The Creative Music Recording Magazine

Dan Wilson
Semisonic Songwriter

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Brad Laner
Medicine, Savage Republic, Electric Company

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Lush

Reunion and Recording

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Ian Brennan
Field Recording and Democracy

Valentine Recording
The Studio that Time Forgot

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Clarence Kane
Behind The Gear at ENAK

Music Reviews
Colin Newman

No.

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Issue

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Gear Reviews

Nov/Dec

116

2016

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COVERED The New ATM350a Instrument Microphone Systems M I M I -

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Whatever your instrument, Audio-Technica has an ATM350a microphone system to ensure it sounds great. Not only does this cardioid
condenser come with an array of mountsmany with a re-engineered, robust gooseneck built to stay where you set it but it also provides
clear, well-balanced response (even at high SPLs). So no matter what, where or how you play, the ATM350a has you covered.
audio-technica.com

universa'

(Daudio-technica

always listening

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Hello and

welcome to

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#116!
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Letters
Clarence Kane in Behind the Gear
Dan Wilson
Brad Laner
Lush
Valentine Recording Studio
Ian Brennan
Gear Reviews
Music Reviews
Marcs End Rant

p a g e

12
16
20
30
36
42
52
60
78
84

Tape Op

Online Only Content:

Bob Katz: K-Stereo & Loudness
Gary Rhamy
45 Years of Youngtowns Peppermint

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A few months ago I saw an opening in my calendar. A colleague, Brent Rogers, who works across
town at REX Production & Post, had offered to take me out to lunch and give me a tour of the place.
It was good to see the studio and all the rooms, reconnect with the owner, Russ Gorsline
(our businesses used to be right next door to each other!), and find out what types of jobs they
were currently working on.
After lunch I popped across town to visit Brud Giles, who owns and runs a small studio out of his home.
It was interesting to hear the quality results he was getting out of a basement studio, and it was fun
to talk about various sessions wed both been on recently. We also talked about him bringing some
of his larger basic tracking sessions into Jackpot!; something I hadnt intended by visiting, but
certainly the beginnings of some cool cross-collaboration.
After hanging there, I went to visit an old friend, Jeff Stuart Saltzman, who used to
do a lot of sessions out of Jackpot! and now has a fancy studio in his home. It
was awesome to hear some of the mixes hes been doing, and over dinner we
chatted endlessly about recording and life.
Read Marc Goldes End Rant about loyalty in the back. It rang true with
me, and it should resonate with everyone to some degree. Check out Jeff
Tomeis letter to us about credit where its due. Living the life of a

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recording person is all about balance, no pun intended.

No studio, engineer, producer, musician, or technician can
exist in a bubble. We all commingle in this world of music; sharing clients, experiences,

and knowledge. If you see the world of recording as simply competition, Id advise you to think again.

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Larry Crane, Editor

Clarence Kanes ribbon crimper machine. See story on page 16.

photo by Luis Morales

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The Creative Music Recording Magazine

Editor
Larry Crane

Publisher &!Graphic Design

John Baccigaluppi

Online Publisher
Geoff Stanfield

CTO & Digital Director

Anthony Sarti

Gear Reviews Editor

Andy Gear Geek Hong

Production Manager & Assistant Gear Reviews Editor

Scott McChane

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Contributing Writers &!Photographers

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Curt Vincent, Garrett Haines, Luis Morales, Jon Regen, Jonathan Saxon,
John Phillips, Marilena Delli, Dave Hidek, Dave Cerminara, Allen Farmelo,
Chris Koltay, Justin Pizzoferrato, Dana Gumbiner, Kirt Shearer, Alan Tubbs,
Adam Monk, and Marc Golde.

Editorial and Office Assistants

Jenna Crane (proofreading), Thomas Danner (transcription),

Maria Baker (admin, accounting)

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Tape Op Book distribution

c/o www.halleonard.com

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

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(For submissions, letters, music for review. Music for review is also
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.

10/Tape Op#116/Masthead

Advertising

Pro Audio, Studios & Record Labels:

John Baccigaluppi
916-444-5241, (john@tapeop.com)
Laura Thurmond/Thurmond Media
512-529-1032, (laura@tapeop.com)
Marsha Vdovin
415-420-7273, (marsha@tapeop.com)
Kerry Rose
415-601-1446, (kerry@tapeop.com)
Printing: Matt Saddler
@ Democrat Printing, Little Rock, AR

Subscriptions are free in the USA

Subscribe online at tapeop.com

(Notice: We sometimes rent our subscription list to our advertisers.)

Subscription and Address Changes

Can all be made online at <tapeop.com/subscriptions>.

Missed issues of your free subscription can be purchased via

<tapeop.com/issues>. If you have subscription issues that cannot be fixed
online, email <circulation@tapeop.com> or send snail mail to
PO Box 160995, Sacramento, CA 95816.
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

(916) 444-5241 | tapeop.com
Tape Op is published by Single Fin, Inc. (publishing services)
and Jackpot! Recording Studio, Inc. (editorial services)

www.tapeop.com

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Send Letters & Questions to:

editor@tapeop.com

12/Tape Op#116/Letters/(continued on page 14)

Windows vs. Mac oh, my! Im a DOS/Windows kind

of guy, and used to spit at Macs, but then there was
Windows 8. Ive still given up on the Macs, but I should
point out that Windows version 8, as well as the current
version 10, both require compulsory updating.
Baccigaluppis got the right idea with the iZ Technology
RADAR product. The point is that hes not buying
Windows; hes buying the RADAR product. The company
will support it, unlike Apple or Microsoft. Presumably iZ
Technology didnt choose a Macintosh for their RADAR
system because they didnt want to deal with the small
market share. Sad. So far as I know, Windows market
isnt growing either. Eventually companies wishing to
sell turnkey systems may well resort to Linux as Windows
stumbles into the mists, and so be it buy the vendors
reputation, not the parts. Of course us poor computer
users are stuck holding on to antique operating systems
as long as we can get away with it.
James G. Owens <owenlabs.org>

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based on pushing through monthly charge programs

rather than buying stabilized, set, software with a long
shelf life. If audio follows imaging, get ready for monthly
fee recording software and storage in the cloud forced
on you! A lot of photographers love Mac; its a visual
computer for visual people. PCs work best when you want
to be a computer geek and love the constant messing with
the minutia. Having said this, its well known in the
industry that Macs have a long history of orphaning, i.e.,
upgrading operating systems, and rendering your
peripherals useless. On top of this, the printer and scanner
companies wont write new drivers for their old equipment.
Not enough users to warrant it (vs. their PC users, which
everything works with anyway), theyre more interested in
writing new drivers for only their newest machines! Its
interesting to open a new camera, and have the company
software disk say, For use with Windows XP, Millennial,
Vista, 7, 8, 8.1, 10, and Mac 10.5.X only. Look online for
possible different Mac versions. Of course, the secret of
running a computer-based professional service studio, like
an imaging studio (or an audio studio, I assume), is that:
A: You have a computer professional on staff (or on
call), and by that I mean someone that knows
everything about whatever system you are using and
could tear it down, rebuild, reprogram it, and change
code. This does not mean a fan-boy whos kind of a
computer geek. It means a bonafide, multi-licensed,
computer science person!
B: It makes a lot of sense to have a computer doing
one thing; like recording sound, or image management
and editing, and nothing else. The computer system
should also not be connected to the internet for any
reason whatsoever! This is called air-gapping, and a lot
of successful photography studios use it. If you have to
send a file to someone, you take it off on a thumb drive
and send it from a different computer that is connected.
Our main production computer is set up with a current
audio or imaging software, the peripheral drivers it needs,
stabilized, and then it is run disconnected from any
internet connection. And it runs that way until it dies.
Tom Kwas <pixtom@yahoo.com>

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Larry Cranes End Rant in #114 seemed to expand on

something Glyn Johns [#109] said in his recent interview,
If its wrong, you start again. I wrote you then that I
felt it was life changing advice for me. I think weve all
become enamoured of what they call in the Catholic
Church, The Glamour of Evil things so irresistible that
they blind us to their bad side. In this case, I mean the
way technology is now used not just as an aid, but is
instead actually influencing and taking over the creative
process. I use to smile at Luddites like Jack White [Tape
Op #82] who consciously avoid technology, but now I get
it. Not because I care about analog vintage tone (I
dont), but because the lure of digital editing actually
encourages me to make sterile, lifeless music rather than
to start again. DAWs, for all their virtues, encourage us
to work in a construction set fashion. They make it so
easy to fix things that almost everyone, sooner or later,
gets influenced. Eventually one develops a certain
amount of genuine blindness to the sterile sound of
Auto-Tune, tracks with dozens of crossfades, and choruses
that are cut and pasted. I think there are a lot of rules in
life that weve all heard but need to periodically be
reminded of in order to live a decent life. In this case, Mr.
Johns interview, as well as your End Rant, remind us that
the best way to make music is (wait for it) to make
music. Music is made, not assembled.
JC Harris <jchmusic.com>

digital everything is getting more

ridiculous and more confusing, as well as more

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in-a-lifetime opportunity, and he handled it brilliantly

from start to finish. Fortunately for the rest of us, he
passed that gift on in the form of an article that made me
laugh and cry, while at the same time educating me on
the intricacies of working with an iconic artist like Pete.
Its safe to say that nothing Ive read in any other audio
publication in the past 30 years has ever done that!
Thank you, Richard. And thanks to you, Larry, and the
whole Tape Op crew for providing information, insight,
and inspiration month after month, year after year.
Steve Chiasson <forest.audio@gmail.com>

John Baccigaluppis rant really hit home! As a person

who manages an e-comm image center, as well as a lifelong photographer, let me just say that, if anything,

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I especially loved Richard Barones

The Power of Song: Recording Pete
Seeger. Richard knew hed been gifted with a once-

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Thank you for Tape Op. Its so refreshing to have a less

dude-heavy music publication; i.e. no scantily clad
Ive been using PCs for a while now, because I enjoy
ladies on the cover. You blew my mind at 21, and 15 building my own systems, especially for interacting with
years later you still are.
Windows-based multi-touch goodness (youll never go
Kate Cooper <kathleenjcooper@gmail.com>
back to mousing around). DAWs and VSTs optimized for
Ive been reading and enjoying Tape Op for a long time, multi-touch are a real joy to use.
Hans ten Broeke <redcottagerecording@gmail.com>
but you guys really hit it out of the park with #113.

I would suggest that now we must look seriously at

Linux. You have total control with that approach. The
only gotcha is that more and more hardware boxes are
being locked to the operating systems they came with,
so you cant get rid of it to run Linux. But as long as you
can build your own or find one that is not locked to the
vendors operating system, then this would be a far
better solution. If a groundswell of support formed for
Linux, there would be commercial companies bundling
Linux PCs for us, as well as making I/O and add-on
software for this approach. All that most hardware
devices would need is a driver, which should not need
much modification, as Linux runs on most common PC
processors. Hopefully the software folks would give us
native DAW versions, but even running them under a
Windows simulator should work well. With Linux you
would not be locked into one vendor. You could mix and
match the best software and I/O that you want to use.
With competition comes lower prices and better
performance.
William Adams, PE, PhD <wmbadams@hotmail.com>

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Two thoughts about

John Baccigaluppis End
Rant in issue #115:
1. Ive been using iZ
Technologies
RADAR
since 1998 and have
never looked back.
2. Apples future died
with Steve Jobs.
Dave <bell0429@aol.com>

Tape Op is great. But here and there,

I have to take issue. I was a little disappointed

with the End Rants lets all storm the castle with
pitchforks and torches thing regarding Apples OS.
Actually, I have no beef with someone wanting to change
his/her platform for any reason desired. Great! Make
yourself happy! But Ive been in the ad music production
business since 1989, starting on open reel tape. Along
the way, Ive used Pro Tools, Digital Performer, and Logic
on the Mac, am familiar with Cubase on the PC, and have
some familiarity with the dedicated Fairlight system that
Ive worked with as a consultant to an audio post house.
I write music for national TV ads, as well as mix and
master the results. Ive been on the Mac since 1987. I
upgrade to the latest version of the Mac OS as soon as the
manufacturers of my interface and plug-ins confirm its
stable. Honestly, issues Ive had with the platform have
been so rare that I had to scratch my head reading the
Rant article. Ive had none of those problems. Ever. Even
the notification interruptions that were complained about
can be turned off it takes 5 seconds. My partner is on a
purpose-built-for-music, Windows machine and runs

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Okay you got me. Youre right, I was a bit heavy

handed here as you point out. But keep in mind this was
just my opinion and my experiences over the past few
years of trying to keep a machine working for a variety of
freelance engineers, which is slightly different from you as
the sole user of your machine. I was probably a bit over
the top as a counterpoint to the hip ubiquity of Apple
and their perpetual marketing as the easy computer
to use as Ive found OSX progressively less easy with
each update. It felt like I needed to be a bit heavy
handed to overcome the perception that Apple is the only
real choice for music computers. And in the end I wanted
to generate some discussion, which I think worked. Ill
put my sword away now. -JB

In Tape Op #115, I read the article discussing the

Smashing Pumpkins catalog of great records. I am a 33-year
veteran as an engineer/producer/mixer, and one of the
credited engineers on Siamese Dream. I was greatly
disappointed to read some of the recollections on making
the record. I do realize its been 24 years since we recorded
Siamese Dream, and I take into account that memories, mine
included, get somewhat fuzzy. I was there every day for the
four plus months in the control room, sitting right beside
Butch Vig. For the article to read that it was just Butch and
Billy [Corgan] tracking vocals, guitars, bass, etc. for 12 to 14
hours each day is simply not true. If this were a small, indie
release of a local hobby band, I would not have responded.
It is, however, one of those records an engineer has the
opportunity to work on that will stand the test of time; one
I am extremely proud of. To not be included in a write up
where Siamese Dream is part of the article, considering all of
the hard work that goes into making a great record, is
factually wrong. I have a single platinum and a triple
platinum on my wall for this record, and I have a direct quote
from Butch that he gave for my bio:
When we recorded Siamese Dream, we set the bar high;
very high. Jeff was instrumental in helping us achieve sonic
nirvana. He is an amazing engineer, has a tireless,
professional work ethic, and kept a sense of humor
throughout the long and sometimes grueling sessions. After
recording guitar overdubs with Billy Corgan for 12 straight
hours, Jeff would look at me, smile, and say in his southern
drawl, Is it sweet? That always made me laugh!
Again, I realize it has been many years, but when you sit
next to a person for over four months, working long, hard
hours to achieve a common goal, that name should not be
hard to remember. I know too that the producer and artist
on many great records seem to be the only ones remembered
or written about, but there are others involved that are as
key to making the record as the rest. The focus is on the
record and the process of recording it, and I did not expect
a lengthy write up of my involvement, just the courtesy of
being recognized as part of that project.
One bit of insight: While tracking drums, Butch would make
a master edit map and give it to me. I made every

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Cubase and Pro Tools. He rarely has a problem, and I

rarely have a problem, but hes experienced no better
results than I have, and I have fewer hardware
incompatibilities and other hardware-related issues.
With all my years doing this, Ive found Logic a great
choice. It does everything as professionally as any of
the other DAW platforms, as far as Im concerned,
including Pro Tools. It is deep, and has more functions
than most professionals will ever use in fact, many of
them dont even know what it is capable of. Not for
pros? Ive been using it professionally since 2008 and
have made a lot of dough with it. So go figure. Maybe
JB is onto some deep discovery that Ive never heard of
with Pro Tools. I guess what bugs me most is when
someone says, This isnt for me, therefore it shouldnt
be for you. Im happy with the Mac platform, use it full
time as a professional, and have no complaints about it.
JB, do what you think you have to do to work the way
you want to work thats your obligation to yourself.
But to issue a call for action like this is some holy
crusade? No. Ill pass. Live and let live. You be creative
your way, and Ill be creative my way. I wont step on
your toes, please dont step on mine.
Les Schefman <lcschefman@mac.com>

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I just wanted you to know how much I appreciate your

excellent work. I just cancelled my subscription because
my family and I are embarking on a year-long journey
across the country, as we film a documentary. I will
subscribe again as soon as I have a permanent address.
Garritt Hampton <rrsitemaps@gmail.com>

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Thanks for the positive feedback. If you would still like

to get an electronic version of Tape Op while youre on an
adventure, you can set up your subscription as digital
only. Were glad you enjoy the magazine and we hope to
have you back with us soon. -MB

14/Tape Op#116/Letters/(Fin.)

I almost started crying with gratitude while reading

your interview with Annette Cisneros [Tape Op #115] at
the interviewers [Jonathan Saxon] comment, I wasnt
even going to ask any gender related questions. To me,
youre an engineer. Period. As an electronic musician
and producer, both times I was interviewed by a
newspaper it felt like they were intent on pushing the
gender card in their article and within our conversation.
Every time Id play at a popular Chicago venue when I
lived there, theyd describe me as a young lady, which
felt so condescending. Thank you. Just, thank you.
Laura Callier <gelsetnails@gmail.com>

single blade edit on that record. We used

44 reels of 2-inch tape. I am also the other guy

with Butch on the video Vieuphoria cover in the pig mask.

Butch Vig and Billy Corgan have amazing careers that still
continue, and they are extremely talented at what they do. I
too have been blessed with opportunities to make some really
great records after Siamese Dream, and am proud of my
discography. I have never wanted credit for anything I did not
do, but always want credit for what I have done. I have
nothing but respect for Butch and Billy, but wish they had
shown the same to me with a simple mention. I know things
have to be edited for print, but a line or two confirming my
contribution would have been greatly appreciated, as all we
have in this business is our reputation.
Jeff Tomei <jeff_rockit@yahoo.com>
We went with what was in the interviews, and Im sorry to we
missed a mention of you or your contributions. Album credits
can be very hard to discern, and when one sees an engineer
credit its hard to know sometimes whether this means they
tracked a single overdub or performed four months of meticulous
work, as you did. Tape Op apologizes for any oversight. LC

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Were you just replacing the ribbons?

Behind
The Gear
This Issues Restorer of Ribbons

No, I did everything, including the machine work. Back

then I didnt paint them; I would just send them to the
paint shop. It was a great setup. I had my own little
private office, shut the door, and nobody bothered me.

Clarence Kane of ENAK Microphone Repair

by Curt Vincent w/ Garrett Haines

photos by Luis Morales

Speaking of paint, what is the official

RCA microphone color?

Dark Umber Gray for the 44-BX, 77-DX, BK-5, KU-3A, and
many others. The 44-B, 77-B and the 77-C were black.
For a little while they made some that were blue, but
that didnt last long. The color of the mics matched the
color of the equipment of the RCA studio gear.

How did you end up buying the

microphone repair business from RCA?
screwing in hooks. It is scary to think about it now.
And for what? A dollar an hour?

How did you get into RCA?

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I just applied. I didnt apply for any particular job. I did

several things there, but I ended up in the C.R.A.E.
shop [Custom Repair, Assembly, and Engineering,
pronounced cray] in the RCA Cherry Hill office. It was
headquarters for worldwide fieldwork. The C.R.A.E.
shop did all of the engineering for designing and
installing TV and radio studios. So we would design
them in Cherry Hill, and then install them worldwide.

When they closed the operations in Cherry Hill they

werent going to take the microphone business with
them to the new location in Gibbsboro, New Jersey.
They knew they still had customers who needed repairs,
so they asked me, Do you want to do it? I said,
Yeah! They told me to take whatever I needed to do
the repairs from home on the weekends. I took my
workbench, my tools, and the big microphone
frequency response-plotting machine made by Sperry.
Back in the 50s, when RCA was really into ribbon mics,
they had a soundproof room like an anechoic chamber
just for this. I also got all the manuals and all of the
documents as well. In that filing cabinet I also have the
original blueprints for the RCA 44-BX. Toward the end I
tried to purge the supply room of all of the microphone
parts, but the guy who ran the supply room was a jerk.
He made sure I didnt get all the extra parts. Sad part is
they probably ended up throwing all of those away.

Where are some of the places you

installed studios?

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Walk into studios anywhere in the

world and the name Clarence Kane will
have preceded you. One of the true
greats in ribbon mic repair and
restoration, Mr. Kane started at RCA
after returning from the Second World
War. Later, he set out to start ENAK
Microphone Repair, and has quietly
worked out of his Pitman, New Jersey,
workshop for more than 50 years. As
we settled in to talk to Clarence,
a vintage RCA 44-BX sat on the
workbench. Mr. Kane expertly
dissected the mic and expressed
disgust at the interior condition.
Clarence hates to see the old mics
altered from company specs. Who put
in all of this cotton? Why did they
destroy the rear RCA logo? Who the
hell added this switch? I felt like
a student being scolded by a wizard.
I smiled sheepishly and dug up my
questions to gently change the
subject.

We did a big TV install in Oakland, California, KTVU,

Channel 2. They built a beautiful state-of-the-art TV
station there. It took six months. We also did another
station in California at the same time.

How often did RCA put you on the road?

Can you tell us about your ribbon

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About every month or so. The equipment was so big

crimper machine?
back then that it was easier to send us out to work
This is the device we would use to corrugate the ribbons.
on gear, like RCA tape machines, so that we could
This particular device still has the RCA inventory
update them. They also had this tape machine that
number, 10811F1, and is very well used! It is older
was built just for commercials. It had a big wheel full
than me! That little machine has probably made
of tape cartridges and this arm would pull out the
millions of ribbons.
tape. It was a monster! They had the big RCA TK-27
Didnt you once tell me about a buddy of
TV projectors. All really big stuff.
Before you worked at RCA, you were in
yours who was a machinist and made

the Army during World War II. What So how did you go from this to working
an exact duplicate of this machine?
on microphones?
did you do in the Army?
Yes, he did. He also made a 100% clone of an RCA BK-

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When I entered the Army they told me I was going to be The service company of RCA did the same thing as the
5A mic, from the ground up.
C.R.A.E. shop, such as repair microphones, cameras,
a Reconnaissance Scout. Back then they gave you a
What are the specifications of the
and whatever. For some reason the service company
choice if you wanted to ride a horse or a truck. I chose
finished ribbons?
dropped the microphone repair, so Engineering took it
mechanized, so they sent me to Fort Riley, Kansas. I
[Clarence pulls out an RCA spec sheet from his filing
over. RCA had these people that used to put the
was deployed to the Philippines after training.
cabinet, dated June 14, 1932.]
ribbons in. That was all they did. If there was any
After the war you used your GI Bill to go
The ribbons are very thin, .0001 of an inch [2.5 microns]
mechanical work, they had guys in the machine shop
to school. How did you get into radio?
aluminum foil. [NOTE: an average human hair is about 40
that would do that. After a while things got so slow
Well that would be two years at The Radio Electronics
times thicker.] The ribbons are so thin that they come
that they let all the ribbon people go. I told the boss,
Institute in Philadelphia. Television was in the early
between two pieces of tissue paper. Then you have to
Hell, I can do that in between all my other jobs. The
stages, so there were opportunities and I wanted to
put the ribbon stock and the associated tissue paper
boss said, You want to do that? And I said, Yeah!
get on board. After school I worked for a furniture
between two pieces of 2 mil rice paper and place it in a
company that sold appliances, like TVs (which were What was it that intrigued you about
specific jig for the particular microphone. After we slice
the job?
big pieces of wooden furniture back then), washing
the ribbon to the correct width for that mic, we run it
machines, and such. I did all of the repairs on the It was simply that it looked like an easy job! And I could
through the crimping machine, also known as a forming
stay home more often; it got me off the road. At first
radios and TVs. We also did the installations and had
tool, where it creates 19 pitch 90-degree perpendicular
it didnt work like that. They would just let the mics
to put up the antennas. We had to hang over the
corrugations. We have to stretch them after they come
accumulate, and then I would repair them when I had
edge of the roof and use guide wires because we were
out of the forming machine. If you dont stretch it, the
gotten off the road. I didnt just refurbish mics; I had
miles from the TV stations, being in south Jersey. I
weight of the ribbon will cause a sag.
my hands in a little bit of everything.
would have to hang over the edge of the roof

16/Tape Op#116/Mr. Kane/(continued on page 18)

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Did RCA specify how much you stretch the Leon Redbone once showed up with seven RCA mics he wanted me
to work on. But he also, unbeknownst to me ahead of time,
ribbon?
brought an entire entourage to interview me with lights,
recording devices, and personal assistants who spoke for Leon.
Lots of fanfare and a whole lot of noise, but I have no idea what
they did with all of that material. It was pretty weird. And Les
Paul? Whew, he had a lot of RCA mics all kinds of them. One
Sunday night, out of the blue the phone rang and the person on
the other end said, This is Les Paul. Do you know who I am? I
told him the only Les Paul I know is Les Paul and Mary Ford, and
he said, Yep, thats me! He invited me up to his place in North
Jersey several times. I am really sorry I never took him up on his
kind offers. He was a very nice man. Ricky Skaggs is a great
fellow. I had a call from him when he was performing at Carnegie
Hall. He invited me to come see him perform in Nashville, all
expenses paid, but I didnt go. I am sorry I didnt. Another is
Kenny Rogers. I had restored some mics for his band. So when I
was down at the casino, his musicians took me up to his room
and had my picture taken with him. He put us in the fifth row,
center seats, for his performance. He took us up to his dressing
room in his personal elevator. Really nice fellow. Then there was
Chet Atkins, Steve Miller, and a whole bunch of guys.

No, it is pretty much by experience. [Clarence uses tweezers to

remove the rice paper from a newly crimped ribbon and drops
it above his workbench, but it doesnt fall. It is so thin that it
just hangs and gently floats down.]

The ribbon work is done by hand? You must

be perfect at it by now.

Its all by hand. There is no machine do to this part. Its a

difficult process. Even after all these years I still mess up an
occasional ribbon and have to start over.

As in damaging the ribbon, or the final

ribbon isnt up to your quality standards?
Both.

There is a lot of talk about storing ribbon

mics vertical verses horizontal. Is it true,
or is it folklore?
Well, all of mine are stored horizontally. But, yes, over time, if
you store a ribbon mic with the ribbon horizontal, it will sag
and affect the sound.

until about 2005. Then they started to pour in.

Yes, most of them. When I bought out the business from RCA
I asked them what they wanted me to do with the collection
of mics the company owned. They said, Take em. They
didnt have to tell me twice! But others have trickled in. See
this one? Walter Sear [Sear Sound, Tape Op #41]) gave me
that. I took one look at it, and I said, Walt, that thing isnt
worth repairing. So he said, Okay, keep the damned
thing! I got most of these by buying boxes at garage and
estate sales. I have a brand new RCA [KB-2C] PaintBrush
I got at an auction at a hoarders house. I got into a bidding
war. I had waited two days for them to get to that mic, and
I was determined to buy it out of spite!

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What do you mean not popular? Do you

have any reason why?

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You continued to work for RCA after they

stopped building or repairing mics. When
You have a pretty large collection of
did you strike out on your own?
microphones; most of them RCA. Did you
About 1985. Ribbon mics werent very popular then. This was
get them as part of your purchase of the
the reason RCA didnt keep the workers on. I started ENAK,
business?
KANE spelled backwards, but ribbons remained unpopular

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It was probably several things. First, dynamic mics were

starting to do well in the market. They were the new thing.
Second, dynamic mics are so much tougher. You can swing
a dynamic mic on a boom and not worry about the air
pressure damaging the element. I guess it was a
combination of people thinking dynamic mics were the next
step, plus the reduced cost and time missed when a mic had
to be in the shop for repair. I remember when the last of the
original 77-DX mics were sold. They told us to recommend
Whats next in the expansion of the ENAK
the Electro-Voice RE15 as a replacement. Funny, right?

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empire?
Clarence, you are known for never turning
away a beat up mic, and you have a stellar I want to move out to the woods in New Jersey with my kids
and join them as loggers. But, if this winter is as cold as the
reputation for making a lost cause live
last one, Beryl and I are heading south.
again.

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After Hurricane Katrina I got a whole bunch of mics that had

been ruined by the flood. Some were so bad I couldnt even
take them apart. It was the same with Hurricane Sandy.
People waited so long before they sent them to me. I would
guess it had to do with waiting for insurance. We did the
best we could and cleaned them all up. But all that salt
water? I am sure it will get to them over time.

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With all the mics you have restored, has

there ever been one that beat you?

18/Tape Op#116/Mr. Kane/(Fin.)

Oh, yeah. An Italian mic called Geloso. I still have it. It has a
double ribbon, like the Beyer M 160. The dual ribbon was for
greater gain. But these were side by side, both under the
same clamp. Id get one side done, then try to do the second
and the first one would pop out. I must have wasted an
entire book of ribbon material [20 sheets] on that one. I
dont even want to look at it!

You have done work for people like Les Paul

[Tape Op #50], Ricky Skaggs, Leon
Redbone, and Pixar Animation Studios.
Can you share your experiences?

I sincerely doubt he will be firing up

a chainsaw any time soon. He loves what
he does. During one visit to Clarences,
we were going through one of his junk
boxes. I felt like a kid in a candy
store. My heart stopped when I discovered
the motor (the guts of a ribbon mic) for
an RCA 74-B Junior Velocity and held it
up to the light in awe. Clarence said,
Someday I will find a body for that and
bring it back to life. I told him I had
a motorless shell sitting on my shelf,
strictly as a display mic. A deal was
struck, and when I returned home I shipped
him the empty 74-B. Months later I got a
call from Clarence telling me the mic was
100% restored to RCA standards. I could
tell by his voice it made him happy. And
this is why Clarence so special. r
<www.enakmic.com>

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Christmas carols were a really important part of my

emotional life, for some reason. Im not really sure why.
When my brother Matt and I were 13 and 11, my
parents gave us an acoustic guitar to share. We quickly
learned a bunch of the basic chords, and very shortly
after getting the guitar, we wrote
our first songs. It was up in our
cabin in the north woods of
Minnesota. We had the guitar,
and we somehow cooked up the
idea that we were each going to
write a song. It was a beautiful,
sunny day, and each of us wrote a
song. I remember mine had chords that I really liked,
but my brother Matts seemed like an actual, really
great, song. So I was actually kind of dismayed at my
first effort. But it was an early revelation that there
were two different things going on.

D an Wilson

The History Behind the Hits

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Do you remember the name of that first

song of yours?

Im elusive, even to the people who work for me,

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Dan Wilson says via phone from an airport-bound

taxi, after his management team finally secured a
coveted interview slot for me. If the famed
singer/songwriter seems hard to get a hold of, its for
good reason. For the past two decades, hes been
responsible for a steady stream of chart-topping songs
that span the musical divide, from his band
Semisonics seismic smash Closing Time, to massive
hits for everyone from Adele (Someone Like You),
the Dixie Chicks (Not Ready to Make Nice), Taylor
Swift (Treacherous), and, more recently, Weezer
(California Kids), Dierks Bentley (Why Do I
Feel), and Phantogram (You Dont Get Me High
Anymore). I had the good fortune of co-writing a
song with Wilson back in 2013 (entitled Stay), after
years of chasing him via email to do so. Watching him
craft a song, as well as dissect a melody and lyrics with
the skill of a surgeon is a process I wont soon forget,
and one that taught me more about songwriting than
any college-level course ever could. While prepping
for the release of his upcoming solo album Recovered
(due out in early 2017), Wilson agreed to take a look
back at the formative experiences that shaped his
fertile musical career.

That may be the first time in history

that a rock drummers career was
stymied because of the lack of a
practice pad!

True! [laughs] A couple of years later they were a little

more flush, so they got my brother a practice pad,
and he became the drummer in the family. In junior
high school, I used to build puppets with my brother.
We built a rock band out of puppets, and they were
Take us back to the beginning. Did you
very elaborate. You could make the drummer do lots
study music formally as a child?
of things with his sticks, with rods that were attached
Im from Minneapolis. I started out taking piano lessons
to the arms and head. We were able to put on entire
in second grade, because I think my parents thought
rock shows for our friends with these puppets.
it was the thing to do. They found a teacher three This would be about the mid 1970s?
blocks from our house; her name was Marlys Strand, Yeah, were talking about junior high school, which
and her teaching method was really theoretical. We
would have been around 1976. At that point, the
talked about things like the circle of fifths, key
songs we were using for our puppet shows were all
signatures, and how different keys relate to one
kinds of glam rock things like [Elton Johns]
another. There was always a music theory component
Bennie and the Jets, and other ultra colorful songs
to her lessons; even for beginners. So from the very
by people like David Bowie. We were miming along to
start I was steeped in a music theory approach, which
those records with our puppets. Soon, my brother
I think affected me a lot. All during elementary and
Matts drumming got so good that we decided to start
junior high school I was listening to pop music. At
a band together. We had a neighbor who was a guitar
the same time, my parents listened to things like The
player whos now a Los Angeles-based producer
Beatles and a lot of folk rock like Carole King, James
known as Jimmy Harry. And since it was my brother
Taylor, and Simon & Garfunkel. But I never put those
on drums and Jimmy on guitar, I decided to become
two things together. It never occurred to me that my
a bass player, which started getting me into [the
piano lessons and the music we were listening to were
music of famed jazz bassist] Jaco Pastorius. That got
the same thing.
me into a lot of jazz music, which got me to switch
Were there any other kinds of music
my piano lessons over to jazz piano lessons. I took a
percolating in your house, like jazz
year and a half of lessons from a guy named Herb
or classical?
Wigley, and he basically taught me how to read songs

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by Jon Regen
Photo by Noah Lamberth

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I think mine was about going down the road, or

something like that. We lived on a long dirt road that
had about six miles of dust and dirt between us and
the nearest highway. There were always big trucks
rumbling by, kicking up huge clouds of dirt. So I think
it had something to do with that vibe. I was probably
trying to sound like George Harrison! In junior high
school, I wanted to become a drummer, but my
parents couldnt afford a practice pad for me. So I
continued playing guitar.

20/Tape Op#116/Mr. Wilson/(continued on page 22)

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What kinds of things were you doing

with the band?
I started writing songs for the band. We had okay songs,
but I thought we could do better. I started writing
songs so we would have some material.

This was the early 1980s?

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I had plans to be a fine artist. My puppet efforts were

part of a larger practice of doing a lot of drawings,
cartoons, and sculpture all through junior high and
high school. These were just things I did when I got
out of school every day. At Harvard, I thought I was
going to go into the painting department, but the
head of it took a leave of absence for the entire time
I was there. I was a bit disappointed, but almost
instantly during my freshman year I started
auditioning for bands. I soon got into a band called,
regrettably, The Seal Beaters. Its not a name Im
particularly proud of now, but it seemed like a good
idea at the time!

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After high school, you went to Harvard

University. What did you plan to do
after graduation?

York and stayed at our guitarist, Oswaldo Costas, I dont think I was thinking about success, per se. If I was
parents house. His father was the Brazilian ambassador
thinking about a band or a musical artist that I loved,
to the United Nations, so we stayed for three nights in
and what song I loved the most of theirs, it was always
his parents amazing brownstone. Each night wed hear
their biggest hit song. I was a huge fan of Miles Davis,
from the house engineer that someone bumped us from
and I listened to all of his albums, but Kind of Blue is
our session and that wed have to wait until the next
my favorite one. Its no coincidence that its his biggest
night to record. On the third night, we got the same
hit. Music that didnt capture my attention was often
news that we couldnt come into the studio, so we drove
elaborate and didnt have a populist element to it. For
back up to Boston without ever having recorded
instance, all of my friends really liked Frank Zappa, but I
anything. I found that very dispiriting. I didnt realize
was just so mystified why anyone would like [his music].
that it was just business as usual! I was bummed, so I
And I think its because it was only for superdecided that I was going to move to San Francisco and
knowledgeable musos. It wasnt for normal people.
not do music for a while. I was just going to focus on
When I was transitioning out of Trip Shakespeare into
my artwork. I moved there for a couple of years and lived
Semisonic, it wasnt that I was like, How can we make
a bohemian life. I had a fabulous time, but I also cried
a lot of money? Or, How can we be successful?
a lot because I didnt know what I was doing with
Because all I thought of at that time was, How can I
myself. At the end of those two years of me doing a lot
convince people to give us a budget to make another
of painting and artwork, and making some really great
recording? To me, it was all a big scam to convince the
friends, I got a call from my brother asking me if I would
next person to invest a bunch of money in us so that we
move back to Minneapolis and learn all the second
could record. I wasnt trying to have the most success, I
guitar parts for a band he was starting called Trip
was just thinking, Wheres the action? Where are the
Shakespeare. I agreed. I learned how to play electric
coolest things happening? And it was in the hits of
guitar, which I hadnt really done a lot of, up until then.
Motown, The Beatles, Elvis Costello, and others. I loved
Led Zeppelin, and I used to listen a lot to all of their
You seem to relish the challenge of
music, but my favorite album is their fourth album. I
learning new things, whether its a
think I just wanted to be part of that conversation of
new instrument, new pieces of music,
that big picture. I wanted to try my hand at writing
or, recently, your newfound social
songs like that what I perceived to be big, great,
media-displayed interest in
classic songs. When youre learning jazz, youre learning
calligraphy.
songs like, My One and Only Love, and My Funny
Yeah! Id hate to think Im floating aimlessly through my
Valentine. Songs that are the fucking most powerful,
musical life. On the other hand, every time something
beautiful, expressions of pop song writing. Thats what
interesting that I dont know how to do yet comes up,
jazz did for me, and where the rubber hits the road.
I jump on it.
And I wanted to be part of that.
So you moved back to Minneapolis?
I did. I learned all of the parts, note for note, and I Was the drafting of this new mission
became the fourth member of a quartet. We started
statement for Semisonic when your
touring. I had very long hair and I wore a lot of beads.
songwriting really started to take off?
We jammed a lot, and had long jams. I helped bring I think around that same time, I kind of figured it all out.
long, improvised sections into some of our songs. I got
It happened with a series of songs where I suddenly
a digital piano and played a lot of piano on stage. We
realized that I needed to write about my daily life and
started touring, and basically never stopped. Im sure
adventures, and I also needed to allow myself to look
we had several 200-plus show years during that period.
like a jerk once in a while in the lyrics. I was probably
We broke up in 1992.
too couth before that.

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from a fake book. I learned things like what kind of

chord substitutions would work in the left hand, and
just how much liberty you could take with an innocent
show tune. It was very interesting for me I suddenly
realized that the piano was an expressive tool, and not
just a job I had to do every week for my lessons.
Classical music is written so differently than jazz. With
jazz, the whole idea is that youre left to your own
devices a lot of the time. Youre standing or falling,
based on what you do in the moment. That started
becoming really important to me.

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Yeah. I was listening to things like Elvis Costello,

Squeeze, Ian Dury and the Blockheads, and The Clash.
I was still listening to a lot of Led Zeppelin and Joni
Mitchell. My brother came to Harvard two years later,
and we formed a band called Animal Dance. Later, a
band from Los Angeles took that name, so we formed
another band called the Love Monsters, and we played
a lot of shows. I was probably away from school two
nights a week playing gigs with the band on bass. It
turned out to be a good way to get a job in a band,
because no one else could play the bass!
Why did the band come to an end?
Give me an example of a Semisonic song
that evinces this new lyrical directive.
Were you singing as well?
I think we had been on the road for seven years together.
We had gotten signed to A&M Records, and they didnt There was a song called Temptation on the first
Yes, more and more. I also started to be a lead singer,
know what to do with us. We made two albums and an
although my brother Matt was the lead singer of the
Semisonic album, Great Divide. When I first wrote it, it
EP for them, and then they dropped us. So everybody
Love Monsters. I was the lead singer in other bands.
was almost about how I was resisting temptation with
was looking for a fresh challenge and something new
During this time, I was writing songs; but Matt had
regards to a woman in my life, and how I was behaving
to do. At that point, my brother used to tease me that
become a better and better songwriter, so one of the
myself and being a good guy, because I was married at
I listened to the radio too much and that I was too
things I got good at was helping him finish songs of his
the time. When I played it for my wife, she said, Well,
influenced by pop music. But when Trip Shakespeare
that he hadnt finished himself. So if he had two-thirds
the problem with this song is that nothing happens.
stopped, I decided that I was going to try and make a
of a song finished, but he didnt know where to go, I
And I was like, Youre right! Nothing happens in the
band that really could be played on the radio. I was
learned that I was pretty good at suggesting the last
song. And I thought that I was going to have to have
going to learn how to write songs that were really
thing to do in the song, or adding a chorus to a verse.
the song be about cheating. That was uncomfortable
simple and iconic songs that expressed my vision,
So that became one of my roles in my collaboration with
for me, because I had to present myself as very fallible.
but that wouldnt perplex people too much. That was
my brother. Or he would give me a bunch of lyrics and I
There was also a Semisonic song called Brand New
the idea behind Semisonic.
would write a melody for the lyrics. It was really an early
Baby, [also on Great Divide] which was about being
start on what I do a lot of now. The last thing that Were you looking at the hit music
dumped by somebody who was pretending that they
happened to me while I was at Harvard was that my
needed time to think about things. But, as it turns out,
around you and asking yourself,
brother and I got lured, with our band, to record in New
they were really just falling for somebody else. The song
What is it about this thats reaching
York City at Electric Lady Studios. So we went to New
is super resentful, with a level of vengefulness and
people? Why is it successful?

22/Tape Op#116/Mr. Wilson/(continued on page 24)

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track tape for a while, and it eventually became 24track. We still did basically all the work ourselves. Part
of the wonder of our second album, Are You
Shakesperienced?, was that we had just discovered
what a compressor was, and how it would make the
vocals sound so much more presentable, and the
drums sound awesome. Whats interesting is that
when I think about GARK, nobody who worked there
had ever been an apprentice at any other studio. No
one had gotten the lore from the masters. It was all
very Midwestern, figure it out yourself, like typing
with one finger.

Do you remember what compressor you

used on the album?

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I dont remember what it was. It probably wasnt

anything special; most likely an Aphex or something
like that. [But] for us that was like a magical,
transformative thing. But if we had lived in New York
or Los Angeles, it would have been standard practice.
Trip Shakespeare actually had a meeting with [Led
Zeppelins] John Paul Jones. He invited us to come to
England and record in his castle. We thought about it
really hard, we voted on it, and we voted, No. We
thought, We dont want to go to John Paul Jones
castle in England. We wanted to work in Minneapolis
in some studio, with someone that we knew. In the
end, maybe it would have been better to take that
offer, but we really had a do it yourself ethic.
Interestingly, this all built-up around the time that
Prince was turning do it yourself into a giant industry
in the suburbs of Minneapolis. So we did our album,
Across the Universe, at his studio, Paisley Park.

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of that art pedestal and put us in a more populist

wounded-ness that I think, early on, I wouldnt have
position. And I, of course, thought that would be
known how to present. But, what I figured out is that
awesome. It succeeded in a big way, well beyond
you need to stand up in front of people with your arms
what any of us guessed it would do.
outstretched and be almost transparent, as well as
super vulnerable and open. [You have to] try your best You couldnt escape that song!
to show whatever crazy feeling youre having, even if That song was inescapable for me, too. I heard it
everywhere. The first time I heard Closing Time on
its not what you would share with your family at the
the radio it sounded terrible, and I immediately went
dinner table. So you have to be vulnerable, open, and
to work organizing a remix. It just didnt sound as loud
embarrassing in your music, even if you are trained to
and efficient on the radio as other songs. I quickly
be more guarded and polite in your normal life. You
started waving the flag for a recall. We also ended up
have to live both of those lives.
remixing it with Jack Joseph Puig, but the world chose
We cant talk about Semisonic without
the original Bob Clearmountain [Tape Op #84] mix. So
mentioning your monstrous hit,
thats what most people hear. But after that first time
Closing Time. How did that song
hearing it and being critical, every time after that just
come about?
became a crazy thrill. I used to go to concerts where
Its interesting. I really thought that the first full-length
people would not play their big single, and I never
album we did, Great Divide, had one hit single after
could understand why. So Ive never been ambivalent
another on it. So I was really excited about it,
or resentful of people loving that song. You do have to
thinking that I was going to be taking part in a larger
go through a period of performance where a certain
conversation. Instead, the critical response to the
percentage of people in the crowd only want to hear
album was that it was perceived as an art project
that one thing. So you might be playing a bigger room,
quirky, brainy, and hooky, but more art than
but a certain percentage of people only want to hear
commerce. People praised it, and liked it. I thought it
that one song and then go home. And that took a while
was very weird that I thought of it as a fastball right
to get used to, but it took care of itself once we
down the middle, but it was perceived to be some
released a bunch more singles.
sort of crazy, floating knuckleball instead. I found
that to be very instructive. For the next album, I Can you talk about how your studio
basically took that as permission to make as much of
experiences have evolved over the
an art project as I wanted to make. I decided to not
years from your early efforts, to
worry about hits or radio sounding songs, and instead
working in more elaborate recording
do what was most exciting and interesting to me. I
situations?
wrote about 60 songs for the record, and by the end My earliest recording experiences were with a high
of the writing process every little thing that happened
school classmate of mine named David Bratter. He had
in my life was turning into a song! I wrote Closing
a couple of reel-to-reel tape recorders, and he had
Time partly because my guys in the band, John
perfected the art of overdubbing from one machine to
[Munson] and Jake [Slichter], wanted a new song to
another. He had some microphones and other gear
close our sets. They were bored with a song of ours
Im sure none of it was top shelf, but we were able to
called If I Run, which we always ended our sets
experiment with the gear he had. It was quite
with. Also, another friend of mine, Jim Barber, who
miraculous to me; this experience of being able to put
was an A&R guy, told me that if I thought a song of
multiple iterations of yourself onto a recording. From
mine was great but overlooked, to just write it again.
there, I went straight to trying to be in bands. To my
I thought that was an interesting idea, so I took some
great fortune I immediately started thinking about
elements from that song If I Run, and I took Jacob
material for shows, rather than songwriting in any
and Johns desire for a new closing song, and I took
pure way. I just thought about cooking up loud things
the fact that my wife and I were pregnant and our
to play at rock shows. They had to make some kind of
lives were about to change radically, and I put them
sense, and be fun to play, and be loud. And so I
all together in this short, very simple song. Halfway
worked really hard to pump out things that the band
through the writing of it, I realized that it was a pun
could play. It wasnt about expressing my soul. The
about being born like being bounced from the
songs were a catalyst for a human experience. Im
womb. Every line in it, except for maybe two, work on
always amazed when I talk to songwriters in Los
two levels of meaning. I had this big theory that you
Angeles who have never played a live show. I cant
needed to be able to interpret every line in a song in
really imagine what thats even about. How would you
two really different ways in order for the song to be
ever know when your song has that electric effect on
good. And I was working really hard to make that
people? I used to have this experience that when you
work. So I thought Closing Time was a fantastic new
play to a packed house, and you play the really good
song to finish our shows with, and I thought maybe
song thats better than the other ones, the whole
the bartenders would be able to use it. And then,
audience seems to be about an inch taller. Its
when we recorded it with Nick Launay [Tape Op #105],
powerful. You can see this weird change in the room.
everybody who heard it thought it sounded like a
In my early days with Trip Shakespeare, we were very
good single to release. Everybody except our label,
much Minneapolis, do it yourself. We had some
MCA, who thought we didnt have any singles on that
friends who started a studio called GARK, which was
album. Nick worried that it was going to take us off
a home studio that morphed into a real one. It was 8-

24/Tape Op#116/Mr. Wilson/(continued on page 26)

What was that experience like?

I felt like Paisley Park had a cold, industrial dcor. It was

like a giant refrigerator. The door handle was made of
stainless steel, and you felt like you were going into a
meat locker or something. It wasnt funky. Later, Prince
put a lot of murals up and made it a lot funkier than it
was in the beginning. But I was accustomed to these
home studios that were kind of crappy, so this slick,
80s architecture thing put me off. We recorded the
fourth Trip Shakespeare album at Pachyderm Studios in
Cannon Falls, Minnesota. It was really a glorious,
woodsy, beautiful space. There were giant windows in
the main room where you recorded giant picture
windows that looked out onto the woods, with natural
light coming in, and a sense of expansiveness and
beauty. That was so much more appealing to me than
the corporate atmosphere of other studios.

Who are some of the recording artisans

producers, engineers, and the like,
that have shaped you along the way?
After those first do it yourself recording experiences, the
first time Trip Shakespeare worked with a sonic genius
was in on our last album, Lulu, where we worked with
Justin Niebank, who is now one of the biggest mixers
and producers in Nashville. At that time, one of the
striking things about Justin was that almost all of the
discussion with him involved what to play, and how
fast to play it. Oh, you have an idea? Let me run out
and throw some mics up so you can play it! There was
hardly any process that took a long time, technically.

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sounding combination of gear you could possibly Yeah. At one point, I was just staring at his hands. He
We were able to instantly talk about the ideas like,
have. And I played through that rig for three years.
Why are we playing this sitar on this song?
looked up and said, Dan, am I doing something wrong?
One of the things the real deal dudes will do, is that
Everything I had done before that was so painstaking.
Do you want to say something? Because you keep
if you say, I wanna sound loud, and I want the amp
It would take forever to get the bass to sound right,
staring at my hands like you want me to do something
to be really mid-range-y, but I want there to be a
because none of us knew what we were doing. And
different. He was a little bit unnerved. And I just
thud when I hit a chord, old school, legit engineers
here we were we got with this guy who was so good,
cracked-up and said, Oh, Bob. Im so sorry. I really was
who have been around for a while will say, Okay,
none of our time and effort was spent getting a sound.
staring at your hands, and what I was thinking was,
youre gonna take your Les Paul, and youre going to
That was just fascinating, and a real breakthrough for
Those are Bob Clearmountains fucking hands!
plug it directly into your Marshall amp. Then youre
me. The next sonic epiphany I had was when
[laughs] I had thought of him as a legend and an icon.
going to turn all the knobs up, all the way, and bring When did you start to focus more on
Semisonic had already done a record and a half. We
the presence back down. Its like, There you go!
were going to do our second full-length CD, and we
being a songwriter for others?
Look out! Youre gonna sound just like all of those I became a father in 1997, and my daughter spent a year
got Nick Launay to produce us. Nick, in some ways,
records. All of that dicking around will be swept aside
was self-taught, but he had been an assistant
in the hospital. It was a very difficult time. I was
for the simplest, obvious solution.
engineer and producer with Public Image Ltd. [aka
actually at Seedy Underbelly with Nick Launay, John
PiL]. He had been the assistant for hugely On Semisonics 1998 album Feeling
and Jake from Semisonic, and John Kuker overseeing
accomplished producer/engineers in London, and he
us, a month after my kid was born. And it was already
Strangely Fine, you started bringing
got that lore of which microphones to use. He had
looking like it was going to be a very long road with
in heavy hitters like Bob
opinions about which of the five or six super old
my daughter. There was a point where I just realized
Clearmountain. What did you take
microphones were the best to use, and he would put
that a few years and records down the line, when my
away from that experience?
a Neumann U47 FET in front of me all the time. By the We had a nice, long conversation with Bob
kid was three and a half, I probably couldnt be on tour
time we arranged to work with Nick, this new studio
200 days a year again. I needed to be home a lot more.
Clearmountain about mixing that album. At one point,
in Minneapolis was opening called Seedy Underbelly.
Up until that point, I had focused solely on the
we were asking him so many questions because we
We went on a tour of the studio, which was started by
vocal/guitar demo. The other option was the
were trying to get our home studio rig to sound better
a guy named John Kuker, who passed away last year.
piano/vocal demo. Then I had always let the people
to make B-sides and other recordings there. We learned
John had been lending Semisonic microphones and
around me create the ambience of sound. But I
that making really good sounding demos was a helpful
preamps to record demos in our rehearsal space. He
focused, almost like a monk, on just the words, the
thing for the band, because it allowed us to show our
was already being super generous to us. When we
notes, and the groove of things. I really ignored all
wares to the label. We had a huge project of sending
toured his new studio, it was still in construction.
questions of sound, and I went super deep into what
out our recording to fans before we had any record
There were walls that werent finished, and the mixing
makes a song great; how people relate to them, what
label. We knew it was about going straight to the
desk wasnt even hooked up. But Nick Launay saw the
thrills them, and what makes peoples hearts jump up
audience. So we had this long conversation with Bob
gear in the racks and said, Oh, this is all the exact
in a song. At that point, I realized that, unlike my
about what he was going to do, how he was going to
equipment I would ask for. Lets do it! So we were the
musician friends and producers, like Nick Launay,
work, and what gear he used. Finally he said to us,
first project in this amazing new studio in Minneapolis
Bob Clearmountain, and other songwriters the
Guys, you know what? I just want to make it clear
that was designed around Johns impeccable vintage
people in the music business could not hear a simple
that when Im working on a mix, its really not all
gear taste. He had the Tape Op aesthetic, maybe even
demo of a song and determine for themselves if it was
about this. Its not about the hardware, its about
years before it existed! He was so far ahead of the
great or not. They needed the complete package. They
trying to make the song sound as great as it can be.
curve, and he created an amazing playground that we
needed a demo that sounded like a master. And it was
He said, Im happy to talk to you about these things,
got to record in. It was also incredibly fascinating to
a real sea change for me. I had to learn how to make
but I dont want to give you the impression that this
watch Nick Launay work, because I wasnt clued in to
great demos that sounded like records. In 2001 I had
is all I talk about. Because its not as interesting to me
how the sounds were made. The way Nick dials in an
an amazing year that was like graduate school for
as getting the song to communicate and be great.
EQ is he flings the knobs around at incredible speed;
sound. I have this theory that the analog people will
Working with Bob was really great. I was really picky
the sounds goes from one thing to another very
never tell you their tricks, but the digital people will
about how the sounds and arrangements were going to
violently. I once asked him, Do you have a system?
all tell you their tricks. So I went to Oslo and worked
work, and he was willing to match me, step for step.
Do you always put a little 3 kHz into your guitars?
with a producer named David Eriksson, who was doing
A couple of times, when I would give him a few too
I was trying to learn a little bit about recording And
boy bands and other big pop projects. It was an early
many notes on a mix, he would say, Tell you what
he replied, No, I just love these things. I just turn
glimmering of the Scandinavians ruling the current
why dont you guys take off and leave for two hours,
the knobs in all directions randomly, and, quite often,
pop music scene. David and I wrote some songs
and Im going to start over. So instead of doing it
you happen upon a really great sound! [laughs] It
together, and he produced them. I asked a lot of
incrementally, bit by bit, he would get the impression
was a wild man approach, and always performance
questions, like, How did you make that sound so good
of what I wanted which a lot of times was about
oriented. He was all about getting the vibe, and
in the computer? What did you put the vocal through?
having more room mics and more blend with the
getting the performance.
Did you compress or EQ the entire thing, or did you do
instruments; more smeary and less distinct. Once Bob
it all separately? And because he was a digital guy, he
realized what I was after, he felt like he could get
When this new recording world of
told me everything. So I undertook a year of going
closer by just starting over. Again, it was more about
vintage gear and recording
the performance than tweaking certain factors.
around and writing with different people in a digital
techniques was shown to you, were
setting, and everybody basically taught me how to do
you fascinated by it?
Its about energy, over the minutia. He
it. When I went back to Minneapolis, I had the
gets it on a molecular level.
You know, I was only vaguely interested in the sonic
beginnings of how to make a great-sounding record in
element of recording. I had always played terrible- Yeah. I remember vividly that during one session, I had
my house. We produced the last Semisonic record, All
sounding guitar rigs, up until that point. I had played
taken up a perch overlooking the top of the mixing
About Chemistry, ourselves, after our label was
through a bad sounding Peavey amp in Trip
desk. You know where youd usually put a lava lamp?
disappointed we only sold two million copies of Feeling
Shakespeare, and I graduated to a pretty ratty
That was my head. So when Bob would look up
Strangely Fine. So we took that as an opportunity to
sounding Fender Twin with a Strat through a RAT
between the speakers, there I was, watching him mix.
really take ourselves to school and learn about sound.
pedal. Thats the reediest, thinnest, least ballsy That must have been thrilling for him!

26/Tape Op#116/Mr. Wilson/(continued on page 28)

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What kind of gear do you use to craft I think it happened partly because I was always super
focused on the song, and that a song should be superdemos in your home studio?

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translatable into different styles. I remember seeing

Elvis Costello at the Northrop Auditorium when I was a
teenager, and every single one of his hits had been
rearranged to have a horn section. That really freaked
me out, because they didnt sound like the records at
all. It was eye-opening, like listening to different
versions of Carole King songs. Songs should be portable;
and to make them that way, you have to make them
busk-able. I had been on tour for seven years with Trip
Shakespeare, and eight years with Semisonic, and I
needed to be home with my kid more. I decided I was
going to become like Carole King. I was going to
provide songs for other people, and figure out a way to
have more of a platform for writing songs. I could be a
recording artist some of the time; but I could also do
the basics and write a song for someone, and let them
figure out where to take it from there. I slowly got
experienced in it. I got lucky the first two times I
wrote the song Good Morning Baby with Bic Runga for
the movie American Pie. And then my second co-write
was with Carole King, who had been my hero as a kid.
My manager, Jim [Grant], was on the phone with
[famed music publishing executive] John Titta, who
asked him, Hey, would Dan want to write a song with
Carole King? So we wrote the song, One True Love
together. Then I went down to Nashville, and I learned
how to do that write a song in a day thing. I got
schooled in banging songs out like carpentry. That was
the beginning.

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Im always trying to get everything down to the bare

minimum. Its like my philosophy about guitars; I could
imagine wanting to own 40 guitars, each for a specific
thing. But one thing I decided early on was that I was
only going to deal with a small palette. Its the same
thing with chords. When Im writing a song, Im going
to use a diminished chord once in a while. But, usually,
Im going to use what my friend John Fields calls the
four chords of doom, which is I, V, VI minor, and IV.
Why is that? I just feel like, Give me the six-piece
Crayola crayons set, and you can use the 64-piece one.
And lets see whose picture is better. Im going to try
to paint a better picture than you, with the smaller set.
I like the challenge of it. I think one reason that Im
eclectic, and that I can work with Nas, Adele, Taylor
Swift, Weezer, and the Preservation Hall Jazz Band is
because Im so far down under the details that tell you
what style it is. When I make a recording, I just want
to have one really great microphone that works for
around 75 percent of people, one great one that works
for around 20 percent of people, and, finally, one that
works for the other five percent of people. I really love
the older Soundelux E47 microphones. I also really like
the Bock 251. Then theres a Shure SM7 for everyone
else. There are five guitars that I need: a Gibson 135 or
335 semi-hollow body, a Gibson SG, a Les Paul, a Fender
Telecaster, and a Fender Stratocaster. I dont need
anything else. In terms of acoustic guitars, I have a
Gibson J-50 and a Southern Jumbo, both from the mid1950s. In 2001, when I was starting to travel and write
songs with people, my friend, Jacob Slichter (who
played drums in Semisonic), told me, You need to have
a really good traveling guitar to get inspired from. So
thats where those guitars come in. If Im doing a
writing session with somebody, what I really hope for is
that Im going to get an unbeatable lead vocal
performance from the person Im working with. And
then well try to make the record around it. Because of
that, I want everything to be a really good signal chain.
I use one of those three mics, I send that through these
500-series Tubule preamps from Roll Music Systems
they sound amazing. Then I have a homemade 1176style compressor that Scott Lieber in Minneapolis was
selling to people pretty cheap, as long as they were
willing to solder it together! Its like an 1176, without
that hissy, extra top-end. The amps, in and out, are
Neve-style, so its darker. I also have a Manley Voxbox.
I have an old [Avid] 96 I/O interface for Pro Tools. I
figure that if I want to be somewhere that has lots of
mics and other gear, I live in Los Angeles and there are
12 studios near me with all of that. I just want to be
able to get an amazing vocal, and some kind of sense
of performance that is happening. Sometimes I even
use an Apogee MiC into my smartphone. Ive done a
bunch of background vocals for records that way,
stacking them like the Beach Boys into GarageBand
while sitting in my car.

28/Tape Op#116/Mr. Wilson/(Fin.)

How did you career morph from a rock

band frontman into the behind-thescenes hitmaker you are today?

What have you been doing on the solo

front, as of late?

The last record I did was called Love Without Fear, which
was a long process of accretion building up into a
finished solo record. For my new album, Recovered, I had
a chat with Mike Viola, a friend and sometime
songwriting collaborator of mine, and asked him to
produce. He said he would do it, but only if we recorded
onto 16-track tape at United Recorders in Los Angeles.
[The other caveat was that] everything [had to be]
accomplished within a week. He told me, Youre going
to be so happy when we do this with great musicians,
live. Then we spend another week messing around with
the songs, and then well be done. And thats exactly
what happened. We went in with Pete Thomas [from Elvis
Costello and the Imposters] on drums, whos amazing and
had a stylistic concept for every song. We also had Daniel
Clark on keyboards, Mike Viola on guitar, and Jake
Sinclair, who played bass, engineered, and mixed. I sang
everything live, and we did it all in a glorious, but
spontaneous and inspired way. And its all songs that I
wrote with other artists for their albums.

Its like a Dan Wilson cover album!

Yeah. Im calling it Recovered, because its me covering the

songs I got covered in the first place. So its kinda fun. r
<www.danwilsonmusic.com>
Author Jon Regen is a singer, songwriter, pianist, and more.
<www.jonregen.com>

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* Lola the wonder dog

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Brad Laner is a multi-instrumentalist, Tell me about the solo guitar gig youre When you are working with loops, do
doing with the Los Angeles Free
you have a specific process?
composer, engineer, and producer whose
Music Society.
For the live purpose there will be loops generated, in the
discography is as varied as it is in size. Long
before he formed the influential band Medicine, When Medicine reformed a couple of years ago, I finally interest of building up layers and doing more than
he played drums, guitar, and electronics for built a proper pedal board. Since weve sort of just one guy playing notes. But for studio composing,
Steaming Coils, toured and recorded as the stopped actively doing Medicine again, the board I use Logic. It lends itself to a modular approach to
drummer in Savage Republic, and even played itself has evolved into being a solo composition composition, which hopefully isnt terribly apparent
and recorded with microtonal composer and engine, where really pretty much anything can be when you listen to it. I think thats kind of a disease
instrument maker, Kraig Grady. His early80s plugged into it. Multiple things are looping, in of current music, where you can hear where things are
various directions and speeds. Hopefully it goes
Logic or Pro Tools-ed to death. It induces in me a kind
teenage band, Earth Dies Burning, used cheap
beyond just the boring-ass guy with a guitar
of existential dread. I happily use, and exploit, digital
Casio VL-1 synths backed by rough drums looper type of thing. Its sort of a texture machine. technology, but Im not convinced its the best thing
and broken cymbals, to unique effect. This I got the invitation to do this show and thought, for music. Being able to fuss over every little thing
spirit of experimentation, fun, and Heres an excuse to put it to real use. For the first can be the death of interesting music. I try to fight
individualism is what keeps Laners work time, maybe the last, Im going to try to do a live against that, but I also do love complexity. I look for
interesting, and his ideas fresh. Look for the improvisation with it in front of innocent victims. complexity in the things I listen to, and Ive always
current release of his new double LP, Everyone and their mom has a guitar looper now, but aspired to it in my own work. I grew up obsessed with
Micro-Awakenings four sides of instrumental hopefully itll be more interesting and less Captain Beefheart & His Magic Bands Trout Mask
collages drawn from six years of recordings.
transparent than that sounds.
Replica. Its music as complex and organic as a tree,

Tell me more about that.

Brad LaurneSorul
Medicine for Yo

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by Jonathan Saxon
photo by John Baccigaluppi

Adam and Sara Heathcott. They started the label

shortly after I met them, via a dicey pre-bit torrent
[I used] standard 24-track[ing] sheets because you
file sharing network called Hotline in the early
had a finite amount of space. I didnt yet have the
aughts. Good times. Theyre visual artists, first and
technical smarts to cleverly expand upon that
foremost. I had made my first solo album and offered
limitation. We talked at times about chaining two
it to them. Their mission was to glorify the records
24-track machines together, but we never actually
they released with incredible packaging, which they
did it. The place we worked at, Hammer Sound
did to great effect with all three that I made for
Recorders, in Chatsworth, California, was relatively
them. It was 100 percent a labor of love art project.
affordable. It isnt operational anymore,
Not a commercial enterprise at all; just a go for
unfortunately. It was in a little industrial park, next
broke and spend too much money making it
door to a bigger studio called Cornerstone
beautiful venture, which is fine because all three of
Recording, where we also did a little bit of mixing.
them were recorded right here in my house and I
Hammer Sound was this great, grungy, get-in-theredidnt charge myself much.
and-work-your-ass-off kind of place, helmed by a
wonderful and very open-minded engineer, Chris The packaging element of it is great. It
encourages people to consider
Apthorp. I spent a couple years in there doing the
purchasing the hard copy, since you
early Medicine records before the home recording
wont get all of the artwork with the
technology really got good. Then I got into ADATs
digital download.
for a while. I had three ADATs chained together, as
well as a Mackie 32 x 8 board. That was my jam for Oh, yeah. Theyre absolutely beautiful visual objects,
meant to be tactile and pleasant to hold in your
a while, before falling into the computer.
hands. Those three records are super important to me.
An engineer I work with uses two 16Its truly post-Medicine, finally. Its just me doing
track ADATs for his mobile rig.
whatever I want, without any worry about fitting into
Those were really great to chain together. Those really
any genre. Those records are like the truest expression
communicated nicely. You could have the one remote
of me, as a musician or as an artist, without any
control three of them, and theyd catch up with each
concern for anything whatsoever, other than just
other. That was a huge change. The records I did for
doing what excites me. I dont expect anybody to pay
Island Records, under the name Amnesia, were all
attention to them. I dont expect any sort of glory
done with that ADAT set up.
from it, at all. I just look at those and think, Look
Were those solo?
what I got to do. I feel like those are my mature
Yeah, mostly solo. Im not crazy about them, to be
works, in a way. They started when I was 40. Basically
honest. Im perfectly happy to have those be
those three records are my 40s. Im going to be 50
completely obscure; but, strangely enough, it was the
this year. The first one, Neighbor Singing, is almost
biggest money record deal I ever got. I bought a
like my easy-listening record in a way, where I felt
house on that deal, just on the cred I had built up
like it was finally okay for me to not go totally nuts
from Medicine, perversely enough. I definitely had no
and
maintain that feel for an entire album. Since my
business doing those records, artistically or
signature seems to be noise, and theres precious
commercially. But it was an opportunity I was obliged
little noise on that record, it was fun to escape that.
to try to make the most of.

How many did you do?

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you know? I also grew up loving Yes and Henry Cow.

Thats the wonderful thing about digital technology.
It allows me to build up that kind of complexity by
my lonesome, but Im still not convinced its as good
as anything thats just [thrown] onto a 4-track that
you cant fuss with too much. I think about that type
of thing all of the time.

Are you playing mallets on the Electric

Company record, 62-56? You can

Two. Well, there are two Amnesia records, and one
really hear the attack on what
Electric Company record [Studio City], which I do like,
sounds like a xylophone.
even though its amazingly primitive. Its hilarious to
hear now. Those were all done with the ADATs. Thats No, thats very much early Logic usage, where I was
starting to actually make music rather than producing
around when I discovered the [Akai] MPC 3000. My
work, despite limitations in my knowledge of the
friend, Chris Pitman, who is now a member of Guns N
technology. I always say that Electric Company was
Roses, and with whom I did the Lusk record [Free
myself learning new music technology in public. By
Mars] with in 1997, taught me about printing a track
the time I got to 62-56 and the record I did for Planet
of SMPTE [time] code in order to sync various devices.
Mu called Slow Food, it wasnt as much about learning
Id print a track of SMPTE (which the MPC could
the technology as it was finally flowing and making
generate) for the duration of the song, and then feed
music with the skills I had accrued. I like 62-56 too,
the SMPTE code into my MPC so I could overdub, and
because of the long ending piece where I was
each overdub could at least start and stop at precisely
dragging these IDM [Intelligent Dance Music] kids
the same time. Thats the story of that record. Its
into the realm of free improvisation. They werent
SMPTE code feeding the MPC, and then 24 tracks of
terribly comfortable with it, but I think thats what
madness that have been syncd to SMPTE code.
makes it interesting to hear.
Is it a pretty time-consuming process?
Oh, yeah; it was ridiculous. You can imagine I was very They were improvising on their laptops?
happy to dive into the computer, once it became a Yes, five people with their own laptop-based setups, as
one did circa 2000.
viable thing.

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On the other hand, being on a budget

when youre paying for studio time
forces you to make decisions quickly
because your time is limited.

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Right. With the old Medicine records, which I had a

decent budget for, I was in a constant state of panic.
It was my first time really working in a 24-track studio.
It wasnt pleasant, but now, when I listen back to
those records, I still agree with most of the production
What is your relationship with the How did you record that?
decisions I had to make on the fly. I had plotted out
Hometapes label? How did that start? A stereo mix into Logic. Everybody had a channel into
what was going to go on each track in advance, which
my Mackie. This was when I had the board.
I met them on the Internet. Hometapes is a married couple;
of course you dont have to do anymore.

Mr. Laner/(continued on page 32)/Tape Op#116/31

I wanted to ask you about the Brian Eno

[Tape Op #85] album, Another Day On
Earth, that you contributed to.
Its a footnote, but its a significant footnote.

How many tunes on that album are you on?

Just one.

How did that come about? Did you work

remotely?

all, or did he just leave you alone?

When did you start engineering and

om

learning?
Mostly the latter, though he called me at the studio when
we were making the first record [Shot Forth Self Living] It was from when I was a kid and had portable tape decks.
and gave me advice that I pretty much ignored, for
Little portable built-in speaker, mono things. I had two
better or worse. He said, You get a really cool guitar
of them. I was overdubbing by playing one into the air
sound. Try to do something equally interesting with the
and playing along with it, and building up monumental
drums. I said, Okay. Ill try. But my whole trip then
amounts of tape hiss. I was just desperate to be able
was making the drums quieter. I wanted the guitars to
to overdub. I did so many tapes like that as a kid. Its
be fucking loud. At the time it was all drums, all the
funny, because years later I discovered the composer
time in popular music, and still is. I love rhythm and
Alvin Lucier. He has this beautiful piece called I Am
everything, being a drummer. But I was into the
Sitting in a Room [1969] where he recorded his voice
perversity of burying the drums. That was a big turn-on
onto tape. He then read this statement, I am sitting
for me in the early 90s, what they call shoegaze now.
in a room. I am recording my voice. He has this radical
No, the guitars are going to swallow the drums, and
stutter, so hes stuttering while hes talking. He claims
the drums are going to be implied underneath there.
part of the reason he did this was to smooth out the
In retrospect, I think the drums sound very nice on our
inconsistencies in his speaking voice. So he took that
records. We got a nice, roomy sound. Jim Goodall, whos
tape, played it into the room, and recorded it on
my life partner in music, does amazing, kickass
another machine, and then took that new tape and
drumming on all of the Medicine stuff. So that was the
played it back into the room and into the other
extent of Rick Rubins involvement. He was always
machine. Eventually, 40 generations down, it becomes
cordial when wed meet. Wed talk about Beatles
beautiful music. It becomes very musical tones. The
bootlegs, mostly. Rubins one of those guys, who when
resonant frequency of the room takes over, and it
he was on the ascendant in the 80s, I always had this
gradually becomes chords. I highly recommend you
instinct that Id somehow end up involved with him,
check that out. Hes a Professor of Music at Wesleyan
however tangentially. We werent exactly going to sell
University and a contemporary of John Cage. He toured
him a million records. A thousand, or three, maybe.
in the Sonic Arts Union with Robert Ashley and Gordon
Mumma in the 60s.
A lot of people would be very happy having

.c

In the 80s I used to do a live performance thing with my

4-track recorder. I would have a few 20 or 30 second
loop cassettes, and I would have four individual tracks
of loops on each of them. So when Debt of Nature
would play live, that would be my main instrument. You
can see theres a built-in mixer on those lovely old
4-track machines, so I could pan, cross-fade, and so on.
[It was] sort of a primitive sampler. So when Im
credited with tapes on Savage Republic records,
generally I was mixing some of my loop cassettes. It
was one of my main axes, at the time.

No, it was Def American when Medicine signed. I dont With Ginger Baker?
know if youve seen the ridiculous picture of Rick Rubin, No, the one before that [Masters of Reality]. I love the one
Reverend Al Sharpton, and myself? They had decided to
with Ginger Baker too [Sunrise on the Sufferbus]. And
lose the word Def and become simply American. They
things like the Talk Talk records in the late 80s; Spirit
of Eden and Laughing Stock. Those were absolutely
had an elaborate funeral/press opportunity for the word
mega records for me. Yeah, the 80s were incredibly
Def, which was so dumb. The word became cool again
frustrating for drum sounds, and production in general.
the second Rick Rubin decided that it wasnt. It was a
Pop records, you know? Im not one of those people
fun event though; star-studded, as most of that labels
who gets a big thrill out of that 80s-style of
events tended to be.
production. For the last few years, that seems to be the
Did Rick Rubin have any say in the
hippest thing. Its unfortunate.
production of the Medicine records at

ma
il

Were you doing loops with Medicine or

with Savage Republic? Because on
some of the credits under your name
on those records it says, Tape. What
would that be?

You were on Def American? Or was it just

American at that time?

so

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the reputation and the influence that

Yes. I didnt really work at all, to be perfectly honest.
youve had.
Around 2000 Brian Eno took a strong interest in Kid606
and the Tigerbeat6 label, which was then releasing my Thanks. Im super proud of the work I did in that
situation, and thankful that I have that to hang my hat
work as Electric Company. He met with Miguel De Pedro
on. Of course I wanted us to be on the radio, but it had
(Kid606) in San Francisco, and Miguel handed him a
to be on our terms. So thats why, consciously, the first
pile of CDs. A couple months later I get an email from
album we did starts with a full minute of a piercing
Brian Eno and he wrote, Hey, I got these CDs from
tone. It was constructive commercial suicide. I just
Miguel, and I took a big sample out of this one piece.
thought that would be more interesting than the
Is this you? I wrote back, Er, yes! He said, Listen to
legions of bands that were being signed at the time and
this track. I made this new piece out of your piece of
playing it safe, to the point of assured obscurity. I
music. Can I use this? How do we do this? I said, I
frequently say that the early 90s were a lot like the
dont want to license the track to you. I want you to
60s, in that you had a lot of clueless businessmen
say I played on it, and I want you to give me an Enothrowing shit tons of money at tons of bands just
esque credit. So theres this piece thats built on an
throwing it all at the wall and seeing what stuck.
Electric Company piece on that otherwise very
wonderful record. Its called Going Unconscious. Im Looking back to Ricks comment, its
interesting how drum sounds can
credited with pulse loop, which is a very nice,
define an era or style.
properly Eno-esque credit. My favorite thing about this
That
big, gated reverb thing, which was so gross; even
story is that I got the initial email from him the same
when used ironically nowadays. The 80s were terrible for
day we did the ultrasound for my then pregnant wife,
drums, until the late 80s, when people finally started
and we found out we were having a healthy boy human.

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going back to great drum sounds. I think well, theres

Rick Rubin. He was one of the ones who started doing
good drum sounds again in the late 80s, like the
Masters of Reality record. Do you remember that one?

ic
@g

Yeah. It was jazz style. We got what we got. It was a stereo

mix at the end. It was a good experience. I was ten years
older than any of them. Thats the other thing about
Electric Company, the other story of Electric Company. Me
taking advantage of my position as the notable guitar
guy from Medicine, and finding talented electronic music
kids who were willing to teach me their secrets. I didnt
know anything at all about making electronic music after
Medicine ended, so I started hanging around with people
like Kid606 and another kid named Alex Graham, who did
wonderful records under the name Lexaunculpt, and with
whom I later did the Internal Tulips record on Planet Mu.
These were true whiz kids who knew how to program
intricate, tricky beats and do all of the other arcane
digital magic that I desperately needed to learn. This was
around 1999-2000.

It was like Christmas. I still, to this day, want to be Eno

when I grow up.

mu
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So was it sort of like live mixing, in

a way?

32/Tape Op#116/Mr. Laner/(continued on page 34)

What format do you like to work in now?

Do you still use Logic?

Yeah, Logic is where I live. Its the point to where I feel

like Im virtually a cyborg with it. Logic is part of my
body; I dont have to think about it. That was my goal
learning it. I spent ten years venturing into the
computer. I could not stand the idea that there was this
whole new vocabulary of sounds and techniques
available that, as a dumb rock guitar player, I was not
able to access. I didnt write a song, or play guitar, for
many years while I was doing this Electric Company
stuff, as a means of immersive learning.

So you arent playing guitar on the

Electric Company material?

Not until the last two albums, when I started to become

comfortable with the technology. And then it was
time to end that project. Keyboards were the only
connection to the old world of played instruments.
I was determined to access the new vocabulary and
techniques. Theres been no such quantum leap since
then that I could think of that would make me say,

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I have to leave everything behind it and go there.

Those three solo records under my name are really the
point where I got to learn, and I was actually making
music with what I had learned. Thats when the
guitar came back in. Thats when the singing,
songwriting, and the drumming came back. I plugged
a mic in again, finally.

When you were recording the Electric

Company records, were you using any
guitar effects to get those sounds, even
if you werent playing guitar?

Thats the crazy thing, even on the Medicine records, a lot

of [the effects are] just in the box. Its almost entirely
in the box. For old-school Medicine, during the
American Recordings era, I had my 4-track setup, and I
was playing through the 4-track for distortion.

Is that how you recorded your guitar, with

some of the early Medicine projects?

Come back, Pluggo!

I pride myself on getting and its a clich to say organic

but quite organic-sounding electronic sounds. In 2000 I
was working with soft synths and manipulating sounds in
a really primitive way. I was also discovering MIDI, as well
as being able to bring in played melodies and such. But
theres a trap you fall into with electronic music, where its
like, Heres one sound. Now heres another sound thats
going to go on top of that. And then, Heres yet another
sound! It gets very tiresome and predictable after a while.
Back then I was very much into using Pluggo, a suite of
software instruments no longer made by Cycling 74
that Kid606 turned me onto. It was a total revelation at
the time, because it was all these different, discrete little
instruments, all the little delays, and effects. You could call
them up quite easily within Logic.
Ill probably bring my [Roland] JC-120. I used two [amps]
with Medicine. I would go through a JC-120 and a
Fender Super Reverb, chained together.

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Yeah, Id run the guitar through the 4-track, crank the

gain, and then into an amp. Thats how I got my
So you recorded drums for the Medicine
distortion. Thats how the Medicine sound was
reunion records [To The Happy Few and
discovered. I can use this as an effect. I cant turn it
Home Everywhere] here in this room?
off; it has to be in pause, play, and record all the time.
Those Medicine records are all recorded entirely here.
I toured the world with that setup.
Drums were sometimes in here, or in the next room. Its
So now you are using a vintage Tascam GS100 percent in the box. Done in the same way as the
30D Guitar Amp Simulator instead of
solo Hometapes records were, on a little Mac, a MOTU
the 4-track in record-pause mode?
828, and a couple of decent mics.
Yeah, with a couple of wah-wah pedals. You can see I have
Did you record the bass and guitar through
two there. A few years ago my friend and frequent
an amp and direct, at the same time? Or
collaborator, Thom Monahan [and Tape Op contributor],
did you mostly record direct?
quite helpfully pointed out to me that I didnt have to
Mostly direct, though I played both, so they were
use an actual 4-track, that this crazy piece of technology
overdubbed. Beth [Thompson], the singer, kindly left her
[Yamaha GS-30D] is actually the same as a 4-track. You
Mesa/Boogie in here for the duration of recording both
can get this for $20 on eBay. Its not really a guitar amp
albums, so there were some guitar overdubs I did through
simulator. Thats one thing this is not. Its the guts of a
the Mesa/Boogie, and thats it. The guitar was straight in
4-track, and all the gain stages of a 4-track.
with a pile of plug-ins, most of the time. Never the same.
How do the two wah-wah pedals work
Just carving it out, case by case. Space Designer is one I
around it?
particularly love. The impulse response capability is great.
One before, and one after it. The one before is the traditional
I made my own impulse responses; I sampled each room
wah, and the one after is evil treble distortion mayhem. It
in the house. The right way to do an impulse response is
would actually go: wah > reverb > 4-track > wah > amp.
using a starter pistol. Theyll go to a cathedral and shoot
The distorted reverb is a big part of the sound.
a starter pistol. I set up a mic, I clap, and I record that
Did you have a preferred reverb?
in the room. This room here, and the hallway leading up;
Yeah, an Alesis Microverb 3. It never changes. Its on
the acoustics are amazing. Ill clap here, and Ill have an
Chambers #4 [setting]. Everything full blast. Its the
impulse response of the room on the recorder. I can feed
same one I had back then with Medicine. Its totally
that into Logic and have this room.
ridiculous to have on a pedal board. When I built this
Was it a good feeling to revisit Medicine?
[pedal board], the guy building it was like, Why are you
To the Happy Few may be my favorite thing Ive ever done.
putting that on there? The guy was disgusted with me
Home Everywhere is probably just as significant. Its the
for building this. [Plays guitar through pedal board] You
second, lesser-known one. By the time we did that one,
can see how I can easily build up these sounds. The
it was, Wait, youre not allowed to do two reunion
sustain on this thing; Im barely doing anything.
albums! What are you talking about? They were
Whats the Count to Five pedal [by
released a year apart. To me, making records was the
Montreal Assembly]?
point of reuniting the band. We did seven shows, total,
Its like a sample/resampling pedal. Ill hold it down, and
over the period of a year. The shows were fun, but that
itll catch some sounds. Then I let it go, and it loops
wasnt the point of the reunion for me. r
at various speeds and directions. An [expression] pedal
controls one of those speed/direction dials. Its so <www.bradlaner.com>
complicated that I dont even know how to describe it. Brad curated a Youtube playlist history of his career:
It allows me to build up layers; to have a note, or chord, https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL6ayBIr57pVt7Wl
to play on top of, Frippertronics style.
mZIL1NgdpaIaYEFWnI

34/Tape Op#116/Mr. Laner/(Fin.)

What amp would you use with this rig?

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The Return of
Sweetness and Light

mu
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Then, in September 2015, Miki, Emma, and Phil

announced a Lush reunion with Justin Welch (previously of
Spitfire and Elastica) joining on drums for a limited number of
2016 live dates, as well as the release of an EP of brand new
material called Blind Spot.In the buildup to the live shows
and new EP, the band reissued the compilation Ciao! (on
vinyl for the first time). They likewise released a comprehensive
CD box set titled Chorus, and a Record Store Day limited
vinyl box set of their out-of-print albums called Origami.
I spoke individually with Miki and Emma in the weeks
leading up to the release of Blind Spot about the first Lush
live dates since 1996 and more.

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I remember the first time I heard Lush. Their sound was

dreamy, frenetic, layered, and sounded unlike anything I had
ever heard before. They were different, but had a strong pop
sensibility. When I saw them live I was impressed by the sheer
joy emanating from the stage, both during and between
songs. The music had a mysterious air, but the band lacked
pretense and clearly enjoyed having fun with each other and
their fans. Lush also had incredible songs. Principal
songwriters Miki Berenyi (lead vocals, guitar) and Emma
Anderson (lead guitar, backing vocals) penned some of the
finest guitar pop of their era, and Lushs influence on other
bands can be heard to this day.
Lush formed in late 80s London and had many
notable achievements in the years that followed: signing to
4AD, touring on Lollapalooza 2, and appearing on Top
of the Pops (the only 4AD band ever to do so). Sadly,
it all came to an end in October of 1996 when drummer
Chris Acland unexpectedly took his own life. Miki,
Emma, and bassist Phil King (who replaced Steve Rippon
in 1992) grieved the loss of their friend and officially split
in 1998. Phil became a touring member of The Jesus &
Mary Chain, Emma formed a new band called SingSing that was active until 2007, and Miki retreated
almost completely from music. The years wore on and a
Lush reunion seemed not to be.

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by John Phillips

Gabriel Green

EA: Weve had kids and day jobs, so coming back into the
fray has been quite daunting. Being middle-aged as well,
its scary having your photo taken and thinking, Oh, we
dont look like we used to! But the fan reaction has
been lovely and very heartwarming. Theres been a
[critical] reappraisal of our music, which has been really
nice; especially in the U.K., where the music press back
in the 90s was very gossip-y and a bit tabloid. I think
our music got lost in that. And now, especially since
Chorus came out, people are actually listening to the
records and saying they stood the test of time quite well
and the songwriting is good. Its been really nice after
all this time to have a little bit of vindication!

The songs on Blind Spot sound fresh, yet

are instantly recognizable as Lush
The announcement of the Lush
songs. What was the songwriting like,
reunion has generated heartfelt
compared to past efforts?
excitement with your fans. What
EA:
On this record I wrote all the music and Miki wrote all
emotions are you experiencing?
the lyrics. Its different from what we used to do back in
MB: Quite a lot of panic! Actually, do you know what? Its
the day when she wrote her songs and I wrote my songs.
been more frightening thinking about it. The actual doing
of it is fine. When we went in to record the EP, I was quite MB: I did not have any time to write music [for Blind
Spot], so I said to Emma, Ill do the lyrics and that
terrified of being back in the studio again. Its been 20
will give you extra time to work on the music. It was
years! Its the same with the live shows, but when I
a really different way of writing for us. We have got
rehearse its nice because we stand around and play music
occasional Lush songs where Emma wrote the music
all day. Once were doing it, its really enjoyable. Im
and I would write the lyrics, but it wasnt really the
hoping the gigs will be the same, because at the moment
way we did things.
Im absolutely terrified! But I think well get there.

Thats interesting, because even with two MB: I havent written anything. Nothing. Not a single Whats your songwriting process like,
note. The only thing Ive done is an occasional guest
songwriters and varied production
Emma?
vocal. So, when I had to do the lyrics for these new EA: Its so hard describing how I do it. I just think of
styles, theres a distinctive character to
songs, it did take quite a long time. Its quite weird
Lush songs.
melodies. Melodies come into my head. I could be

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Prior to the Blind Spot lyrics, had

you done any songwriting over the
years, Miki?

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EA: Between Sing-Sing and the Lush reunion I had a

baby, day jobs, and I sort of thought it was going
to be over, actually. A few years ago somebody
suggested that I have a go at writing for other
people. I submitted a few songs, but it didnt come
to anything. I dont even know if the person I gave
them to pushed them. I get the feeling its a closed
shop, that whole area. Im not one of those people
who plays the guitar every day. I have to know
theres a reason for doing it. I have to know if I
write a song someone is going to hear it. I dont
write just for my own pleasure. People say, Why
dont you play in the local band, in the pub, just for
fun? Thats just not my style; I just do what I do.
Its quite personal and I have to be with the right
people to do it.

.c

Had you done any songwriting since

Sing-Sing disbanded, Emma?

getting back in the saddle. Theres a massive

walking down the road; I could be playing guitar on
perspective shift from writing 20 years ago: what Im
the sofa. I start building chords around the melodies.
interested in writing about and what subjects spring
Sometimes I use a Dictaphone on my phone to tape
to mind. I was trying to listen to old Lush records and
them. I still say, Tape! to record them. I amass a few
I thought, Right, what did I used to write about?
and sometimes I put some together to make a song;
What I realized was that I had to write about
sometimes I write a whole song in one go. Sometimes
something that I really cared about, and I care about
I write a song in a half an hour; sometimes it will take
different things now that Im nearly 50. Thats quite
me a month. I cant really tell you much more than
tricky, to find something that you can write about
that. I know there are methods of doing it, but for me,
that doesnt sound really boring. Im not saying I
its just pluck something out of the air.
want to appeal to 22 year olds, but when you get to So you are not necessarily sitting down
my age, what are you going to write about?
with a guitar when you begin
Motherhood, getting old, or whatever the fuck it is?
writing a song?
I dont have any experience with making that sound EA: More often than not Im not playing the guitar when
interesting, so it did take quite a long time. They
I think of a melody. I might have the chords behind
[lyrics] were written, rewritten, and rewritten.
the melody in my head, but I have to sit down
What experiences were you able to connect
afterwards and work out what they are. I cant sit
with to get a lyrical flow going?
down and go, Right, Im going to write a song
MB: I think because the big barrier with the reformation
today. It doesnt work like that, unfortunately! Im
has always been Chris death, I had to write about that
certainly not lyric-led either. Im melody-led.
first. The first lyric that I wrote was for Lost Boy. Whats your songwriting process like,
Beyond that, it was trickier. They are songs about love;
Miki?
but whereas in the past it was boyfriend/ MB: I remember having this Roland R-8 drum machine.
girlfriend/sexual, now its just different, isnt it? Its
Im a bit more mathematical in that [songwriting]
family relationships, and its about children. I suppose
approach. I would actually quite often start with the
theres a strand. They are still fairly nebulous.
drums, program those, and move from there. For
Emma, its very much about the melody and the tune.
c Matt Anker
I think thats why sometimes some of her songs are
almost jarring, especially when she puts [writes] a
bass line down. The amount of times Ive sat in a
studio and people have gone, That note is wrong.
And shes like, I want it like that; thats what Im
hearing! Were not classically trained; its all by
instinct. As restrictive as that is for us because we
are not brilliant musicians its also liberating in a
way, because we dont know the rules.

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MB: I think we feed off each other quite a lot. In the old
days with Lush we would write our songs
[separately], then wed rehearse them as a band, then
wed go in the studio and demo them. It would be a
long process.

Sometimes finding things that way gives

you a unique signature.
MB: There are benefits and deficits to both [training
and instinct]. There have been many times I have
been massively frustrated by my lack of ability and
knowledge. I absolutely stand up to that, but
there is that kind of necessity being the mother
of invention.

Lets talk about recording Blind Spot.

Who produced the EP?
MB: Jim Abbiss (producer of Arctic Monkeys and Adele)
and Daniel Hunt from Ladytron. Emma is friends with
Danny, and Jim produced Ladytrons The Witching
Hour. Jim and Danny were keen to do another project
together, so this became it!

How did you and Danny become friends,

Emma?
EA: I had a day job working for Dannys management
company. The first day I met him I was sitting behind
my desk at the computer and he was looking at me.
Then we went to the pub and he said, Are you Emma
Anderson from Lush? I was like, Yeah. And he said,
Lush/(continued on page 38)/Tape Op#116/37

Sing it straight, and then do an overdub where its

really breathy. It was really interesting to get that
sort of direction, and the tracks all worked together.
Weve always had that with Lush where the vocals are
used almost like a musical instrument. Its not a
vocal performance, it has to sit in the track. Its part
of the music.

The guitar sounds on the EP harken

back to the dreamy side of Lush. How
did you capture these sounds?

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EA: Jim said, Bring all your effects and amps. Miki still
has hers [guitars and effects], but I said, I dont
have any, because I didnt! I still had all my guitars,
but I didnt have anything else. Back in the day I
used these rack mount things, and I got rid of them
because I didnt like them. We made this record
before wed been back in a rehearsal room, and I
thought Id get all of that set up when we started
rehearsing for the live show. Thats why we used all
of Jims stuff. But now Ive got my own, so next
time! I typically use delay, chorus, overdrive, and
tremolo; those are the main ones. Ive never used a
reverb on my amp when I play live. I leave that to
the producer, or to the soundman when playing live.
MB: Various amps were used, including an Ampeg
Reverberocket, Fender Vibrolux, Marshall JMP 50,
and a Vox AC30. We went through different
combinations of pedals on different songs, often
using a 70s MXR Chorus, Electro-Harmonix Memory
Boy, a DigiTech Polara Reverb and an Empress
Superdelay. Then more effects were used in the mix,
including a Bandive Great British Spring and an Ursa
Major Space Station. We recorded DI signals, but
didnt do any re-amping in the end.

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Oh, my God. I was a massive Lush fan when I was a MB: What makes a good producer? Of course they have
teenager! We really hit it off; now hes co-producing
to have a great ear, know what they want to hear,
our record! Its funny how things turn out!
and what they need to record; but I think that
ability to work with people, to make them feel
What was the recording process for
comfortable and get the best out of them is such a
Blind Spot?
massive part of it.
MB: It was quite difficult to arrange logistically; Emma
and I had our work and family commitments, and Youre one of my favorite singers.
Danny lives in Brazil! But it was really great fun and
Theres something about your vocals
very productive.
that really pulls me in. Do you have
EA: It was actually done in stages. The first part was
a preferred way of working to
with done with Danny [remotely in Brazil]. We were
achieve sincere and convincing
sending files back and forth across the ocean! I did
performances? Is it full passes and
my home demos on GarageBand and I sent them to
comp-ing, or line-by-line?
him. He took the demos and built on them with MB: My god, I wish I was professional enough to give
keyboards, quite a lot of effects, and some guitar. We
you a succinct answer! I usually stand there
sent Danny drums that Justin had recorded remotely
thinking, Oh, my God. This is going to be a fucking
[for Out of Control and Burnham Beeches] and he
nightmare. I stare through some bit of glass at
edited those as well. He did quite a lot, but he didnt
some producer, desperately hoping that it sounds
do any structural changes. Some of what you hear on
alright, swearing in between songs saying, Stop,
there is actually from my home demos! The beginning
stop, stop. Ill start again; its awful! There is no
of Lost Boy is my original guitar. The second stage
professionalism in my vocal technique, whatsoever.
was with Jim Abbiss [at Jims studio, Lime Green
I dont have a huge amount of confidence about it.
Monkeys, in Saffron Walden, England]. Danny was in
Im desperate for it to sound okay and Im grateful
the studio for that part as well, and even did a little
when it does.
bit of vocal! If you can hear some male vocal in there, Theres a lot of vulnerability to singing
thats Danny. Jim recorded vocals, more guitar, bass,
in the studio.
trumpet, and strings. Audrey Riley, whom weve MB: I grew up in the post-punk era. Its all right to be
worked with many times in the past, arranged the
a bit shit at playing the guitar and it doesnt matter.
strings. It was a different way of recording for Lush,
Its about the song, and if that sounds good and
but it was good; it worked well. If we do another
you can play the chords then its absolutely fine.
record we might try and get Justin into a studio with
Theres something so exposing about vocals. I think
everybody else. I think it would work better.
its tougher when youre a vocalist, because you feel
like if you havent got the natural talent youre
What is the set up at Lime Green
always climbing up hill. There are singers who can
Monkeys like?
open their mouths and its powerful, and in-tune,
MB: Its based around a vintage SSL G console, and Jim
and its confident, and spot-on. I dont have any of
has tons of older EQs and compressors. We recorded
that. I go in and I think, God, please let it be
to Pro Tools, but the signal first went through
alright. When I did the demo of Rosebud I kept
various outboard mic pres, compressors, and effects.
going flat and didnt sound very expressive. I
It has a large-ish live room and various booths for
thought, Before I go in the studio I need to have
guitars and bass amps.
a singing lesson. There was this girl she was
How was your experience back in the
great. She said, You dont need to hold the notes
studio after all these years?
that long, and dont worry so much about the pitch.
MB: It was really enjoyable and I was surprised how
Just think about what youre actually saying. They
quickly it gelled. It was exciting! Danny and Jim had
were really good tips. Im not someone who has had
massive enthusiasm for the record, which is
this sort of input before. But its a bit of a playoff,
irreplaceable. Edd Hartwell [studio engineer] was
between getting things pitch perfect or actually
also brilliant; hes an amazing tech head and a total
thinking about what youre singing and expressing
sweetheart. Everyone felt really creative and it was
that. You can try and express what youre singing,
good fun, which is really the best way to make a
and it can sound really hammy. Theres an element
record. Doing the vocals with Jim was brilliant,
of acting involved, so its really tricky.
because I havent sung properly in a studio for
decades. Its a real talent to get someone to feel Do you have a favorite vocal mic or
comfortable when theyre not that confident. I
vocal chain you feel responds well to
think confidence was a good 50% of it. I was
your voice?
agonizing about Rosebud, because I demoed it MB: Thats down to the producer. We did try three
with a friend of Emmas and it had been really
different mics on Blind Spot and I wouldnt be able
shaky. I thought it was going to be a nightmare to
to tell you what Jim used. Rosebud was just single
sing. I did one take and Jim was like, That was
tracked and thats unusual for Lush. Nearly
great! We just need to drop in a few notes and
everything we do [vocally] is double tracked. Out
thats it. I was amazed.
of Control was the one I struggled the most on and
it fucking took hours! It was double tracked and it
Rosebud stood out to me on the first
wasnt really working. Its in a weird part of my
listen. Its amazing to hear that your
range and didnt have any power behind it. Jim said,
vocals are mostly a first take!

38/Tape Op#116/Lush/(continued on page 40)

What decisions did you all make

regarding touring, considering
family, jobs, and your renewed
relationships as bandmates?

MB: Its been really tricky, because we all have children.

I am not one for dragging kids around on tour, and I
dont like being away from my family at all! I am also
working full time at Web User Magazine, so I
effectively have two jobs now, which is exhausting.
But this is the only way it could be done. It has
limited what we can do; we simply cant go off on a
month-long tour, or spend weeks on end in the
studio. But its been great working together again,
and playing with Justin onboard has been a joy.

How has preparation for the live

performances been going? Has it
been emotionally difficult at times
rehearsing the old songs without
Chris?

MB: Its actually been really easy. Part of why I ducked

out of the music industry was that after Chris died,
there was a big hole. Chris made it such a great
experience being in the band. Without him it felt like,
Do I really want to do this? Justin is such a nice
person. He is quite similar to Chris, in a way. Hes very
upbeat, and a sweet and friendly guy. He was a good
friend of Chris as well. Its gelled really well. It hasnt
felt like, Its not Chris, it doesnt feel right, or, We
shouldnt be doing this. Its been really good.

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What are your expectations for festival

performances, which are likely to
include broader audiences than your
headline shows?
MB: Thats a weird one, isnt it? I dont really know what
to expect from them. I am quite nervous about playing
live. We are rehearsing quite a lot and I just want to
get to the stage where I can play without having to
think too much about it. Thats what makes you able
to enjoy the gig and interact with people: when youre
not standing there thinking, Oh fucking hell! What are
the chords to the song?

What are you looking forward to the most

in the coming year, Emma?

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EA: Im looking forward to making a new record, at some

point. Were already starting to talk about that. Ive got
a few songs knocking about and Id quite like to get back
in the studio. We hadnt been playing as a band when we
made Blind Spot. We have now, and it would be really
good to get back in with Justin, hopefully. I think well
all fit into our roles a bit more. Its been really good
rehearsing and feeling like a band again. It was a bit
strange without Chris at first, but Justin is fantastic. The
reaction has been great so far, so we just hope to keep
that up and not disappoint anyone!

A part of it has got to be for your own

satisfaction, too.

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EA: Yeah, its funny, especially after having a child, to get

back in a band. We are older, and wiser, and have a
different perspective. I think we know what we want a
lot more now, and what we dont want as well. The
music business is a tricky one to navigate, but
hopefully well get through it.

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What are you looking forward to the

most, Miki?

40/Tape Op#116/Lush/(Fin.)

MB: Playing live. Its the thing I really enjoyed the most,
when it was good. There were times when it was
exhausting. Theres nothing that matches that energy
and excitement of playing your music, and getting
immediate feedback. Its great to be in a room, create
something, and have loads of people really into it. That
is why Im working really hard, so we can have a really
good time at these gigs. I want to come away from
that and go, That was brilliant! r
<lushofficial.com>
John Phillips is the founder of Aesthetic Creative Management
and writer/singer/multi-instrumentalist in the band Metroscene.
<aestheticcm.com><facebook.com/metroscene>

Tape Op is made
possible by our
advertisers.

Please support them and tell them

you saw their ad in Tape Op.

www.tapeop.com

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Imagine a studio where they shut

the doors 30 years ago and left
everything as it was. Its just not
possible, right? Think again.
Over the last year Nic Jodoin,
with partners Brittany and
Justin Barsony, have reopened
Valentine Recording Studios a
place that has been closed up
and unused since around 1975.
Opened in 1964 by engineer
Jimmy Valentine, the studio
hosted sessions by artists as
varied as Bing Crosby, the Beach
Boys, Burl Ives, and Frank Zappa.
In 1975 the studio basically closed
its doors after an extensive renovation.
Nic Jodoin gave us a lengthy tour, and
we met up with Jimmys daughter, June
Valentine, who runs Metropolitan Pit Stop next
door to the studios. Valentine Recording Studios is a
trip back in time. Its awesome to see it brought back to life
and making new records for artists like The Coathangers, Curtis
Harding, The Night Beats, and Nick Waterhouse.
See the next few pages for photos of the studio and pages 48 and 50 for
interviews with Nic and June.
42/Tape Op#116/Valentine/

Studio Bs UA 610 console in

mint condition. Note the custom
talkback mic and Formica desk.


Close up of the Stephens head stack
and roller assembly

The tape vault

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Close up of Studio As MCI console.

Nice red knobs!

Studio B Control Room.

Valentine/(continued on page 44)/Tape Op#116/43

Studio As Quad-Eight Sidecar

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Even the T V and remote are vintage.

Note the Altec Lansing promo shot
of Valentine, circa 1960s

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Jimmy Valentine even made custom

artwork for the studio

44/Tape Op#116/Valentine/

UA console detail

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Above: Studio A Control Room

Left: Panoramic photo of Studio A

Valentine/(continued on page 46)/Tape Op#116/45

Studio B EQ rack

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Maintenance tech, Corey Creswell

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Studio B mixdown
and multi-traack
machines

46/Tape Op#116/Valentine/

Musicians eye view from

Studio B into control room.
Bottom: Dubbing room

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Starbird mic stands are the best!

Valentine/(continued on page 48)/Tape Op#116/47

Nic outside the Receptionists office

LC: What was this place like when you first LC: It just takes more planning ahead.
saw it?
Where does everything go? You need
to leave open tracks to bounce down to.
When I walked in here the whole place was filled with car

om

parts and family items. He had started his car business You also assess who youre working with. Oh, hes not
next door. Hed bought a Metropolitan Nash and started
that good of a player, or Hes good, but hes not
fixing it up. When hed find parts, hed buy everything
consistent. So you need three tracks, and instead of
there because its a rare car. Then people started calling
punching in onto one track, you punch in onto another
him for parts. He got into it and became the biggest
track, and then bounce it all down to one track and
distributor, and then he even opened up a museum next
comp it yourself. Its easier to do that way. Its a lot of
door. In the back there was a parted out Rambler. They
planning and scheming. I like to do that.
basically used the tracking rooms for storage.
LC: Do you have Pro Tools set up in here?
LC: How did you get involved in reopening I have Pro Tools on my laptop, and I have a couple
converters I bring in and out. Im not opposed, but its
Valentine Recording Studios?
not set up for Pro Tools. Its not part of the set up. The
Through a publisher I know, who I sometimes do
intention is just, Sure, we have the converter. We can
licensing with. We were having lunch and she said, My
patch it in, but were not setting up anything around
childhood friends grandpa built a studio in the 50s
Pro Tools. No computer towers, no nothing. Its not part
and closed it in the late 80s. She had all the dates
of the idea, you know?
wrong. Shes said they didnt know what to do with the
building. Maybe you should come and check it out. LC: There are speakers in the back of the
Maybe theres some equipment youd be into. I was
control room in Studio A.
like, The 80s? Walking in was a huge shock. I told It was all set up for quad.
Justin [Barsony], my partner [and part of the Valentine LC: What is the console?
family], Youre not selling any of this. It would be a Its an MCI 416. Custom made.
crime. Theyll part it out.
LC: The patchbay panels are all set up for

.c

Nic Jodoin Interview:

LC: Was he an engineer as well?

Yeah. He worked at Capitol. He also worked in the sound

effects department at NBC in Burbank

LC: He was one of the first people to build

a studio out in the Valley.
Pretty much.

LC: When did the studio open up as a

commercial facility?

their fathers love. They know how important it is. They

can tell the history of it, and were a part of this history
themselves. They said, Some people came to see it
and were interested. But everybody said, Oh, its
going to cost so much money to change things.
Everyone was looking at it from the commercial side. I
said, No, theres a scene with bands that would totally
be into it and can afford it. Its their dream to be able
to record like this.

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He was the owner, and the one who built it.

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connecting to the tape deck.

LC: Is the family interested in having it
running as a commercial studio now? Its thought out. On the patchbay I can patch so I can
LC: Jimmy Valentine was the original
bypass my mic pres and use the mic pres in Studio B
Yeah. The reason why they kept it was out of respect for
owner?

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The story is complicated. In 46, he started Valentine LC: Is everything operational in the
studio now?
Sound Recorder. I think he started it in Washington,
D.C. Then he moved to Los Angeles and built a studio I cant tell you that the studios 100 percent
operational. Theres a lot we need to do. But for
in the back of his house. Then he bought this building
projects, if you want something, its a day away from
and they opened up in 1963. This was a doctors office
being ready to go. The board and everything works. I
and he added to it. He started with a little studio and
had a session yesterday with Brian Bell from Weezer.
later added a room [Studio A] in the back.
Today Ethan Johns [Tape Op #49] is coming to do a
LC: Was the studio in the front of the
writing session. Ive got Curtis Harding working in the
building, Studio B, the original, small
back on a soul record. Im producing that. Its really
one?
cool and really fun.
Yeah, but it didnt have that board, the Universal Audio
610-A. Its from 64 and was made for him, for the larger LC: Hes great. I saw him on tour.
Studio A. We still have the bill of sale and all the specs Were going for a total Al Green thing with strings and
horns. I love it.
that he asked for. He was definitely into big bands, and
LC:
I can run 16- or 24-track at my place.
his eye was on movie studios and doing projects for
People say, We gotta work on tape.
film. He had all the gear set up in the back [Studio A].
Then, we get in there, they dont
Then they renovated the back studio and finished it in
understand. Okay, start on track 1
75, but he never fully connected it.

from back here. Both rooms are connected together. Its

all patchable. Jimmy really thought about everything. I
wish I could have met him.

LC: Its such a visual studio. Part of one of

the Aquarius TV shows was shot in here.
Where Charles Manson gets in a fight with Dennis Wilson.

LC: Thats just bizarre. Thats recreating

some strange history.
I was here being the watchdog. They had to ask me, Can
we move this? It breaks my heart when something
breaks here.

LC: Did you start doing records in here

immediately?
Yeah, we did The Coathangers right away. They were the
first band. I thought it was going to be the perfect
thing; theyre kind of punk rock, its their first
experience in the studio, and the studios amazing. We
needed some time still to get things routed, so
whatever issues we had theyd be patient with. I worked
out a deal where, Look, therell be a lot of little issues
and youll have to be patient, but youll get to use an
amazing studio. We got it going and it was amazing.

LC: Was this Voice of the Theater speaker

in the live room so they could pipe
music in here?

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They were big bands, so theyd listen back to the recording

through this because they didnt have headphones for
and fill them up! Im like, No, no!
everyone. Nick Waterhouse had Leon Bridges as a guest
LC: So the renovated Studio A never got
on a song and we tracked in here using the speaker
I recorded this weekend. Curtis wanted to have a bass
fully operational?
they were doing a duet together. Youve just got to
player who worked on the last album come and record.
Never. He lost interest. We got stories from somebody who
make sure its not too loud.
Hes really good, but it was definitely one of those,
was hired by Jimmy when he did the Beach Boys
Hey,
give
me
another
track.
Its
like,
Therere
no
LC:
Are there echo chambers?
sessions here. He was already in his forties, and he
other tracks! Its 16-track, 2-inch, and Im keeping I asked the family about the echo chambers. We were
hated working overnight with a band that would work
that other track for something. Lets get this take. It is
looking everywhere. Finally, I found architect plans
on one song for two or three days when he was used to
what it is. Its an old machine, from the early 70s.
while we were cleaning up and saw they were in the
doing ten songs in four hours. He didnt really like how
Punching in is a total bitch.
ceiling. They sound amazing.
the creative process had been developed.

48/Tape Op#116/Valentine/(continued on page 50)

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LC: Was there a microphone and speakers

in there?

The Coathangers

The Coathangers Nosebleed Weekend was the fifth

album for this rocking trio from Atlanta, Georgia, and the
first album to come out of Valentine Recording Studios.
Nic Jodoin produced and engineered, with assistance
from Chris Maciel. We asked the band (Minnie
JB: So the family still owns this building. Coathanger, Crook Kid Coathanger, and Rusty
Coathanger) about their experiences at Valentine.
Are you leasing it?
Im partnered with the family. Theyre part of
everything. I met the family and said, You guys Coathangers in Studio B,
have to do something. They didnt know anything pic by Matt Odom Creative
about the gear, and they didnt want to destroy it or
undo it. Its their family heritage. Its the dads
passion. The dad and mom spent their life here. The
kids grew up here. Once you go and see the cars next
door, youll get that this is all their life. That era is
part of their heritage.
There was a speaker, but we had to put in a mic; an old
Altec. The Coathangers loved to go in there and do
backup vocals. It was pretty fun. Weve got two
chambers, the plate reverb [EMT 140], and theres an
old 60s spring reverb.

LC: Are people getting excited about

working here? Youre keeping it very
busy?

One of the custom cars from

Metropolitan Pit Stop.

June Valentine

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LC: Theres a movement these days to say How did you choose Nic Jodoin for
recording/producing your album?
theres an authenticity in the way
one might work in the studio. We did We met up with Nic at a diner in L.A., thanks to our
manager Geoff Sherr. We got along quite well. Then we
it to tape or, We did it all playing
recorded a 7-inch together and decided this was a
together.

.c

Yeah. Im exhausted. Its been awesome.

Dad actually started recording at home. He worked at

Capitol Records when he first moved out here to L.A. He
added on to the house and was recording in our home
for the first several years. When he bought this building,
it was 1963 and I was already ten years old. Then he
added on to this building too. There was only the little
front section, which was a doctors office. I would come
in occasionally after school while the construction was
going on, and I have vague recollections of that. Later I
would come over, sometimes when there were artists
recording, but I didnt get too much opportunity for that
because they were either there when I was in school or
theyd be there for night sessions. My dad passed in
2008, and we kept thinking, What are we going to do?
For years my brother [Jimmy Jr.] and I had this dream of
getting it going again. Were both busy, because I was
already immersed here [Metropolitan Pit Stop], and my
brothers an hour away, in Palmdale, with a career at
Lockheed. Not only was there so much equipment in
there to deal with and to move out, but then we had a
flood and the carpet in the front part was soaked. It had
dried out and wed brought specialists in to try to suck
some of the water out. They had to take all the carpet
out in front and try to do something to the floor. They
did some painting and brought it back to life. It was
really exciting to see it.

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working relationship we definitely wanted to pursue

There is something to that. I think a lot of bands now,
further. Nic just got us and had a vision for us.
like The Coathangers, thats what theyve built
themselves on. Its real. Playing live, touring, having Did the unique, retro vibe of Valentine
inspire you as players, or stylistically,
a hard time, but still believing and doing it. They have
at all?
their own style. It speaks to people. I like it.
LC: Its got to be the right project, and It definitely had an effect on everything! We worked
harder and played tighter just knowing how lucky we
the right engineers and all.
were to be there recording where legends had stood.
Thats important for this place. The way I see it, I try to
We pushed ourselves harder as players.
curate. There are people who are like, Oh, its great.
I want to come record here. I try to find out if theyre I heard you sang in the echo chambers!
What was that like?
really right for the place. If theyre just in love with
the look, maybe theyre going to be like, What the Oh, man [that was] our favorite part! Minnie used to
go stand in the hallway when we were listening
fuck is going on with my headphones? Why does it
back to mixes, come back, and say, Maybe we
take so long? Oh, we have to wait for the machine?
should run a take through the echo chamber. Every
Then the attitude starts and its not fun. Theyre not
time. It became a running joke. We loved how
going to get what they want. Some people are better
dreamy and magical it made everything sound! We
off working in Pro Tools. We just did an old school jazz
went up there a lot. It was also the warmest spot
trio recording with Jon Batiste on piano, with upright
in the whole studio, so we always wanted to be
bass and drums. It was amazing! The room seems built
hanging out up there.
for a jazz ensemble.
<www.metpitstop.com>

LC: I cant wait to see what kinds of Do other studios look too modern and
boring to you now?
artists like working here.

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Its not just an old, dusty place. Its living. Thats In general, we prefer to have a warm atmosphere when
we record. We toured several studios with Nic, and all
something I see when everybody comes in and spends
the super high-tech studios we instantly rejected. Its
time. Its a world that becomes their existence. You
too much. That kind of modern atmosphere, with
become attached to it, and its yours. You defend it.
computers all over the place makes the technical part
You protect it. I was in bands and I toured, and theres
too prominent. The vibe of Valentine is definitely
always this hope that youd go into a small town, like
unbeatable. You just feel like youre making something
a pawn shop or something, and find a rare guitar for
awesome when you are in there. We are very lucky to
nothing. I feel like thats what just happened to me.
have had the opportunity to create there.
We opened up faster than I thought we would. Now
its going, and everybodys loving it. r
<thecoathangers.com>
<www.valentinerecordingstudios.com>

50/Tape Op#116/Valentine/(Fin.)

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.c

Ian Brennan

Searching for the Truthful and Genuine

by Larry Crane

photo by Marilena Delli

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week paid off [look for the Unscrubbed series of live

learn from some of those mistakes, and now I am
albums ed.]. Not because I had any great engineering
better able to help other people get out of their own
skills, but just because Id learned to do things under
way. Thats what I see my role being, but it was a very
pressure and on the fly. A lot of times with field
slow evolution. Im not an engineer. I became one
recording, whether you want it or not, you often do
out of necessity with the field recordings. Being lucky
have an audience. Its somewhat similar.
enough to work with some amazing engineers, and
having worked on mastering with John Golden since Youre setting up equipment and
1987, I certainly have picked up some knowledge
capturing an event, yet everyone else
along the way, but its just not the way my brain
is like, Whats he doing?
works. Im not a techie person. I tend to stay focused Yeah. Even with the Malawi Mouse Boys, theres no road
on performances and on songs, textures, and details
to bring a car in. So every time weve gone there,
that for better or for worse might be unimportant,
particularly the first time, they had to figure out a
but are unique. My feedback on mixes and mastering
way to drive in without running over anybodys crops
are probably going to be off base, in some cases. Im
or pissing anybody off. We went in without the
listening more to little performance details that I think
permission of the chief. Thats on the band, and up to
would be cool to bring out more. I picked up those
them, but customarily theyre supposed to go to the
skills when I started doing field recordings in San
chief and be given formal permission to bring in
Francisco. It was with a friends ADAT, splitting signals
people to do something like that. Sometimes you end
so that the live performance could occur and still be
up in situations where its just managing the sound
recorded somewhat well. I started producing some
you do end up with this audience where you have
records, from doing lots of benefit shows with Fugazi,
many, many more hangers-on than you do performers.
Merle Haggard, Green Day, and people. I started with
There have been a few of those situations, where at
friends, and that led to producing Ramblin Jack Elliott
the end its like, Uh-oh, I hope everybody
[I Stand Alone], and that then led to Peter Case [Let
understands that theres not a million dollars here.
Us Now Praise Sleepy John], which led to Kyp Malone
Its almost always been great and worked out well,
[Rain Machine]. It was all natural, word-of-mouth.
but its a dynamic. I think those previous years paid
Then, when we started going to Africa and elsewhere,
off, in some weird way. The rare bands that come to
the field recording that Id done at the Brainwash
me and want me to produce a record for them, Im
Laundromat in San Francisco for those five years every
like, Take your money and go to somebody else.

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Described as a manual for those on a quest for

authenticity, in an age of airbrushed and Auto-Tuned
so-called artists, Ian Brennans book, How Music Dies (or
Lives): Field Recording and the Battle for Democracy in the Arts,
examines music, creativity, and culture in a vibrant,
intriguing manner. Ian has produced albums for artists
like Ramblin Jack Elliott, Peter Case, and Kyp Malones
Rain Machine project, but hes best known for his field
recorded productions. During travels in Africa and Asia,
Ian has produced albums for Tinariwen, Malawi Mouse
Boys, The Good Ones, Khmer Rouge Survivors,
General Paolino & Mama Celina, and Zomba Prison
Projects I Have No Everything Here album - recorded at the
maximum-security Zomba Central Prison in Malawi
was a record which was recently nominated for a Grammy
(Brennans fourth nomination, along with having won
for Tinariwens Tassili album). Additionally, Ian does
training, and has written books on, violence prevention,
anger-management, and conflict resolution.

so

I get the feeling you were playing in

bands early on when you were
younger?

fe
s

I came to producing just by producing my own projects.

I did a horrible job of it and made massive errors.
Those records are a disaster because of it. They didnt
have to be. If Id been less of a control freak and more
mature at that point, the course of my life would have
been a lot better. But through that process I came to

52/Tape Op#116/Mr. Brennan/(continued on page 54)

om

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ma
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mu
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fe
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Go to a studio in your city, and itll be great. Go to a really good engineer. Youre going
to have a safety net of results. They can do it with me, but its probably not going to
sound as good its just going to be different. Maybe its going to have more of a vibe,
because I pretty much only do live recordings. No overdubs, almost without exception. I
did a record for this band, Canzoniere Grecanico Salentino, who are very successful in
world music. Theyve been around for 40 years. Its a family group, and theres a new
generation. They had a budget and had it all plotted out they were super organized
and prepared. Theyre like, We can do the whole thing live, but we have to do these two
overdubs. I said, Nope! Not really in a mean way, or even totally seriously. We did end
up doing a violin overdub and maybe one other. After doing the live recording, most
artists choose not to do any overdubs. They say, Oh, cool. It worked! Its more out of
fear. Its that obsessiveness I think we all get into. Its usually something really minor.
But when they hear it, when its all said and done and theyve experienced playing live
like that, a lot of times theyre satisfied and say, Oh, I dont want to touch it now. Once
you touch it, its like you can go off the deep end; or maybe it doesnt even change
anything, except for the worse. All that said, this has to be performers who are really
great. Especially if its a band situation.

Theres no reason to go in and record someone whos not already

doing something of interest.

.c

om

Yeah. I produced a band, Zmei3, in a similar situation. We came up with this whole plan of
doing field recordings back in their homeland of Romania, and it was awesome. The
vocalist, Paula Turcas, is a former opera singer. We recorded 20 hours of music, and theres
not an off note, except for the first song when she was getting warmed up on the first
day. The main lead instrument is a vibraphone. Im not a big vibraphone fan, but Oli Bott
is incredible. Its always amazing, I think, when you have musicians that are that good.
It makes it so easy.

ma
il

In your book you mention saving the artist from themselves a lot
of times.

fe
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so

rf

un
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mu
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Well, I think there are two things I believe related to that. One is this left brain, right brain
thing, which on the one hand is basic, but on the other its very universal and
fundamental. I think its very easy to get where youre switching back and forth. Its really
exhausting and unnatural, in terms of tasks, and makes it really hard to create
momentum. Thats where I think its really good to have an amazing engineer who can
really take care of that whole end of it. Then the performers can concentrate on their
performance. I have performers record without headphones, almost always. I record in
one room the way you normally play, whether its sitting down, standing up, in a circle,
or whatever it is. Then I dont listen back to anything. You just play. Again, this comes
from my own experience. The first record I did in 1987, all I remember is the engineer
constantly screaming at me through the headphones, No. Dont. Stop. Again! I dont
think a good studio owner/producer/engineer like yourself or others do that, but I do
think there are a lot of people who have had that experience in the studio, especially
when theyre starting. Maybe theyre going to a studio thats not as good, or an engineer
whos not as experienced. It can be very traumatizing it can create some residual effects
and scar tissue. I really believe in this thing of listening back to nothing; rather just
playing and trusting that. Also I believe in very short recording sessions. Again, its not
a hard and fast rule; but I think, for most people, their energy is really the most valuable
resource, and it gets squandered. By the time it comes time to record, the blood sugars
already low, theyre already burnt out, or the high is fading. With Ramblin Jack Elliott, I
talked to him a bit beforehand about recording, and basically everything he had to say
about it was negative. Hed made 50 albums since the 50s, and it was all negative. Like,
I hate the studio. I like to play live. I started getting into it further. I asked him, What
about it do you hate? He said, Well, I hate all the waiting around. Then I come to find
out on a lot of records they had him track his guitar separate from his voice. Thats
absurd. Thats all this guy does; he sings and plays guitar, simultaneously. Things like that
that you find out. You cant even believe it.

54/Tape Op#116/Mr. Brennan/

I hear stories like this all the time.

Then he said, I hate when there are people on the other side of the glass looking at me
when I play. We did the first sessions at a studio in Hollywood. I put up a blanket [over
the window], and I told him when to show up, which was three hours later [than when
I arrived] so wed be ready to go. I asked him if he wanted a stool or chair. I was sure
to have everything ready. He comes in, I hand him a guitar, and he sits down and starts
playing. After a while, hes like, Were recording? I sat in the room with him the entire
time, across from his knee. It was an adjustment, but two hours later, wed recorded a
third of the record. I think, for most people, that can be the case. But then there are

maybe those more experienced people too who need their own process. Someone like Kyp
Malone from TV On The Radio is so skilled in the studio. He has such stamina. We did it
[Rain Machine] mostly live, and we did it in a very concentrated form, but with super long
sessions. He likes sessions that last all night, because thats the way he works best. Its
whatever works for the artist. When dealing with bands, find out what time of day they like
to work, try to have everything ready in advance of their arrival, and then just go for it.

I had one bad experience early on, going to a studio in the 80s, so
Ive learned too.

.c

mu
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ic
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It comes back to fear. Fear on the part of the performer. I think most bad behavior whether
its anger, prejudice, or arrogance if you scratch deep down, its fear. I think for the
performers, creating an environment where theyre not threatened is so important, but at
the same time being realistic and straight with people about where theyre at. Not helping
them be delusional, but giving them a supportive environment. I think a lot of that
control, for people who are engineers and such, is also fear. I think its a fear of something
going terribly wrong which it can. Flexibility is one of those universals. Having the
ability to adapt, improvise, and be flexible means so much, because I think a lot of it is
about problem solving; especially with field recordings. Sometimes the songs that have
some interference, its almost like the song selection is being made for you on-the-spot
for a record. Because of that, I try to record way in excess of what is needed, song-wise.
Other times there are sounds that are noises, but they end up being beautiful. They
contribute subliminally, or sometimes even more literally than that. We just did a record
where we were outdoors at a school. They were doing construction on the school, and on
the other side was a cement factory. We were surrounded by noise. The noises that did find
their way into the recording for the most part were totally serendipitous. Like it would
add something to the sound, almost acting as another part in some cases. Its weird how
that can happen.

ma
il

It can be a weird power structure situation too.

om

Yeah, I think a lot of it is that 80s experience. For people who didnt live it, it was an odd
convergence. All the multitracking methods had become formalized, and then there was
all this new equipment, which I think led to obviously bad now sometimes ironic or
quaint sounds that people liked. But I think if you lived it, a lot of the music was
horrible. The studio could be so painful. People were so set in their ways about how to do
it. Everything became like you had to play to a click track, you had to do this, and you
had to do that. Around the time I started recording, in the mid 80s, tuners had come in,
so people were constantly tuning their guitars. Constantly! Stopping to tune was another
defense mechanism or stalling tactic. I look back at my first record: I had the choice of
working with an engineer-producer who was amazing artistically but didnt have as good
of equipment, or working with a guy who had better equipment. I made the decision based
on the one guy having a (2)inch, 16-track tape machine. That was it. That was why I
recorded with him. It was the dumbest decision in my life. Im at peace with it, but I know
my life would have been different had I just gone and recorded the record with a guy who
had good aesthetic judgment, was a nicer person, and had more sensitivity to what my
strengths and weaknesses were, because my weaknesses far outweighed my strengths. It
would have been good to have somebody who could see whatever value there was, at
least.

un
k

What do you set in place to begin with, to at least try to make sure
that youre going to get a usable recording?

fe
s

so

rf

Well, I try to keep it super simple. Thats partially because I have no choice but to do so.
Some of these recordings have been done under illegal circumstances. Maybe were
somewhere were not supposed to be, like I said with the village chief. Sometimes theyre
done with foreboding weather or darkness, where you know youre going to run out of time
at a certain point so you have to commit and go for it. I just try to get as good of mics as
I can with a portable set up ones that dont require external power supplies and to close
mic things as much as possible. I really love a cappella singing, and I really love language
and voices. Almost all the records [I produce] have at least one a cappella song. I love a
cappella because you can hear the whole body of the voice. I think that gets lost so much
with so many recordings, where its all so mid-heavy and you lose all the texture of the
voice; the less-obvious elements. A lot of the music ends up being recorded in a more
intimate way as well. When we went to see General Paolino, a legendary blind singer from
South Sudan, he said, Come on down to see me tonight. So we went down to a
bar/restaurant and there was a rehearsal space behind it. It was this really small room,
about 8 feet by 12 feet. There were around 12 people in the room playing with him, and
almost no room for the people because they had equipment sitting on equipment, stacked
up. They had a drummer crammed in a corner and were playing so loud in this room. It was

Mr. Brennan/(continued on page 56)/Tape Op#116/55

.c

om

Well, I try to be transparent with people and operate from

a model thats a complete inversion of what tends to
happen with music. With us it is the artists that are the
only ones who are guaranteed to be paid. Its modest
amounts, especially with recordings like the Zomba
Prison Project where there are 60 people. A record we
just did down in Burundi had 30 lead singers, but it
involved close to 100 people. Its making sure that
every single person gets paid, and then that theyll
share in the profits, if there ever are any, and also
letting people know realistically that there probably will
never be any. I never wanted to be someones manager
or booking agent, but out of necessity Ive become that
in some instances, and thats where the real money for
them can come from. With a group like The Good Ones
from Rwanda, or Malawi Mouse Boys, there have been
opportunities to make some money. Hopefully itll be
more in the future. I dont know if it will or not, but the
records lead to that. The nice thing weve encountered
from those individuals is patience on their part, but
also recognition that they really appreciate that weve
kept them in the loop, did not forget them, and that
ultimately we delivered on our managed and modest
expectations our stating clearly that we dont know
whats going to happen. We dont know if the
recordings are even ever going to be released as a
record. It takes a long time sometimes to find a partner
to release a recording, and then maybe another year for
it to get put out. With The Good Ones, the record came
out more than a year later. But then their opportunity
to travel overseas did not come for four more years after
that. So five years from the time we recorded. It was
incredible. When it finally came, it was awesome for
them. That led to them being able to go to Germany
and tour again this past winter. Again, I dont know if
its sustainable, but you hope it will be. Its a first step.
Thats what I try to say to people. This is a step
towards something else, hopefully.

fe
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so

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mu
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ma
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awesome. A better engineer could have figured out Yeah. Too close to home.
what to do, but I was like, This is the most awesome You mentioned something in the book
thing that Ill never be able to record. Your ear filters
about going to see a lot of Rwandan
and figures out what its all supposed to sound like.
music that was just reformatting
But even if I close micd everything it was going to
Western music with their own
sound like shit on tape, because it was one big wash
language, right?
of sound. It was sad, because the bass player he had Yeah. We were there, and some people we knew said,
was one of the most incredible bass players Ive ever
Oh, theres a music festival. Of course, I have
seen in my life. He played the instrument in this
nothing against things being easy. You hope for that.
completely unorthodox but authoritative way. What
Theyre rarely going to be, but it seemed like lowhappens a lot of times is stripping it down when its
hanging fruit. Were going to go to this music
a situation like that. Thats why I love the outdoors so
festival and obviously will see a bunch of people in a
much. When we were outdoors at that school, there
very quick way, relatively easy, and well be done. It
was a room we couldve used, but I preferred being
was really just so depressing. On one hand, it was
outside because there was so much less reflection. The
very beautiful. It was in the parking lot of the
sound was really dead, but I think the air in each
stadium, not the stadium itself. There was barely any
place helps color the sound, depending on the
security and no lights. There was no sense of danger,
humidity and as long as theres not a lot of wind. Just
but there was also no sense of control. But the artists
let the sound be as it is. Capture it as much as you
were cookie cutter. You could literally play name the
can. I dont believe thats the right way to do it. Its
artist. The only thing different was the Kinyarwanda
just a way to do it, and its what I try to do. Try to
language had been grafted on top. This one
make it sound like youre there.
individual came out and was totally Beyonce. This
Was Africa your first non-US field
other guy came out who actually was (and maybe still
recording work?
is) famous in Rwanda. Hes totally Snoop Dogg.
Id gone down unsuccessfully to Mexico and Cuba, and
Everything about him. I dont know how much he
roamed Ireland with intentions of doing that. I went
looks like him, but from a distance, he looks enough
into a garbage dump in Baja where people live, and
like him that he could be considered an impersonator.
some other really remote places. Then my wife,
Certainly vocally hes the same just the language is
Marilena Delli who does all the photos and videos
different. That set the tone for everything that
for these projects was going back to Rwanda with
followed. I work on small, international music
her mother, whos Rwandan, returning for the first
releases that hardcore music lovers might care about.
time after the genocide [of 1994]. She made a
Maybe if were lucky Vice, BBC, NPR, or somebody
documentary [Rwanda Mama] on her mothers return.
writes about it. These are records that dont sell or get
We wanted to find music for her documentary, but we
a lot of attention, but I think theyre worthwhile.
also wanted to try to do a record or two. We were
Suddenly, with the Zomba Prison Project and a
there for more than two weeks. That was really the
Grammy nomination, this became a human-interest
first time. If it werent for her, I dont know if I ever
story all over the world, which provoked all kinds of
would have set foot in Africa. I became very interested
reactions and suspicions. In every society, you get the
in non-English popular music in the late 80s. I got
upper-middle class (and above) saying, No, no, no.
burned out on the hype machine of two guitars, bass,
This isnt the right representation of our society. They
and drums. I love folk and American music, but I got
should be listening to so-and-so. And so-and-so
so burnt on the idea. There are these profound
invariably sucks. Theyre always more standardized
differences between artists when, in many cases,
and proper. Thats not of interest to me. Oftentimes
what theyre doing is fairly basic and the differences
the pointed finger is, Youre coming in from outside
are quite nominal. There can also be true artistry,
and dont understand our culture. Well, thats not it.
where someones really doing something that comes
If I played those same people the records I like from
from inside of them out of nowhere. Thats what
America, theyd hate those records. They would hate
interests me. What scares me, and what the book is
Vic Chesnutt. They would probably detest Big Stars
about, is seeing that get leveled by the influence of
Third/Sister Lovers. No doubt they wouldnt dig Alvin
recorded music, and by the influence of copying
Lucier. Im listening for what I think is unique in any
physically and literally through performance. I try
given culture my own or others. But the upper class
to listen to the difference between someones
always eventually seizes the dialogue, everywhere. I
speaking voice and singing voice. The less difference
dont think its any different, whether its a
there is between their speaking voice and their
developing country or a rich country. Thats been
singing voice, then generally thats an objective way
one of the more problematic or challenging things
of looking at how truthful and how genuine theyre
that weve faced. You get the first Grammy
being, and how authentic it is. You can look at these
nomination ever for a country, and yet youre
videos on YouTube now where youve got these kids
criticized for it. Okay.
all over the world speaking in Korean, or with a heavy How do you negotiate with artists and
British or Czech accent, and then the next thing you
performers? Ive talked with other
see theyre singing exactly like Michael Jackson or
people who do recordings all over the
Adele. Its bizarre.
world, and a lot of times you have to be

We cant embrace our own cultures.

careful about monetary situations.

56/Tape Op#116/Mr. Brennan/(continued on page 58)

Have you done multiple records with

any of these artists, at this point?

Yeah, thats been a cool thing. The Malawi Mouse Boys

just released their third album. The Good Ones released
their second album. Theres another Acholi Machon
album recorded. And theres a second Zomba Prison
Project record thats coming out in the fall. Its nice. If
there ever is a second record, I think its super
important that theres a clear reason for it to exist.
Thats one of the things I talk about in the book. I
wish more artists would self-cancel, as in harakiri
[seppuku] artistically, where theyd say, Im going to
keep touring, and Im going to keep playing the
favorite songs for folks, or maybe even reinterpreting
those songs and expressing myself creatively in that
way, but I am tapped out as a songwriter. I wish they
would do that. I wish theyd use their platform for
other people. I think it would be so awesome if Bruce
Springsteen said, Im not going to make a new record,
but you should really check out this new band from
Nicaragua, because these guys right now are in that
zone I was in when I was 26.

You get that with Peter Gabriel, and

what hes done with Real World
Records.

om
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Please Support Our Advertisers/Tape Op#116/57

Ians Mobile
Recording Setup:

Bob Marley on her forehead. I said, Do you know who that

is? She said, Nope! Then, the next day, there was a man
who had this tricked-out bike with the reggae colors and
one love on it. I said, Do you know who said that? He
says, God. I asked, Do you know who Bob Marley is?
Hes like, Nope. It might be hard to believe, but there are
people who arent influenced by the things we assume are
givens now. Its reassuring, in a sense.

ma
il

.c

om

(2) Tascam DR-680 multi-channel portable recorders

(1) Zoom F8 MultiTrack Field Recorder
(2) Sound Devices MP-1 battery-operated Mic Pre
(1) Brauner Phantom Classic microphone
(1) EV RE20 microphone
(1) Sennheiser MKH 416 shotgun microphone
One of the things you mention a lot in your
(1) AKG C414 microphone
book is authenticity, and looking for
(1) AKG C451 microphone
something thats pure. Its probably
(2) Shure SM7 microphones
feeling like thats harder to do in the
(1) Shure 849 microphone (owned since 1988)
internet age.
(1) RDE NT3 microphone
Yeah. Whatever youre going to find on the internet is going
(1) AKG D112 microphone
to be standardized. Because of the very fact that the person
(1) AKG C1000 microphone
does have that access, its going to influence them. Theres
(1) AKG Perception 220 microphone
nothing wrong with that either. I think cross-pollination can
(1) Audio-Technica Pro 70 lavalier microphone
be an amazing thing. You look at somebody like Stromae
(1) Shure SM57 microphone
[Paul Van Haver]; hes the example of the good aspect of
(1) Shure SM58 microphone (for singers that want to hold
this. Youve got this guy with a Rwandan father, raised in
the mic)
Belgium a bilingual country and he grows up amidst this
and many miles of duct tape!
conflict between their two languages [Flemish and French].
Hes rapping in the less-dominant language. At his best, he
does things that are highly original, yet totally influenced
Its true. Youre making a really good point. He is one that
by pop culture. Hes an international superstar, rapping and
turned his back on that machinery. I think thats to be
singing mostly in French. That can happen, but I think its
respected, really. I think its restraint.
the exception. Instead its so common for people to end up
To be inspired as a musician Ive felt, at
standardizing. The thing we see a lot of is stock rap phrasing
times, that I was learning more from
anywhere you go, and then the reggae thing. The reggae
many different sources, and not having
thing can be so contaminating. And sometimes the gospel
to exclusively listen to western music.
paradigm, too.
Yeah, thats another good point. Its nearly infinite, because

mu
s

ic
@g

it renews itself. Thats part of why the commercialization of Reggaes reached all over the world and been
adopted, but usually in the blandest form.
music is such a dangerous thing. It sets up this mindset
that all music now exists because of music that has come Yeah. I think, in transmission, you end up with the most
superficial elements of something. Hopefully an error in
before. Its simply not true. Meaning it is possible to create
transmission leads to something new by accident, but I
music almost without having heard music. Its in us were
think a lot of times you end up with something thats the
born with it. I saw a review for the Malawi Mouse Boys
surface without the depth. Thats capitalism. Ideally there
third record [Forever Is 4 You], and the guy was referring to
can be balance, and through that balance we can hopefully
their music as mento-influenced.
gain the benefits of recorded music, but also continue to
I know how wrong that is. [Mento is a
have the benefits of musical creation and live music. I think
Jamaican folk music that predates ska
thats whats being lost, because essentially a lot of live
and reggae.]
music now is pre-recorded music. r
Exactly. You do. But whats so sad is heres this guy with a

un
k

platform in England. Most people dont know what mento is <www.ianbrennan.com>

anyway, so theyre going to take it at face value. Theres no
Tape Op is made
way in the fucking world the Mouse Boys have heard mento
possible by our
music. They live without electricity and dont even listen to
records, except randomly.
advertisers.

fe
s

so

rf

I think Ive seen a few comments from you

too about peoples misunderstanding of
where countries are in Africa, let alone
the history of the music.

58/Tape Op#116/Mr. Brennan/(Fin.)

Last week I was talking to a college professor 75-years-old,

liberal, and educated and he says, Where is Malawi?
Africa? I cant really make this stuff up. We were at Zomba
Prison in January with the New York Times. There was some
questioning of whether it was true that people were not
influenced by Western music. The next day there was a guy
who had the Rolling Stones lips and tongue image on his
hat. I said, What group is that from? Hes like, Huh? I
said, The Rolling Stones? He had no idea what I was
talking about. A couple of days later were at the border in
Burundi, and theres a woman who had a stocking cap with

Please support them and tell them

you saw their ad in Tape Op.

om
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ma
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Please Support Our Advertisers/Tape Op#116/59

ACME Audio
Motown D.I. WB-3

The ACME Audio Motown D.I. WB-3 direct box has a pretty
nifty backstory. ACME initially tracked down around 50 of
the vintage transformers that were used in the Wolfbox, the
first passive DI unit, designed by Ed Wolfrum, responsible
(in part) for the legendary bass tones on countless Motown
recordings. (James Jamerson anyone?) ACME then created a
nearly exact replica in their WolfBox III direct box. After
selling out quickly, for obvious reasons, ACME painstakingly
recreated the sound with the new Motown D.I. WB-3.
I had an opportunity to record a throwback Motown-style
band, and we grabbed all of our DIs (we have quite a few),
plus a couple of preamps that had instrument inputs just to
be thorough. The best of the bunch didnt come remotely
close to producing the unmistakably vintage and Motowny sound that we were looking for. You can add the WB-3 to
the list of gear that has it.
While the WB-3 may not be ideal for every situation, it
can definitely be used in combination with other pieces of
gear, as long as youre not afraid of warmth. I could see it
pairing well with an Ampeg Portaflex or other smaller bass
rigs. If you find yourself recording a lot of throwback-style
music, the WB-3 is a must buy.
($400 street; www.acmeaudio.net)
Dave Hidek <dave@treelady.com>

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60/Tape Op#116/Gear Reviews/

Universal Audio

Fender 55 Tweed Deluxe plug-in

for UAD-2 & Apollo

.c

om

Ive always approached amp models with far more

skepticism than any other type of plug-in. Although
Universal Audio makes some of my favorite and to my
ears, most authentic plug-in emulations, I still took to
their new UAD Fender 55 Tweed Deluxe plug-in with the
suspicion that, at best, it could only be marginally more
accurate than the other virtual amps Ive owned or used.
Now I obviously havent tried them all, but heres what I
found with the UAD Tweed Deluxe.
Like the original, the plug-ins amplification section is
simple, despite its versatility. There are three main
controls Tone, Instrument Volume, and Mic Volume
and four inputs two instrument and two miclevel. UAD
found a couple of golden examples of the stock 5E3circuit amp and spent two years analyzing and modeling all
of these amps nuances everything from speaker paper,
to filter caps, tubes, and transformers. That attention to
detail shows in the final product.
All four discrete inputs offer something very different
tonally. The instrument inputs are far brighter and more
aggressive, while the mic inputs have comparatively more
lower-midrange character and less top-end. Both of the
secondary inputs (Inst 2 and Mic 2) are approximately 6 dB
quieter (just like the original Leo Fender design), so its
worth starting there for cleaner sounds or when using
hotter pickups. Double-clicking the inputs simultaneously
patches across two inputs either Inst 1 + Mic 1, or
Inst 2 + Mic 2 using a virtual Y-cable. This adds a little
more oomph and thickness than one channel can provide.
For Apollo users, I recommend running Tweed Deluxe as
a Unison insert on a Hi-Z channel within the Console
application if youre tracking through the plug-in. Doing so
adjusts the physical impedance of the Apollos instrument
input to emulate the original Tweeds impedance
characteristics, resulting in a responsiveness I wouldnt
typically associate with virtual amplifiers. Tweed Deluxe
also took pedals exceedingly well and reacted to gain
boosts with a very realistic breakup, which I assume is at
least a partial result of this impedance matching.
In addition to padding the input for prerecorded or linelevel signals, a Normal/Line switch also helps with gainstaging. Using Tweed Deluxe on a DId performance, with
the input set on Normal, drives the amp into heavier
distortion, while tracking through the plug-in on Line
mode increases the amount of clean headroom. You can
easily dial in anything from super clean to thick fuzz, using
nothing more than the different inputs, three amp controls,
and Normal/Line switch. What impresses me most here is
the interplay between the inputs and the controls. The
Tone knob, for instance, does more than just control bass
and treble; it changes how and when the amp enters
different stages of overdrive, which again varies input to
input. Theres a very unique balance at play amongst this
simple set of parameters that I think testifies to Universal
Audios end-to-end modeling technique.
Additionally, a speaker selector chooses between three
common speaker variants. Based on the factory-installed
Jensen 25 watt, JP12 is the thinnest and brightest of the
three, which worked best for jangly overdrive and
arpeggiated cleans, but turned a little fizzy and harsh in
the top end when overdriven too hard. On the other hand,
the 120 watt JBLinspired JB120 offered a ton of low end,

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Les Paul 8 active monitor

In case you werent paying attention, Gibson acquired

Stanton Group in 2011, which includes pro-audio speaker
company KRK Systems (who sell more studio monitors than
any other brand). Gibson makes my favorite guitars (both
acoustic and electric), but when the company released a Les
Paulbranded monitor, I couldnt help but ask why. They do
the guitar thing so well. Why would they make a speaker at
all, much less one that looks like a guitar? All of the
speakers in the Les Paul Reference Monitor series sport
beautiful, high-gloss, carved flame-maple archtop fronts,
with chrome and cream-colored accents, matching some of
the classic Les Paul finishes cherry, cherry burst, and
tobacco burst. (No gold sparkle, unfortunately.)
Lately, I feel like theres a spate of this kind of make a
tool look pretty design aesthetic in pro-audio
manufacturing. Then again, I must admit that as engineers,
were often and correctly portrayed as overly nostalgic,
crotchety, old school goldbrickers that prefer our gear to
look like weve been dragging it behind a truck from Nashville
to Los Angeles and back... just like a lot of guitar players I
know. So, lets stop lying to ourselves we like our shit to
look cool. However, performance and feature-set should be
the paramount concerns, above appearance, when evaluating
equipment; so this was my mantra while spending time with
the Les Paul Reference Monitors.
Gibson sent me an evaluation pair of the Les Paul 8
model, equipped with an 8 woofer which admittedly
may have been a little big for my project studio. The other
two models in the line incorporate 4 and 6 woofers. All
models offer both a balanced XLR/TRS Combo jack and an
unbalanced RCA jack for input. A smooth-turning pot
adjusts volume and two detented pots change bass and
treble shelving. For those still not comfortable with
standby power mode, a handy defeat switch is also
provided. One standout feature: Les Paul monitors ship with
felt-lined socks. I really wish every monitor manufacturer
would include slip-on covers like these; theyre so much
better than the old grungy pillowcases some of us use.
I felt that the Les Pauls 1 carbon-coated titanium
tweeter sounded crisp and even, helping the speaker
articulate snare drums and electric guitars with clarity and
force, in a comparable way to the venerable Genelec 1031A
monitors that I use constantly at Sharkbite Studios. The Les
Pauls tweeter sits inside a cream-colored plastic waveguide
that incorporates a horizontal, chromed plastic bar, and
perhaps this assembly widens the sweet-spot a bit, but after
some use in my home studio, I actually preferred the
monitors on their sides. Unfortunately, Gibson added foam
to the bottom of the monitors for placing the speakers

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Gibson Pro Audio

vertically, so I wasnt able to take advantage of that. Id be

curious to hear the monitors with the waveguide rotated
90 (or even removed).
In my experience, all new woofers require a burn-in
period, but the Les Paul monitors seemed to really take their
time to sit right with me. For nearly a week, 300 Hz was just
too present, but eventually, the woofers creamy yet punchy
low end became very complementary to the tweeters
focused highs; and a nice, big, classy midrange character,
with tons of headroom, revealed itself. Though I wasnt able
to do a blind test against Sharkbites Genelecs, I do spend
a lot of time with those 1031A monitors. In my opinion, the
Les Paul 8 really holds up in response, character, and
referencing against the 1031A.
With all the money Gibson surely spends on
manufacturing and hand-finishing the beautiful fronts of
the Les Paul monitors, you might think that the performance
and accuracy of these speakers are compromised. But Im
happy to say that the Les Paul 8s sound quality definitely
corresponds to its price-point. The bonus, depending on
your taste, is its charming retro look. At first, the design
may be a little off-putting to serious engineers, but every
musician thats seen the speakers in my space has really
liked them; their archtop styling becomes an icebreaker,
while encouraging a positive vibe in the studio. These
speakers sound so good that if there is a visual distraction,
it eventually becomes an afterthought.
When I put the Les Paul monitors in the living room for
use with my home stereo, they were an instant hit and
always evoked positive comments from visitors. I know the
family is going to be bummed when I have to send the
speakers back to Gibson; theyve become both a visual and
aural focal point in the room where we spend the most time
together. If youre looking for some style, a conversation
starter, or just wanting to add a little fun to your studio
space or listening environment without sacrificing sound
quality Les Paul Reference Monitors might be the ticket
for you. (Each $999 street; www.gibson.com)
SM <scottmcchane.com>

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You cant take ten steps at an audio trade show without

seeing a new 500-series preamp. Yet the only one that
caught and held my attention at the January 2016 NAMM
Show was the Avedis Audio MD7. After talking with
company owner and product designer, Avedis Kifedjian, and
demoing the preamp on the noisy show floor, I knew I
wanted to try one in the real world.
The MD7 has a unique topology, so its worth starting
there. Its an all-discrete, single op-amp design with Jensen
transformers at the input and output stages, as well as a
Class A buffer amp used to feed the Send output jack (more
on that in a second).
Unlike most preamps, the variable Trim knob attenuates
the incoming signal directly after the input transformer
(and not at the output stage, where you might expect it).
This eliminates the need for an input pad, and it means
that hotter incoming levels can push the input transformer
into saturation. This seemed odd at first, but in my
experience, even the loudest signals like guitar amps and
snare drums never overloaded the MD7s input stage in an
unpleasant way. In Avediss words, Quality transformers
can take a high level of signal. The key is that we want that
higher level to hit the input transformer without a pad in
between the microphone and transformer. If your curiosity
is piqued, theres a whole essay from Avedis on the
companys website, explaining his reasoning behind this
design choice.
The Gain control, which is a rotary switch on a ring that
is concentric to the Trim knob, is stepped in 4 dB
increments, and it determines how much the op-amp drives
the output transformer. A maximum of 64.7 dB of low-noise
gain is available. If Im not doing a proper enough job in

Lauten Audio

LA120 small-diaphragm
condenser mic & capsules pair

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The small-diaphragm condenser category is, like all mic

types, a crowded one; and these days, finding something
special or unique is probably not going to happen. Whats
interesting in this category is something that sounds good
and doesnt break the bank, which is what the Lauten
Audio LA120 SDC mic set does with aplomb.
Ive used the best of the best of SDCs over the years,
from vintage Neumann KM 84s, to modern KM 184s, to a
mint-condition sequentially-numbered pair of vintage
Telefunken Ela M 260s, on down to $79 this-n-that.
Expensive to cheap SDCs drive me nuts, because when
theyre right, theyre great, and when theyre not right,
they really are lame. If they lack dimension, theyre
incredibly boring mics, but if theyve got too much
presence, they grow tiresome fast. I cant speculate as to
why SDCs are like this more than other mic types, but they
seem to have a very narrow margin of success.
The LA120 falls square within that margin. Its not
hyped at all, and it sounds a lot like the source in a
pleasingly neutral but 3D way. Neutral and natural is a
great place to start for a mic often used on acoustic
sources, and we can just EQ to taste if we need more or
less of some frequency. From the LA120, I get none of
the grating highs or fussy mids which can make other
SDCs harsh, and none of that bland $79 sonic ennui
either. Very nice, balanced sound usable across a wide
range of instruments.
The soundstage presentation with a pair of these mics
isnt huge, but SDCs never are. What I like about an SDC is
that the relatively smaller soundstage presentation means
stereo pairs are really usable. Whatever the placement of
that stereo pair, once panned, a good pair of SDCs fill up
the soundstage expansively while still leaving some room
for the rest of the instruments in a mix. Two LA120s make
stereo micing in multi-instrument contexts easy, and
theres an elegance to the sound within a fuller mix.
Everything I tracked with the LA120s just came out of
the speakers in a really usable, natural way especially
Moms old Steinway which now lives at The Snow Farm.
Heres an instrument Ive been playing since I was
three years old. When I heard it back out of the speakers,
without any EQ or compression, I thought: Okay, this is
just right. Six inches off the soundboard near the back
bridges, check phase at Middle C, and done. Very easy
mics to place.
The LA120 mic set comes with two of everything
mic bodies, swappable omni and cardioid capsules, nice
mic clips, foam windscreens with everything housed
together within a nice wooden box. Three-position high
and low roll-off switches are very handy. I cant find any
reason why these mics, which are only $350 a pair ,
wouldnt wind up in a lot of mic collections quite quickly.
($349 street; www.lautenaudio.com)
Allen Farmelo <www.pinknoisemag.com>

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MD7 500-series mic preamp

& pedal interface

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Avedis Audio

my explanation, and youre having a hard time making

sense of this signal flow, you can visit the website for an
informative signal-flow diagram.
The op-amp in the MD7 is Avediss own 1122, which
he designed while working at Brent Averill Enterprises.
Based on the API 2520, the 1122 uses updated
components for greater reliability and manufacturing
consistency, while still delivering a hefty low-end and
wide-band response. But please dont be mistaken the
MD7 is not an API clone.
To my ears, the MD7 has the transient response and
quickness associated with API preamps, minus the midforward aggression. Instead, I found the MD7 actually
tamed some of the annoying peaky midrange of certain
electric guitar sounds. Its a very natural and even
character, with tons of detail on even the quietest sources,
so it quickly became my go-to for acoustic guitars. On the
other hand, the harmonic distortion that can result from
the pad-less input transformer saturating on louder
sources snare drums specifically certainly
differentiates the MD7 from less colored designs, like John
Hardys. The noise floor of the MD7 is also insanely low, so
ribbons and room mics loved it.
I think the real beauty of this preamp is its ability to
cover a lot of bases without leaning too far toward any one
side of the character spectrum. It has some of the color and
personality of vintage preamps, without being too niche,
yet also the fidelity and clarity youd associate with the
transformerless hi-fi realm, minus the sterility. I would
happily choose the MD7 for a string or voiceover session
just as quickly as I would for a loud bass amp, vocal, or
mono drum overhead.
Perhaps my favorite feature of the MD7 is the built-in
effects loop for guitar pedals, tape delays, and the like.
The unbalanced 1/4 Send comes off the buffer amp
located directly after the Trim control and the
corresponding 1/4 Return comes back before the op-amp.
Therefore, Trim feeds Send, while Gain handles Return
(and output) level. This is fantastic when youre tracking
guitars and you want to audition different pedals, postamplifier. But its not just a tracking tool. A button labeled
Line I/P switches the modules main input to line-level,
so you can also run the MD7 and its effects loop as a pedal
interface for your DAW, like you can with the Radial EXTC
500-series stompbox interface [Tape Op #100]. Other than
the Meris 440 [#103], I havent seen another 500-series
preamp that incorporates a pedal loop, though I have a
feeling this trend will catch on soon.
Lastly, the Return jack doubles as a very responsive and
clean DI, which is always convenient. The expected
phantom-power and polarity switches are present as well,
along with a gentle high-pass filter (about 3 dB at 80 Hz).
If I have one minor complaint, its that the HPF could be
a little steeper; with it engaged, I still heard more rumble
on acoustic tracks than I would have liked. That said, its
safer to leave it than take too much away, so Ill shut up.
I rarely get excited about new preamps, but the MD7 is
one of the most refreshing and innovative designs Ive seen
in the 500-series game. Its applicability across different
sources, coupled with its re-amp and DI functionality,
makes the MD7 a super-practical, excellent-sounding studio
tool. You couldnt get more bang for your buck if you tried.
($775 street; www.avedisaudio.com)
Dave Cerminara <davecerminara@gmail.com>

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and a darker, smoother midrange. Its additional headroom

made it an obvious choice for clean sounds, but it was also
my favorite for distorting vocals or adding color to direct
bass. My favorite of the three for guitar was GB25 (you can
guess its inspiration). It had the best midrange bite and
fullest body, without the unflattering top-end sizzle. I
found it the most versatile of the bunch and made it my
default almost immediately.
Lastly, a microphone panel lets you blend two different
mics for further adjusting. There are five to choose from, all
based on popular studio classics, though I mostly stuck
with the combination of Con-67 (Neumann U 67) and
Rib-160 (Beyerdynamic M 160) for almost everything it
just worked. Each mic includes a high-pass filter, as well as
an off-axis switch both very welcome inclusions for
controlling the bass/treble balance. In fact, theres enough
tonal flexibility just between the speakers and mics alone
that you should never really need an EQ after Tweed Deluxe.
The UAD Fender 55 Tweed Deluxe plug-in is the best amp
emulation that Ive used, not only because of its wide range
of sounds, but also in how it responds to the player. The
amplification section offers more than enough tweakability, without overwhelming the user or cluttering the
interface, while the speakers and mics add the depth and
dimensionality Ive always found lacking in other amp plugins. Tweed Deluxe does take up a lot of DSP allocation, but
thats hardly a complaint, given how powerful a tool were
talking about. I think the bar for virtual amplifiers just got
a pretty hefty raise. ($199 direct; www.uaudio.com)
Dave Cerminara <davecerminara@gmail.com>

www.tapeop.com

bonus & archived reviews online!

Gear Reviews/(continued on page 62)/Tape Op#116/61

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Of course, the next thing I did was try CrushStation on

vocals and drums. The flexibility of this pedal made it a
superb choice for drum dirt and vocal treatments. Being
Detroit-based, I get a lot of requests to run it through the
Fender Twin on vocals and drums, and sometimes the
whole mix. Ive gotten great results here using CrushStation
instead. Its three-band EQ helped tame cymbals and some
sibilant vocals when needed, and its Grit control, which
adds preamp-style distortion with hefty lows, helped bring
out the kick on some room mics. A couple of times, while
doing FOH for Blonde Redhead, I used CrushStation on
Kazu Makinos vocal to add a lower octave, and it sounded
better than the standard PitchFactor preset I had been
using previously. Of course, I had to dial the H9s level
down, but the algorithm itself added a nice subtle
distortion along with the lower octave, making the overall
effect blend better and sound less obvious. Ive also used
the H9 running CrushStation as a front end for synths, to
add a little warmth and saturation when needed.
The short story is, the Eventide people have exceeded
expectations and made an algorithm that can be as subtle
or as downright nasty as you want. I really like products
that let you dig in and get your hands dirty, but reward
you greatly when you do. The fact that I just said that
about something I control with an iPad Mini feels a little
strange. But really, thats no surprise, because Eventide
gear has been pushing engineers and musicians alike out
of their comfort zones for the better part of the last
45 years. Case in point I just reviewed an algorithm.
Anyway, just buy this thing. Its worth the $20 and way
more. Purchase one less movie on iTunes this month, and
get down to the business of getting dirty! If you have an
H9 Max, CrushStation is a free download. ($19.99 for H9
& H9 Core; free for H9 Max; www.eventide.com)
Chris Koltay <www.highbiasrecordings.com>

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CrushStation distortion algorithm for H9

It was nearly three years ago that this curious white

stompbox, with the Harmonizer trademark name on it,
showed up at a Deerhunter gig. One big turnwheel? Appbased control? I was skeptical, to say the least, but
intrigued at the idea of pulling up presets and precisely
controlling parameters all via my mobile device. This
began my long relationship with the Eventide H9 stereo
effects pedal [Tape Op #107], and thusly, the lovely people
at Eventide. I had already been using pedals at FOH for
some time, as a sort of reactionary tactic against the toooften terrible-sounding effects programs built into the
different digital desks I was using every night on tour, as
digital mixers became more ubiquitous and rack gear
became more scarce. So I took the plunge and threw this
insanely powerful, little white box into my FOH kit for the
rest of the tour. At first, it was reserved for vocals, but soon
after, it had a twin to handle drums.
Of course, the two pedals made the jump to the studio
as soon as I was back. Thankfully, the H9 can handle
instrument and linelevel I/O by itself, so theres no need
to pull out your DIs or fancy pedal-interfacing boxes just
patch it in. In the studio, it quickly became my go-to reverb
for tracking vocals. Its ease of use and immediate response
to the H9 Control app (iOS, macOS, Windows) made it
integral to the situation. Then, as I had hoped, Eventide
started issuing new algorithms beyond the original ones
ported over from the now-classic Factor series [#62] and
Space [#87] pedals. One of these new H9 exclusives is
CrushStation.
The words digital and distortion do not bring to mind
pleasing sounds... unless youre some blue-suit lawyer by
day, khaki-pants guitarist by night, getting ready to slay
your version of Mustang Sally at The Blind Pig. No
offense to musicians who enjoy their business-casual
attire on Monday nights, but you get the idea. Anyhow,
this was the second time I was skeptical with this pedal,
and the second time it proved me very wrong. Is it
comparable to a vintage Shin-ei FY-2 Fuzz or the like? No.
But thats not what its for.
I figured out I was prejudiced against digital
distortion, because CrushStation sounds really good and
very convincing even responding dynamically like a real
circuit. These days, a good amount of the tone Im
capturing is coming from the power section of whatever
amp Im tracking. Once I got past my issue with semantics,
I was super stoked on CrushStation, because the algorithms
Sag feature alone is worth the price. It enables you to
simulate the sound of a starving circuit. Amazing. In fact,
I love the sound of a circuit running out of juice (and even
dying), and I keep a bunch of almost-dead batteries in the
control room just for use in various pedals to get that
sound. Not sweating the clock while you eek out the last
few virtual volts from CrushStation is a welcome relief. The
ability to then save and recall that setting is priceless.
CrushStation also sports the ability to dial in compression
amounts, before and after the gain stage on the pedal
super useful. Add to that the crazy, solid, laser-fast tracking
of the Octaves feature, and you can really get to some
territory that feels pretty unexplored. I quickly started using
an expression pedal connected to the H9 to adjust these
parameters during tracking like cranking Sag on the
decay of notes. Quite simply, it just doesnt sound like
anything else.

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My laptop is a mid-2014 Toshiba Portg Z30t touchscreen

ultrabook with an Intel Core i7 processor and a 512 GB SSD.
Its plenty powerful enough to run Pro Tools and Cubase; but
these days, unless Im certain that Ill be working on a multitrack
project, I travel instead with my 2015 Microsoft Surface 3 LTE
tablet. The Surface 3 is a 2-in-1 tablet, so I can keep it inside my
backpack when I go through airport security, and I can continue
to use it even during taxiing, takeoff, and landing. When Im on
the ground, its always online with its LTE radio (whenever it can
pick up a decent cellular signal). Its CPU is a quad-core Intel
Atom x7, a fanless, low-power processor that can handle
Windows 10, Office 365, and even Photoshop. I never bothered
to install Cubase or Pro Tools on my Surface 3, figuring the
multitrack mixing experience would be too sluggish (if these
DAWs even run on an Atom). But I do find myself having to edit
mono or stereo recordings on my Surface 3 often enough, and for
that, I rely on Ocenaudio <www.ocenaudio.com>. This free-todownload, cross-platform application is easy on the CPU, easy on
the eyes, and easy on the wallet. Its UI is laid out in a familiar
waveform/timeline view, with a primary pane thats zoomable and
an overview pane above it. An additional pane on the right
displays a high-resolution peak meter. You can select, audition,
cut, splice, and rearrange portions of the audio file using familiar
controls; and even multiselect operations are supported. Key
commands abound, and you can remap them if desired. A bunch
of built-in effects are included graphic EQs, dynamics
processing, delay-based effects, etc. some of which are quite
usable, while others sound downright terrible. But no worries,
because Ocenaudio supports VST plug-ins. For example, Wave Arts
venerable but still excellent Power and Master Restoration Suites
[Tape Op #56, #60, #63] run great in Ocenaudio on my Surface 3.
One downside is that plug-ins and effects can only be tweaked
and previewed within a modal dialog window, using a condensed
set of playback controls. Other useful features of Ocenaudio
include FFT analysis, spectral display, file metadata editing,
annotatable markers, region-based editing, and even file-type
and sample-rate conversion. Given that Ocenaudio is
donationware and it runs lag-free on netbook-class Windows and
Linux machines (as well as on Macs), I think my one gripe is
inconsequential. Overall, Ocenaudio is well implemented and easy
to use, and I highly recommend it. For music consumption
and organization on Windows, I use MediaMonkey
<www.mediamonkey.com>. MediaMonkey plays back all
standard audio formats, plus a few esoteric ones too. The latest
version even supports ALAC (Apple Lossless) natively (no more
buggy plug-ins). Importantly, MediaMonkey is a very powerful
librarian that offers many tools for managing my audio files and
music library. It can even batch-process files transcoding,
metatagging, and renaming all the files in a given folder, for
example. The combination of MediaMonkey and GoodSync [Tape
Op #115 Gear Geeking] keeps my media library safely stored on
my Synology NAS servers and transcoded/copied to my various
devices (including a 200 GB microSDXC card in my Surface 3).
Unfortunately, MediaMonkeys UI makes me think that a group
of middle-schoolers wrote this program for Windows 95, while
drunk on their first six-packs. Third-party themes are available
for download, but most of these look like the work of Redditers
with too much time on their hands, abusing Microsoft Paint.
Allegations aside, I find MediaMonkey to be far more usable
and much more powerful than bloatware iTunes. Most
importantly, MediaMonkey has yet to eff up my music library
like iTunes has in the past. Which reminds me if you still
sync your mobile device to your iTunes desktop library,
MediaMonkey can do that too. AH

Eventide

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Gear Geeking w/ Andy

62/Tape Op#116/Gear Reviews/(continued on page 64)

Hilbish Design

PB-10 Beta instrument preamp

This rackmount preamp from Hilbish Design is based on

the circuitry of Sunn Beta Bass and Lead amps. When I
ordered my PB-10 Beta, my original intent was to use it with
bass and guitar. But once I had it in my studio, I discovered
that its an ideal tool for adding tone, color, weight, and
character to other instruments and sounds too.
Hilbish Design is a small company from Lynchburg, VA,
run by Nathan Hilbish and his wife Ashley. Everything is
hand-built by Nathan, and parts are sourced locally when
possible. When I received the PB-10, I was immediately
struck by the weight and feel of it. Its solid and durable,
and the controls are clearly presented. Obviously, it was
designed and built with care, and without compromise for
quality. The aforementioned Sunn Beta Lead amp is most
famously in use by King Buzzo of the Melvins, and its
been a part of his signature sound for much of his
recording and touring career. Over the years, Sunn
preamps have become harder to come by and are often in
need of repair due to aging components. In fact, since
Nathan released his PB-10, King Buzzo has made the
switch to Hilbish for his stage rig!
The PB-10 has two channels labeled A and B
each with its own pots for Drive, Bass, Mid, Treble, and
Level. In addition, theres a Master Volume knob that
feeds the master output, which is accessible via 1/4
jacks in front and back of the unit. Channel inputs are
available on three front-only 1/4 instrument jacks
one each for A and B, and one that feeds both A and B.

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Please Support Our Advertisers/Tape Op#116/63

The New MS47 Mark II

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Hand built by the Mic Shop in Franklin TN

A custom footswitch (included) assigns A, B, or the A+B mix to the master output. Each
channel also has its own effects loop, with 1/4 send and return jacks in front and back.
Needless to say, the routing capabilities are extremely flexible when using the PB-10 with
instrument amps or with the gear in your control room. For example, you can use it with a
power amp ( la King Buzzo), or to front load a tube amp, or even as an insert effect with your
DAW (utilizing stompbox-interfacing or re-amping devices).
For my initial testing, I fed the PB-10 into my solid-state Traynor Group One head, choosing
a 74 Rickenbacker 4001 bass and a Traynor YBA 215 cab. For guitar, I switched to a 73 Guild
S-100 and a 68 Marshall 412. The first thing I noticed was how consistent the tone remained
from string to string. I began twisting knobs and immediately cranked up the gain (how could
I not?), finding a distinct tipping point between beautifully overdriven and absolutely crushing.
With both channels active one quite distorted/rumbly, and the other on the cleaner/brighter
side the PB-10 produced one of my favorite sounds. Blending the two together was perfect
because I was able to hear just enough attack from my instrument, yet all of the great qualities
of heavy distortion and sustain were still retained. It also sounded great when I backed off the
PB-10s Drive and turned up its Level fairly high to overdrive the Master Volume.
I had loads of fun front-loading tube amps with the PB-10, like my 69 Traynor YBA-1, 66
Vox AC50, and 69 Laney Supergroup amps. The signature tones and behaviors of these amps
remained intact, but with the lovely addition of the PB-10. A favorite pairing was the PB-10
into the AC50. The headroom, clarity, and low end are outstanding on the Vox, which allowed
the Hilbish to function with a little more transparency than it did with the other amps. Im a
bit of a pedal addict, and I found this preamp to exhibit enough uniqueness to stand out from
anything I own. Theres absolutely no concern for a lack of low end, even with the most extreme
distortion settings. And with the channel switching feature, there are almost too many options.
(Not a bad thing!)
During a recent session, my client came in with bass lines he had recorded at home, using
just a DI box with the aim of re-amping his tracks in my studio. We stacked up a pile of heads
and two cabinets, allowing us to switch things up from song to song. The PB-10 ended up on
most tracks when we needed to sculpt the tone or add some grit. My client and I both found
it to be an asset on his recording.
Thoroughly impressed with using the Hilbish in its intended role, I decided to bring it into
my control room for a forthcoming mix session. Because it has 19 rack ears (3RU high), I was
able to drop it into a rack and patch it in with ease. I was working with a band called Young
Tricksters from Amherst, MA. Their songs tend to be long and quite dense, so I knew I needed
to pull some tricks in the mix to get all of the elements sitting together.
One of the struggles of this project all along was getting the bass to hold its own during
playback. Most of these songs were a labyrinth of guitar tracks, very large drums (26 kick drum)
played in a very large room, strings, piano, and very dense vocal arrangements. When all of
these things started stacking up, sometimes the bass would get a bit squashed even though I
was using and abusing my high-pass filters! In the past, when situations like this arose, I
usually reached for one of my old 70s Electro-Harmonix Hot Tubes pedals to help give the bass
some width and mass in the mix by blending the original recorded signal with the signal
processed through the pedal. But this time, I used the PB-10 instead.
Because of its versatile tone control, I was able to sculpt the bass sound in a way that
widened the lows and extended the top, so I was able to achieve amazing amounts of openness
and attack. For those big, heavy, crushing moments at song endings, when there are one too
many guitar tracks, I could simply switch to the other channel, which was set with more gain
and lows, and the bass sat there perfectly clear and massively heavy! The bass player asked me
to use the PB-10 along with his original tone for all of the tracks we mixed, which says a lot
about this unit.
I also ran drum channels through the PB-10 for a breakdown in one song, and was impressed
by the thickness I was able to dial in to the blend of drum mics. Distorted vocals? No problem!
With the PB-10, you can go for clarity with some edge, or all-out fuzzed vocal treatments.
After spending about two weeks with the PB-10, I realized that it had become an absolute
asset to my workflow whether for tracking/reamping bass and guitar, or for use as a mixing
tool. We all love getting new toys for our studios, and its ideal when these toys become tools
that are integrated into our everyday workflow. The Hilbish Design PB-10 is all of that. You can
get your new gear fix with it, while acquiring a means to add unique textures to your
recordings. When brought into a mix situation, it proved to be an amazing box for heightening
character. It solved problems as well as provided our mixes with really cool sounds we would
have struggled to obtain with a plug-in. Whether youre a bass or guitar player looking for a
new box for color and distortion, or a producer looking to add a new secret weapon to your
collection, the Hilbish Design PB-10 is an excellent investment at a surprisingly reasonable price.
If youre an engineer like me who prefers using pedals and re-amping over plug-ins, you will
absolutely dig this box. ($547 direct; www.hilbishdesign.com)
Justin Pizzoferrato <jmpizzoferrato@gmail.com>

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$4700 Direct

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Custom Haufe BV8 output transformer
Siemens NOS E81CC tubes.
Hand built point to point construction

Nashvilles best vocal secret!

More info: www.micshop.com

64/Tape Op#116/Gear Reviews/(continued on page 66)

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Please Support Our Advertisers/Tape Op#116/65

om

Gregory Scott of Kush Audio is not your run-of-the-mill,

audio-gear-making man. Everything he builds seems to be
conceived out of a need to satisfy some aspiration that he
himself is chasing. Sure, the Empirical Labs FATSO Jr [Tape
Op #24] is great, but his UBK mod makes it even better
[#79]. His Clariphonic parallel equalizer [#88] re-imagined
how an EQ is supposed to behave, with controls like
Clarity and Focus hinting at its capabilities. And what
about Tweaker [#107], his tone-shaping, groove-bending
sonics-toolbox of a dynamics processor? Mine gets used on
everything I do. The point is, Kush Audio is among a
handful of gear designers who are unsatisfied with making
the next high-quality recreation of a classic design, but
instead, are always looking forward. In the case of Kush,
this search has yielded some stellar results. Needless to
say, when the opportunity arose to review Gregorys latest
offering, the Omega mic preamp system, I jumped at the
opportunity. I soon discovered that, ironically, the Omega
system both looks forward and takes serious inspiration
from the past.
The Omega is billed as an ultra-clean and transparent
mic preamp, that can be paired with Transformer plugins that transform its tone. Currently, two plug-ins are
available Model N for Neve, and Model A for API
but more will be coming in the future. (Kush plans to
release at least two new Models annually.) The hardware
preamp and the software plug-ins can be used
independently of each other, and the plug-ins are sold
separately.
There are many flavors of mic preamp out there, but
no two are more famous than the Neve 1073 and
API 312 and with good reason. The one from England
is thick and creamy, with loads of beautiful harmonic
distortion, and the other from the good old USA is a
punchy, harmonically rich beast. Between the two, you
are pretty well covered in terms of saturation and color.
On the other side of the spectrum are preamps like those
from Grace Design and Millennia Media. These are ultraclean and have close to zero coloration. Many orchestral
and jazz engineers seem to love and use them regularly,
if not exclusively. Omega enters the scene, and with the
addition of the Transformer plug-ins, planks itself across
this spectrum in terms of tone, flexibility, and
functionality.
The Omegas front panel is simple in layout. It sports
one big, fat knob for gain level, right in the middle of the
unit. Above it is a simple, five-step LED meter; and below
are pushbuttons for phantom power, polarity, and input
pad. One conspicuously missing feature is a 1/4 DI jack
on the front panel. I assumed this was a cost-saving
measure, but I hate to make assumptions, so I asked
Gregory about it:
I wanted this thing to be as affordable as humanly
possible, but have all the things it needed to function
as the system I envisioned. The meter almost didnt
make the cut either, but after using a meter-less
Omega prototype side-by-side with a metered one, the
right call was blindingly obvious. Aside from the fact
that I loved having that meter on my preamps, I
wanted newbies to have a clear idea of how to set
their levels, in order to get a clean signal to the
Transformer plug-ins.

.c

Omega Transformable 500-series

preamp & Transformer plug-ins

Regarding a DI, its a relatively simple add-on, but it

still involves a handful of parts that still cost something.
Then theres the cost of inserting and soldering those
parts. And the front panel needs an extra punch, which
adds cost. And then theres extra time required to test and
QC the functionality. All that annoying expense crap
accumulates and jacks up the street price faster than
people realize!
With that said, I think its easy enough to use your
favorite DI box via your 500-series frames standard input
connection, if you want to use the Omega Transformer
system for bass, synths, and other direct sources.
Moving on to the sound of Omega, it is as advertised
clean and pristine. For my personal setup, I have typically
gone for units that have their own tonal personality
API, Burl, Daking, Altec, Neve. But I have often used Grace
and Millennia in other studios on sources like acoustic
guitar, piano, or strings, when an uncolored sound was
appropriate.
One nice benefit to a super-clean preamp is that you
can more honestly hear your mics. Of course, just as is true
with preamps, mics too have their own personalities and
voices. Having this amount of clarity on the preamp side
allowed me to evaluate my mics in a new light, and with
confidence that the mic personalities I was hearing were
not actually the preamps. I used Omega preamps (without
the plug-ins yet) on the same sort of sources as I did in
the past with the Grace and Millennia acoustic guitar,
percussion, some background vocals, and my acoustic
upright bass as well. All sounded like they should, and
honestly, as I expected them to. The resultant tracks came
out clean, clear, and well recorded.
I especially appreciated the Omega on acoustic guitar,
using a Schoeps CMC 6 cardioid SDC. It was a big sound
that was tonally balanced. The Omega has plenty of
headroom, and it was as simple as pointing the mic at the
twelfth fret and turning the big knob to get the proper
level. I was off and running. For variety sake, I swapped
the Schoeps for a Royer R-122 MKII active ribbon [Tape Op
#113]. It was also a pleasure to hear a beautifully
unadorned sound from this mic, in all its glory. The clean
and clear option of the Omega really let me hear the mics
and the differences that each one brought to the table.
Dont get me wrong finding that great pairing of mic
and preamp for a particular source is one of the most
satisfying things about recording. But having an uncolored
option is also a great thing. Another value of this type of
preamp is that it presents a new level of detail, especially
when partnered with a mic in the same league (such as the
aforementioned Schoeps).
So, now we have clean and pristine covered. But what
happens when you get to, Wow, I wish that guitar was a
bit bolder in the color department. Thats when I
magically pull out of my hat, two Transformer plug-ins.
Like other Kush Audio products, the Transformer plugins are capable of serious tone-shaping. The two Models
N and A are distinct flavors that are artfully captured
here. From subtle harmonic-glow, to blown-out blaze-ofglory, these plug-in companions to Omega really open a
door of sonic possibility, despite their deceptively simple
UIs. Audio enthusiasts without the cash to purchase
original Neve and API modules can now access these
famous tones, and on every channel if desired.
The main feature of both Transformer plug-ins is a knob
for Intensity. Flanking the knob are polarity and pad
buttons. At the default setting of 50% Intensity, there is a

The Retro Doublewide Compressor

Everything sounds better
through a Retro.

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A Fairchild will set you back $30,000

but you can have real tube compression
today for just $995 from Retro
Instruments. The Doublewide is the best
value of its kind and is handcrafted
in Californias Central Valley alongside
our 176 and Sta-Level.
Contact your pro-audio dealer
today for a demo.

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A compressor this
big should take up
your entire rack.
At $995 it leaves
some room in
your wallet, too.

Kush Audio

retroinstruments.com

66/Tape Op#116/Gear Reviews/(continued on page 68)

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We recreated history...
So that you can make history.

acmeaudio.net
Please Support Our Advertisers/Tape Op#116/67

Myriad batch-processing
software

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From the smart folks who brought us the audioediting and mastering application Triumph, comes a
complete redesign of their powerful batch-processing
tool for macOS Myriad arrived not a moment too late
for this sloppy two-fingered typist.

.c

Audiofile
Engineering

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If youre anything like me, your file structures and

naming conventions on your computer are a mess. My
adoption of any number of, ahem, best practices over
the years has, in turn, only compounded the issue. One
project file nomenclature doesnt always match up to the
next. Ingesting mix files or projects from other
engineers sessions only seems to further exacerbate the
situation, until I can no longer easily scan a Spotlight
search, because file names like 11.3.9 lo pass
take1B.wav bump up against others like
audio76537_110bpm.aif. Dont even get me started on
my folder names!
So, Myriad to the rescue right? Well, yes but
lets first define what Myriad is, and isnt. An evolution
of Audiofiles earlier Sample Manager application, Myriad
is an elegantly designed, intuitive tool for
batch processing and organizing your audio files. While
it wont tell you which comprehensive file-naming
convention you should use (do a little Googling if you
want to see countless ways of naming your
files correctly), it will help you implement whichever
meaningful system you choose. Perhaps more important
than the ability to clean up your messes is Myriads skill
at building repeatable actions and workflows. Say you
have to export groups of files in a variety of samplerates, bit-depths, and file-types and repeat this
precise behavior for your client for every stem-mix
session. Its here where Myriad really shines, because its
super easy to configure and customize file outputs,
using incredibly powerful workflows, and build
deliverables in just about any conceivable file format

om

vintage 1073? I dont know. I dont own one to make

a scoped A/B comparison and, does it matter? Most
vintage gear sounds a little different unit-to-unit
anyway. If these plug-ins do not nail it 100%, they are
certainly damn close, and being in the ballpark is close
enough for me. Oh yeah, and theyre $29 bucks each
a no brainer. They sound really good.
One advantage of this two-part system is that, if you
are feeling wishy-washy, you can use Omega preamps to
capture a pure recording, and then you can make the
call on tonal personality with the Transformer plug-ins
at a later time. Or, you can plug in, crank up some
classic British or American preamp flavor, and commit
to a vibe that will inform the next step of your tracking.
No matter your method, the partnership of the Omega
500-series preamp and Transformer plug-ins is going to
provide you with great quality and flexibility in a very
affordable package.
(Omega $549 street; Transformer plug-ins $29 each;
www.thehouseofkush.com) GS

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real, noticeable tonal shift imparted on the track. At

first, I was unsure that starting there was the right
choice, but it does give you a sense of what each plugin is capable of doing and then you can make your
adjustments from there.
Model N adds quite a bit of Neve-like fatness to the
sound, and as you can imagine, it will be a benefit to
some sources, but not to all. I first tried it on a piano
track and found myself wanting to dial it back quite a
bit, as it brought out the tubbiness I was inclined to
reduce. So, a little went a long way in giving the track
just the right amount of extra glow and richness. I then
tried Model A, and I found that it was a little crispier
when pushed hard, and overall, it provided a more
forward tone. After this first test, it quickly became
evident that this realm of Transformer-enabled tonalshaping is an open playground, and you are certain to
find some character enhancement within the turn of
the knob.
Recording an electric guitar direct (with a Radial
Engineering DI plugged into an Omega), and using the
Transformer plug-ins for tone-shaping, was also pretty
cool. I was able to achieve the John Lennon, DI fuzzy
sound with some success. Adding some compression
took the sound the extra mile. I am sure with more time,
I will find all sorts of ways to utilize this preamp and
plug-in system to great ends.
Even if you dont have the expectation that the
Transformer plug-ins sound exactly like a Neve or API,
the plug-ins are just great tone-shaping tools anyway.
Does Model N go completely head-to-head with a

6050 Ultimate Channel Strip plug-in

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In 2010, McDSP released the 6030 Ultimate

Compressor plug-in [Tape Op #105], which offered ten
different compressors in one virtual rack some
original concepts as well as some inspired by classic
analog units. A few years later, they did the same
with the 6020 Ultimate EQ. Now, McDSP has
combined both Ultimates into a single plug-in, with
an additional eight new modules, for a total of 28
processing effects in 6050 Ultimate Channel Strip.
6050 has three module bays for creating your
lunchbox-style channel strip. Modules are broken
down into three categories and are selectable from
the left side of the plug-in window: EQ, Comp, or
More. Either drag-and-drop modules onto each bay or
right-click the top of the desired bay and choose your
module via a dropdown menu. Master input and
outputlevel rotary knobs make gain-control easy,
and a polarity switch at the output certainly never

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McDSP

hurts. Lastly, each bay has its own sidechain key and
key-listen switch for auditioning the master sidechain
input. This means you can have any (or all) of your
module bays look to the master sidechain for its key.
Most of the compressor modules, like C 671,
Opto-C2 and L2, BC-22, SST 77, and Over EZ2, were
inspired by classic analog compressors. Each
compressor has a corresponding EQ based on similar
circuitry I found myself using the combo of
British E into BC-22 most often, but really loved
McDSPs original FRG compressor and EQ too. To go
through every module would be exhausting and
useless for those already familiar with 6020 and 6030,
so Ill stick to whats new in 6050.
First up are two new EQ modules: MEF 1 and E404.
MEF 1 (mid-emphasis filter) is a high and lowpass
filter with an added emphasis circuit to boost
whatever remains between the two roll-offs. Its an
obvious choice for any filter effects, but even more
useful for focusing a sound to fit in a mix. E404 is a
throwback to the classic FilterBank E4, which was the
first McDSP plug-in I used and is still a favorite of
mine today. An excellent, clean EQ Im very happy
to see it reimagined for 6050.
There are also three new saturation, overdrive,
and distortion modules: S671, Moo-D, and D-100.
S671 is the least extreme of the bunch and for me
the most practical. It can add a lot of life and
character, without drastically changing the source,
so its great for fattening up anemic recordings or
de-digitalizing brittle vocals and cymbals. Moo-D

.c

comprehensive sample manager and batch processor. I

found myself using Myriad far more often than tools like
Adobe Audition, if for no other reason than Myriads UI
is waaaay easier on my eyes and brain. There are a few
gaps notably a lack of VST support, although most AU
plug-ins are supported during processing (but I
abandoned AU years ago). But overall, Myriad is a beast.
Id highly recommend checking out the free 7-day trial!
($79.99 direct; www.audiofile-engineering.com)
Dana Gumbiner <danagumbiner.com>

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with the least possible sonic impact. Myriad is not,

however, meant to be a full-featured sample editor, with
crossfades, etc. It does offer some basic waveform
editing, but splice-and-dice isnt its bag.
Myriad uses the Goodhertz Sample Rate Converter and
Goodhertz Good Dither algorithms, each with selectable
advanced filtering and noise-shaping options that allow
for (in my testing, at least) pristine and error-free file
conversion. I converted a number of file types, including
WAV, AIFF, and MP3, to FLAC, Ogg Vorbis, and many
other types. Bit-for-bit, I heard no difference in
comparable conversions, meaning every print or copy
made with Myriad remained clean and retained its
original character and quality, as expected. Obviously,
when converting to alternate bit-depths or sample-rates,
your mileage may vary, but I found Myriad to be a far
more reliable and better user experience than,
say, any DAWs default file export feature.
Moreover, the insights Myriad offers are huge. For any
given file, Myriad provides a detailed analysis at a
glance, going way beyond codec and file-size. Myriad
shows left and right peak, positive and negative
maximums, peak-to-peak, RMS, averages, root pitch,
mid/side peaks, loudness (configurable in either LU or
LUFS values), and a lot more. All industry-standard
metadata types are viewable as well, and these can be
edited during processing.
Myriads waveform viewer is dead-simple by design,
and while sample-accurate, it doesnt offer a ton of
functions beyond your basic crop-and-snip. But again,
Myriad isnt meant to be an audio editor; rather, its a

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Pro2A active nearfield monitor

So Ive been engineering long enough that the entire

concept of studio monitors has changed. The ubiquitous,
dual 15, soffit-mounted monitors are not usually the go
to reference, since smaller nearfield monitors came on the
scene. At first, these smaller monitors were mostly reappropriated home speakers (NS-10... cough) and they
certainly had some value; they offered a bit more of a
living room reference as compared to the tri-amplified
beasts that had been part of the front wall of the control
room. But in many cases, these new smaller speakers had
their shortcomings. This wasnt really a problem unless they
were used as the only monitor source, which is exactly what
started to happen. While somewhat flawed monitors can
deliver valuable information when referenced in
combination with other speakers, overall translation can
really suffer if they are used as the only source for mixing.
As smaller nearfields became more popular and more
available, people demanded more from them. They shifted
away from being the home speaker reference to taking
over the role of the mains. This meant that better
accuracy and performance was needed. Even if the monitor
speaker is small, good performance is still expensive to
build. With some higher performance nearfields having a
$10,000 price tag, we really have to weigh the compromise
of price verses performance. The Ocean Way Audio Pro2A
offers quite a nice option that makes that decision easier.
Okay, first the raw specs. The Pro2A has a fairly
conventional cabinet design, except for the fact that it
vaguely resembles the Transamerica Pyramid building in San
Francisco. (Its wider on the bottom than it is on the top.)

Its a two-way ported system with an 8 woofer and a silkdome tweeter. This doesnt sound too esoteric, but dont let
that fool you. The woofer is aluminum, which according to
Ocean Way owner Allen Sides [Tape Op #106], allows for a
higher crossover frequency, which in turn supports higher
volumes and greater impact for a cabinet of this size. After
listening, I tend to agree. Each monitor is bi-amplified with
two 125 W Class D amps, one for each driver. The monitors
accept both balanced analog and AES digital inputs.
Okay, now the important stuff: translation, sound, and
overall fun factor. I saw a video of Allen Sides talking about
these speakers, and he said something that caught my
attention, because it has been one of my mantras; Allen just
wanted to mix and not think about the characteristics of
the speakers, and have the mix just translate. Now in reality,
its not always that simple. We all have different preferred
tastes in monitor characteristics. If not, there would be one
monitor that everyone used, as deemed the best. So no
matter how great, any monitor has a degree of a learning
curve to totally understand the translation. But in my
experience, with a pair of Pro2As, I was able to just mix.
So, how is the sound? Where to start? Lets talk about
low end. First of all, Im glad we can talk about it, because
it exists! Thats not something you can always take for
granted with an 8 nearfield. There actually is definition in
the low frequencies, and not the floppy band-pass sort.
Actual, controlled, low end. Now, that doesnt mean you
couldnt add a sub for more thump in the last octave. But
the Pro2A performs very solidly, despite its compactness.
Now, for the rest of it.
This is not a subtle monitor. It is in your face, but that
certainly doesnt mean harsh. It is a very present-sounding
monitor, revealing a great deal of detail. The transients are

.c

Ocean Way Audio

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is a tube-style overdrive with a little bit more

presence and top-end bite than S671, while D-100 is
a straight-up distortion unit in the same vein as the
SansAmp PSA-1.
And of course, every channel strip needs a
gate/expander, so 6050 gives you three: iX, FRG X, and
dbx-inspired EZ G. All three feature the standard
controls youd expect, along with high and lowpass
filters on the sidechains.
All these different processing options make 6050 a
real Swiss Army plug-in. I loved it on individual drum
inserts, mainly for the ease of having all the goods in
one spot. And thats the real success of rack-style
plug-ins for me the convenience of opening one
insert, and everythings there in one place. Even
better, 6050 lets you audition different modules while
maintaining your settings. So if you dial in an EQ or
compression setting thats working, but you want to
hear a different module on the job, you can swap them
in and out without losing settings. My only gripe is
that I found some modules sounded a little too
similar I couldnt hear much difference between a
few of the compressors and EQs. This would be a much
bigger issue if the modules didnt deliver, but they do!
6050 Ultimate Channel Strip certainly packs a lot
into a single plug-in, all without a heavy tax on your
CPU. I think youd be hard pressed to find another
multi-module plug-in with this many useable features,
especially at McDSPs asking price. You can purchase
the plug-in with AAX Native, AU, and VST support
or with the addition of AAX DSP support. (Native $279,
Native plus AAX DSP $379; www.mcdsp.com)
Dave Cerminara <davecerminara@gmail.com>

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SONAR Platinum 2016.09

It has been well over a year since Cakewalk started

offering SONAR [Tape Op #107], their flagship DAW, with
rolling updates and an installment-based payment model.
You can still purchase the software license outright, cash
on the barrelhead; or you can divide your payment into
12 monthly installments. Either way, you start by
downloading the latest version of the software, then you
receive free updates for one year. At the end of the year,
you still own the license free and clear. At this point,
if you want to continue receiving updates, you can pay
for just the updates at a lower monthly cost, and you can
choose to stop your update payments at any time after
this first year. Importantly, the current model for the toptier SONAR Platinum edition is a lifetime of updates at no
additional cost. (This special pricing for Platinum is
available until the end of 2016.)
Note that Cakewalks installment plan is nothing like
the subscription models from the likes of Avid and
Adobe their software stops working after you finish
paying, forcing you to pony up more cash, month after
month. In other words, Cakewalk doesnt cripple your
SONAR after youve finished your payments. (To be fair,
Avid does offer a perpetual license in addition to a
subscription, so you can pay up front for Pro Tools and
keep the license, but no installment plan is available.)
Rolling updates mean that Cakewalk is eschewing the
standard practice of releasing a new, paid version of SONAR
every year. Instead, feature updates are published about
once a month. Personally, Ive always been leery of updating
to a completely new version of my best-friend software,

especially if Im in the middle of a project and Im always

in the middle of something. So I usually take some time
before committing actual work to the latest and greatest,
continuing to use the previous version until Im sure the
new one will hold up. On the other hand, these new, bitesized updates cause a lot less worry and are much quicker
to test. And mercifully, Cakewalk has a new application for
all this downloading and updating. Cakewalk Command
Center keeps track of all your Cakewalk software and makes
sure you have the latest versions on your computer,
automating the drudgery of updating.
What is in these updates? The kinds of things you would
expect to find in any new revision of a DAW bug fixes,
of course, but also ergonomic solutions and improvements
in the engine, as well as in the included ancillary software.
Over the summer of 2016, the updates contained plenty of
bug fixes, but also improvements to touchscreen control
and a pop-up virtual keyboard; a Theme Editor for
personalizing the color scheme of the Skylight UI;
improvements in the Browser and in the comping facilities;
and updates for the included mastering plug-ins. These are
just some of the changes. Cakewalk also has an online page
hinting at future developments, like ripple-editing for large
project sections; better core-balancing; and even more
Theme, Browser, and comping improvements.
One of the great things about small, monthly updates is
how quickly Cakewalk can implement changes in one
function, get user feedback, and then quickly release any
needed bug fixes and user-suggested changes. (Yes, Virginia,
Cakewalk reads your suggestions.) In the past, the big yearly
updates introduced so many changes across the spectrum
that it made it hard to tell if one fix broke something else
when the new version mainstreamed on thousands of

.c

Cakewalk

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all there. You can easily hear your EQ changes while mixing.
Imaging is good. The sweet spot is wide and balanced, with
no perceived response changes as you move left to right.
I mixed some tracks trying not to get my brain in the
way just trying to make it sound the way I wanted it to
on the Pro2As. With any monitor system, there is usually a
getting used to it procedure that involves checking the
mixes on various playback systems. Then, you make mental
notes about what you have to remember about the monitors
idiosyncrasies. This list was very short for the Pro2A. The lows
and mids offered a near-perfect translation to all of the
playback systems I tried. The only thing to which I had to
make a slight adjustment was the very top end. I found I
needed to very lightly boost the high frequencies while
mixing by less than 1 dB. Then the sound and translation
fell into place wonderfully. To be clear, I did not interpret this
as a fault of the speaker, but rather a very minor learning
curve adjustment that I had to make for myself.
The built-in Class D amps didnt show signs of strain, even
at higher volumes. In fact, the Pro2A can crank out a
surprising amount of SPL without breathing hard. The
speaker really does deliver no compromise performance,
and it would have no trouble in the role of a primary monitor.
Although this model is the least expensive in the Ocean
Way lineup, it certainly reflects the pedigree of the larger
systems. The shocking thing is the price/performance
ratio $3,500 for a pair. While the Pro2A isnt an entrylevel monitor, it performs like a product with double the
price tag. If you want to step up from the music store
caliber of speakers, do yourself a favor and take a look at a
pair of these. Its well worth the investment.
(Each $1,749 street; www.oceanwayaudio.com)
Kirt Shearer <kbshearer@sbcglobal.net>

APS

Aeon & Klasik active monitors

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Speakers are hugely important to what we do as engineers. I can hear the collective
Duh! as you all read this. This has only recently become a revelatory Aha moment
for me. Im certain this has something to do with the fact that I only really work at my
own studio, and Ive had the same HiVi Swans M1 speakers for the last 18 years. Until
very recently, I was extremely happy with these boxes and the drivers in them, mostly
because of the real-world quality they impart, due to the ribbon tweeters they sport,
and also because they are flat and unflattering in response. So I almost hate to say it,
but they have been dethroned by one of the subjects of this review the APS Aeon.

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Note that Cakewalk and its software partners provide options to add or upgrade to
full versions on the cheap, which is a nice plus. Cakewalks Rapture Pro, for example, is
a separate purchase but builds on their sample-based Dimension Pro and Rapture synths
[Tape Op #61] that come with Platinum. All three of those, as well as the more analog
Z3TA+ Classic (also included with Platinum) and Z3TA+ 2 show off Cakewalks
considerable synth programming chops. Their CA-2A Leveling Amp (an LA-2A opticalstyle compressor) is another great emulation Id love to have more such effects to
slide into ProChannel (or as a simple VST into the track/bus effects slot).
One news flash worth mentioning is that Cakewalk is currently working on a macOS
version of SONAR. [Ive actually seen it running on a MacBook Pro. AH] Hopefully, this
will lead to a full-blown, dual-platform SONAR in the near future, with a single license
that covers both OSes.
Cakewalk is making me very happy with their new paradigms for payments and updates,
and SONAR itself remains a mature, stable DAW. Most of the rolling updates have been
gravy over the proverbial dish tasty, and makes your music go down easier. While each
of the rolling updates doesnt add a lot of new, shiny toys that users got with yearly,
numbered releases, a rock solid yet incrementally evolving DAW is still a great entre, and
all the rolling updates together add up to a nice selection of garnishes and sides.
(Platinum $499, or $49.99 per month; upgrades start at $199, or $14.99 per month;
www.cakewalk.com) Alan Tubbs <www.bnoir-film.com>

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systems. Smaller changes make for smaller problems, ideally. Its the difference between
working on an idling car rather than one barreling down the highway with the hood open
for both Cakewalk and its customers. And, at the end of the day, there is little to dislike about
more choice in methods of payment and keeping your software up-to-date.
All three editions of SONAR Artist, Professional, and Platinum share the same
Skylight UI, 64-bit engine, and unlimited counts for I/O, audio/MIDI tracks, and
sends/buses. Artist edition sports fewer Aux Tracks and Patch Points (more features
recently added), lacks most of the modules for the excellent ProChannel channel strip,
and comes with fewer plug-ins, instruments, and other tools. Visit the Cakewalk website
for a detailed comparison of features between the three editions. Platinum, of course,
contains every function and tool, and it loads up on synths and extra effects for the
professional studio or the need-it-all home recordist.
For example, XLN Addictive Drums 2 cracks the hardest recording nut drums. It has
an expandable kit selection, individual outs, and plenty of control over individual drums
everything that comes with a good software drum kit is included. The older but still very
useful Session Drummer 3 still comes with all three editions of SONAR. Next, a proprietary
version of Overloud TH3, also available edition-wide, offers quite a nice selection of amps,
cabs, and stompboxes you arrange virtually. Plus, TH3 is useful on tracks other than the
guitar (or bass), like for adding a touch of hair to help rock vocals cut through the mix.
One coming soon feature Im excited for, is heightened SONAR support for Softubes
hardware Console 1 digital mixer/processor. Speaking of Softube, as an early partner with
Cakewalk, the company has ProChanneled several of its excellent effects to the benefit of
the many SONAR users who rely on ProChannel. Cross deals have allowed Cakewalk to
concentrate on SONAR basics, while leaving the coding of high-end effects to others, although
Cakewalk is no slouch in that department. Their ProChannel SSL-style bus compressor is as
good of an emulation as Ive heard. And QuadCurve covers most EQ needs; with four bands,
plus high and lowpass filters, it is genuinely flexible (especially with various board
emulations built-in) and has a fly-out capability that overcomes the width restrictions of
ProChannel for more precise control. Other Overloud and Nomad Factory effects are included
too, as well as the respected Sonitus:fx suite. Finally, Professional and Platinum come with
Melodyne 4 Essential for all your vocal and other instrument correction needs.

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The next day, I had a session with High Bias extended family member Zach
Saginaw, who records and performs as Shigeto. Some of you may remember him from
my past reviews. He makes stellar music loosely on the fringes of ambient and hiphop, but he plays damn near everything, so its all fair game when hes here. On this
day, he brought along a band of straight crushers. Ian Finkelstein was on Wurlitzer
and keys, Charles Trees on synths, Brennan Andes on bass, and Josef Deas on keys
and bass. Shigeto was on drums. The purpose of this session was to gather fodder
for an upcoming Shigeto album. We tracked live for about eight hours, capturing
about five hours of straight music! I got to listen to the Aeons for hours. This session
took me from a well see standpoint, to thinking these speakers are some of the
best Ive heard, regardless of price. Throughout the day, I was blown away by the
detail and accuracy I was hearing from them. I have a crazy Sunfire True Subwoofer
Mark II here that is nothing short of burly. I had turned it off to get a better picture
of the low end I was hearing from the Aeons. There was one moment, when I was
standing halfway back in the room, I was so sure the sub was on, but when I doublechecked, the subwoofer was indeed off. The bass extension I was hearing was
actually coming from the Aeons. Seriously, the Aeon is only 2 dB down at 30 Hz. I
sat and listened to these speakers for hours that day. Despite the fact that I hadnt
yet mixed one note on them, by the time everyone left, I was really taken.
Lyrans is a group of local Detroit legends who make music best described as both
cerebral and visceral. David Shettler plays modular synth, drums, and keys. J Rowe
plays drums and percussion. And David Hurley plays a table full of weird noisemakers, as well as various acoustic and electronic instruments all with pedals in
line. The above description in no way depicts the true insanity of the setup these
guys bring. In real life, it looks like the back cover of Pink Floyds Ummagumma after
a tornado, if Tangerine Dream had found the remnants. Sonically, this isnt too far off
either, as the music ranges from austere and funky, to super spaced out, and back to
krautville sometimes all in the course of one jam. That day, Brian Ellis, who you
may know as the wizard behind the keys for Egyptian Lover for the better part of the
last decade, was at the helm, subtly steering the situation at hand and laying down
burner synth leads over the bands long-form sonic tapestry of sequenced landscapes.

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When a pair of these sexy, modern speakers arrived from APS, I was instantly defensive,
and while I was looking forward to auditioning them, I had no question they would go
back in the box after review time and head back to Poland. Wrong.
When I started at Ultrasuede Studio in Cincinnati during the 90s, I was blown away
by the way music sounded in the control room. It was a classic LEDE (live end, dead
end) room designed by Jeff Cooper. We had the ubiquitous NS-10Ms as well as a pair
of mid-level Tannoys with a subwoofer, and the room just sounded fantastic. I would
bring in records I liked and marvel at the detail I was unable to hear at home. It was
a time of great wonder for me as a young engineer. I then spent the next six years
trying to get the mixes I made there to translate to an assortment of living rooms
and automobiles and such with varying levels of success. I figured this was the job,
and trudged forth.
When I moved north, I set up studios in the various apartments and practice spaces
I rented, while I looked for a spot of my own. When I finally found the space I am in
now, spending the money on a professionally designed control room was perhaps
stupidly low on the list. I had grown accustomed to working in adverse conditions, and
I certainly couldnt afford the many thousands of dollars required to pay for proper
architectural drawings. So I settled on treating the room with plenty of DIY absorbers,
filling the space with lots of things that diffuse the sound, and keeping my speakers,
ears, and gear at a good distance out from the walls. Its a setup thats actually quite
suited for nearfield monitors, but still, you have to work hard to get sounds right, and
things dont just sound amazing right away, like they did at Ultrasuede.
Perhaps because of all this, mixes I do here at High Bias tend to translate to the
Honda or Ford environment a little easier. And thats one of the reasons I never really
think about speakers. That and the insane price tag attached to professional
monitors made the thought of upgrading my speakers a non-issue for me. That is,
until four rather heavy boxes arrived from Poland. These contained two different pairs
of APS powered monitors. I unboxed them late at night before the next days session,
setting them up in a matter of minutes the 8 woofer Aeon pair in my control room,
and the 7 Klasik pair in my B Room. I listened to Coltranes A Love Supreme through
the Aeons and went to bed stoked on the sound.

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The session went far and wide for ten hours or so, and yet again, I had the great
pleasure to listen to the Aeons all day. Because of the nature of the session, I could
freely move around the room, and I appreciated how the speakers filled the space and
sounded great no matter where I stood or sat. By night fall, I was completely sold on
the Aeons as a tracking tool, and I was now keen to knock out some mixes on them.
Mega Powers is the brainchild of Detroit heads Eddie Logix and Phil Pig Pen
DeSharnais. Their vibe ranges pretty severely from banger R&B tracks, to ambient
interludes, and to Balearic excursions. These guys are both established producers, and
their product is of utmost quality and potency. Its fun as hell to mix stuff thats this
eclectic, but its also challenging, since the methods often change with the tracks.
Having the Aeons on my side made this a breeze. Their intense accuracy made decisions
happen faster, and I spent less time mucking about. Stylistically, the songs seemed to
take shape and sound natural with very little adjustment. In the past, this had been a
challenge for me but not on this day with the Aeons!
Jenny Junior and Jackie Rainsticks sound like Nikki Sudden fronting The Slits with
Lisa Simpson on saxophone. The sound is at once infectious, and both naive and
familiar best summer jams ever! I was lucky enough to mix their new album
produced, by Ann Arbor rock genius Fred Thomas. We ended up recording some sax and
vocals and percussion too. The informative nature of the Aeons proved valuable on this
session as well. I was able to get out of the way of the songs, technique-wise, and let
the recordings speak for themselves not always easy for us engineers.
I also mixed the entire new Chris Bathgate record on the Aeons. For those unfamiliar,
Chris makes extremely ambitious music that often incorporates modular synth, Dobro,
Moog bass, and drums. We tend to make decisions early when recording, so it was
downright pleasant hearing the tracks come together so quickly through the Aeons.
Chris is here at High Bias almost as much as I am these days. He does sessions on his
own now, and he remarked that he finds the Aeons to be super accurate as well. The
only other critical listening that happened for this album, other than in Chriss van,
was on the Aeons little brother, the Klasik. The Klasik pair that I received has taken a
permanent spot on stands in the B Room, which is pretty much just a mixing desk with
a modular synth.
It seems infrequent that the smaller speakers of a line are as telling as their larger
siblings. The Klasik, on the other hand, offers the same kind of accuracy and detail as
the Aeon it just doesnt get as loud. It does however, have a flat frequency response,
down only 2 dB at 35 Hz! The two models, by the way, share identical electronics and
components in their crossovers, and use the same cellulose paper in their woofer cones.
The Klasik comes with an aluminum dome tweeter, while the Aeon can be ordered with
a titanium or fabric dome tweeter. I could totally mix a record on a pair of Klasiks, but
I just have the Aeons in the control room because I need their ability to go higher in
volume, for doing overdubs in the room.
I arrived at recording as a trade, coming from a musicians background. Before that,
I was just a lifelong music fan and obsessive enthusiast. Often, my first impressions
and instincts as an engineer are informed by this perspective. When the picture isnt
clear, it can be confusing at first. Whereas a more technical engineer would instantly
hear that an overabundance of 200 Hz in the bass needs to be reined in, it takes me
a while to identify a solution. The APS Aeon and Klasik speakers showed me that, given
an extremely clear picture, this job is much easier. In other words, these speakers get
me to the desired result faster, saving me time which is a valuable commodity for
any engineer. And the sometimes ego-damaging reality of second-guessing my work
has been lessened, thanks to these speakers which is priceless.
Build quality of these APS speakers is top notch, and the cabinets are shockingly
solid. I should also mention that both models have an insanely versatile inputsensitivity and room-response section. Honestly, my control room is big enough that I
never even looked at the back of the Aeon to adjust anything, but I did take the Klasik
pair on vacation to a cabin up north, and the Klasiks flexibility in setup really made
the whole thing enjoyable. Also worth mentioning is how attractive these speakers are.
They come in an amazing seven colors of choice!
I love Poland maybe because Im Hungarian. From the first time I went on tour
in that country, I was really taken with the people there. Im thinking this is no
coincidence. You look at what the folks at APS offer at this price point and you
can see that theyre doing it out of true passion. I love their Aeon and Klasik speakers,
and Im gonna be buried alongside them! For sales inquiries in the U.S. and Canada,
contact Timbre Studios <www.timbrestudios.com>. (Aeon pair $2,180 street, Klasik pair
$1,350; www.aps-company.com)
Chris Koltay <www.highbiasrecordings.com>

74/Tape Op#116/Gear Reviews/(continued on page 76)

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Please Support Our Advertisers/Tape Op#116/75

Zod Audio
ID DI

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Warm, rich, balanced, 3D, game changer if I could fill this review with nothing but
pro-audio buzzwords, then I could call it quits right here. But Ill try not to gush too
much throughout this review, because this box is so much more than that, and it
deserves a closer look.
Anyone who has ever dabbled in the DIY community has probably crossed paths with Dan
Deurloo and his custom enclosures and rackmount chassis <www.collectivecases.com>. Dan
is a fantastic builder in his own right, and he is the mind behind Zod Audio and the tube
DI he calls ID DI.
Unpacking the ID DI from the box reveals a sleek, gun-metal grey case with vented sides
and a top-mounted, stitched-leather handle. The rear sports an on/off toggle switch, a
standard IEC C14 inlet for the power cable, and a robust jewel light (thats amber for the
120 V model and green for the 230 V one). The front panel offers an unbalanced input on
a Neutrik Combo jack, an XLR jack for the balanced output, and a 1/4 unbalanced thru jack.
A chicken-head knob turns a full-range output attenuator, and flanking both sides of the
knob are switches for polarity and ground-lift.
The ID DI has a whopping 26 dB of available gain, but the output attenuator reins it back
to healthy levels with no problems. I am, admittedly, a bit of a gear nerd and a sucker for a
well-built piece of kit, so inevitably, I had to pop the top and take a peek inside. I am by no
means an expert on these things, but when I see components with labels like Vishay, Dale,
and Nichicon, I know Im looking at quality. The tube is a hand-selected NOS dual-triode 6N1P.
But what is most impressive is the custom output transformer. According to Dan, this is key
to the sound of this piece. Dan sources it from a small boutique winder who hand-makes these
five to ten at a time. This transformer is mighty hefty and impressive. Its pretty clear that
popping the top off this DI is like peeking under the hood of a suped-up hot rod.
Working on an album for an indie-rock band, I thought this would be a great opportunity
to put the ID DI into action. All signals were routed through a Universal Audio Apollo 16
Thunderbolt 2 interface [Tape Op #113], which handled conversion duties, and were monitored
through a pair of Amphion One15 speakers [#105] powered by a Parasound A21 amplifier.
The first source we used the Zod on was bass. In most cases, the DI has a strong enough
output to use without a preamp, keeping the signal more on the cleaner side. Its also fun to
drive the preamp for a little more color, or drive the DI into a compressor such as an LA-2A,
using the output section of the compressor to make up levels. We ended up running the ID DI
into a CAPI VP28 mic/line preamp [Tape Op #95], loaded with dual SL-2520 Red Dot opamps and Litz-wire transformers, as well as switching it up with an Avedis Audio MA5 preamp.
In both cases, we had complete control of gain-staging and were able to drive the front end
of these preamps as much (or as little) as we wanted. The bass we tracked just sat in the mix
perfectly, with punchy lows, mid-harmonic detail, and tube-sheen top. I had often thought
about picking up a studio-quality bass amp to have on hand, but any notions of that
investment were quickly extinguished. The ID DI was netting tones like a well-micd cabinet.
We also tracked keys through the Zod with stellar results. This time, we drove the levels
a little hotter, achieving a sweet saturation that really made things come to life, netting us
a punchy, 3D track with plenty of detail. The ID DI was giving us harmonically complex tracks
that were rich in tone, no matter what we threw at it.
It was also surprising to hear an electric guitar tracked through the Zod. Ive never been
a fan of a DId electric, but man oh man, was I surprised! The ID DI sounded really, really
great! By no means did it replace the sound of a speaker pushing air, but the DId tracks
yielded such richness and depth, that we used them all over the place to add some very cool
layers and textures.
We were hard pressed to find a fault with this box. Dan really hit it out of the park with
this one. The only thing is, now I want a second for a stereo pair!
The Zod is priced very, very fairly. You can purchase a new one for the same amount of
coin that youd spend on a high-end DI of similar quality on the used market. In fact, I
immediately sold my A-Designs REDDI tube DI [Tape Op #53] in favor of the Zod Audio ID DI.
Yes, Im very excited about this DI box. Dont let this one pass you by. I guarantee you need
this in your life. ($599 direct; www.zodaudio.com)
Adam Monk <indiehouserecording@gmail.com>

76/Tape Op#116/Gear Reviews/(Fin.)

www.tapeop.com

BONUS & ARCHIVED REVIEWS ONLINE!

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Please Support Our Advertisers/Tape Op#116/77

Colin Newman

A-Z, Provisionally Entitled The Singing Fish,

Not To LP/CD reissues

In Tape Op #88 I got to drop in on Colin Newman

at his home studio and talk to him for hours
about his band Wire, as well as the many projects
hes been in. This year sees the reissue of his first
three solo records, all remastered for LP and with
chock-full bonus CDs. Needless to say, this fan is excited
to hear more music from his post-Wire era of 1980 to
1982. All three of these albums were engineered by Steve Parker
at Scorpio Sound Studios in London, and the first one, A-Z, was produced
by Mike Thorne who also had produced all of Wires albums previous to this.

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Yeah, its kind of weird for me. Jason

White has worked for the Beggars
Banquet organization for a long
time. He did for a period run Too
Pure also. Ive always kept in
touch with him and hes actually
given me lots of good advice over
the years. He said to me a few
years back, almost four years ago,
that Beggars are allowing artists
to release their back albums on
vinyl. I thought that sounded
interesting. Maybe theres a
market for it. I kind of thought about it. Then I got in touch with them. Actually,
the thing is I wanted to do the CDs as well, because I have a bunch of extra tracks
that have never been released. Im kind of into the full disclosure thing; I might
as well make it all available. For me, this was such a long time ago I cant say I
ever connected with any of it, but perhaps the demos can provide different
contexts for the studio releases. After a lot of backwards and forwards, they came
back with a positive answer. I dont have the digital [rights]. Beggars still retains
it. They still own it. But Im just allowed to do what I like with it. Its taken me
forever to get it together because I have other things that I do as you are well
aware. Finally this year had to be the year basically, because next year is Wires
40th anniversary. Its a big year for Wire. So theres no way that I can be coming
along doing my own solo records. Then wed probably be looking at 2019 as the
next opportunity. I dont feel particularly close to those records. It was a long time
ago. They are, as three albums, basically informed by and constrained by Wire in
various ways. I havent done a solo record since 1998. It was in 1997 that Bastard
came out. So its not really my thing. I think I did the records, especially A-Z,
because the album was ready to go, and I kind of went ahead and did it. But it
was never from the point of view... you know people in groups, especially singers,
think that doing a solo album is a way to get a bit more famous, to get a bit more
attention. Im the star. Im not really that kind of person. For a start, Colin
Newman is actually my name. I have a big problem actually with the whole notion
of being an entity. I totally understand why Tame Impala, why David Bowie. Tame
Impala sounds like a group, but its a person. David Bowie sounds like a person,
but its actually not his real name. That kind of approach. Its one step removed.
You dont have to be the thing. I think I came to the conclusion... Im not saying
that Ill never do another solo record, because you can come at it in so many weird
and circuitous ways. But right now I dont really feel like it makes much sense. I
think thats one of the main reasons why Im so far from it. Apart from obviously
in the approach. I cant listen to a piece of music that Ive worked on without
thinking about how I would have done it better, or mixed it better, or kind of
approached it better. I dont feel like so much about the stuff that Ive done
recently, because I feel like Ive gone through so many loops with it and kind of
got it to a place where I think it sounds good. Whereas when I listen to A-Z, I think

om

I was excited to see your first three solo records re-released.

78/Tape Op#116/Music Reviews/(continued on page 80)

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Please Support Our Advertisers/Tape Op#116/79

<<< Music reviews continued from page 78

two things: God, how the hell did we do that? Some of those things seem like, I dont
know. I really have no idea how we did it, how we got everything in time. Its obviously
not concurrent playing. Its off loops somehow. And you cant get one tape loop in time
with another tape loop. Then secondly, my god, I mean, I remember when we mixed it.
We went to New York, a studio called Media Sound. The engineer, Harvey Goldberg, was
a kind of hot shot at the time. Mike thought he was the bees knees and should be the
one to mix it. I remember the first track we listened to. We were in this sort of anteroom
when he brought the first one up and I listened to it. Hed done probably the mix that
anyone would have done. He balanced it all very nicely. But I was like, Oh, no no no.
You need to turn up all the new things loud everything that was new to the track.
That was how the mixes turned out. Everything that was exciting and took the tracks
somewhere else was loud, and everything else was quiet. At the time, I didnt really
understand context. When we mixed like that, I like stuff that introduces elements of
chaos to tracks, but you can still hear the bass and drums and guitars providing bedrock.
I think theres a bit of that going on in the mixing. But its something I find very
exciting. Im happy with it.

om

I thought it opened a door to say that you can do this. You can just
layer things on top of each other.

ENAK MIC REPAIR. CLARENCE KANE.

RCA - 35 years, Enak Mic 24 years

856-589-6186 609-636-1789
WWW.ENAKMIC.COM ENAKMIC@COMCAST.NET

.c

I was talking to somebody who knows Mike Thorne as well, and he

thought Mike was using an early harmonizer or something to
kind of loop things digitally.

He had a Synclavier. As far as I knew, the Synclavier was a synth. It didnt do any kind of
sampling. Whether there was some kind of add on you could get at the time, I dont
know. He was heavily invested in the Synclavier. It cost the price of a house.

Yeah, I remember.

It was one of the attractions about working with him, because hed just got the Synclavier,
and it was kind of a big deal. Thats the top of the line, latest, bees knees synth on the
record. That was part of it. Mike always had added keyboards under heavy manners on Wire
records, because it was not regarded as being entirely kosher, but I do like keyboards in
general. I had a lot of keyboards on Wire stuff, so Im very comfortable with keyboards.
Im not really a keyboard player, but I like washes and the kind of things you can get out
of keyboards. I like the idea that there are a bunch of sounds where you dont really know
where they come from. They could be very effected guitars, or a keyboard, or anything.
What I was doing at the time was really living in that world. It was kind of interesting.
The original idea was it would be more like he [Mike] was in the band as opposed to just
producing it. That wasnt necessarily the most successful thing. But I think it worked out
for the record. Its a funny thing. I do find some of it almost unlistenable. I think its really
interesting that youve got, like especially like I said, youve got the Riverside Demos, so
youve got the band, thats how the three of us played those pieces. They come up
sounding not at all terrible. Theyve got a bit more life to them than that. Youve also got
my original recordings which are kind of lo-fi, but they give a different kind of flavor. Thats
actually me writing it. A lot of the times I was just... Mike lent me a String Machine. He
got three sounds from it. You could do chords from it. That was something you couldnt
really do. And an EMS Synthi, which obviously you can do anything with. Theres no
keyboard. You could get a keyboard for it, but it wasnt a keyboard texture. It was just
fiddling with the knobs. I had at one point a LinnDrum. Troisieme was written on a
LinnDrum. Its the only song in the world thats ever been written on a LinnDrum, I can
more or less guarantee. I did it just because I could.

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MCI and MCI/Sony Analog Service

Subscription from Steve Sadler:
ex MCI/Sony Senior Service Eng.

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I think that the key to the album is the line in Ive Waited Ages of Im deliberately
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Pink Flag has got two chords, and this ones only got one, and its even more melodic.
Theres a lot of tape loops. The basic substrate of Ive Waited Ages is an idea Mike
[Thorne] and I were fooling around with on 154. I dont know if we actually used it. We
did it with voices. We had at one point a multitrack of vocal loops, starting with the
bottom octaves with Hilly Kristal, and then my voice in the middle, and then I cant
remember who, a female singer, who was singing ahs in loops and we had them all
on a 24-track. He could play them and push up certain notes. I think that was a kind
of production tool that hed made. Obviously as soon as Fairlights came in this was all
over. This new one was done with distorted guitars. So its a chord, I guess its E, made
up of loops of distorted guitars. Thats kind of where it comes from. In a track like SS-S-Star Eyes. It obviously goes off a loop. I have no idea how we did it. It obviously
goes off a loop. I just dont know.

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80/Tape Op#116/Music Reviews/

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Well, the thing about Singing Fish was that you have
to understand what happened. Basically Im quite
rubbish at being a solo artist. I really have no concept
of what you need to do. I think especially ATCO, who
were the American licensee, was absolutely appalled
that I wasnt going to do a tour the record. There was
a band but it was under my name. Robert [Gotobed]
and Desmond [Simmons], who were the core of the
band at the beginning, didnt want to be in my
backing band. They were happy to play a couple of
records and happy to play a couple of gigs, but they
didnt want to play in something called Colin
Newman, because they are their own people, which
makes perfect sense, but I was the one who had the
record deal. I wasnt starting another project. This is
why I said I was constrained by Wire. Actually, and
Robert and I have talked about this more recently, we
wouldnt have done another project, because we were
kind of figuring that Wires going to come back around
the block before too long. We happened to be
committed to some other kind of thing. We never
have been then, or now, or at any other time, at the
expense of any other important project Im involved
in. I dont have such a big ego that I need to have
my project first. Thats kind of the important element
of it. So the fact that I wouldnt tour and wouldnt
support it and didnt want to do another record the
same to follow up meant that Mike Thorne and I had
a very big falling out in New York after the mixing,
because I wanted to do a record, Provisionally Entitled
the Singing Fish. I had this idea, because it was like
when they had the very first series, the BBC nature
documentaries, they had all these soundtracks. They
had really interesting soundtracks. You could do this
kind of music. You didnt have to do albums and stuff
and try to sell them or go on the road. You could get
paid for doing music like this. Im by far not the first
musician and by no means the last to have thought,
Hey, thats free money for doing what I love, and
totally failing to connect with it. That was the
original idea for the Singing Fish. The test was
there was a B-side to Inventory, which was a 7-inch

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The next record was Provisionally

Entitled the Singing Fish. I never
knew until these demos and stuff that
there were versions of those songs
with lyrics.

that I had to cobble together. It was just me. I was Yeah. I am actually by nature... when I write a song on
in the studio with [engineer] Steve Parker and had a
the acoustic guitar, itll have an intro, verses,
day to do a B-side. We could just track This Picture
choruses, instrumental sections, all that is written in
which does have vocals on it. That was actually the
the beginning. If its a Wire song, its brought to
beginning of how to do Provisionally Entitled the
Wire and they form the arrangement around the
Singing Fish. I thought we could do that if he could
basic thing that Im playing. So Im very aware of
get the studio, I could just go in. Actually the first
structure, but I also play with it a lot. I always have.
one, Fish One (nobody knows what it is, but Im
There are songs in the Wire catalog, for example,
kind of revealing it now) is [Wires] Mannequin. Its
Mercy, which I cant stand, because I dont like the
Mannequin sped up.
structure. How many artists have you come across
who dont like something of theirs because they
Oh weird.
dont like the form or the structure of it? Not that
Its the chord sequence from the verse of Mannequin.
many. I dont know what it is, but it kind of annoys
Its just all the chords, but I played it at whatever the
me. I think I was part of the kind of thing of doing
slowest tape speed was and then we sped it up to the
Singing Fish was kind of freeing myself a bit from
faster tape speed. It was 15 ips to 30 ips, so thats
having to be... there werent songs. The vocal Fish
probably going up an octave. That was sort of what it
tracks were actually added later. That was because
was. There was an existing sample from You and Your
after I got back from India, in what must have been
Dog, which was again sped up twice as fast and
84. I was re-releasing everything on CD. They said if
became another of the Fish songs. Its a completely
I could do some extra tracks, they could do it as an
spurious set of titles. The whole thing was an exercise
extra EP. It was an EP called CN1, so those were extra
in not really thinking very much about what its
tracks from that. But there are other things that
supposed to be. Its just Ive got this idea, and lets do
came from that. There are lots of weird kind of lo-fi
it. It was just that simple. Steve was just great. He
demos from that period, some of which are songs,
had been the engineer on A-Z, but hed impressed me
some of which arent songs, some of which are
because he was so modest and he was very un-rock n
instrumentals, and some of which are not even
roll. His great claim to fame was the fact that he did
music. No ones ever going to listen to it if I dont
all the advertising sessions for the studio. That meant
make it available. If people think its stupid lo-fi
that he could work really fast and get ideas down. I
rubbish, then let them think it.
can apply all of that to music as much as you want.
Im not constrained by some commercialism or Yeah. Well, a lot of times its fascinating.
whatever. Hes kind of the punch to it. We did lots of
Were so many years away from the
messing around with tape loops and stuff with me
original issues of these albums. Its
playing the drums, which is laughable. I do remember
fascinating to hear stuff thats the
at some point we were doing something where we
gestations of the ideas, like you said
would take a click... literally it would be like audio out
earlier, and iterations as it moves
of a metronome, and wed send it to two tracks of a
along. You learn something new
multitrack with a switch, like A/B, A/B, A/B, and that
about the music.
would be the kick drum and snare drum. Youd send Well, my thinking of it is that its a bit like a kind of
one through some kind of processing to get a low
retrospective. I tend to think sometimes in those fine
sound out of it. The other would be the famous
art terms. So its like Colin Newman, 1980 to 1982, so
spandex snare, which got used on everything in that
lets get everything in that box that goes together. We
period. Im sure you must have heard of that, where
tried to make the CDs attractive to the people who
you put the Auratone [speaker] on top of the snare.
might have bought the original vinyl. Some people
think thats just some means to just get more money
Oh yeah, and then you re-amp it.
out of them. Weve done the Legal Bootleg series for
So you put the click through the Auratone and get the
Wire, and this is very much informed by that.
snare from it. It sounds splashy, but its enough to
Releasing everything, everything that you have.
create the impression of a snare drum. Then you just
Theres somebody out there whos interested in it if
have to do a bit of hi-hat along with it somehow,
you master it nicely and present it nicely. This is not
enough to have a few bars of it and take that as a
for mass consumption, none of this. I dont imagine
loop and then use that in the track. I think theres
that Im ever going to make a fortune out of resome of that. Theres some not very in-time drumming
as well, from me. But its all kind of part of the fun of
releasing Colin Newman records.
it really.
Its for fans like me.
Compositionally, that record has quite a I think its for people who want it. The three vinyl albums
have not been available for years. And the CDs used
few pieces where you start one loop of
an instrument, a musical loop, and
to be sort of cheap and plentiful, but in the last few
then you put another layer and
years theyve dried up, and now you have to pay a
another layer on. For me, especially
decent price. I wouldnt recommend the original CD
when I first heard these records when
issues to anybody, because I think that the way
they came out, I was trying to write
theyre put together, with all the spurious extra tracks
songs and stuff. I thought heres a way
on A-Z, and Not To and Singing Fish put together
to write songs without having to write
[on one CD].

chorus/verse...

Right, I remember that.

Music Reviews/(continued on page 82)/Tape Op#116/81

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would have in a production now, the idea that its For someone like me who was a fan of
Thats just wrong. Whether you like them or thought
kind of floaty with a not quite fixed beat, and then
theyre rubbish or whatever, those are three records,
Wire, it ended on the album 154 in
suddenly its a [hip-hop] beat. Thats kind of a strong
and they have their own identity. Each ones quite
1979. So we picked up your records
thing. Its not that it lacks great moments or anything
different. A-Z is like a big studio record. All three
and the Dome records to see what the
like that. Also there arent any keyboards on Not To.
were recorded in the same studio, but the mindset of
guys from Wire were continuing on
That wasnt a deliberate thing. I think we just didnt
them is very different. Singing Fish is much more a
with. The neat thing was that they
hire anything! I love the title track. Its got two
smaller, more abstract record, and Not To was really
were varied.
things. The French horn comes out of a Findus fish I know it was a strange period. Wire ended. How it ended
my first attempt to produce a group. So thats really
fingers advert. We flew it in.
what they are. They each have different ambitions
in 1980 was not clean or particularly satisfying in any
and different ideas. They are different things. What Oh, no way!
way. If youve heard this before stop me, but the original
Ive done with lots of CDs is to not just get stuff that That was one crazy night with me and Desmond and
idea was that Wire as a band would try to get an imprint
Steve in the studio. I think he needed to go home,
sound slike that, but to get stuff that comes from the
out of EMI, and we would release Wire records on it, but
but we were talking about advertising, and he was
same period, so that each one is contextualized by
we would also do other records. A-Z was going to be the
talking about his advertising work and what he does.
the extra CD, even with Not To, where you get a
leadoff. That was going to be the thing that would kick
I asked if he had access to the tapes, and he said well,
bunch of stuff thats actually leading on to what
off this new label. We had the studio booked and
were not allowed to use it. I said, Yeah, but, if you
came afterwards.
everything, but then they pulled the plug. They just
used a bit would anyone notice or care? A few
True. With Not To it seems like theres a
didnt want to do it. They wanted to take up our option.
minutes later we were in the tape store. We dug out
softer tone to it in a way, especially
It was a fourth album option that they didnt want to
this French horn, and it just fit it totally. It sounds
compared to A-Z. Does that make
give us an advance. At that point, we had no money. It
kind of magical. Theres also a loop of a flute or
sense?
was just the way it was with major labels, and Im sure
something. These were such early days for me in terms
the way that it is now. The only money we saw was at
of production and understanding how to actually put
the beginning of every record. You got an advance for
a record together. It was all theoretical up to that
every record. We had no money on the road. We had no
point. I hope Im not judged too harshly on it. I think
money from sales. That year cycle had passed from 154,
I did a better job with The Virgin Prunes [...If I Die, I
there was no money. That was literally where we were in
Die LP]. Steve and I worked on that together. We took
1980. Bruce [Gilbert]s answer was to do some recording
what wed learned from doing Not To and Singing
with an 8-track and kind of go the lo-fi route [Cupol,
Fish into working with The Virgin Prunes and I think
Gilbert and Lewis, and Dome]. I felt frustrated. A-Z was
we did gain something from that.
for sure not meant to be the follow-up to 154. It was
Yeah. Theres something to be said too
my first solo record. Thats always what it was. So in the
for a production or engineering team
end, I found a label to release it. But as I said before, I
to do several things to kind of get on
was the worlds worst solo artist in many ways, because
their feet, to have a shared language.
I wasnt doing it for those reasons that people do it. I
I would have liked to do more things with Steve. When I was
wasnt willing to go out and work it like youre
approached to produce the Minimal Compact album
When I listen to it, I feel that Im not that happy with
supposed to. I think anybody in a young band now will
[Raging Souls], I originally pitched for Steve to do it, but
the production. For me, production at that point was
just look at me and say, What an idiot. Actually just
they just didnt have the budget to bring in an engineer.
more like George Martin type of production. Nothing
as a plea or whatever, if youve ever read... I cant
I think the band would have benefited a lot from Steve.
to do with the engineering, only to do with the
remember the name. Theres a guy who writes for Rolling
Id done everything else about-face. I still wouldnt call
musical direction and stuff like that. The
Stone who wrote a book called 1970 about what
myself an engineer, but I can sit in front of Pro Tools and
arrangements. I think some of the arrangements are
happened during that year musically. Its talking about
fiddle with an EQ. I dont necessarily have the mental
not that brilliant. I criticize everything. Im
Crosby, Stills & Nash and Simon & Garfunkel, who were
training, but I do know how to put music together. I
particularly concentrating on Not To, but I would say
massive during that year.
have acquired engineering skills over the years. But at Right.
I think the snare drum is too low. I hate the reverb
that point, it was all about the arrangement and how the Simon & Garfunkels Bridge Over Troubled Water was the
on vocals. I never put reverb on vocals now. I think
guitars and voices fitted together. I think that the
the thing about reverbs on vocals is that it makes it
biggest-selling record of the year. The record
criticism that would have been leveled at me for that
separate from the rest of the music somehow. It was
documents the band breaking up. They didnt play any
[Minimal Compact] record was that even though it
kind of an 80s thing.
gigs. They didnt even like each other. Crosby, Stills &
sounds very well, it doesnt sound as good as it could
Oh yeah.
Nash play about four and a half gigs, and then they
have done. It didnt sound as good really as good as The
This was partly anticipating trends that are coming. The
got pissed off with Stephen Stills. They were also
Virgin Prunes record sounded. There were some really
other thing about it is that its quite thin-sounding,
massive, and they were selling zillions of records. Back
good-sounding things on that album. If Id been able to
Not To, again anticipating that 80s sound. It was also
in those days, they could live off the sales of their
bring Steve to that record, it would have been a betterwhat was referred to as the time somewhat arch,
records and they didnt need to promote them. I think
sounding record. There are great songs on it. Theres
with a slightly bent tonality. Some of it sounds like
it was just such a completely different world. By
some really fantastic music on it. The title track [Raging
not all of the notes actually belong together in the
1990, we werent living in the same world, but it
Souls] still sends shivers up my spine. The guitar line on
same bit of music. Someone who I know, whos a
certainly wasnt the same as it is now. Now I dont
that is just unbelievable.
young musician who is 20, said to me the other day
think any artist, other than the very, very biggest
that Not To is the one that theyre picking out. Thats Oh yeah.
artist, expects to make a living out of record sales.
the one that stands out to them as an amazing- In a way, what can I say about those solo records, you
They have to be the whole package. They have to tour
sounding record. I cant get in the mindset of how
know? Its weird. Im doing a few interviews, and Im
and do merchandise and everything. Together, that
that was done. I would approach it entirely differently
kind of struggling. There are kind of jokes and like...
equals an income, if theyre lucky enough to be able
now. Theres a moment on the cover of [The Beatles]
I dont know. Im amazed that anybodys interested,
to make a living out of it. There are so many who dont
Blue Jay Way when Robs kick comes in playing and
on one level. Why would anybody be interested in my
even get that far.
its a hip-hop beat. Its great. Thats something you
solo records from so many years ago?
True. Thats true, its harder.

82/Tape Op#116/Music Reviews/

It really is. It was a different world at that time, is kind

of what Im saying. My reluctance to tour really came
out of what happened in 79 with Wire when we did
this Roxy Music tour. This was probably the worst
possible thing that could happen to any band really.
We were stuck on a tour which was costing us
money. It didnt cost us directly out of our pockets,
but EMI were contributing to this tour. Playing to
audiences that hated us. It was the middle of winter.
It was miserable. Roxy Music were not anything
anymore that you wanted to look up to. They were
not the band they were in 74. They were kind of
Bryan Ferrys backing band by that point.

Right.

hopefully a return, and perhaps a bit of extra money

on top of it. Thats kind of what its about. But thats
obviously more successful in the case of Pink Flag,
because there is a ready made market for Wire. But
still. Its a very different world. And it is way more
satisfying. That disconnect, where you get the
money at the beginning of the project and dont
ever see any money from selling it, that doesnt
make you think to relate to an audience. Its not like
you have to take this kind of commercial view and
say, Yeah, weve got to make it as pop as possible,
because then people will buy it and well get rich.
It doesnt really work like that. But theres a way in
which you connect with the audience with what you
do, and thats very satisfying. Thats what I kind of
hope from these records, that people will say, Oh,
its really nice that you did it.

Right.
I think he might have actually cut the original records
as well.

Were you able to go back to original

master tapes on the proper albums?
Ive got 24-bit masters of A-Z and I think of Singing
Fish as well. I think that Not To had to come from
the CD. I dont think they had it in store. I think
everything is improved by the mastering. Obviously
things like the Riverside Demos have never been
mastered. I think for the original CDs, they didnt
remaster. I think they just used the original.

Right off the tapes?

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Yeah. I think they were just kind of released as a bit

Its like, Is this is whats in store for us? There was
of an afterthought. I had a fairly reasonable
nobody even around the band to say to us, Well,
advance for A-Z that I in no way recouped. So in
hang on guys. It doesnt have to be like this. You
fact, theyve been pretty good with me. They
dont have to think like this. You can think in a Yeah.
zeroed my account this year. I still theoretically
different way and do this in a different way. We had
owed them money. I have really no complaints
famously a meeting with Tony Wilson from Factory
about that. Actually Ive sent emails to Martin
Records, who said to us, Factory really want to work
[Mills, label founder] copying other people, and
with Wire, and the first question we had was, How
Martin pretty much is always the first person to
much advance can you give us? His reply was,
reply as well, which is kind of nice, that someone
Independent labels dont give advances. What he
in a large record company knows what it is and is
didnt know was that we were broke, and what we
still interested enough. Im sure they have some
didnt understand is that we would have made (if we
benefit on the digital from me doing a bit of
could have survived the period without the advance)
promotion on the records and being available or
loads more money. But it was two worlds that didnt
whatever, but obviously I cant support them
meet, because were coming from a major label world
with gigs. A, philosophically Im not really close
where its all about advances, and he was coming
to them to do that and B, with Desmond no
from the indie world and didnt really understand
longer with us, having the band would be
that this band that was so famous and considered to
difficult. Simon [Gillham, bass] is still around,
be the most important band of our generation, by
and I have been in contact with him. Rob
the time we put out 154, if you judge by the reviews, Were pleased that you re-released those records. Ill be
[Gotobed, drums] said he would do it if it came
that we could have no money! How could that
happy that it kind of worked out as something. Also
to it, but in the end, unless someone would come
possibly be the case? But it really was. It really was.
to put things in kind of their rightful place. The
with a festival and a really serious offer, I cant
It was as if we hadnt done any of that.
formats are correct now. The vinyl albums are as
really imagine that I would do it. I dont really
they were. The CDs are doubles with each first CD
Right. Thats really crazy. I know Joy
imagine that happening. In terms of what Im
being the original vinyl album. Its the original
Division and New Order did quite
working on; Immersion is the thing thats about
statements. The original work is preserved, and
well because they had a better profitnow and Malka [Spigel, Colins wife and Minimal
then theres additional given. The only other thing,
sharing situation with Factory later.
Compact bassist] and I are involved in. Were
because we dont have the digital, is there is really
Of course. They made much, much more money than we
playing live and everything.
no other legal way to have that extra material than Are you guys going to tour next year
did. I think it may have been difficult because we
to buy the CDs.
would have somehow rained on their parade.
with Wire you think?
Right. Theres a different dynamic Its not going to a download version of Next year is the 40th anniversary. Thats the
there.
that?
anniversary of the first gig with the classic fourMaybe that would have been very different if we had Nope. It cant be. Its actually the ownership is mixed.
piece. Wire existed as a band before that, but we
gone there, but it wasnt to be obviously. It was Right. You own the bonus tracks?
were five pieces. That was for the Roxy, first of
interesting that when Wire came back around again I own some of the bonus tracks. Some are owned by
April, 1977. So the anniversary will be first of
in 85 and we had the meeting with Daniel [Miller,
Beggars Banquet.
April, 2017.
Mute Records]. Daniel said the same thing, So when you were putting this
Independent labels dont give advances. We and
together, who did you use for The vinyl releases include the three remastered original
the person who was managing at the time stood up
mastering to do the vinyl and the albums. The CD releases are the remastered original
albums, each accompanied by a companion CD of extra
to grab the door, and Daniel said ,Guys, guys! He
CDs?
tracks, B-sides, and demos many previously
was sunk at that point, because the only way for us Denis Blackham did all of that. Denis does absolutely
unreleased before. -LC
not to walk out of the room was for him to say,
everything for me. I gave instructions, all of which
<sentientsonics.com>
Well, in this case, well make an exception. Thats
he said, They sound like they sound. You just have
sort of how that all went forward.
to do it like they sound. There were various things
Tape Op is made
I wanted to be different, but he cant make it what
Thats pretty interesting.
possible by our
it isnt. I would love there to be more bottom-end
It was a classic moment. But it is very much... I
advertisers.
and the kinds of qualities I like in records, but thats
understand the world now in a completely different
Please support them and tell them
not going to happen because the albums are how
way. In the world of Pink Flag [Wires own label],
you saw their ad in Tape Op.
they are.
there are no advances. Its about investing to secure
Music Reviews/(Fin.)/Tape Op#116/83

You Cant Buy Loyalty

by Marc Golde

om

Weve all been there. A band that youre very excited about books time in your studio. They are also excited to work with you in your facility. Its
their first, or maybe second, record. You prepare yourself and your studio for the recording that will get you both noticed. Things go well. You get
along with the band and cut some great tracks. You go the extra distance and push things further than you ever have. You may even do them some
favors: extra mix hours, gear rentals, connect them with some of your industry acquaintances, let them float on the bill for a few months, and more.
The recording gets lots of attention and is well received. Maybe it gets some radio airplay and allows them to gig or tour on a greater level than
they couldve before they walked in your front door. You feel accomplished and cant wait for the next record with them.
One day, while flipping through your Facebook feed, you see a picture of the lead singer. Hes wearing headphones. You think to yourself, They
must be rehearsing to a click. Thats a good thing or, He must be listening to some Bob Marley for inspiration before a gig. Then you read the
caption, Starting our new record! So excited! Your heart drops and your head swims with questions. What about all of the favors I did for them?
I put my heart and soul into their record; what the heck? I thought I had a client for life. What did I do wrong?
There are many reasons for an artist or band to record elsewhere, and most of them are not personal. Obviously if there was tension during the
sessions theyll never return no matter how good the end result was. Sometimes its a financial decision. Other times its an artistic choice. In some
cases, a rival studio poaches your client. In fact, this happens all the time. The other recordist demonizes you and your approach, promising he could
do a far better job and get them to the top. Chances are, theyll be back. There are times when a group finds a sugar daddy and he feels they need
to travel to a larger market to make the big record. Or maybe its the opposite they dropped a pretty penny at your place and this time they would
rather spend more time perfecting each take at a less expensive studio and they dont mind setting up next to the water heater. At the end of the
day, its probably not that they dont like you or your studio sucks. But no matter the reason, it stings. Youve invested emotions, time, and, in
some cases, money into these artists and their sessions.

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surrounding the project. For all you know they couldve

won the studio time in a contest. You acting like a jerk
will only guarantee that they will never come back.
Heres what to do: Show curiosity and excitement for
their new project. It may seem hard to paint on a smile,
but trust me, by showing support you let them know that
youre still in their corner. They may very well have a bad
experience and come back for their next record. They may
have a good experience and never come back to you. It
doesnt matter. Separating yourself from artists in
your community, or drawing a line in the sand
will never end well. They may be
recommending you to others while recording
elsewhere. You dont know.
Another bit of advice: If you do favors for a client,
dont expect anything in return, but let them know.
Theyre not adding up the hours you put in on your own
time. They dont know that the mic you rented for vocals
cost you $75 a day. Theyve got their mind on
their art. You need to tell them. They wont figure
that out on their own.*
In the end, your clients dont owe you anything. You
made a transaction, and both parties are satisfied. Of
course you want return business, but it doesnt happen
100 percent of the time. Be prepared for this. What you
need to do is always do your best work, treat people well,
and word will spread. When people ask any clients about
you, you always want them to say good things. r

.c

Heres what not to do: Get stinky

about it. You dont know the circumstances

so

Marc Golde owns and runs <www.rockgardenstudio.com> in

Appleton, Wisconsin.

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*One system we use at Jackpot! Recording is to bill for extra

services, if offered for free, and then use the discount line in
our invoices to remove the cost while explaining what this
discount was for in the comments section of the invoice. This
way our clients have a record of services rendered, and they
know what has been comped by the studio. -LC

84/Tape Op#116/End Rant/

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The Creative Music Recording Magazine

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Extra Bonus
Articles:
Bob Katz

K-Stereo & Loudness

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Gary Rhamy

No.

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Bonus

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45 Years of Youngtowns Peppermint

Nov/Dec

116

2016

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Bob Katz The Creativity of Reasoning

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by Nicolay Ketterer photo by Digital Domain, diagram by Bob Katz

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a loudness comparison. That discussion will simply

When it comes to mastering, Bob Katz is probably the
continue to take place, because there are people who
engineers engineer. Besides his mastering work with
work in their own music world who dont read
credits like Cassandra Wilson and Sinad OConnor hes
magazines or books, or produce recordings.
written several books on the subject matter, invented the
K-Stereo system to address details in a mix, and has What would be a solution?
developed a scale for equal monitoring volume. Bob took The solution has to be external to that. The compact
the time to explain his concepts, predict the end of the
disc has to die in order for it to happen. Im sorry!
loudness craze, and promote a petition for streaming
[laughs] Im really very sorry about that. Digital
services to implement normalization by default.
downloads have to take over completely. Because
whatever software is used for reproduction should
have transparent normalization, which would take
What is the current state of the loudness
place behind the scenes. As of this moment, there are
war? Judging from the coverage of
no good implementations in consumer software,
this topic and the public backlash
except for a product called JRiver; an audiophileagainst extreme records one is
grade audio and video player that works on both Mac
likely to believe that most artists are
and PC. But until the major player, iTunes, actually
aware of this issue by now.
implements this process as a default, there wont be
Well, an increasing percentage of artists know about it
much movement. It will happen eventually, but they
around 20 to 40 percent but many are completely
dont tell us about their plans. They know it has to
unaware. I dont think there will ever be more than
happen. Apple had already implemented their Sound
that, because most people are not even the least bit
Check normalization algorithm by default in their
technically inclined. Just the other day I did a master,
streaming service, iTunes Radio, but that service has
and there was so much ignorance it came down to

88/Tape Op#116/Mr. Katz/

been abandoned. Spotify uses too high a target and

adds peak limiting. Normalization is made optional.
Tidal has just begun to normalize their service with a
sensible target of -18 LUFS, bless their hearts. I was
part of a group of audio engineers, spearheaded by
Thomas Lund and Eelco Grimm [of the Music Loudness
Alliance], that managed to convince Tidal to
normalize. This was not too difficult, inasmuch as
Tidal has always been proud of its audio quality. The
level is well within the AES Streaming loudness
recommendations, whose committee I headed. This is
a big development Apple may not be long to follow.
YouTube normalizes too high, to 13 dB. So the
landscape has not gotten much better, post compact
disc. Theres a petition at change.org, which I
participated
in
writing
and
promoting
[https://www.change.org/p/music-streamingservices-bring-peace-to-the-loudness-war]. We have
over 5000 signatures. We hope to get even more, so
as to influence the streaming vendors to implement
normalization by default. With iTunes Radio, weve
seen the light at the end of the tunnel, and its been

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instead of a day. Thats expensive for the artist. If we For working with music and film youve
the first light that we have seen in 40 years! Radio
want to do it right I could easily take my good master
has to be normalized anyway, theres no question. Its
defined two scales; K-14 and K-20.
and smash it then, but it doesnt sound as good as if
just that iTunes Radio didnt process the audio; all
How did you make the analogy to
I started working from the beginning with the intent
they did was normalize the audio. We could quibble
music?
of making a hot master, because there are two What made me have the big realization of what was going
about iTunes using AAC encoding, not pure PCM, and
different philosophies. As a general rule, the more
so on; but this is still a big step, because most people
on in my mastering was that I began to use a
compression you apply, the duller it sounds in the
use AAC in iTunes. Engineers make it sound shall we
calibrated monitor attenuator that I built, with a 1 dB
high-end. Of course, there are compressors which
say pretty good. With normalized playback,
per step potentiometer an analog attenuator. I was
sound brighter, but usually the high-end tends to go
producers are no longer going to ignore the fact that
mastering and measured the SPL, and it was about 83.
down because the transients are softened. You cant
they cant push their music without any
I was also using a K-14 scale, which is showing up. The
get away without changing the EQ.
consequences. Im hoping that even in the car,
K-20 scale, which is 6 dB below, puts you in film world.
people will play iPods and iPhones for sound, and the Regarding monitoring and volume: In
I said, All Im doing in mastering is working to a
Sound Check algorithm will be activated by default.
movie theaters theres the standard
higher RMS level, but keeping the same sound pressure
of 83 dB SPL or 85, depending on
Part of the mastering job is to relate the
level as the film people. So I said, Why dont we just
how it is measured since the 1980s.
song levels to each other in the course
have a moveable scale that reflects what the two
of an album. This relationship would
This turned out to be pleasant for the
worlds are doing? That would mean you have to
be destroyed if every song gets
biggest part of the audience. In audio
adjust your monitor control, too. Lets say the K-14
there is no common standard, which
normalized on its own, and not within
scale makes a great sounding master. If you decide,
makes it hard to judge material
the context of its album. Does Apples
Im going to make sound for a film, and I have to work
because
of
Fletcher-Munson
Sound Check use an overall album
to their standard, you would change your scale and
inadequacies.
normalization value?
come down 6 dB. When the needle is now at 0, it

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I figured out exactly how the Sound Check album Im advocating a monitoring calibration thats based on
algorithm works a few weeks ago by various tests. It is
that. My system of calibrated monitoring is finally
clear that Apple does not store an album normalization
recognized enough so that more and more people are
value anywhere as an explicit number or metadata.
coming to it. Its even more important because of
Instead, it calculates the album normalization based
loudness-normalized media. The magic number in
on its database of all the songs that are in that album
film is 85 dB. But measured how? RMS [Root-Meanthat it knows about. If the whole album is already in
Square]? What kind of pink noise? Its a fudge,
the users database, or if the loudest song from the
because if you measure it in a different way, you can
album is already in its database, then Sound Check
get 83. You have to go with 85 if you use the SMPTE
album mode will work correctly. What it does is use the
standard. You go with 83 if you use the RMS standard,
same Sound Check normalization gain for the loudest
which Im advocating. Then you dont have to use
song for all the songs in that album. Once you know
proprietary Dolby equipment for audio monitoring.
the loudest song, then you can play all the songs from Regarding the film standard how did
that album correctly.
they come up with that number in

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the first place?

Has the renaissance of vinyl helped
constrain the loudness idea in the The person who came up with 85 was Ioan Allen of
business?
Dolby. He actually pulled the number out of thin air.
Yes, vinyl helped that. But youd be surprised how many
vinyl records are made from super-compressed
masters because of the cost factor to master two
different versions. That might take a day and a half,

He said, Well, its about in the middle of the

Fletcher-Muson Curve. This would be a good number
to go for, because it would make the most linear
masters. And its proved the test of time.

would be at -6 dB, and that would be called 0 dB then.

But in order to hear that properly, you have to turn
your monitor up 6 dB. In other words: to play back a
theatrical film, which has a lower program level, you
have to turn your monitor up, compared to music. So
I said, Why dont we equate the monitor gain with the
program level? Thats what hit me. I created a system
where you have a monitor set at 0 dB. The monitor
gain will produce 83 dB SPL with calibrated pink noise
all measured at the listening position, per speaker,
RMS. These days I recommend the pink noise that Tom
Holman [Lucasfilm/Apple] has recommended. If youre
doing music for contemporary productions made today
in the pop field, youll have to attenuate that monitor
or it will blow you out of the room! The higher you
make your zero point, its likely the material will be
more compressed, so if you turn your master up 6 dB
it will not sound exactly 6 dB louder. It could be softer
and sound wimpy, as there is a point of no return. For
typical pop music, that is somewhere around -14
LUFS. But there is no rule, I make many great sounding

Mr. Katz/(continued on page 90)/Tape Op#116/89

Lets look at a common example of a

smashed record, The Red Hot Chili
Peppers Californication. How would Also, I noticed that some people
the playback volume need to be
understand the calibration and the
adjusted to play at equal loudness?
83 dB the wrong way, and listen
much too loud in the end. Where do
The Californication record plays at -15 dB on that
they go wrong?
monitor gain control! If you have a calibrated

What are gaps worth, in terms of

downloads or when copying CDs into
your computer library?

Gaps still exist. The solution with iTunes is quite simple:

all songs for an album include the gap at the end of
the song file. At least the spacing between songs will
be as the artist intends when the songs are
assembled. Any releases in the iTunes store that are
taken from albums will already have a gap at the end
of the track that takes care of the album spacing. All
mastering engineers will have already done that.

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monitor, you know exactly how loud it is in program. The first thing to note is that K-System levels at forte
The K-System refers to the control position of the
will seem loud if the loudspeakers are not in the
monitor. For example, we can say, The monitor
midfield and/or they do not have good headroom. I
control is at the 0 dB position. This is the calibration
was in a friends living room the other day with an
position, which will produce 83 dB SPL per speaker
ordinary 5.1 system with rather small speakers and
with the calibration signal. We should think of the
amplifiers. He had to align his system to 77 dB per
monitor control like a water faucet. The more pressure
speaker with the calibration signal, or it would sound
there is in the water pipe, the more we have to close
too loud. I agreed. K-System is very comfortable and
the faucet to get the same water pressure. A smashed
not damaging in my room because the loudspeakers
CD has tremendous internal pressure; it has high
do not distort and they are far enough away to
program level and very low peak-to-loudness-ratio.
mitigate extreme transients. So the K-system
Looking at the graph we can learn how the system
calibration is designed for engineers with a
works and how useful it can be: at left is a smashed
mastering quality loudspeaker system located in
CD with a very high average loudness of -5 LUFS
the midfield. If your amplifier-speaker combination
[Loudness Units relative to Full Scale, in practice the
distorts at high levels. If your loudspeakers are too
same as the RMS level]. Its PLR [peak to loudness
close, then it will not sound very good when played
ratio] is only 5 dB! We have to lower the monitor
loud! And it might damage your ears over time, just
control to the -15 position to get out 83 dB SPL, and
because of the ear fatigue. Not to say that I play my
that will probably still sound extra loud because of
system that loud all the time when Im mastering
the distortion in this CD. In the middle is Rebekka
highly-compressed material, because it sits at forte
Pidgeons Spanish Harlem recording on Chesky
for too long a time and sounds fatiguing. But
Records. This is a true K-14 recording that sounds
dynamic material played at 83 dB per speaker at forte
lovely with the monitor control at the -6 position. At
sounds just fine and does not damage the ears, in my
right we see the calibration signal. Very few compact
opinion, with these occasional bursts to forte.
discs are at this level. In other words, by observing Lets look at the underrated jobs of a
the monitor control position, we can make
mastering engineer. According to
conclusions as to the program loudness and the peak
your book, Mastering Audio, the gap
to loudness ratio of the recording we are listening to
between songs and its contribution
assuming that the recording is percussive and has
to an albums flow is often
been peak-normalized. When we move to normalized
overlooked. What difference can the
media, such as iTunes with Sound Check, the goal is
right gap make and what is often
to reproduce everything at the same loudness. So its
done incorrectly?
possible the monitor control will not have to be The first thing that can be done wrong when delivering
moved, except for personal or genre preferences. In
the mixes is not to listen to the songs in a quiet room,
other words, we like electric rock to sound louder, so
because the decays at the end of the songs are very
well have to turn it up a bit more than the folk music,
important. Just yesterday, the client was very
but thats a small price to pay for sound quality. Still,
embarrassed when I showed him that hed cut off the
the monitor will not have to be moved more than,
end decay of a song. He said, I mustnt have heard
say, 3 dB, to satisfy every taste on earth!
that. The point I make to mixing engineers is not to
assume the song has already ended. Its always better
With the K-System, since the 83 dB is
to send the songs off to a mastering engineer with
measured per speaker, as a result,
what we call handles at the head and the tail, at least
that would lead to a higher SPL in
a second, preferably two or three seconds. Then were
total with both speakers summing up
sure that youve given us everything that you need to
at the ear, right? 86 dB then?
give us. Then, when we determine the gap, we have to
Thats correct, but dont worry about it. The calibration is
take that decay into account. Sometimes, there may
done on a per speaker basis, and the rest happens
only be a quarter second space between this long
naturally. Yes, it would be 86 dB with uncorrelated
decay and the beginning of the next song. The average
channel to channel pink noise. I have a sample of
listener will think that the decay was only a couple of
both channels, full range, uncorrelated pink noise at

seconds, but the decay might be four seconds! Thats

because theyre listening in the car, or in a noisy
environment. In a quiet environment you will hear the
whole decay; theres only a tiny space and then the
next song begins, and it sounds just right to you. But
the average person thinks there is a space there, and
that works out too! So, the spacing is important to be
done by an experienced person in a quiet environment
who also checks it in a noisy environment. A space that
seems short on headphones can seem really long in a
car or in a noisy environment. Also, aesthetically, if
youre in transition between a slow song and a fast
song, you wouldnt want to make a short space.
Chances are the ears would be startled by the sudden
downbeat. But if youre creating a set of three fast
songs in a row, you probably want the pace from each
song to the next to be pretty fast, so that you dont
lose the groove.

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www.digido.com. You check that noise just to see how

well matched your loudspeakers are, because if they
only add up to, say, 84, then your loudspeakers are not
well-matched in frequency response, sensitivity, and
phase. But dont use the 86 as a number to align with,
use the 83 per speaker. Then we can extend this to
surround and keep to the standard. By using the
individual speaker level for calibration, as we expand to
5.1 from stereo we gain headroom, not lose it.

.c

masters and many better sounding at lower levels, and

occasionally higher levels. Thats whats so hard to
communicate to producers, that once the best
sounding master has been made, the best way to get
good sound is for the listener to turn it up. When
normalization becomes a default for the streamers, it
will be much easier to communicate that.

90/Tape Op#116/Mr. Katz/

Gaps aside, what are the most common

mixing errors you encounter from a
mastering perspective?

The best advice I can give is have a relationship with

your mastering engineer and see what he or she
suggests before you finish your mixes! I offer a free
listen evaluation of one song for anyone whos
coming to me for mastering. I always suggest that
you send the first song that youve mixed for the
album for professional judgement. Regarding some of
the major problems: getting the bass right is the
biggest issue. The monitoring [some clients have]
doesnt reveal the problems in the bass. There was a
fantastic band from Australia, icecocoon, and the
bass player used a drop-D-tuning. Thats so difficult
to mix! When it came to me, the bass guitar was
completely missing from the mix. I asked them to
send three stems: vocal, bass, bass drum, and the
rest of the band. I did a combination of mixing and
mastering for them. I found an EQ and process for
the drop-D-bass that gave it just the right presence
to hear all the notes correctly. It sounds so low that
you cant hear the notes too well unless you EQ it
just right. Software synthesizers are almost as
difficult to deal with as drop-D-basses. With some
synth sounds, there often arent enough distortion
harmonics to give a bass note definition. A good tool
to enhance subharmonics is the Lowender plug-in by
reFuse. Its my favorite subharmonic synthesizer, but
be sure to mix or master with a wideband monitor
system or youll shoot yourself in the foot. A good
tool to enhance upper bass harmonics is the UAD
Precision Enhancer, or possibly the Waves MaxBass;
but, again, be sure you have an accurate monitor.

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It seems to defy the laws of physics. It is a small

trapezoidal box, about the size of a subwoofer,
taking up a maximum power of perhaps 50 watts
on sound level peaks with an average of 5
watts. It controls only the pressure peaks and
deeps in the room from an amazing 15 Hz to 150
Hz, without artifacts and without overdamping
the room. My system has moved from an A grade
to an A+++ grade with the addition of three AVAA
traps. Ive never had such even, impacting,
punchy, and clear bass. Measurements confirm
that three AVAA traps are more effective than six
6-inch thick passive traps, and without the
overdamping problems that the passive traps How do you judge the dimension of a
reverb?
have. Unlike the AVAA, the passive traps have
very little effect at extreme low frequencies and I think the best way to judge the depth of a reverb
is by a trained ear, with a good monitoring
adversely affect the clarity and impact of the
system that does not have diffraction, in a
midrange and high frequencies.
reflection-free zone. And there are many
When does overdamping actually
gotchas. Im a big fan of the Flux Spat, but if
start? Whats a good relation
it is used improperly it can deteriorate depth
between bass, mid, and high
instead of enhance it. It requires trained ears to
frequencies?
use
it well. One of my favorite reverbs of all time
For best mid and high frequency performances, you
is the EMT 250, and its emulation in the UAD has
should measure the so-called Schroeder curves in
a lot of the original devices artificial depth, even
the room, where the rolloff of high frequencies
though it is mono in/stereo out.
should not be excessively compared to lows and
mids. Many rooms are overdamped because the With K-Stereo, where do you think it
works best, and what are the
user tries to fix bass problems without
limits of the application?
regarding the overall effect. You cant beat the
The K-Stereo Processor can, to some extent, help
laws of physics.
the depth and dimension of one of the lesserAs part of your mastering workflow,
quality reverbs that a mix engineer may have
you developed the K-Stereo
used. Or it can put the last polish on the mix
algorithm to extract the ambience
engineers use of even the best reverbs. Its
of a signal. As a result, you could
important for me to say that too much of a good
add more ambience of the original
thing is just as bad as not enough. And that
recording. The algorithm is used
everyone trying the K-Stereo goes through an
in a Weiss hardware processor, the
initial process of using too much because it
Algorithmix K-Stereo and the UAD
sounds nice, but may not initially recognize that
K-Stereo Ambience Recovery plugthere are always downsides to every process. Just
ins. What made you come up with
as when using reverb itself, when we are mixing,
the idea?
we all tend to start by using a bit too much, then
The original problem was that my ears were
backing it off. Also note that the K-Stereo can
telling me that I was getting recordings for
improve the focus and localization in a mix. But
mastering that sounded flat, or whose
be careful: when used in excess, it can soften the
soundstage was too small, or even
focus and make important instruments, like the
dimensionless. Some of this was due to mixing
lead vocal, pull back in the mix. But, unlike so
engineers not employing very good reverbs
many other things which mastering engineers try
and/or delays in their mixing, or that they
like M/S [mid-side] processing, which is
werent taking advantage of their room. Maybe
powerful but also screws up the mix if overused
they were not properly dithering the output of
the K-Stereo is more invisible and subtle. A
their mixing DAW, or the DAW itself was
little bit goes a long way. Or dont use any, if the
technically causing a loss of depth that was fully
recording doesnt call for it! Use your ears! And
preventable. Or all of the above! Fortunately, I
to avoid any misunderstanding: its not possible
was aware of several processes as well as an
to
reduce ambience with K-Stereo. r
article from 1970 that got me thinking. It took
me about a year to take an early version of the <www.digido.com>
process to a higher quality. Then, one night, I

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woke up with an inspiration, which soon became

the wide and deep settings that distinguish KStereo from any previous mastering approaches
to the depth and width problem. There is little or
no coloration with the K-Stereo compared to
many other attempts at width enhancement. If
you want to get better depth in mixing, there
really are only a very few artificial reverbs that
pass the dimension test. My very short list, in
alphabetical order: Bricasti M7, EMT 250 and its
UAD replica, Flux Ircam Spat, TC Electronic VSS4
and VSS 6.1. I havent heard the Quantec
Yardstick, but users report that it has similar
power. Convolution reverb samples of these units
need not apply, because they do not capture all
the dimension of the unit largely just the tone.
Most people listen for the tone and ignore the
dimension, which is a very important part of a
reverbs sound.

.c

In a recent issue of Stereophile, you

recommended the PSI Audio AVAA C20
active bass trap as a revolutionary
solution to low-end issues in a room.
Why do you think its a revolutionary
device?

Mr. Katz/(Fin.)/Tape Op#116/91

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Gary Rhamy

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Gary Rhamy speaks in a booming radio voice,

which must come naturally to someone whos
been in broadcasting for so long. He has been
recording for over 40 years in Youngstown,
Ohio, opening his own studio, Peppermint
Productions, in 1971 along with partner Del
Sinchak. Peppermint is well known within the
polka and ethnic music world for its multiple
Grammy awards and nominations. The studio is
also gaining a cult following for the rock, prog,
and psych records that were done there in the
70s. Although functioning somewhat under the
radar, The Edsels, Frank Yankovic, the Judge
Judy theme song, even the American Gladiators
TV show all have early day ties to Peppermint.
Theyve kept their doors open since day one;
which is something only a few businesses (let
alone a recording studio) in post-industrial
Youngstown can say.

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45 Years of Peppermint Productions

by Anthony LaMarca

Where did you first start recording?

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At Ohio University. I was in there for broadcast school.

I think I always wanted to be in recording, but, at
that time, radio was the closest I could get to it. I
liked radio; I liked playing records, and I thought itd
be fun to make them too. At Ohio University we had
a good station that was all-student operated, AM and
FM. We had to create programs, and I did a show
called Campus Jazz. Obviously it featured students
who were jazz musicians, or thought they were. The

92/Tape Op#116/Mr. Rhamy/

had a beautiful, big studio because it was built in the

show was set in a nightclub kind of atmosphere, but
days of when you would have a lot of musical groups
we would prerecord all the music ahead of time and
come in, so they had a studio that could
then package it all together in a show. So that meant
accommodate that. Of course, we only had about
that I had to do a lot of recording at the station, as
three microphones. I did some recording there too, so
well as on location where the show was happening. So
thats really where it started.
that was really the start. That, and also at the radio
station that I first started at in Wooster, Ohio. They You grew up in Wooster?

he was going to hire me instead of buying the Ive got an Eddie Vallus record that has
equipment. That was kind of nice. I thought I knew
Del credited as the engineer.
everything at the time. I didnt, but I knew enough to Sure. And that would have been done at WAM. So Del kept
know that there was enough good talent in this area
his interest in making recordings, but out of the studio
that I should be able to do some recording with the
arena. He kept the label alive, and thats where I first
bands, as well as everything that was going on. So I
met him, doing engineering for him for some of his
ended up working for him. Later it became United
recordings. He went on to do the Dusi Music scene, and
Audio and United Media, but that was sort of the
was very successful in that. Eventually that closed
ground work for Peppermint.
down, and he came to me and said, You need a
Did they close around the time that you
marketing director? I said, Yeah, tell me what youve
opened here?
got in mind. So he started working for me. That would
No, actually they went off on their own and stayed open
have been in the late 80s, and weve been working
for a while. They were doing more voice, educational,
together ever since. We actually probably started back
and instructional type work, and we definitely went
in 67 I suppose those were the first sessions.
off into the musical world here.
So in 71 you started here?
Is that where you met Del Sinchak?
Right.
Yes. I met Del at WAM. Interestingly enough, Del, and Did you build this place out? You said it
another fellow by the name of Ed Dusi who had a
was a TV studio before.
music store, Dusi Music Center, in Youngstown, started The building was for a TV studio. When we first saw it a
WAM. It was on the Southside, down on Ellenwood
doctor had offices in the top part of the building; its
Ave. They originally called it Words and Music, which
sort of split level. This was completely open down
they later shortened to WAM. They did recording, but
here. They had a couple different things going on in
they also did some work, as in, Send us your lyric and
here from time to time, but it was empty when we
well put music to it, which is where the name comes
found it. So we had some offices upstairs, as well as
from. Del got more involved with Dusi Music and sold
this big empty studio, and we just started building
the studio to Bill Warner, who I started working for.
from there. Bill Warner and United Audio was in here
But I met Del because he not only had WAM Recording
first, for about a year, and then Peppermint started in
Studio, but also the WAM record label. It was doing
71. Some of the construction work was done with Bill,
custom recordings, some religious recordings, and
at that time.
polka bands too.

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Yeah, I grew up there, then went down to Athens at Ohio

University, and after I graduated I started a semester
of graduate school. Of course the Vietnam War was
going on at that time, and I knew as soon as I
stopped my education process that Id probably be
drafted. Thats what eventually happened. I went on
to start my masters and then I decided, Id really like
to get out of school now. I came to Youngstown to
work at a radio station. I was interested in seeing
what was going on in the recording scene when I got
here. There was a studio here, which, at that time, was
called WAM Recording. I had an old Presto recording
lathe that I had picked up, and I called the guy that
owned the studio, Bill Warner, and I said, Are you
interested in a lathe, or any equipment? He said,
Well, bring it down. Let me see what youve got. I
brought it down, he saw what I had, but he decided

Mr. Rhamy/(continued on page 94)/Tape Op#116/93

Yeah, there was a lot of gear. Actually the mics followed

Yeah, isnt it upstate?
around the time when Peppermint started and
Yes. Well it was built by a guy by the name of Gaston Yeah, in a church. You know, he found some of those
separated from United Audio. We didnt buy their
Nichols, for somebody down in Florida. I found it
same preamps in New York. Not being from the old
business, but we bought assets, and I was in the
through a company that sold equipment at the time,
school, he said, What happened? We had them up
position to know what assets I wanted. So we bought
Mace Corporation, down in Birmingham, Alabama. He
and they were running, and the next day theyre not
most of the equipment, including the Telefunken
had started the work on the console for a place, I think
making any sound at all? I said, Did you leave them
microphones and all. Along the line Ive just sort of
it was called Papa Don Schroeders studio, in Florida. He
on? He said, Yeah, we left them on. I said, Did you
picked up gear. Actually Del bought those (the
said, I built this because the guy likes to literally
terminate them? He said, What do you mean? On
Telefunken 251s) back when he started WAM. He and
dance on the control board. Its pretty solid! At that
the output, theyre designed to work into a 600 ohm
another fellow bought four of them. He kept two and
point it was a 12-channel board. We arranged to acquire
load faders are generally 600 ohm in the old style.
the other guy kept two. So theyve followed him
it, and, step by step, we eventually took it up to a 24So they probably just went into oscillation and you
around.
channel board. Its handmade, in the sense that we all
burnt out the transformers. And he said, Oh, thats
took pieces that we liked and put them together. Like,
not good, huh? [laughs] Thats terrible, as a matter When you guys started, were you using
the 8-track 280 Scully?
we would use the Universal Audio 1008 preamps, and
of fact. He had my studio scheduled for Lenny.
they were coupled with an equalizer that worked in the You said the reason they didnt end up When we first began, we were operating on 4-track
Ampex for a while, and then we tracked down the
feedback circuit. He had designed some custom booster
doing it was because they didnt want
board. Then [we got] the Scully, but the Scully that
amps, line amps, and so forth. Eventually it just
to be in Ohio in March, or something?
we opened up with was a 12-track on 1-inch tape.
evolved. I replaced the equalizers with APIs and a Henry kept saying, Can you get the studio really warm,
That was quite a thing. I actually just saw a picture of
variety of things like that, because, at one time, that
because he likes it warm! I said, Well do whatever
Jimi Hendrix posed in front of a 12-track Scully, just
was the thing, Well, how much EQ do you have on your
we have too. But I would rather go to the Bahamas,
like we had. At the time I was looking for a couple of
board? Id say, Enough! [laughs]
or wherever they went, anyway!
them, because the 16-tracks might have been out, but
Is that the old EQ section? [on the From recording here, I noticed
the 12 seemed to be in the price range. It was more
ground, next to the couch]
everything is super simple. Its a very
than 8, less than 16, and also the tape, which was
pure signal path. Obviously youve got
Those are the old EQs. The reason theyre sitting there is
cheaper because it was 1-inch. It worked good. We did
a bunch of great mics and a sweet
because, conveniently, they fit in this spot, same as
all of the Blue Ash albums on the 1-inch, as well as
sounding board, but theres not
the APIs do. But I took them out because there wasnt
Left End and a lot of the early things. That was in 71.
much in the way of outboard gear. Its
room for them. I had them stored upstairs, and then
In 74 we got the 16-track machine. That came from
EQs and compressors. Its great!
Henry Hirsch [Tape Op #56], who was working with
Tyler,
Texas. I was just talking about this. We went
Lenny Kravitz at the time, called me because he Thanks. The signal path is always as short as we can
down there in the station wagon and drug the thing
wanted to come down to the studio, as he heard that
make it. You dont see a lot of meters moving on the
back to Youngstown. That was the machine that John
we had a lot of vintage equipment here. I was telling
board, because Im taking the direct outs of the
Fred and his Playboy Band recorded Judy in Disguise
him what I had, and he said, Could you wire in a few
channels. Its just coming through the mic preamp,
(With Glasses) on.
of those EQs, just so that I can hear it? He rented
through the EQ, or not, and through a little booster
the studio for a day; we set up drums, guitars, and all
amp and right to the track. And thats why it was Right, I was looking at that old flyer you
had for the studio and saw that was
that sort of gear. But part of the request was to put
really great when those 508s were in the board,
the 12-track, not the 16.
in those old EQs. I think theyre [Universal Audio] 508
because you didnt have all that extra circuitry to go
Right.
It was in a different cabinet. It was a beautiful
[envelopmental equalizers]. They work in the
through. And, if you can get the sound right, its
machine.
feedback circuit of the tube preamps, so the sound
pretty magical. If I ever get enough downtime, Id like
You opened this place and covered it in
doesnt actually pass through them as an equalizer.
to put those back in.
psychedelic shag.
What they do is tailor the frequency response of the Yeah, thatd be cool to have those and
Oh, yeah!
preamp. So thats why theyre sitting there. What Ive
then have the APIs as outboard.
always wanted to do is actually put them back in, Right, then, at that point, youd only be running The studio is known for polka as well as
a variety of ethnic music, but that
because its one less thing that the sound goes
through the 1008s. But Ive only got 16-channels of
picture seems like you wanted this to
through on the way to the recorder. Then I could have
the 508s. Ah, thats enough. What I should do is
be the hippest studio in town.
the APIs as an option, switched in or out, which may
outboard the 508s, then have a switch to bypass the
be handy for mixdown. But the recordings we did in
APIs completely, because when theyre off the signal Well, it probably was, at the time. [laughs] There was
a fellow who was working with me named Norm
the early 70s were all through that UA EQ, and the
is still going through the op amps. Thats really what
Taylor. He was my partner in the business. He was
only limitation was that when wed get to the mixes
Ive wanted to do. The 1008 preamps that are in there
the money guy, and I was the engineering guy. I
we didnt have much in the way of frequencies that we
also have a socket, besides the tubes, they were
was focused on making sure the equipment was
could get at. But, then again, any engineer knows
designed to also have an LDR [Light Dependent
going to be good, that it worked, and whatnot. He
that the mix starts at the mic, so you should have it
Resistor]. It was right at the first stage of the
was more involved with surrounding himself with
right by then. Right? [laughs] Henry wanted to trade
amplifier, and the idea was that you should be able to
people who were thinking, Maybe we can do this,
me his Trident, I think, for this board. He had rebuilt
remote control that with a little pot on the board
and how it should look. So I cant take credit for all
the power supply in the Trident and wanted to know
you could adjust the brightness of the lamp on the
of that, but I remember thinking, Wow! We just
if Id trade. Im thinking, Wait a minute. Heres this
LDR and that would work as a gain control for the first
created the worlds biggest Twister game out there
guy whos got all the access to anything in the world,
stage. Ive never seen one hooked up that way,
in the studio, with all that shag carpeting and the
so the smart thing is to keep it, right? But he would
although its possible. I guess it was a problem with
circles. It was fine, we enjoyed it. And we still
always call me, Hey Gary, what was the model
the consistency of the LDRs at the time, so you
have remnants of it out there on that choir stand.
number on that Scully? Because he recorded on the
couldnt get from one channel to another with the
Its the hangout stand now.
288, then took the tracks back up to New York. And,
same performance. But I thought it was a good idea.
Was
Del bringing in polka bands? What
What was the model of those speakers? Or, Whats When you got the desk from
was the clientele back then? I guess
the model of those preamps in the board? Hes a
Birmingham, did you already have
it was kind of all over the place.
good guy. Hes got a studio now
the rest of the gear at that time?

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And you built this console, right?

94/Tape Op#116/Mr. Rhamy/

How many Grammy award-winning

records have come out of here?

when they went down, that took a big chunk out of That song Rock Yeah (by Del Saint &
the commercial work we were doing. I would say we
The Devils) has one of the coolest
were somewhat immune to the local economy,
guitar solos in it.
because by the time we got into the mid-70s and Oh, yeah! That was all recorded before I got into it.
later on, we were doing a lot of the ethnic music and
Some of that was on Chess and Checker. He was doing
were getting bands from all over the place. So they
that, and then he got drafted. He was in basic
would come to us, whether or not a steel mill was
training; they were listening to the radio, and all of a
operating. That was a good thing, that we had a lot
sudden he heard his song come on. He jumps out of
of bands from Canada. There was a guy doing a lot of
the bunk, running around. Everyone says, Whats
Polish polka bands, and he would bring in bands from
wrong? He says, Thats me on the radio! Of course,
Buffalo, New York City, Michigan, and Wisconsin. So
those were the days that you could do that; have an
we were pretty busy and a little bit immune to the
obscure recording and get it on the air, if you could
local economy; fortunately for us.
find the right disc jockey. Those days are no more.

I wanted to ask about some of the other Getting back to gear: you went from 4-,
labels in the area. One that Ive
12-, 16-, and 24-track. When did you
found a lot of records from is Marjon
make the jump to the digital age?
International Records.
Well, I think the first mixdown I did digitally was in
Yes. That was run by Johnny Krizancic. He was the guy
who bought the other two Telefunken mics. He did a
lot of ethnic music; Croatian, and polka music too. At
first it was in a store front, but I think later on he
built a home and incorporated the studio into that. It
was a nice facility.

What about Tammy Records?

ma
il

Tammy was owned by a fellow by the name of Tony

March, who was a musician and entrepreneur. He did
his own thing, but I did a lot of recording for him. He
got rolling because he got involved with The Edsels,
which was a vocal group from Youngstown. They
ended up doing the song Rama Lama Ding Dong, so
Tony achieved some success with that. And he was
always looking for the next Rama Lama Ding Dong
[laughs], so he did a lot of recording of rhythm and
blues and a lot of novelty things. As a matter of fact,
Im even on his label, of all things. He did a Christmas
song with Floyd & Little Soul Sisters called Moon-y
Min-i Men Visit Santa Claus. Its a story about Santa
Claus and how three Martian kids save Christmas. It
was a clever story! But I told Tony, Im really having
trouble understanding the lyrics. The music is good,
and they sing nice, but Im not sure that the average
listener is able to understand the plot of the record.
So I ended up narrating side B, as well as using the
background music and bringing the group in a certain
amount of times. That was funny. Tonys a great guy
and has put out a lot of records. He had a place called
Discount Records, so he was able to record them and
sell them.

so

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Five. The very first one was Frank Yankovics 70 Years of

Hits, and that was also the very first Grammy in the
Polka category. We did that one here, then I had three
by Walter Ostanek from Canada. I was working with
Frankie Yankovic, who was called Americas Polka King,
and my other client was Walter, who was called Canadas
Polka King. I produced a record by a group called Brave
Combo, from Denton, Texas [Lets Kiss, 2004]. We
actually recorded it live up at the Beachland Ballroom
in Cleveland. I was lucky, because Frank Yankovic was
being produced by Steve Popovich. He was the guy who
brought us Cleveland International Records, and that
brought us Meatloaf. He was originally from
Pennsylvania, but he was very much aware and believed But they didnt have their own studio?
a lot in the ethnic music and his ethnic background. So No, I would say that I did most of their recordings. But
he was able to make music with Yankovic and we did
Rama Lama Ding Dong was done up in Cleveland,
several albums with him. Joey Miskulin, who was Frank
because there wasnt any place to do it here.
Yankovics right hand man, great accordion player and
Incidentally, we had talked about Del Sinchak; Del was
musician, was helping to produce those sessions too.
in his rock stage with his band. Dels always had a
Joey later went to Nashville and joined Riders in the
band. They started off as the Polka Serenaders. Then
Sky, the Western band.
he went into pop and rock music and called himself
Del Saint & The Devils, and he wore a turban. So he
Did the economy of Youngstown in the
was the band behind that song. I always say, Del,
70s effect the studio much?
theres no accordion on that song. And he says, No,
Well, we were doing a lot of commercial production
but there is a cowbell, and Im the ding dong who
work, and we were doing a lot of work for Youngstown
plays it! [laughs]
Sheet and Tube through an advertising agency. So

fe
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1988 or something. Still all the tracking was done

analog, then the mixdown was done to a Sony F1
system. I dont know if you are familiar with that.
Sony would make a digital encoder that you would
record onto either a Beta or VHS tape. So youd have
this two-channel box youd plug everything into
hooked up to a VCR, and that was the first digital
mixdown. I thought it sounded really good! I thought
the F1 series sounded better than all the DATs we got
into later. So we were doing mixdowns before we were
tracking digitally. I think it was in the mid-90s; we
never got into the ADAT machines, but instead the
Tascam system [DA-88]. Part of that was because of
some other work I was doing in Cleveland, where I got
familiar with the DA-88s. Then we eventually got into
the Alesis HD24, one of the machines that I still use
today. Of course weve got programs on the computer
as well.

om

Did they have their own studio?

.c

From Sharon, [Pennsylvania].

ic
@g

It was all over the place. Of course we had some polka

bands, and there were a lot of bands in the area too,
like Blue Ash and Left End, who eventually ended up
on Polydor. There were a lot of bar bands too, and
they were all good; a lot of good musicians. And there
was other ethnic music as well. We were doing Greek
bands, as well as some gospel and religious work,
probably some high school bands that wed go out
and record too. We were doing quite a diverse amount
of material. I enjoyed the polkas, but I was really
more into the rock and pop projects. I was really
interested in honing myself on doing pop recording.
The thing that actually was a benefit in the polka field
was that I would take the same techniques that we
were doing with the rock bands and apply them to the
recording techniques with the polka bands. You know,
most of them were used to recording with one
microphone in a room, or two for stereo. Then, all of
a sudden, they would bring the drums in and Id have
a microphone on the top and bottom of the snare, and
the toms all micd, and the front head off the kick
drum too. I was trying to take the approach that we
would take to contemporary music and apply it to the
ethnic music. I think thats one thing that helped
form the sound that people recognized us for. But we
were doing all types of bands. It was amazing. And I
was doing most of the engineering. There was one
other guy that worked here too, but I was doing a lot
of it. They were amazed. Theyd say, I dont
understand how one minute youre doing a Greek
band, and the next youre doing a rock band, and the
next youre doing a Slovenian polka. Its all music,
right? And you know when it sounds right, and when
it doesnt sound right. You should know that if youre
sitting behind this board.

You dont do any tracking on the

computer though? You just track
with the Alesis, then do editing on
the computer?

Right. We can unload them and do editing, but most of

it is done there on the HD24. And we dont do much
mixing in the box; we do it all here through the board.
So we need the analog outs that come along with the
machine. I think its a nice system.

Yeah, I think its a great way of working.

Very much like an analog machine, in sense of operating

like a tape machine. I guess you could always argue
about the sound of it.

No Pro Tools in the future here?

I wouldnt exclude that. I mean, I really do a lot of

editing on the computer, and Ive been mixing down
to Sound Forge, which is what Ive used primarily
since 2000. I love the capabilities of digital. I spent
so many years with a razor blade, picking up little
pieces of tape off the floor, saying, Oh, I need that
back! That edit wasnt good! The Ampex 2-track
didnt come with an undo button. Theres just so much
that I dont even think about anymore with the
analog 2-inch machine. I was always worried about
speed, worried about azimuth, phasing, and all that.
Punching in and out youd have to be pretty clever
about that a lot of times. The Scully was always good
about punching in. Punching out, you always had to

Mr. Rhamy/(continued on page 96)/Tape Op#116/95

In the rock era, we had some pretty notable things.

There was a group from Akron called Brimstone in
1973. They did a record called Paper Winged Dreams.
Morly Grey was another one we did early on [The
Only Truth]. There are vinyl copies of that going for
something like $1000 a piece.

And the band Poobah [Let Me In] was

another cult classic.

Oh, yeah! With the toilet flush that was recorded right
in there. Jim Gustafson is still doing it too. Those
were probably smoke filled days. [laughs] I would
just try to maintain. There were a lot of bands then.
I grew up on a farm, so when I got to Youngstown
it was like, Wow! A big city! And look at all these
bands like The Insights, Brainchild, and The Pied
Pipers, as well as funk and rhythm and blues.
Menagerie was another great band from the area.
There was a little bit of everything.

What is your vision of the future for

Peppermint?

Well, I think the outcome is making people smile when

they walk out the door. Making sure theyre happy
with what theyve done musically here, and
eventually to the audience that they take it to. So
thats sort of an overall goal. And just keeping the
place going, you know, because the whole industry
has changed. You know that.

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Yeah, right. Ive said this many times. We ended up

doing that over the years, as recordings were done
outside the studio, and bands and engineers would
end up sending me tracks to mix. People would ask,
Whats the first thing you do when you start to
mix? I always say the mix starts at the first sound Wow! What about some of the bands
check of the microphone. Thats when you start
from the 70s?
laying down the first sound and you start building Im very proud of the work we did with Blue Ash. Left
onto that. If you can get it right to begin with, or
End had some songs that we had done here before
close, it gives you a great foundation for every
they went to Polydor. Later on we did some live
sound you pile on top, and the less you have to do
things with them at the Park Inn, over on Glenwood
later. Plus, its better to listen to while youre doing
Ave. It was exciting times, and all those live
it! If the musics sounding good at the beginning,
sessions like that were cool. But Blue Ash was a
and youre listening to it for 12 hours, well, the
great group. We actually signed them to a
better it sounds and the better off you are at the
production deal early on. So we brought them in the
end of the day! And the better judgments you can
studio and produced some songs for demos and sent
make, too.
them out to record companies. You could do that in
the early 70s. Mercury listened to submissions and
A quick list of favorite records youve
negotiated a deal, so we did No More, No Less with
worked on over the years?
them. It was a critically acclaimed album. It may not
Oh, my
have done so good in sales, but they were satisfied
Start with that gold one on the wall.
with it and gave us a budget to go ahead and work
Oh, the gold one! [laughs] There it is. Its on two
on songs for the second album. Unfortunately, that
walls, because I happen to have two copies.
never happened. The good thing out of that was
Is that the exercise one?
that we ended up with a lot of Blue Ash demos, and
Yes, Carol Hensels Exercise & Dance Program. This
those have been re-released as a double album
would have been in the late 70s. For all I know, it
[Hearts & Arrows]. I got to work with Paul Nelson,
may have been one of the first aerobic albums ever,
who was a producer for Mercury, and later a writer
and of course that became a big trend. That was
for Rolling Stone. Hes passed, but he has a great
before Jane Fonda got into it. We ended up doing
book out there [Everything Is an Afterthought: The
that one, as well as two or three others. That went
Life and Writings of Paul Nelson]. There were so many
gold in the US, then platinum. I never got the
great bands in this area, and so many great
platinum one. It also went gold in Canada and
musicians. A fellow who did a lot of work here before
Australia, so it was very successful. We did all
he left for Nashville was Bob DiPiero. Tremendously
original recordings of popular songs that she had
successful. He wrote American Made by The Oak
picked out for the various aerobic parts; some to
Ridge Boys. He told me that hes had over a million
warm up, some to aerobicise, and then some to slow
airplays on the radio of the songs that hes done.
down and cool down. But it was really good. We
When we were doing jingles, he was my go-to guy.
ended up doing that, and then we got into Dance
Bill Bodine, whos a musician from the area, is out in
with Darcel with Darcel Wynne, who was the
California now. He had his own production company
principle dancer on Solid Gold at the time its a
and wrote a lot of music. He wrote the Judge Judy
how-to-dance album. We did Ray Boom Boom
theme, and played in the Gong Show band. Another
Mancini; he got into the aerobics thing and did one
fellow who left the area at the same time was Joey
called Knockout Bodies. All of these albums
Pizzulo, who went out to California and joined Srgio
required doing copies of songs that were popular,
Mendes. Next thing I know, I heard him singing a
and that was great. I mean we really worked hard at
duet on Never Gonna Let You Go.
trying to get those to sound the same. I think that

Did any of the Ohio funk bands do

anything here, or any early Devo, or
anything like that?

om

I feel like youre starting with that

pure signal path.

was really good for me. It was the same as when I

started out in radio, before I ever got into recording,
because Id sit at the studio playing something and
thinking, Gee, I wonder how they got that to sound
like that? Or, Thats a nice sound on the horns. It
was the same kind of a thing, but years later when
we would try and recreate David Bowies songs,
Flashdance, or Eye of the Tiger. Those were always
fun, because wed always do mixes of the music
without the talking on it and enjoy that! [laughs]
There was a fellow who had a gym here in town. He
was also a singer, and we did recordings for him. But
he came to me one day and said, Ive got this idea
for a movie. I cant afford to do a film treatment, but
Ive written a script thats a presentation of what
the movie is. I want you to narrate it. Well put some
music to it, so I can take that out and maybe find
some investors. We did that. I said, What do you
call this thing? He said, American Gladiators. He
took it out to California and he never got a movie,
but he got a TV show out of it. That all started here.

.c

allow for the distance between the record head and

the erase head, so you needed a gap in the sound
there. So, its nice to be able to edit and do things,
to shift tracks a little bit. I like that. I think, when
you come from where I started, we were trying to
work on reel-to-reel. [Wed try] to edit and try to
sync things up from someplace else and lay them
into a multitrack recording; its so nice to have all
of that at my fingertips with digital. And I think its
nice to be able to have that background, because I
know what Ive always wanted to do, but maybe
couldnt; but now I can. So I think knowing the
capabilities of some of the things I was limited to
before can be really nice.

96/Tape Op#116/Mr. Rhamy/(Fin.)

Yeah.

And Pro Tools, definitely. We work with it now, but

people bring it to me! We just plug it in and let it
go. I hope we can do more sessions like we did the
other day, which was have the band in here, track
on the 16-track at 15 ips, and then transfer it to Pro
Tools to get that ballsy drum sound. I really got
psyched up the other weekend. The guys said, Its
just amazing how drums sound when they come off
of tape. I guess theres a lot to be said for that. So
keeping it alive, and making it comfortable for
people. Thats it. Not getting in the way of the
production of sound and music. r

<www.peppermintrecords.com>

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