creating music. –AH

Please Support Our Advertisers/Tape Op#135/89

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90 /Tape Op#135/Please Support Our Advertisers/

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Please Support Our Advertisers/Tape Op#135/91

 What Makes a Great Recording?
by Larry Crane

I’ve listened to music critically for most of my life. First, as a

teenage music fan, I would sit with headphones on poring over
masterpieces by Pink Floyd, The Beatles, Yes, the Beach Boys, King
Crimson, Bob Dylan, David Bowie, Fleetwood Mac, and so many
others in the late ‘70s. Soon after, I began recording friends for fun
and creating weird electronic music on my own. I would wonder
what the artists I liked did to make their records feel so good, and
I’d compare sounds between different LPs and guess at what was
going on in those magical “recording studios.” In college I became
a radio DJ, playing records that caught my eye. I was lucky enough
to hear new music all the time; I eventually became a music
director and got to sort through the hundreds of LPs that would
arrive at our post office box. I started contributing to ‘zines from
all over the states around this same time, and would get sent a box
of LPs, 7-inches, and cassettes in exchange for my writing.

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Having so much exposure to mostly independently-released

music meant that I was privy to hearing bands from a wide variety
of recording scenarios. Albums tracked at small local studios or
home recordings were common, and I would wonder why most of
them didn’t sonically hold up next to the classic records I had
been raised on. It soon became apparent that recording budgets
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When I hear an album or song for the first time, I never
judge the music simply by the sound of the recording alone.
I’ll listen to what is going on beyond the sonic quality and
mix. I’ll assume that all the choices made in the recoding
process were done with intent, or by accepting accidents and

)
and major label investment played a big role in this discrepancy, fate, but that the artists and producers are happy with the
but also that some music was meant to “sound” different. In the results. And, quite simply, I look at every

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early ‘80s it seemed every time a hardcore punk band got a bigger piece of recorded music in this way:
budget and used a fancy studio, the record would sound slick but “This is one way that the music could
lifeless. This realization also made me question why an artist like have been captured and presented.” A
John Fahey would need to use a huge, fancy studio for his
intimate music? Records could come from different places, and
that was okay.
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different day, another producer or engineer, moving to
another room – any major or minor change can deliver an
audible shift to the final artifact.

People frequently ask me, “What’s an example of a great I’ve rarely heard an album where the process of recording
recording?” I never know what to say. Sonic fidelity, clarity, depth has rendered the result unlistenable. Sure, there are a few
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of field, great mixes, and more can lead to an album that is albums by artists I adore that I’d love to remix (no, I’m not
enjoyable to listen to. But these techniques and assets can just
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as easily be applied to a session featuring horrible songs and
miserable singers – it’s happened! But obviously, many times a
rough recording can have a vibe that is supportive of the material
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telling you who), but a majority of the time the music will
survive and still connects with listeners. And that’s what
matters in the end – “great recordings” will always be
subject to a myriad of conditions and can come from

being performed. Would it be better if recorded on fancier, high- anywhere. Keep this in mind next time you attempt to
fidelity equipment? Maybe not. sonically question someone else’s recordings, or especially
when examining your own work. It can be freeing to realize
all the open possibilities. r
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92/Tape Op#135/End Rant/

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