The CThe Creatireative Mve Music Rusic Recordecordinging MagaMagazinezine

Tom WermanTom Werman

Poison, Mötley Crüe, Cheap Trick Poison, Mötley Crüe, Cheap Trick

The War on DrugsThe War on Drugs

w/ Adam Granducielw/ Adam Granduciel

Catherine MarksCatherine Marks

Foals, Flood, The Howling BellsFoals, Flood, The Howling Bells

Al Schnier Al Schnier

moe. & moremoe. & more

Seth KauffmanSeth Kauffman

of Floating Actionof Floating Action

Bill Cheney Bill Cheney

of Spectra Sonics in Behind the Gear of Spectra Sonics in Behind the Gear

Music ReviewsMusic Reviews

w/ Jimmy Page on Led Zeppelinw/ Jimmy Page on Led Zeppelin

Gear ReviewsGear Reviews

II ss ss uu ee NN oo . . 11 00 22

J J uu ll yy // AA uu g g 22 00 11 44

16/Tape Op#102/Mr. Cheney/(Fin.)

from the company in the late ‘80s, as I had my own business. With the backing of

Spectra Sonics, I started Applied Technology with my partner Jim. We evolved away

from audio and went to work for large corporate and government agencies, building

communication and weapons test facilities. Then in ‘07, we started to see what was

happening with the 610. On eBay, they were initially selling for $100 to $200. In 2006

the price had jumped to over a $1,200. I called Bill’s son, Greg Dilley, and said, “Jim

and I want to buy the 610 production rights.” He said, “Just buy the whole company.”

JB: So this was after Bill passed away?Bill passed away in ‘03. Greg wanted to continue running Spectra Sonics Aviation, an FBO,

and had little time for the audio part of the family business.

LC: I remember sending my tech my 610, and he was like, “I can’tfigure it out.” So we sent it to the factory to get refurbished inthe late ‘90s.

They were still fixing stuff. He was still supporting everything, still supporting consoles.

LC: That’s kind of unusual in this business.Again, it was a moral thing with him. They’d made their money, and they were really careful

with their money. That’s why the family wanted us to pick it up, because they knew

that we wouldn’t butcher it. It took us two years to get our first product out because

we couldn’t meet spec. We were working on the 610, and there were certain parts that

had to have really tight, high tolerance specs. People will try to copy it, but you can’t

just put parts on a board with our stuff. During the process of producing the first 610s,

I called up Greg and asked, “How are you selecting this, this, and this?” Greg said, “I

don’t know.” Then I get a call one day and Greg said, “I’ve just found Dad’s handwritten

notes.” So we went back and reverse-engineered everything. It took us two years to

get the 610 to meet spec, and we would not sell them until they did. There’s a picture

of Tchad Blake on our website, and he’s got a 610 from 1969 or 1970, and he’s got a

2012 unit, and he’s using them interchangeably. You cannot tell the difference.

JB: You’ve done a good job of keeping the company intact.Jim and I probably could have retired, but we are stubborn so we are going to keep this

up. Recently it’s been doing a lot better. We’re fighting guys who have hundreds of

thousands of dollars in ad budget, with a lot of BS and momentum, and it’s just

difficult. But we are not going to stop.

JB: I was really impressed when you sent me a 502 to check out.One of the first things I did was open it up. It had such solid andbeefy circuit board traces and transformers and inductors.

All of our products are designed and built the same way; to last forever.

JB: You just don’t see much new gear that’s built like this.No. It goes back to the way that Bill Dilley would do things. He prided himself on all of

his consoles. They’d snap together. There was a thousandth of an inch tolerance in all

the milling, so things would literally snap in, even though he still had screws to hold

it. The stuff was built like a tank. That’s just the way he did it. r

Visit <tapeop.com> for more from Bill’s interview.

<www.spectra-sonics.com>

http://tapeop.com/interviews/btg/102/bill-cheney -bonus/

bonus article:

Songwriter and multi-instrumentalist Seth

Kauffman has been crafting exotic music for

over a decade. Whether he’s recording albums

under the moniker, Floating Action, sitting in

on sessions with Dan Auerbach and Ray

LaMontagne, or producing albums for other

artists like Courtney Jaye, Seth brings a

distinctly laid-back vibe to each project. I

recently had the pleasure of chatting with him

at his home in Black Mountain, NC.

How did you get started recording? Theoldest thing I found was the Choosy Beggars self-titled album from 2003.

My friend, Bryan Cates, who was the singer/songwriter,

did most of our recording. He did The Choosy Beggars

to ADAT. Then our friend, Thad Cockrell,

recommended Chris Stamey to mix it.

When did you start recording yourself?After [The Choosy Beggars], I had a 4-track and was

messing around. That’s when I got into the idea of

doing everything myself. When I got married and

moved to Durham, [NC], I thought, “Man, if I could

do more tracks, I could make real-sounding things!”

For years after that, I used Cakewalk [Software]. It’s

really cheap, like $35 at Best Buy.

What’s your setup now?I’ve got [PreSonus] Studio One. Bill Reynolds [of Band of

Horses] talked me into getting a better interface. I

couldn’t get multiple tracks at the same time with

Cakewalk. I could only do left and right to get two

simultaneous [tracks]. Now I can get more, but I

don’t really know how to use the program. [laughs] I

hit record and that’s pretty much it. I’ve still never

used any onboard effects. I always use Echoplex

delays, or spring reverb units, before it hits the

computer.

What sounds are you chasing?I grew up in Greensboro [NC]. In the early ‘90s, we were

in high school figuring out music. That period was the

worst for popular music. It seems like every period is

the worst! [laughs] Every sound that was happening,

especially in Greensboro, was not cool, and we hated

that; but we didn’t know how to articulate it. We liked

Robert Johnson, ‘60s Motown, and the Rolling

Stones. We [The Choosy Beggars] recorded this gospel

album called Bring it Back Alive, trying to get that old

sound. It was really a cool thing, but we just had our

local recording guy, so it was super cheesy and

sounds awful.

What’s your approach to recording yoursongs?

I usually start with rhythms. Everything that’s

happening is simple. I’m not virtuosic at any

instrument. I’m always trying to create some weird

polyrhythm to help the song. Whatever creates some

new groove.

Do you ever use a click?I’ve never used an actual click that’s from the computer.

I’ll use a [‘60s Ace Tone Rhythm Ace] drum machine

and record it for four and a half minutes. I then use

it like a click to play the drums to, and mute it after

that. There are some songs where it’s even left in.

Do you already have songs writtenbefore recording?

Usually it is rhythm first. That’s what I’m doing now. I

recently got this tabla drum machine. I’ve been

tracking it to a [4-track cassette recorder], then

flipping the tape over and recording that to the

computer – backwards. There’s this weird rhythm that

doesn’t make sense forwards, but then backwards it

does. Then I figure out some hip-hop drumbeat and

see if I can make that work. There’s no go-to; I try to

do something different [every time].

Do you write song structures around thebeats, working with the fills andfluctuations that are already there?

That’s why it’s fun to do it myself! I can get risky with

it because the fill is not in the right place. There are

happy accidents where I’m like “Whoa, I would’ve

never put [the fill] there, but it sounds cool!”

You end up with an extra bar.Right. In a lot of ways I let it write itself.

I like your arrangements. There’sp l e n t y g o i n g o n , b u t e a c hinstrument has its own space.

That’s part of doing it all myself. I’m real shy. In the studio

people are butting heads. I’ll have an idea, but can’t

defend it because I don’t know where it’s going to lead,

and then it gets shot down. If it’s just me, I can spend

hours on it, even if it doesn’t work. With each album,

Set h K auf f manC omplet ing t he My t hint er v iew and phot o by R y an Bar r ingt on C ox

18/Tape Op#102/Mr. Kauffman/(continued on page 20)

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You’d studied classical piano when youwere younger?

Yeah, from like four to 15. I’m not really that good

anymore, but I think it helps to be able to

communicate notes and chords, at the very least.

I heard that you studied architecture inMelbourne.

When I did architecture at Melbourne uni, I had to do a

compulsory year at a firm before I went on to finish

my degree. For some reason, I thought it would be a

good idea to do it in Ireland, because my mum’s Irish.

Dublin was full of amazing musicians, at the time. I

started going to see bands, which I’d never done

before. I met Flood maybe halfway through the year

of my time there. It was at a Nick Cave concert, and

we got along really well. Someone had mentioned

that he was a music producer. I don’t think I

understood what that was, at that point. I think at

my going-away dinner I asked him if he’d produce me,

and he said no. I think he was working on a U2 record

at the time. He said, “I won’t; but if you are really

serious about working in music, I’ll help you. Go back,

finish your degree, and work out if you want to do

what I do. It’s a big sacrifice.”

It’s overwhelming. So you went back toMelbourne to finish your degree?

Yeah, I joined a couple of bands playing keyboards . The

first band I was in was called The Wreck. I would say

it was kind of ethereal indie-pop. Then The Wreck

broke up, and I joined this band called The Harlocks.

Was there kind of an open invitation tocome to London and work with Flood?

No. In his mind he thinks I pestered him, but in my

mind I think that he called me regularly to make sure

I was still coming. Either way, we had stayed in

contact over those four years. When I eventually

moved to London, I became the assistant to the

assistant engineer, Andy Savours. But I didn’t know

what it was to work in a studio. I’d never personally

recorded anything. I was not technically savvy, at all.

But I was so excited about making music, and being

involved in making music. Even the things that I

found difficult I was determined to figure out. There’s

a real dynamic in the studio, which I definitely know

now and it’s incredibly crucial, but I really didn’t

understand it then. I’d been working at an

architecture firm, and I had people who were working

underneath me.

How did you approach learning some ofthe technical side?

I asked a lot of questions; probably annoyingly. I still

constantly apologize to Flood now for the way I was.

But Flood and Andy also had this thing they called

the “war of attrition”. I’d ask a question when I

thought it was the appropriate time, but it obviously

wasn’t. They’d reveal a little bit of information, which

of course made no sense to me, at all, because it had

no context. I’d ask, “What does compression do?”

They’d go, “Well, it does this… but this is all we’re

going to tell you, for now.” I still joke to Alan Moulder

that I think I’ve finally worked out the difference

between attack and release. He knows that I know

things, but we don’t have those kind of discussions.

He laughs at me because I don’t profess to be overly

technical, but I do actually know all this stuff. The

technological side of things is, like, 25 percent of it.

How did you get up to speed though?After three months of shadowing Andy, Flood gave me

the keys to this project studio up in Kilburn, which he

called The Boys Bedroom. It was a mess. All his mates

had been using it. I started sorting things out and re-

patching. I slowly started teaching myself all the

equipment. He just kept throwing me in the deep end.

“There’s a session here, and the band wants to record

25 tracks, in six days.” Things would break down; I’d

just stay calm and work it out.

I agree that the technical is a smallpercentage of what you have to do toget a record done.

I say all this stuff, but recently I engineered the Foals’

Holy Fire record for Flood and Alan. I was really

nervous about doing that, because you’re working

with two of the greatest producers and engineers in

the world. It was an amazing opportunity, because

they rarely work together, and Foals is an incredibly

talented band. It was not only keeping the ship

running, but also managing the technical side of

things as well.

It’s like the old-school studio system ofbeing the tea boy, the tape op, andworking your way up. It’s amazing tohave landed in a place like Assault &Battery, with two fantastic engineer-producers.

Alan and Flood still take on a lot of people, and they

love it. They see Assault & Battery as a hive of

activity. There are great bands coming in. There’s

communication and collaboration. They love that

that’s still happening. Alan said the other day that it’s

possibly more exciting than Trident Studios was. I

know it’s really rare now, so I do feel very lucky to be

a part of it. Even though I’m now mixing on my own,

I still want to be a part of that team, in a way. I would

hope that making records is like a craft. There are so

many different ways of making records, but I hope

that craft will never get lost. I feel lucky to have been

able to learn from so many other awesome craftsmen.

You’re freelance now, but you still keepin touch with them often?

Yeah, I did a project last year with Alan, which we co-

produced. I’m mixing it at the moment. It’s like

having your homework marked! I’m much more

confident now, obviously. But I feel like in every band

that I work with, everyone’s learning, and adapting,

and growing together.

How did your career progress after TheBedroom studio?

I was there, on and off, for maybe two years. Once I’d

tidied up the studio and started feeling my way

around, there wasn’t much I had to do during the day.

I’d go and bother the girls who managed Flood and

these other producers. I was like, “What can I do?”

There was a job with Ben Hillier recording The

Futureheads in Scarborough, and they wanted

someone for two months. They were going to hire a

chef and an assistant. I was like, “Pick me!” They

couldn’t find anyone else, so I was kind of the last

resort. On a Friday afternoon, when everybody was

leaving, they said, “Okay. Can you cook?”

Can you cook?No, I couldn’t cook at that time. Not for 11 people. It was

set up in this barn in the middle of nowhere, in the

countryside of north Yorkshire. It was beautiful and

amazing, but freezing cold. I had to get up in the

morning, set up the microphones, and turn the heaters

on in the barns. I didn’t have to make people’s

breakfast, but I started making lunch, and then I’d

make everyone tea. It was a big complex, and I was

rushing around everywhere. A bonus was, for maybe an

hour or two a day, I could sit in a studio that they’d

made out of this other barn. But usually I was sitting

and watching Ben Hillier work. He had a very lovely

engineer, Rick Morris, and I remember thinking how

little Rick gave away of his personality. I’m quite open.

I am who I am. I thought that maybe I should be a

little more like he was. I tried, but it didn’t really work.

To subvert your own personality?Yeah. I think that was one of the other things that

Flood instilled really early on. You’ve got to be

yourself, because people can tell if you’re not.

Where did you end up after thatFutureheads session?

When Alan and Flood decided to take on the big recording

room at Assault & Battery, I moved in there with them

and became the assistant for that studio. This was more

of a challenge, because I suddenly had to really be on

it and know the studio. I then went on to assist for

Alan Moulder. After about a year of learning I started

being able to set up mixes and get vocal sounds for

him, as well as moving the mixes into the main room.

Then he’d get projects that he loved, but maybe the

budgets would be quite small. I would do them to a

point, and he would take them in and spend half a day

to finish them off. After that he would do the singles,

and I would mix the rest of the record. I never imagined

myself being a mixer. I’d done songwriting,

engineering, vocal production, and all these things.

Working with Alan made me realize that you have to

think about how the record is going to end up. When

you’re producing, engineering, or even assisting,

thinking about how you actually want it to sound in

the end and come together is important.

That’s a good place to get some training. What made you go freelance?

I think it happened organically. It never was me making

a decision to go out on my own. I just started on stuff

that Alan loved, but didn’t necessarily have time to

do. I think that point where clients are saying, “We

want you” only just started to happen in the last six

months. It’s incredible.

You’re doing a lot more mixing now.Didn’t you mix some albums on yourlaptop?

How’d you know that? I have done a couple of albums,

several years ago. It was really through circumstances

where I couldn’t get a studio. I wouldn’t necessarily

choose to do it like that. I love mixing on a console,

but at the moment I’m mixing The Howling Bells –

this project I did with Alan – on Pro Tools with a

Ms. Marks/(continued on page 24)/ Tape Op#102/23

Talk about your roots as an engineer/producer. Was there a particular pointwhere you thought, “Hey, this is really cool. I want to do this.”

Probably around 2000. I got a BOSS BR-8 digital recorder

that ran off of Zip disks and mixed out on a MiniDisc.

Before that I was playing a song into a tape recorder and

then playing it back and recording to that, but not

overdubbing. But when I started to get into multitracking,

that’s when I started to see my writing get exponentially

better. The obsession grew. Instead of just using a drum

machine, I was starting to get into situations like, “I can

only use one track for drums, so where am I going to put

the [Shure SM]58? Put it right between the snare and

kick?” [laughs] Through the BR-8 I was learning about

compression and at first I really didn’t know what it

meant, so I just turned it all the way up; everything would

get louder and blown out. I was like, “This is fucking

great!” [laughs] Slowly I learned what it was doing. I had

that BR-8 for about seven years. Around 2007, when

Secretly Canadian [record label] committed to my first

record, I bought a [Tascam] MS-16 1-inch [tape deck] and

a Tascam 24-channel board. That was a new kind of way

of engineering for me. Learning about aux sends and

feeding shit back through them, slowing the tape down,

sampling off tape. It was a place where I had my own little

zone, with a few Memory Man pedals and pieces of gear.

By doing that all the time I started getting better at

recording guitars, and I started reading about engineering

and rock mythology. Like, “Oh, on ‘Born to Run’ they threw

a 12-string guitar into a dbx [compressor]. Let’s do that!”

Given the ‘80s rock influences in yourwriting – Bruce Springsteen, Tom Petty –did you find yourself learning about themaking of all of those records?

Not really. Before I started this record, I was in a guitar store

outside of Philly called the Guitar Barn, and they had this

MXR Pitch Transposer. You can see pictures of Phil Collins

in the studio with a whole rack of these things, but I never

knew what they were. It came with the meter display,

which is pretty rare. I would usually start everything at

home on the 1-inch: drum machine, guitars – usually

through my [Fender] Champ or my Traynor amps – and

synths or Rhodes. Really anything I could do that would

set the mood of whatever idea I was working on. Jeff

Zeigler, my engineer, had the same 1-inch machine, so I’d

give him all of the tapes to transfer into Pro Tools. But I

had this piano riff for this one song, and I was like, “Let’s

hook up that Pitch Transposer.” We had its mono output

into a stereo [Vox] Time Machine delay, and all of a sudden

that became – in some way – the sound of the record.

I gathered that this record wasn’t made inthe traditional sense of “band goes intoa studio and knocks out ten songs over ahandful of weeks.” It was more of along-term personal project. What was itlike making a record that way?

A

With 2014’s Lost in the Dream , The War on Drugpeople’s playlists. Frontman and producer extraor

was kind enough to take a break from touring to discthe record, as well as some of his

The advantages include being able to take one little

idea and watch it expand, [as well as] taking things

away and putting things in – constant revising.

There’s no sound in my head that I’m trying to

capture; it’s the whole process that excites me, from

the first demo to mixing. In mixing you’re like,

“Mute all the drums,” after hearing it all for a year,

and then you’re like, “Mute everything, except for

those synths.” All of a sudden there’s this “Aha!”

moment, but it still has all the elements that we’ve

added to in the past year. Disadvantages to this

process would be that without a deadline I’m not

sure when I’d get to the point of making those final

decisions, because that journey is so exciting to me.

Because there is no distinct sound chasing, the song

can always become something new.

Did you get to a point where you werethinking, “I don’t know what I’mlistening to anymore!”

Yeah, definitely. Towards the end, there were a few songs

that I knew didn’t feel right. There was one song, “An

Ocean In Between the Waves” – we’d spent eight

months working on a certain version of it. I started it

at home and it was really sweet, and then over the

course of nine months it started to get out of my hands.

We mixed it, and everyone loved it, but it just didn’t feel

like me. It felt wrong. So we started over and re-

recorded it in two and a half days. I kept the drums that

we recorded at Echo Mountain Recording [Asheville,

NC], as well as a few original guitars from my first

recording, but other than that it was all redone. It was

really satisfying, and the song ended up being a lot of

people’s favorite song on the record. I feel good that I

made that decision, despite people saying, “You’re

crazy. This sounds great!”

When you were tracking, was there oneparticular signal chain or piece ofgear that you kept coming back to?

When we were at Echo Mountain, they had a Sony C-37A

[microphone] that I used on Slave Ambient [TWOD’s

previous album], and I remember the chain was a C-37A

into an EMI sidecar and into a [Teletronix] LA-2A – it

was so thick. I wanted to go back down there for that

mic to do vocals. We started to do a shootout. They

have a [vintage Telefunken Ela M] 251, and of course

Jeff was like, “We have to try it!” So I put it up, and it

was kinda bright. No one wants to say that it doesn’t

sound good. [laughs] “Is there a cable shorting out?”

But I was like, “Let’s just try that C-37A.” We put it up,

and all of a sudden it was great. Jeff was using the C-

37A into a [Neve] 1073, into a Manley Vari-Mu, into an

SSL. Once we had that chain, we used it for all of the

songs. For mixing, Nicolas [Vernhes, Tape Op #20] had

a Universal Audio 175 [compressor], and that was great.

After tracking, did you go back to yourstudio or Jeff’s for comping and editing?

Yeah, we’d do a lot of comping at Jeff’s, as well as a lot of

editing of guitars and keyboards. There were only a few

instances where I was taking the hard drive home. I

wanted to have those moments were I could sit with a

rough mix in my room, play along through my [Fender]

Champ, and come up with little leads or work on lyrics.

One weekend I got super inspired and I brought all my

amps and all of my rack gear up to my bedroom, and I

recorded for about four or five days straight. I rented a

Royer 121, and my Champ sounded awesome. I did all of

these guitars; it was super productive.

In your comping/writing process, how doyou determine what’s working andwhat needs to go?

If I did ten takes of guitar, I’d think, “Just let me do one

more.” Even if the sixth one was better, we’d always keep

the last one I did for the rough. Like, “We’ll comp them

later,” and you never end up comping. [laughs] In the

moment I feel, “I can do better,” but there’s something

about the sixth one that was cool, and there’s something

about the tenth one that’s cool. It’s really just about

building it up, adding sweet tones, or using a pedal and

getting some cool sounds out of it. I think part of it is

always listening to rough mixes. The song is always

there, but with different guitar sounds and textures.

Lead guitars start to reveal themselves and become

hooks. It’s trusting your instincts and trusting the people

that you choose to work with. We spent four or five

months working on a piano part. And then one night at

Mitch Easter’s [Tape Op #21] it was 2 a.m. and my pianist

Robbie [Bennett] was playing the [Yamaha] C3 baby

grand. I could tell he was having a good time. I said,

“Let’s do the piano part for ‘Eyes To The Wind’ right now.”

He did a third take and I said, “That’s the one.” We’d

done 20 takes over five months, but that was the one.

You can’t always have someone playing your song and

immediately have them playing what you want.

They’re not you.Yeah, and sometimes you don’t even really know what it

is. There’s no way to explain music, really – it just feels

like, “That was the one.” It may have been because we’d

all had a big dinner and some wine.

One great thing about Lost in the Dream isthat there’s this tight, punchy rhythmsection, and then all of this space for

vocals, reverbs, synths, and guitars. Wasthat something that came up inmixing, or was that something that youkept in mind throughout tracking?

That was something that Nicolas Vernhes did in mixing. He

wasn’t familiar with the band at all, but he wanted to

make the best illusion possible that it was a band

playing in a room. Even though we didn’t play any of

these songs live, and everything was done to a [Roland

TR-]707, he was able to focus the rhythm section into

that tight sound of a band for a lot of these songs. It

was great. It wasn’t something that I had thought

about, but you get caught up in the arrangement.

“Should I have the drum machine in there and then fade

to the real drums?” Nicolas was good at putting those

things lower, letting them be subtle, and creating that

illusion of bringing the vocals up a little closer, as well

as hearing performances in the bass or the drums. I knew

it was all there, but in the moment I just didn’t know

how all of these songs were going to connect together.

If you were to go back to the outset of thisrecord, or even past records, what’sone thing you would tell yourself?

At the end of the day it’s really about what comes out of

the amp or the piano, instead of what it’s going into.

I’m going to buy a C-37A, but it doesn’t really matter.

Capture that moment where you’re the most confident

in a song: when the idea is the most pure, and you’re

really excited about the song you have, or the sound

you’re working on. That magic comes through if it’s a

[Shure SM]58 plugged into an Mbox, or a 251 into an

EMI channel. It’s those tiny things that make the song

special. Following through on the idea, hearing it, and

knowing it’s right. You don’t have to know what you’re

going for, but it’s helpful to know what you like.

Sometimes it’s fun to spend an hour on a guitar sound

and put a [Shure SM]57 up, just to get the initial idea.

I think working quickly is nice, and there’s no right or

wrong; it’s just confidence and believing in the art of

recording. Why are you recording? It’s to capture sound,

but also to capture a moment. And that is just as

important as the sound.r

<www.thewarondrugs.net >

have made it onto mostinaire Adam Granducielss the unique making ofroduction philosophies.

Mr. Granduciel/(Fin.)/ Tape Op#102/35

The band moe. has been going strong sinceforming in Buffalo, NY, over 20 years ago.Guitarist/vocalist Al Schnier joined up in 1991; theband has been busy on the road, as well as releasingalbums, ever since, even putting on the excellentmoe.down festival (The fifteenth year is happeningin Turin, NY, August 29-31, this summer). I droppedAl a line as moe. were wrapping up their 11th album,No Guts, No Glory!, to discuss the band’s studiohistory, his home studio, and thoughts on recordingguitars.

You guys are working on a new record?Yup. We’ve finished all the tracking at this point. We

were working at the Carriage House Studios in

Stamford, Connecticut. We’d been there once before,

around 2000, working on our album, Dither,with John

Siket. It was one of those places where we had a really

good experience and good memory of it. Originally we

had planned to be on the West Coast to do the

recording, but for personal reasons we had to do it in

the Northeast. It was good to be back there.

What is it that you like about CarriageHouse?

There are a couple of things. We’ve spent enough time

in a lot of different recording studios, and a lot of

different residential situations. We’ve even gone so far

as to rent a house on one of our records, as well as

move in all of our own gear to build a makeshift

studio setup. We want a space that’s conducive to

getting the work done. It has to be comfortable, but

you also want the right gear. You want everything to

work. Carriage House has the right combination of

those things. You have a great collection of gear, but

also a comfortable place to work. In this day and age,

the personal customer service part of it really goes a

long way. It’s the easiest record we’ve ever made. We

never felt like we were on the clock, or in somebody

else’s space. They helped us get our job done. If we

needed anything, they were there to help out.

That should be the situation most of thetime.

Well, it should be; but a lot of times you get into a

studio where you might be dealing with some

complacency, or maybe some gear that’s not quite in

shape that hasn’t been cleaned in a while. You spend

time putting out fires and checking the gear yourself,

when you should be recording.

When you set up a house as a recordingstudio did you find yourselves pretty distracted with equipment?

Not so much. I have a really good friend named Mark

Cochi who has his own recording company called RDR

Location. He’s got a 48-track HD rig with [iZ

Technology] RADAR, a Sony digital desk [DMX-R100],

48 channels of API preamps and outboard

compressors, and $100,000 worth of microphones. We

weren’t wanting for any gear. The only distraction was

that several of us were geeking out over the gear

while we were doing the recording.

I’ve gathered that you have a propensity for that, when it comes to recordingequipment and guitars.

Yeah. We’d be recording a guitar part and say, “Why

don’t we do a mic shootout first to see which mic will

be best?” An hour and a half would pass by, until one

of the guys in the band would finally say, “Hey! Are

you guys done? Can we record this guitar part?”

You want to understand what thoseoptions are.

Right, exactly. It’s cool because everybody in the band

has been working for so long, so we’re all pretty

particular about the sounds we’re going after, as well as

what we’re trying to produce and create. Some of us are

more involved on the technical side of things. I

personally have to be careful not to get bogged down

in that, because I could spend days in the studio having

my way with the equipment, more than the songs

themselves. I could spend an hour trying to create a

sound like I have in my head. I want to build sounds

from scratch. Those are fun days in the studio for me.

What was the first experience that youhad going into the studio with moe.?

moe. had actually recorded some demos before I

started playing with them. There’s this great vintage

guitar shop in Buffalo called Top Shelf Music. One of

the luthiers there, Andrew Buscher, was also a guitar

tech with the Goo Goo Dolls. He lived above the

guitar shop and had a studio in his apartment with a

16-track, 1-inch machine. There was probably a

Soundcraft board and a few random pieces of

outboard gear. We made our first two albums there,

but he’d gotten a better tape machine by the time we

did the second album. We were working at night, after

the guitar shop closed. We’d go in at six or seven at

night, and work until two in the morning. Some of the

guys were still in school at that point, and we had

neighbors and things to contend with, but it was a

great process.

That’s pretty awesome.It was good that we were in his hands, because he had

a certain appreciation, not only for the recording

process, but also for the gear. I remember sitting

down with him and comparing our Les Pauls at one

point. He was explaining why the ‘68 Goldtop that he

had was different from the ‘72 Goldtop that I had. He

was a big fan of The Who, so everything was informed

by their musical vocabulary. It was good to have him

reinterpret what we were doing through that

vernacular.

You mentioned having a month atCarriage House and not feeling so“on the clock.” Has that been a goal?

Absolutely. Every time we try and create these situations

in which we can get the work done. On one of the

records we did, we tracked in a theater in Portland,

Maine. We knew the theater was going to be empty

for a couple weeks. We had a really good relationship

with those people, so we asked them if we could

move in for a couple of weeks. It’s nice for us to work

when we’re left alone that way. We’re all fat and old

at this point, but we still worked 12-hour days for a

month straight. Once we get into the process of

making a record, we’re pretty dedicated to it. It’s nice

to be able to do it that way, rather than have to be

on the clock, work around a schedule, bounce around

to different locations, or move in and out of a studio.

When you go to a nice, quiet town in Connecticut, the

only thing to do is make the record.

How much pre-production do you guysdo? Do you take songs out on the roadfor a bit and come into the studio torethink them, or vice versa?

Al Schnier of moe.by Larry Crane photos by Jay Blakesberg

36/Tape Op#102/Mr. Schnier/(continued on page 38)

was needed to blend the snare nicely while still maintaining its

slingshot propulsion.

I almost wish I had never put the PWM-501s on the drum

overheads, because once they were there, it pained me to think

of having to use them elsewhere. They added such a great life,

warmth, and punch to the kit sound. Several times, I caught

myself going too far with the amount of audible compression,

because it sounded so good in that squishy-squashy way, and it

was fun to see how far I could push the unit. I found the

smallest of moves made the difference in determining the sweet

spot, and in this way, the tonal possibilities of this unit remind

me of a color wheel with fine gradations across the spectrum.

A nice feature on the PWM-501 is the high-pass filter on the

detector circuit, and it is useful when you want to fine-tune how

the compressor is influenced by low-frequency content. This, like

all the other controls, can get very specific in terms of shaping

the sound. I used it with great results on everything from parallel

compression of the drums to acoustic guitar, and I found it played

a part in helping to generate the desired amount of motion.

As a workaround to only having a pair of PWM-501s at my

disposal, I went ahead and printed a stereo drum mix and then

was able to use the units elsewhere. Their versatility lets them

shine on both individual instruments and on stereo subgroups of

guitars, vocals, loops, etc.

I used the PWM-501 following a Burl B1D preamp to record a

Telecaster through an AC30. Before patching the compressor into

the chain, I was fighting a small battle trying to determine the

right amount of the amp’s Brilliant channel shimmer while still

having the guitar sit down in the track. With the PWM-501, I was

able to shape and saturate the top end in a pleasing way without

sacrificing its clarity or punch. It performed in a way I wish the

amp’s Cut control would have.

Using the PWM-501 as a peak limiter in a roughly 10:1 ratio

while recording vocals was also useful — not hitting it too hard,

but just knocking off the peaks. I quote the manufacturer: “The

threshold control is unique in this design in that at low settings

(0–50) it has the unit looking at the whole signal and acting

more as a compressor, where as in higher settings (50–100) the

detector looks for peaks and acts more as a limiter.” It did just

what I was looking for very transparently, leaving room for

compression at mix-down.

The feed-forward / feedback feature is a variable control that

lets you decide whether you want the input (feed-forward) or the

output (feedback) as the source for the detector (sidechain)

signal. Uniquely, the PWM-501 lets you choose one or the other,

or blend the two if so desired in any amounts.

Feed-forward results in a more aggressive and in-your-face

sound. This mode in conjunction with more extreme settings is

capable of creating some not-so-nice sounds; so use your ears,

and know that a little goes a long way in some applications. For

example, feed-forward can bring grit and spit to a vocal. It is

certainly nice to control dynamics with the option of not having

it smooth out. I found it especially fun on drums. Going the

other way to full feedback mode produces a noticeably rounder

and subtly softer compression sound — useful when I wanted

elements to be smoother or mellow out just a touch. I am not

sure if the name influenced this feeling, but I did feel as though

the difference between the two modes was like leaning forward

or lying back in a chair. Finding some middle ground and then

making smaller adjustments of a little more of one or the other

provides yet another powerful tool for shading and influencing

the feel of what’s being compressed and where it sits among the

other instruments in the mix.

The PWM-501 is a very versatile tool. In many ways, it

reminds me of my much-loved, always-employed, Empirical Labs

Distressor [Tape Op #32]. Although the two devices are capable

of creating their own unique sonics, both are versatile and

perform reliably at tasks ranging from very gentle and

transparent compression to extreme audio destruction. Most

importantly, they both do it musically. Everything I run through

the PWM-501 feels as though it is being outlined in a pleasing

way. Depending on the settings, the outline varies from a fine

point to a substantial Sharpie.

In the hands of a knowledgeable engineer, the PWM-501 is

going to deliver some impressive results. Conversely, a novice to

compression may have a bit of a learning curve. If this is your

first dance with a device of this depth and power, I would

suggest starting with the settings recommended in the provided

literature. Turn knobs, and try to understand the correlation

between what you are hearing and what the meters are telling

you. Use your ears, and start to understand what the attack and

release settings are doing to your transients. Shape and position

with feedback and feed-forward. Activate compression in the

sweet spot with the high-pass filter. Slam it hard, or

transparently control dynamics. You will not outgrow this device.

In fact, it will help you grow as an engineer, and you may have

to trade up for a bigger bag of tricks, because the PWM-501 is

going to add significantly to your arsenal.

($835 street; www.greweb.com )

–Geoff Stanfield <www.geoffstanfield.com>

TASCAMDA-3000 Master Recorder

The DA-3000 is a high-quality, stereo, digital master recorder

capable of both PCM (up to 24-bit, 192 kHz) and DSD (2.8 and

5.6 MHz) operation, and it can also function as a standalone A/D

and D/A converter. It is an elegant 1RU-height unit with an

intuitive, even enjoyable, interface that makes it easy to record

to SD and CompactFlash cards, as well as USB drives. You can

plug in a USB keyboard to facilitate typing in track names, but

even without it, the unit is easy to get around. LED metering on

the front panel is clear and very useful.

I was interested in this recorder because I am now recording,

mixing, capturing, and archiving at higher sample-rates in

anticipation of the need to deliver these formats for market in

the near future. The DA-3000 is a great unit for anyone who

wants to record at any sample-rate without any detectable audio

degradation and with very neutral conversion — which makes it

a versatile machine within our newly-shifting digital landscape.

The more I experiment with higher sample-rates, the more

I’m learning that different converters simply perform differently

at different sample-rates, and — as might be expected — some

begin to falter audibly up at 192 kHz. In my experience, the

newer the design and the higher the price of a converter, the

better it tends to perform at higher sample-rates. Given this

discrepancy between converters, I was suspicious of the

DA-3000 because it only costs $999. However, at all sample-

rates and in both PCM and DSD modes, the DA-3000 sounds very

neutral; what goes in comes back out relatively unchanged. I

conducted my tests printing mixes directly from my console’s

output, and also while doing direct conversions to digital from

1/2’’ master tapes. Set for 192 kHz PCM operation or at either

of its DSD bit-rates, the DA-3000 is almost undetectable from

the analog source. I can’t stress enough how “faithful to source”

the DA-3000 is, especially in DSD mode where I could not

discern it from the analog source at all when listening to very

familiar source material.

Also, over long stretches of time listening to the DA-3000, I

didn’t develop any annoyances or distastes, as I sometimes do

once I’ve allowed myself deeper, more passive immersion in the

sound of a piece of equipment. The DA-3000 is consistently

neutral and easy on the ears.

Routing with the DA-3000 is exceptionally flexible. Analog

I/O is available on balanced (+4 dBu) XLR connectors and

unbalanced (−10 dBV) RCA. PCM digital I/O is on XLR for

AES/EBU and RCA for S/PDIF. DSD is on BNC for SDIF-3. BNC

connectors are also used for word clock in and thru/out.

Multiple DA-3000s can be cascaded together for synchronized

multitrack use.

Once you have your routing sorted out, setting up the

DA-3000 is simply a matter of choosing your format, sample-rate,

and bit-depth (in PCM modes); and setting your input reference

level. Menu-accessible reference levels are extremely handy for

calibrating the unit to work with the rest of your chain instantly,

without fussy calibration screws and time-consuming twiddling.

Reference levels are −20, −18, −16, −14, and −9 dB, which

should cover most standard modern studio calibrations. Once

your reference level is set, you can then tweak the individual

input levels for left and right channels independently in 0.1 dB

increments — very handy for subtle adjustments to stereo

recording levels where other parts of the chain might be less

than perfectly calibrated.

Once those settings are done, you just hit Record and off you

go. When you press Stop, the file is stored on whichever memory

option you’ve selected (SD, CompactFlash, or USB drive). Then

you can take the file and do whatever you like with it,

manipulating and renaming it in the DA-3000, or elsewhere. File

management is all much simpler than I thought it would be,

largely due to the portable memory cards eliminating the need

to interface any computer with the DA-3000 directly.

The DA-3000 can also operate as a standalone ADDA

converter. By simply entering this mode via the menu system,

the unit bypasses its recording function. Selecting the analog

inputs and digital inputs via the menu sets the routing up, and

one can work in either PCM or DSD mode as needed. It was

simple to get the DA-3000 into ADDA mode, set reference level,

and start working with it via AES I/O in Pro Tools HD. Clocking

the DA-3000to my Crane Song HEDD [Tape Op #26] (which is the

master clock in my studio) was easy enough, and once locked,

it was rock solid. Sound-wise, again, the DA-3000 is very neutral

and sounds great. It sounded slightly different clocked to my

HEDD, and very well suited as a companion to my other

converters.

The DA-3000 also has an onboard audio oscillator, which is

handy in any number of situations, especially if you need to

calibrate and align tape machines and/or other converters, but

don’t have a dedicated oscillator on hand. For now, the DA-3000

provides 10 kHz, 1 kHz, and 440 Hz tones, but TASCAM may

consider adding 100 Hz and other tones for tape calibration

purposes in future firmware upgrades.

There’s an excellent sounding headphone amp on the front

with an independent volume control on the front panel. If you

consider the routing options and that you can set the DA-3000

to monitor input with near-zero latency, it’s easy to see that this

unit can stand in as a very useful headphone amp when needed.

There are so many uses for a small, affordable, excellent-

sounding stereo master recorder that I won’t even bother

speculating on how folks might use this device, but I do want to

address again my belief that the demand for masters delivered

at higher sample-rates will continue to grow as we go forward.

Among those who want to “future proof” their work, the

DA-3000 provides an easy and affordable way to capture your

work at the highest sample-rates in both PCM and DSD formats

without any undesirable artifacts, and with sound nearly

indistinguishable from the original master source, which — if

we’re lucky — may be just what people are looking for when

they buy music in the future! ($999 street; www.tascam.com )

–Allen Farmelo <www.farmelorecording.com >

Gear Reviews/(continued on page 50)/ Tape Op#102/47

EventideMixingLink preamp w/ effects loop

Eventide bills its MixingLink as a “Mic Pre with FX Loop.” It is so much more than that! I tried

to sum it up technically:

It’s a mic/line preamp. It’s an instrument preamp/DI. It’s a headphone amp. It has a balanced

effects loop. It has a smartphone/tablet loop via 1/8’’ TRRS (4-conductor). It has an output to

drive an instrument amp. The main output is switchable (via a recessed switch on the bottom)

between line and mic–level. It’s in the shape of a guitar pedal. The effects loop is engaged with

a foot-switch.

But I gave up on writing a list. The practical applications are endless!

The MixingLink ’s mic preamp is excellent in terms of transparency, and it’s worth the asking

price on its own. A hi-fi channel strip that costs me three times more beat it slightly — for noise

floor and extended frequency response. Admirably, the MixingLink ’s frequency response is less

than 0.5 dB down at 20 Hz and about 0.6 dB down at 20 kHz — and only about 2.5 dB down

at 10 Hz and 40 kHz (the latter being about 0.2 dB down from my measuring interface). It has

phantom power if plugged into the wall with the included mini-wart, but if you don’t need

phantom, it can run from a 9V battery. There is no separate battery door though; you have to

remove four screws and the bottom plate to access the battery compartment. The lack of a

battery door is a shame, because the MixingLink would make a great field preamp, but screws

are easy to lose in the field. I did not try battery operation for the review, because I installed

the included rubber feet over the screw holes as soon as unboxed the unit, before realizing I’d

need to undo the screws — a tip for the bottom-label designers.

The instrument input is equally good and did not affect the tone of passive-pickup

instruments. If anything, a guitar plugged into the MixingLink with pedals in the effects loop

seemed to sound a little better than the guitar straight into the pedal board, but I did not do

any empirical testing in this regard. In general, if you are not relying on current-starving for the

tone, then current-buffering is usually a good thing. The unit does not soft saturate but sounds

pretty good when completely overdriven. One obvious bonus to using the MixingLink ’s effects

loop is you can enable many processors at once by leaving them on and using the foot-switch

on the MixingLink .

The MixingLink will connect to recording and/or live-processing software in any device

equipped with an 1/8’’ TRRS jack (stereo out and mono mic/line in) using a single cable. In

theory, a quality smartphone/tablet audio interface that connects to the smart device digitally

would sound better than using the built-in I/O of the device, but in practice, I was impressed

and did not hesitate to use the MixingLink this way. The sound I got from a tablet was at least

as good as the pedals I compared it to, probably better. The simplicity of the one-cable analog

hookup was a welcome trade-off too. The number of sound manipulation apps that you can get

for a few dollars each is staggering, and if you check the reviews, a lot of them are well liked. I

had to search a bit online before I found a male-to-male 1/8’’ TRRS cable worth buying. The

cable cost me $11, but assembling one myself would have cost more, and I gave up on finding

the appropriate raw cable. Since these cables are not common (and the feature is so cool),

including one in the box would have been a nice touch.

The mic and instrument amp are live at the same time, but there’s only one level setting. A

clean-boost pedal for instruments is a good workaround. Tricks like singing along with guitar

lines through an amp were loads of fun. The effects loop and smart-device loop are also

simultaneously active, with a similar limitation in setting levels. Speaking of levels, the

MixingLink handled +4 dBu outboard processors as well as basic guitar pedals quite well. The

effects send level results from the input gain, and I always had some kind output gain control

on the processors in the loop, so in practice, this scheme worked fine. There are three modes for

the effects loop, controlled by a toggle: fixed dry signal with effects gain setting, wet/dry ratio

control, and effects only. The only issue I ran into was when using the MixingLink with a line-

level signal from a DAW interface; with the input gain at minimum, and the Hi/Lo gain button

on Lo, I was still clipping the inputs of guitar pedals which had no input gain control. I was

forced to digitally attenuate the DAC a few decibels, which my OCD would prefer me to never do,

but it sounded fine anyway.

My only complaints are with the labeling. Much of the text is black-on-grey or white-on-grey.

This is exactly mediocre contrast. My bedroom studio is brighter than every commercial studio

I’ve been in, but I was using a flashlight to read most of the labels until locations of everything

were imprinted in my memory. The pots are detented throughout the whole turn, but there are

no markings around them, so to repeat settings, you’d have to count clicks. Maybe the designers

only meant for the knobs to be harder to knock out of a setting, since it is a pedal, but I found

the knobs easy to turn with my feet anyway, and why not throw in some hash marks at least?

Regardless, this is the ultimate audio signal interface. It never failed to hook up anything to

anything else, always sounding clean and good. The headphone amp is even stereo, and music

piped in through the smart-device loop is stereo. So, with proper cabling, you really could use

48/Tape Op#102/Gear Reviews/

this as another headphone amp channel too. As if it didn’t do enough already! I’d love to see a

dual-mono rackmount version with separate control of all I/O levels, especially effects

send/return, as well as separate levels for mic/line and instrument inputs, but I think the

compromises in the current design are well thought out (other than the minor gripes I pointed

out). I was ready to buy this when I heard that it could be used for sending line-level signals

safely to guitar amps, and it had a mic preamp. For the price, that combination already seemed

like a good deal. Why has this box not come along sooner? There’s no reason these features

couldn’t be on mixing consoles and DAW interfaces. Why didn’t I think of that?!?! Absolutely

anyone that records could use this box, but new recordists especially should look at this for their

first preamp upgrade. You start with the MixingLink ’s great preamp, and then you can go hunting

for cheap, used pedals — and you end up with an inexpensive creative palette for anything you

record. Or use a smartphone or tablet, or both, at once, and... and... and. The various individual

things this unit does are each worth the asking price, but it integrates many such things in the

space of a pedal. I love it so much, I wrote it a haiku:

little metal box creative recording now Tape Op bunny sketch

($299 street; www.eventide.com )

–Joseph Lemmer < jlemmer@siriusmedia.com>

EarthworksPM40 PianoMic System

I like gear that makes a statement. The long, narrow aluminum briefcase of the PM40

PianoMic System certainly makes one. That of, “I’ve got an upscale rifle here” — an

impression that can come in handy at times. But back to recording...

People have been mic’ing acoustic grand pianos in much the same way for decades. If

you’re recording in a studio and have no issues with acoustic bleed from nearby

instruments, then many traditional approaches are just fine. Close or mid–mic’ing with

condenser or ribbon mics can be a great way to go. However, in the studio or on the stage,

things can get much more complicated when acoustic isolation becomes a requirement.

Closing the piano lid can minimize bleed, but that is impossible, or at best problematic, if

you are using traditional mic’ing techniques. Front-address mics won’t always allow the lid

to close, and the sonic coloration resulting from closing the lid is a liability even with side-

address mics. Some people have addressed this issue by using either pickups mounted on

the soundboard or a boundary mic (like a PZM) inside the lid. In my opinion, both of those

options can be rather hideous, sonically. Often, a huge amount of EQ is required to make

the sound barely passible. To me, that tradeoff is not acceptable. So, Earthworks has

attempted to create a system that delivers the best of both worlds: acoustic isolation, and

excellent sound quality.

The Earthworks PM40 PianoMic System utilizes a pair of high-quality omnidirectional

condenser mics mounted to a telescoping bar using miniature goosenecks. The bar fits

across the case of the piano and allows the lid to be completely closed. However, there is

a little more to it than that. The mics have a very wide frequency response (9 Hz – 40 kHz!)

and are a type called random-incidence. Now, I must admit, I was not previously familiar

with this type of mic. After doing some research, I learned that a random-incidence mic is

designed to have a flatter frequency response in situations where the sound is arriving from

many different directions simultaneously. This supposedly helps the mic smoothly cover

the entire range of the piano. Another impressive specification is the ability to handle

sound levels up to 148 dB SPL.

In order to keep a low profile and allow the lid to easily close, both channels of audio

are carried over one rather thin cable that exits one end of the bar. This cable is plugged

into an aluminum breakout box. The output of the box is a pair of standard XLR connectors.

Installing the system takes moments, not even minutes. Telescope the bar to span the

width of the piano, and tighten down the fittings to lock the bar at that width. Run the

cable out of the side of the piano, and plug it into the breakout box. That’s it. There are

a few choices and adjustments that are possible. Since the support bar can adjust to the

width, it is possible to move it to vary its distance from the front of the piano. Earthworks

suggests positioning the mics 2’’–3’’ away from the dampers as an initial starting point.

Also, although the mics are locked at a spacing of 16’’ between the capsules, you can slide

the pair left or right as needed to favor a lower or higher string emphasis. The short

goosenecks also allow some alterations of mic positioning.

My first experience with the mics was a rather clinical setting, rather than a practical

one. We set up a listening session with solo piano, just to get an idea of the overall

system performance. The piano used was a Steinway Model B. I set up the PianoMic

System along with other conventional mic’ing approaches. These included AGK C 414 XLII,

Neumann U 87 Ai, and Earthworks QTC40 mics. The QTC40 is an omni mic with similar

Gear Reviews/(continued on page 50)/ Tape Op#102/49

Please Support Our AdvertisersPlease Support Our Advertisers /Tape Op#102//Tape Op#102/5555

GAS AudioGAS AudioSigma 500 summing boxSigma 500 summing box& 500-series frame& 500-series frame

TheThe Sigma 500Sigma 500 provides a unique twist on theprovides a unique twist on the

implementation of an analog summing mixer. The unitimplementation of an analog summing mixer. The unit

contains two 500-series slots to insert preamps of your choicecontains two 500-series slots to insert preamps of your choice

to serve as the final gain stage for the stereo mix. Moreover,to serve as the final gain stage for the stereo mix. Moreover,

when not being used to sum, thewhen not being used to sum, the Sigma 500Sigma 500 has an Alt modehas an Alt mode

that transforms the unit into a standard two-channel 500-that transforms the unit into a standard two-channel 500-

series rack. I really liked this dual-natured feature, because Iseries rack. I really liked this dual-natured feature, because I

occasionally record voiceover artists, and having a rack onoccasionally record voiceover artists, and having a rack on

hand for a couple high-quality preamps is nice. Out of thehand for a couple high-quality preamps is nice. Out of the

shipping carton, theshipping carton, the Sigma 500Sigma 500 slots accept single-widthslots accept single-width

modules, but double-width devices can be installed bymodules, but double-width devices can be installed by

removing the included blank plates. With the function toggleremoving the included blank plates. With the function toggle

switched from Alt to Sum, theswitched from Alt to Sum, the Sigma 500Sigma 500 assumes its mainassumes its main

identity, and the installed preamps become the final gainidentity, and the installed preamps become the final gain

stage. A third configuration is available when the unit isstage. A third configuration is available when the unit is

powered down. This is called passive mode, which isolates thepowered down. This is called passive mode, which isolates the

summing circuitry, permitting use of external preamps rathersumming circuitry, permitting use of external preamps rather

than those installed in thethan those installed in the Sigma 500Sigma 500. Very neat. There are no. Very neat. There are no

pan pots, faders, or switches. Input signal is via two DB25pan pots, faders, or switches. Input signal is via two DB25

connectors per channel (with standard TASCAM pinout).connectors per channel (with standard TASCAM pinout).

Recently, I’ve done considerable testing with summingRecently, I’ve done considerable testing with summing

mixers. Employing real-world projects and listening withmixers. Employing real-world projects and listening with

trusted speakers reveals what a summing mixer can andtrusted speakers reveals what a summing mixer can and

cannot do. Most mastering houses would have little use forcannot do. Most mastering houses would have little use for

these devices. However, some of my clients record and mixthese devices. However, some of my clients record and mix

themselves. My preference is to work with a mixing engineer,themselves. My preference is to work with a mixing engineer,

but this is not always possible or economically feasible. Inbut this is not always possible or economically feasible. In

these cases, I can master from stem mixes as an option [seethese cases, I can master from stem mixes as an option [see

“What Is Stem Mixing?” in“What Is Stem Mixing?” in Tape OpTape Op #87#87], using a summing], using a summing

mixer to feed my mastering chain.mixer to feed my mastering chain.

My tests revealed that a summing mixerMy tests revealed that a summing mixer cancansound better tosound better to

me than mixing in the box, but results depend on several me than mixing in the box, but results depend on several

factors. First, high-quality D/A converters must feed thefactors. First, high-quality D/A converters must feed the

summing mixer. Each A/D or D/A comes at a price, bothsumming mixer. Each A/D or D/A comes at a price, both

financially and in terms of sound quality. Using entry-level financially and in terms of sound quality. Using entry-level

converters tends to offset any advantage of external summing.converters tends to offset any advantage of external summing.

Second, not all DAWs calculate sums with the same result.Second, not all DAWs calculate sums with the same result.

Some are better than others, and there can be differences evenSome are better than others, and there can be differences even

between versions of the same DAW. (between versions of the same DAW. (E.g.E.g., I think the summing, I think the summing

in Pro Tools 10 sounds more spacious than in PT in Pro Tools 10 sounds more spacious than in PT 7.) Finally, you7.) Finally, you

may achieve additional improvements in sound quality and inmay achieve additional improvements in sound quality and in

workflow by adding external gear. In short, summing mixers areworkflow by adding external gear. In short, summing mixers are

only one part of the equation in which they live. Without all of only one part of the equation in which they live. Without all of

the pieces in place, you may experience few noticeablethe pieces in place, you may experience few noticeable

benefits, or even reduced sound quality. So don’t expect to buybenefits, or even reduced sound quality. So don’t expect to buy

a summing mixer and magically have it do all the work.a summing mixer and magically have it do all the work.

From a coloration standpoint, summing boxes tend to fall From a coloration standpoint, summing boxes tend to fall

into two camps: transparent or vintage-inspired. Colored boxesinto two camps: transparent or vintage-inspired. Colored boxes

impart the sound of transformers or op-amps consistent withimpart the sound of transformers or op-amps consistent with

their heritage, while transparent models can be more flexible.their heritage, while transparent models can be more flexible.

With theWith the Sigma 500Sigma 500, you can choose the flavor through the, you can choose the flavor through the

preamps. From the high-headroom clarity of a Grace Designpreamps. From the high-headroom clarity of a Grace Design

M501, to the girth of a LaChapell Audio 583s, the choices areM501, to the girth of a LaChapell Audio 583s, the choices are

vast. For my testing, I tried several preamps, ultimately restingvast. For my testing, I tried several preamps, ultimately resting

on two finalists. For high-headroom, transient-rich sounds, Ion two finalists. For high-headroom, transient-rich sounds, I

liked Hairball Audio Lola preamps [liked Hairball Audio Lola preamps [Tape OpTape Op #93#93] loaded with] loaded with

John Hardy 990 op-amps. For a colored approach, I used a setJohn Hardy 990 op-amps. For a colored approach, I used a set

of custom Eisen Audio preamps that were built in the traditionof custom Eisen Audio preamps that were built in the tradition

of vintage Neves. For of vintage Neves. For this review, GAS also lent me an A-10 lithis review, GAS also lent me an A-10 linene

attenuator [attenuator [#96#96]. I fed the]. I fed the Sigma 500Sigma 500 with either a Lynxwith either a Lynx

Aurora 16-VT [Aurora 16-VT [#73#73] or an SSL Alpha-Link MX 16-4.] or an SSL Alpha-Link MX 16-4.

For the first project, I broke out the stems for drums, bass,For the first project, I broke out the stems for drums, bass,

lead vocal, backing vocals, keys, guitars, lead guitars, andlead vocal, backing vocals, keys, guitars, lead guitars, and

effects. Although theeffects. Although the Sigma 500Sigma 500 can accept up to 32 inputcan accept up to 32 input

channels, I limited myself to 16, because I figured mostchannels, I limited myself to 16, because I figured most

people would be happy with 8 stereo stems. Level-matchingpeople would be happy with 8 stereo stems. Level-matching

as best as I could, I printed a master using the internal as best as I could, I printed a master using the internal

summing of Pro Tools and a master using thesumming of Pro Tools and a master using the Sigma 500Sigma 500 withwith

the Lola modules. I sent the test files to my client, a praisethe Lola modules. I sent the test files to my client, a praise

and worship leader at a large Oklahoma church. He listened toand worship leader at a large Oklahoma church. He listened to

both versions and solicited the advice of his colleagues andboth versions and solicited the advice of his colleagues and

band members. In the blind test, they chose theband members. In the blind test, they chose the Sigma 500Sigma 500

version by a vote of 7 to 1. For Fault Lines, a punky garage-version by a vote of 7 to 1. For Fault Lines, a punky garage-

pop four-piece, I loaded thepop four-piece, I loaded the Sigma 500Sigma 500 with the Eisen Audiowith the Eisen Audio

modules, drove them pretty hard, and attenuated the outputmodules, drove them pretty hard, and attenuated the output

through the A-10. I also summed a mix in Sequoia 10. Thethrough the A-10. I also summed a mix in Sequoia 10. The

band chose the GAS-powered version. This version glued Jediband chose the GAS-powered version. This version glued Jedi

Emily Seabroke’s bass line better than all the multibandEmily Seabroke’s bass line better than all the multiband

compressors and all the plug-in exciters could. (I know thiscompressors and all the plug-in exciters could. (I know this

was not a scientific comparison. I should have played thewas not a scientific comparison. I should have played the

Sequoia version through the preamps as well, but in the real Sequoia version through the preamps as well, but in the real

world, I would not patch gear that way unless I had the GASworld, I would not patch gear that way unless I had the GAS

installed.) In a third set of tests, I added more outboard gear,installed.) In a third set of tests, I added more outboard gear,

running each stem through a bus compressor before it hit therunning each stem through a bus compressor before it hit the

Sigma 500Sigma 500. This workflow can be facilitated by a patchbay. This workflow can be facilitated by a patchbay

with normals from your converters to thewith normals from your converters to the Sigma 500Sigma 500, allowing, allowing

you to insert gear when desired between the DAC and theyou to insert gear when desired between the DAC and the

summing circuit. If you choose a summing box setup, considersumming circuit. If you choose a summing box setup, consider

adding such patching to your installation. These mastersadding such patching to your installation. These masters

resulted in the most significant sonic differences, comingresulted in the most significant sonic differences, coming

much closer to the feel of a large-console mix.much closer to the feel of a large-console mix.

So, the broader question is: If you have the convertersSo, the broader question is: If you have the converters

and the time, is analog summing better than “in the box”?and the time, is analog summing better than “in the box”?

Yes? Garrett said so. His clients said so — even in blindYes? Garrett said so. His clients said so — even in blind

tests. But what does “better” mean? To be honest,tests. But what does “better” mean? To be honest, better better isis

not the correct term. Analog summing soundsnot the correct term. Analog summing sounds different different ..

Furthermore, some styles of music may sound better mixedFurthermore, some styles of music may sound better mixed

in the box. Plus, ITB recalls are a dream. But when I want toin the box. Plus, ITB recalls are a dream. But when I want to

maintain the illusion of hearing the artist perform right inmaintain the illusion of hearing the artist perform right in

front of me, I prefer properly implemented analog summing.front of me, I prefer properly implemented analog summing.

Flipping back-and-forth does reveal a wider soundstage withFlipping back-and-forth does reveal a wider soundstage with

thethe Sigma 500Sigma 500 — not a vast difference, but noticeable.— not a vast difference, but noticeable.

However, the major differences were in two areas. First,However, the major differences were in two areas. First,

elements like vocals, guitar solos, and snare drums tend toelements like vocals, guitar solos, and snare drums tend to

sit in the mix with an uncanny “this is exactly where Isit in the mix with an uncanny “this is exactly where I

belong” vibe. You need less processing to blend elements.belong” vibe. You need less processing to blend elements.

Once I was out of comparison testing, I found I wasOnce I was out of comparison testing, I found I was

removing plug-ins from various channels because they wereremoving plug-ins from various channels because they were

no longer needed. Second, analog summing seems to placeno longer needed. Second, analog summing seems to place

a big sonic blanket around the mix. Things start to sounda big sonic blanket around the mix. Things start to sound

“like a record” faster and easier than when working within“like a record” faster and easier than when working within

the world of endless possibilities in a DAW.the world of endless possibilities in a DAW.

Within the world of summing mixers, the GASWithin the world of summing mixers, the GAS Sigma 500Sigma 500

has many advantages. It has lots of inputs. It doubles as ahas many advantages. It has lots of inputs. It doubles as a

two-channel 500-series rack. It’s got passive mode. And itstwo-channel 500-series rack. It’s got passive mode. And its

construction is sturdy. Of course, you must provide your ownconstruction is sturdy. Of course, you must provide your own

preamps for the final gain stage, but that’s part of the allurepreamps for the final gain stage, but that’s part of the allure

of this unit. And if you have access to multiple preamps, anof this unit. And if you have access to multiple preamps, an

array of sonic signatures can be readily at your disposal. All array of sonic signatures can be readily at your disposal. All

you have to do is pull four screws. But one last piece of advice:you have to do is pull four screws. But one last piece of advice:

Don’t go too far trying to find the perfect preamps, because atDon’t go too far trying to find the perfect preamps, because at

some point, you have to make records.some point, you have to make records.

($750 direct;($750 direct; www.recordingwithgas.comwww.recordingwithgas.com ) )

–Garrett Haines <–Garrett Haines <www.treelady.comwww.treelady.com>>

5656/Tape Op#102//Tape Op#102/Gear Reviews/Gear Reviews/

12 Gauge Microphones12 Gauge MicrophonesRed12, Green12, Black212 micsRed12, Green12, Black212 mics

A shotgun shell — an actual shotgun shell, from a 12 gaugeA shotgun shell — an actual shotgun shell, from a 12 gauge

shotgun — turned into a microphone. I liked the ideashotgun — turned into a microphone. I liked the idea

immediately. “Let’s use these shells for creating, rather thanimmediately. “Let’s use these shells for creating, rather than

destroying, something.”destroying, something.”

I ordered a pair of the original, red-coloredI ordered a pair of the original, red-colored Red12Red12

omnidirectional mics very early on in the manufacturer’s life,omnidirectional mics very early on in the manufacturer’s life,

and I immediately fell in love with the form factor. It’s a small and I immediately fell in love with the form factor. It’s a small

mic, about 4’’ long. I put one up as a “heart mic” on the drummic, about 4’’ long. I put one up as a “heart mic” on the drum

kit (in the middle of the kit, between the snare and the floorkit (in the middle of the kit, between the snare and the floor

tom, above the batter-side of the kick). Ittom, above the batter-side of the kick). It immediately immediately remindedreminded

me of the Stapes omni mics [me of the Stapes omni mics [Tape OpTape Op #30] that predated the#30] that predated the

very nice Avenson ones. The capsule is sourced by 12 Gauge, andvery nice Avenson ones. The capsule is sourced by 12 Gauge, and

I don’t know who makes it, but it sounds great — and I don’tI don’t know who makes it, but it sounds great — and I don’t

care what’s inside when something like this works so well. Thecare what’s inside when something like this works so well. The

capsule sounds fast and open, and it seems to work no mattercapsule sounds fast and open, and it seems to work no matter

what you put it in, as evidenced by it showing up here in a piecewhat you put it in, as evidenced by it showing up here in a piece

of ammunition. Theof ammunition. The Red12Red12 is really a snappy little mic with ais really a snappy little mic with a

great, neutral frequency response. It works really well for prettygreat, neutral frequency response. It works really well for pretty

much anything you would expect an omni to capture. But it ismuch anything you would expect an omni to capture. But it is

especially great up-close on drums.especially great up-close on drums.

When theWhen the Green12Green12 cardioid version came out, I got a paircardioid version came out, I got a pair

right away. Side ports are cut into the brass of the shotgun shell right away. Side ports are cut into the brass of the shotgun shell

to implement the cardioid polar pattern. These are also reallyto implement the cardioid polar pattern. These are also really

good — for overheads, or as a spaced pair for room ambience.good — for overheads, or as a spaced pair for room ambience.

Or perhaps even on toms — which I will have to try.Or perhaps even on toms — which I will have to try.

Out of nowhere, the company then made aOut of nowhere, the company then made a ste stereoreo condensercondenser

mic, still in a single shotgun shell — themic, still in a single shotgun shell — the Black212Black212. I liked this. I liked this

one right away. A very small, phase-perfect stereo mic thatone right away. A very small, phase-perfect stereo mic that

sounds killer, and is very inexpensive? Awesome. I brought onesounds killer, and is very inexpensive? Awesome. I brought one

to a live Puss n Boots (Norah Jones, Sasha Dobson, Catherineto a live Puss n Boots (Norah Jones, Sasha Dobson, Catherine

Popper) recording I was producing and engineering. It was myPopper) recording I was producing and engineering. It was my

primary ambience mic for that recording, and it ruled. Lowprimary ambience mic for that recording, and it ruled. Low

noise, great sound, killer image of the performance — it wasnoise, great sound, killer image of the performance — it was

really great. I have since used that mic on a ton of stuff. It wasreally great. I have since used that mic on a ton of stuff. It was

the primary room mic in our new B room at Studio G Brooklynthe primary room mic in our new B room at Studio G Brooklyn

when Dub Trio and I did a collaborative thing with Meshell when Dub Trio and I did a collaborative thing with Meshell

Ndegeocello. The B room is a bit more live than our A room, andNdegeocello. The B room is a bit more live than our A room, and

the littlethe little Black212Black212 jus just t gragrabbebbed d exexactactly ly whwhat at we we wanwanted ted to to hehearar..

It was totally great with a little squeeze from the 33314It was totally great with a little squeeze from the 33314

compressors in our Neve console.compressors in our Neve console.

A bunch of pals and peers have grabbed pairs of the 12 GaugeA bunch of pals and peers have grabbed pairs of the 12 Gauge

mics since I first started ranting about them, and I feel stronglymics since I first started ranting about them, and I feel strongly

that any studio, no matter how vast its mic collection, will findthat any studio, no matter how vast its mic collection, will find

these mics useful. The mics are totally inexpensive, built withthese mics useful. The mics are totally inexpensive, built with

care by a great person, and have worked really, really well oncare by a great person, and have worked really, really well on

anything I have put them on. I have no doubt that you wouldanything I have put them on. I have no doubt that you would

getget way way more than your money’s worth out of these, for years tomore than your money’s worth out of these, for years to

come. In a microphone market flooded with weird, cheap, not-come. In a microphone market flooded with weird, cheap, not-

so-cool things, the 12 Gauge Microphones line serves as aso-cool things, the 12 Gauge Microphones line serves as a

refreshing, inexpensive option for real working studios.refreshing, inexpensive option for real working studios.

(Individual mics $35–$85 direct, box set $215;(Individual mics $35–$85 direct, box set $215;

www.12gaugemicrophones.comwww.12gaugemicrophones.com ) )

–Joel Hamilton <–Joel Hamilton <www.joelhamiltonrecording.comwww.joelhamiltonrecording.com >>

Gear Reviews/Gear Reviews/(continued on page 58)/ (continued on page 58)/ Tape Op#102/Tape Op#102/5757

T a p e O pT a p e O p i s m a d ei s m a d ep o s s i b l e b y o u rp o s s i b l e b y o u r

a d v e r t i s e r s .a d v e r t i s e r s .Please support them and tell themPlease support them and tell them

yo you u sasaw w ththeieir r ad ad inin Tape OpTape Op..

Rascal AudioTwo-V dual mic preamp (500-series)The Two-V is a double-wide, two-channel preamp module for the

500-series format. It comes painted battleship grey with minimal

markings denoting the usual features: polarity, high-pass filter, phantom

power, and input impedance. The front panel seems a bit austere at

first — deceptively so! The build quality of the Two-V also resembles a

battleship. I like that some 500-series modules feel cheap in the hand;

the combination of market saturation and the necessity to have a

presence in said market has actually made it much easier to tell when

someone gives a crap. Joel Cameron of Rascal Audio is just such a chap.

The Two-V is a classic example of someone designing something that is

great, and then going the extra mile to make it stellar.

The gain-staging took some getting used to mostly because it’s so

simple. As engineers, we aren’t really used to three separate gain

knobs! Once I figured out the input knob functions as a pad between

the mic input transformer and the first active gain stage, and the

output knob is the master fader, it all made sense. Both the input and

output fully attenuate at zero. Add to that a 6 dB–stepped gain

switch that goes from 40–70 dB, and a 300/1200 Ω impedance

switch, and you have a ton of tonal flexibility! A good starting point

for me is setting gain at 40 dB, with the input all the way down and

output all the way up. I then gradually turn up the input to where I

want it, adjusting in larger blocks of 6 dB as needed.

Apparently, Joel spent considerable time picking out the custom

transformers for the Two-V , and it really shows! The circuit has a

legitimate heft without being too colorful. This character becomes

exaggerated in a very pleasant way when pushed! On first use of the

Rascal, I wanted to get a good idea of the clean tone before I went

harmonic crazy, so I started with some familiar sources and mics, and

then moved into uncharted territory.

Frontier Ruckus are a band in transition. I love doing records like

theirs. They made a name writing extremely well crafted, emotive,

densely-fricative folk music, with a pension for the geography of

South Central Michigan. When they came to me to make a “rock”

record, I jumped at the chance. We first used the Two-V with an AKG

D 12 on the kick and a Lombardi LM2060 on the snare, per the usual

here for a ‘70s vibe. With some adjustment to gain and impedance, I

was able to dial in a variety of different tones for the few songs we

tracked that day. Fred Thomas the drummer is dynamic, to say the

least! The Two-V was well suited for this type of recording. As Fred

played louder, the Two-V saturated just a touch. The tones were at

once familiar and totally unique. The harmonic character changed

greatly or slightly with gain adjustments, but the overall tone

remained consistent. It wasn’t until mixing that I realized the big

advantage to how the drums sat in the mix. Using the gain and

impedance controls really affects how your tracks sit later. I like to

make as many decisions as early as I can, if the project allows, and in

a way, we “premixed” the kick and snare sounds during tracking!

Next up, we tracked some acoustic guitar. Matt Melia has a super

nice 1976 Epiphone large-body acoustic guitar that sounds great but

has some tonal idiosyncrasies. We set up a Korby convertible mic with

a KAT 47 cardioid capsule [Tape Op #38] square with the 12th fret,

and a Josephson C42 [#34] very close but behind the Korby pointed

at the sound hole. This configuration tends to eliminate some

“charming” fret buzz the instrument has. Panned left/right, we got

the perfect image — dual-mono with a slight spread. Total “Street

Fighting Man” vibe. Again, adjusting the gain, and therefore dialing

in the amount of transformer saturation, proved super useful. The

impedance switch did something super cool at higher gain settings;

it seemed to increase or decrease the space around the guitar. Not

necessarily room sound — just a really nice space around the

instrument. This is something I began to notice happening on all

tracking with this box. It’s not unlike the Forward/Back switch on the

AwTAC Awesome Channel Amplifier [#93].

The next task at hand was a smattering of overdubs. Davey Jones

(yes, that’s his real name) is a savant on banjo and a Telecaster/banjo

hybrid called “Scruggsteen.” Using the now classic AEA R84 [Tape Op

#38] and the stunning AEA N22 [see this issue] on the acoustic banjo

and the Fender Deluxe amp proved more than satisfying. Again, the

premixing and spatial effect was evident, capturing some very real-

world sounds that needed only fader adjustments at mix. Zach Nichols

is a beyond-talented instrumentalist who plays anything you can

throw at him. Sensing I was on a roll with the AEA mics feeding the

Two-V , we put down piano, trumpet, saw, and some amplified synth

tracks for the next few hours. I don’t normally use a single preamp for

5 or 6 hours straight, on almost everything in a mix, due to issues

with buildup. In fact, I haven’t done this since I bought a second

preamp in 1995! With simple gain adjustments, impedance

manipulation, high-pass filtering, my ears, and a little forethought, I

was not only able to use the Two-V for the entire day, but fully inclined

to do so. We even laid down some scratch vocals for Matt that he liked

the sound of so much that we kept a large chunk of them as final

vocals! There’s a certain transformer hotness you can get from the

Two-V that allows a vocal to be super present in a mix without it being

loud in comparison. But when going for a cleaner vocal later in the

record, it was again easy to dial in a cleaner sound that was still huge

without being over-present.

Frontier Ruckus like to work fast, moving from instrument to

instrument to vocal, and song to song — full-band tracking to

overdubs back to full tracking even in one day. The simplicity and

sheer fidelity and musicality of the Two-V made this possible. Plus, the

ability to sculpt the sound “on the way in” saved me and the band

hours of automating at mix time. Priceless!

The Two-V shares some DNA with classic Neve Class A designs, but

it is by no means a clone! I’ve used various Neves in the past, and

I know their sound; at this point, with the amount of cloning

happening, most of us do! After using the Two-V for a few weeks, I

called Joel Cameron and was remarking at the unit’s flexibility and

how classic it sounded, but said I wouldn’t describe it as Nevey per

se. I was ignorant to it sharing any similarities in terms of the circuit

design. I learned a lot that day! Joel explained that, while Neves

were an inspiration, he found certain aspects frustrating. He went

on to explain that the Two-V has a unique gain structure that not

only allows more gain shaping, but offers it in a continuously-

variable nature, instead of 5 dB chunks. Apparently, the classic Neve

design has a gain switch that does multiple things within various

parts of the circuit; it’s not a simple increase in active gain in 5 dB

steps. In actuality, it’s changing various pads within the circuit,

altering active gain with one preamp stage, and routing between

various stages. Therefore, its tonality changes alongside changes in

gain! The lowest active gain setting on a Class A Neve is 40 dB. The

lower positions are achieved through a switched pad network

between the input transformer and first gain stage. The Two-V

replaces this switched pad network with a separate, continuously-

variable input control. This input control can be used at any gain

setting. (Neves permanently switch out the pad network at 40 dB!)

This means you can drive the gain stages harder or softer in the

Two-V , and adjust the input for a way wider variety of options in

terms of transients and harmonics! I’ve often been frustrated with

the Neve design; I get something dialed tone-wise and wish for a

hair more gain — one 5 dB click up and the tone changes alongside

the jump in level. This is not a problem with the Rascal.

The Two-V has fast become a go-to for me. I love it when I’m

patching for a session, and I’m like, “I know, I’ll use it on kick and

snare! No wait, guitar! No, vocals!” At less than $650 per channel,

you’d be losing money not buying this thing. At least that’s what I’m

telling myself! ($1289 street; www.rascalaudio.net )

–Chris Koltay <www.highbiasrecordings.com >

58/Tape Op#102/Gear Reviews/(continued on page 65) More Reviews on Page 65>>>

Please Support Our Advertisers /Tape Op#102/59

60/Tape Op#102/Gear Geeking/

Gear Geeking w/ Andy…I was amazed when I first witnessed radio-controlled

airplane models flying through the air. But the complexity

and maintenance requirements of fuel-based engines and

analog radio systems scared me off from venturing into that

hobby. Decades later, someone showed me how simple,

affordable, and fun it was to build and fly electric-powered

RC aircraft, and that’s when I dove right in. Looking back, the

path I followed into RC parallels the route I took into music

recording — a key person showed me how simple, affordable,

and fun it was to use a TASCAM Portastudio to make music.

I’m sure for a lot of you, the story is similar. A 4-track

cassette got you going, and now you’re building out a studio.

Which brings me to the topic of power tools — and perhaps

you’re wondering why I brought up RC to begin with.

Advances in lithium battery chemistry and brushless motor

systems made it possible for electric RC planes to outfly their

fuel-powered counterparts, and that same technology has

slowly made its way into power tools. ••• First off, if you’re

planning on any cordless tool purchases, you’ll want to

choose one or possibly two lines so that you can reuse your

batteries and chargers across multiple tools. Moreover, a

combo set of several tools with a shared battery/charger

system will save you a ton of money. With that said, if you’re

a studio DIYer, your first purchase should be a cordless drill

for racking gear, hanging drywall, mounting acoustic

treatment, and other jobs that require drilling holes or

turning fasteners. A jigsaw, reciprocating saw, or worklight

might be your next. 18V lithium-ion batteries (which some

manufacturers market as 20V) give you the biggest range of

choice, and my bang-for-buck recommendation is to go with

RIDGID or Ryobi ONE+. Both brands are owned by TTI and

are available in North America at Home Depot (“Home

Cheapo”). Both also offer a huge selection of affordable tools

that work with their respective battery systems.

Unfortunately, the batteries are not swappable between

brands, although some of the tool parts are. For several years

now, I’ve owned a Ryobi ONE+ drill, impact driver, jigsaw, and

worklight — and none of them have failed me. But a major

advantage of going with RIDGID is its warranty, service, and

battery-replacement policy. Although these Li-On tools are

lighter than the NiCd and NiMH–based tools of the past, they

can still be unwieldy for delicate tasks, like turning the tiny

fasteners in a 500-series rack. This past winter, I splurged on

a Bosch 12V MAX PS22 brushless 1/4’’ hex driver. At half the

size and weight of my non-brushless Ryobi drill, it’s much

easier to finesse — but surprisingly, it has as much torque.

At its highest clutch settings, it will easily snap a stuck

drywall screw or a #10 wood screw. Moreover, because of its

non-fatiguing weight, the PS22 is perfect for hanging drywall

(or other materials that require lots of screws) over your

head. I’ve since purchased its sibling PS32 brushless 3/8’’ drill

and a couple other tools in the Bosch 12V line. If the allure

of extra power, longer runtime, and lower maintenance of

brushless motors is intriguing you, Milwaukee (also a TTI

brand) has the largest selection of brushless tools, and I see

more professionals with Milwaukee than any other brand.

••• But all these brushless tools are expensive, so you might

want to wait for prices to fall when brushless becomes the

norm, as it has in the RC world. Years ago, I paid $90 for my

first brushless RC motor. Recently, I bought equivalent

motors for $15 each! –AH

Introducing the Single Fin Studio Group; four recordingstudios designed, built, and operated by engineer/producers.All these studios share the common goal of helping working

musicians create great recordings with quality equipment andexcellent rooms while keeping rates affordable. Each one of

these places is unique, but they all follow the samephilosophy of hosting comfortable and creative spaces in

which to make excellent records.

An open studio hidden away in NYC where you'll find a custom API/TreeConsole, lots of Craviotto drums, tape, computers, huge mic selection and

select outboard. Sounds beautifully melt together in a room where musiciansare meant to play side by side. You'll be back in your favorite treehouse.

www.mavericksrecording.com/• blurry55@gmail.com

Jackpot! Recording Studio in Portland, OR, has been in operation since 1997.The studio features a comfortable working environment, a versatile live room,

and an incredible gear selection, with 2" tape, Pro Tools, a Rupert NeveDesigns 5088 console and an over-the-top outboard gear and mic selection.Jackpot!'s affordable $300 day rates are designed with freelance engineers in

mind. Artists love this space, and engineers enjoy working here.

www.jackpotrecording.com • 503-239-5389

The Dock in the General Produce Building is a 1500 square foot historic brickbuilding and the studio is built to track rock bands quickly and efficiently.

Producer/engineer Chris Woodhouse (Oh Sees, Ty Segall, Wild Flag) calls this analogcentered studio home base and spec’d it with an eye to speed and an ear to rock.Studer A-80 16 track 2” tape, Pro Tools HD, a Trdent Series 65 and Daking

A-Range console in a great sounding space are the key elements in this room.Rates start @ $200 a day.

www.thedockstudio.com • john@onefinmanagement.com916-444-5241

The Panoramic House is the ultimate VRBO for musicians. A live-in residentialstudio overlooking the Pacific Ocean with an API/Neve console, 2” tape,

Pro Tools HD, and an echo chamber. Each room of the house is filled withmusical instruments except for the gourmet kitchen with a wood burning oven

and Wolf range. Plenty of room and solitude to get into a creative space butonly 30 minutes from San Francisco.

Rates start at $350 a day.

www.vrbo.com/505782 • john@onefinmanagement.com916-444-5241

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JACKPOT! RECORDINGMAVERICKS STUDIOS

THE DOCK in The General Produce Building PANORAMIC HOUSE in Marin County

studio groupsinglefinstudiogroup.com

facebook.com/SingleFinStudioGrouptwitter.com/SingleFinStudio

Single Fin Remote Rig now available!Record your next album anywhere... we come to you!

16 channel UA Apollo Converter • 10 channel vintage Spectra Sonics console • 4 channel vintage RCA tube console

mics, pres, etc. We can set up for you to record yourself, or provide an engineer.

Email john@onefinmanagement.com for more info