Tape Op Podcast

In 2002 we interviewed Tucker Martine, then a resident of Seattle and making some cool records with people like Bill Frisell and Danny Barnes. A few years later he moved down to Portland, Oregon, working initially out of my Jackpot! Recording Studio, but soon moving his home studio Flora Recording And Playback into commercial digs. He's worked with The Decemberists, REM, My Morning Jacket, Neko Ca...

Born in the UK, and now currently residing in Nashville, Jamie Lidell sings, beatboxes, records, produces, engineers, writes songs, writes code, and actually functions as a husband and father. He has collaborated with Beck, Feist, Gonzales, Mocky and Simian Mobile Disco just to name a few. His songs have been used in Grey's Anatomy and Target commercials and he has won global accolades for his wor...

Daniel Lanois' career reads like an enviable work of fantasy. From his early work with Brian Eno and Harold Budd on their genre defining "ambient" works, pivotable roles in U2 classics The Unforgettable Fire, Joshua Tree and Actung Baby!, to his work with Bob Dylan, Emmylou Harris, Willie Nelson, Aaron Neville, and of course his body of work as a band leader and solo artist, Daniel Lanois has cont...

In 2011 an artist by the name of Gotye rose to international prominence on the back of his song, "Somebody That I Used to Know," from his third album, Making Mirrors. Wouter "Wally" De Backer is Gotye, and it turns out he's far more than a global pop star. Belgian-born, and Australia-raised, he now resides in the New York City area, where he can work on his many passions....

Not only is Susan Rogers a record producer, engineer, mixer, and audio electronics technician, she has a doctorate in psychology (having studied music cognition and psychoacoustics) from McGill University. As an engineer Susan really got her start working with Prince from 1983 to 1988, including albums like Purple Rain, Around the World in a Day, Parade, Sign o' the Times, and The Black Album. Her...

What's the common thread between John Lennon, Cheap Trick, Slash, Aerosmith, Miles Davis, Patti Smith, Blue Oyster Cult, The Yardbirds, New York Dolls, Clutch and Local H? It's Jack Douglas. We interviewed Jack along with Jay Messina back in Tape Op #90, but my pal Luther Russell and I were able to catch up with Jack in Los Angeles in early 2018 to talk shop and dig into his history. Enjoy! Sponso...

Ken Scott is an undisputed legend. We interviewed him way back in Tape Op issue #52. His work with The Beatles, Elton John, David Bowie, George Harrison, Supertramp and countless others has him firmly planted in the middle of some of music's greatest albums. We caught up with Ken at this year's NAMM show in Los Angeles and chatted about his amazing career. Enjoy! Disclaimer: This audio recording w...

Producer John Congleton was first interviewed back in 2011 in Tape Op #81. He has made records with St. Vincent, Explosions in the Sky, The Walkmen, Blondie, and Alvvays. Tape Op Editor Larry Crane caught up with John when he was recently in Portland, Oregon working on the new Decemberists record. Enjoy! Disclaimer: This audio recording was not originally tracked with the intent of using for a pod...

Famed producer, musician, and arranger Willie Mitchell became involved with Royal Studios (and the associated Hi Records) in Memphis, Tennessee, in the early ‘60s. He took more control of the studio operations as time went on and, in the early ‘70s, his collaboration with singer Al Green led to millions of albums sold, all of which cemented Willie’s reputation as a producer of note. These days his...

Sylvia Massy made a good name for herself as a producer and engineer making records with artists like Tool, Red Hot Chili Peppers, Skunk Anansie, Love & Rockets, R.E.M., Johnny Cash, Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers, System of a Down, Smashing Pumpkins, Prince and my favorite, Big Elf.  She recently published "Recording Unhinged" a collection of left of center recording techniques and ideas accompa...

Tycho's Scott Hansen is a busy man. As the frontman, principle songwriter, producer, as well as the creator of the band's album art and live visuals, he has no shortage of things on his plate. It's the sound of the future that owes so much to the past. Geoff Stanfield (Tape Op Online Publisher) sat down with Scott on a morning before a show in Seattle to talk about his process, translating his bra...

A major star in her native land, via her successful acting and music careers, Argentina’s Juana Molina should be a household name in the rest of the world. In April 2017 she released her seventh album, Halo, and will be touring the world in support. Online Publisher Geoff Stanfield caught up with Juana to discuss the making of her new album, her process, and the path that has led her to this point...

Ocean Way Recording began in a garage in Santa Monica, California, in 1968, as a place to showcase owner Allen Side's custom monitors. From these humble beginnings the empire expanded to include partnering with Bill Putnam and acquiring his United Recording Studio in Hollywood, and building state of the art recording facilities in Nashville, St. Barths, and nearby Sherman Oaks. The Ocean Way "bran...

His group, Was(Not Was), rolled out some funky dance pop in the '80s. He's produced big records for the Rolling Stones, Bonnie Raitt, John Mayer, and The B-52s. But today he is in his office, high atop the famous Capitol Records tower in Hollywood, as President of the venerable jazz label, Blue Note Records. How did Don Was get here? How does he approach production? What makes him tick? I knew som...

How does a Memphis-born teen become an intern, and eventually chief engineer, at Sun Studio? How does the same guy go on to record Jason Isbell, Margo Price, Chris Isaak, Drive By Truckers, the Rival Sons, and Kris Kristofferson, as well as win a Grammy? And how the heck did he follow in Sam Phillips' legendary footsteps to end up recording at Sam Phillips Recording Service and mixing Elvis record...

Too often people assume that those of us in the field of music recording had a distinct idea of what we wanted to do when we started. The truth is almost always that it's a wild and unpredictable path we end up on. Vance Powell is a perfect example. His work has earned him three Grammy awards (Jars of Clay, Buddy Guy, and The Raconteurs). Along the way he's recorded with a wide variety of artists,...

If you don't know his name, you know his work. The Rolling Stones, The Who, Small Faces, The Beatles, The Kinks, Led Zeppelin, The Eagles, Bob Dylan, The Clash, Ryan Adams, Band of Horses, Patty Griffin and countless others. Without question, Glyn Johns is the sound of a large portion of rock radio and most of our record collections. In In 2015, Larry Crane visited Glyn at his beautiful home in th...

Yes, Steve Albini is known for being outspoken and opinionated and "controversial," but behind the mythical personality that's been created for him by the media, he's just a great engineer with a passion for making records. This interview was conducted at Albini's Electrical Audio in 2012. Enjoy! Disclaimer: This audio recording was not originally tracked with the intent of using for a podcast. It...

For episode 2 of the Tape Op Podcast we dig into the archive once again. Forget what you think you know about Jack White and enjoy his infectious enthusiasm in this interview with one of the hardest working people in music. Thanks for listening! TapeOp.com Disclaimer: This audio recording was not originally tracked with the intent of using for a podcast. It was recorded solely for transcription fo...

This interview with Brian Eno was not originally intended to be made available for listening. It has been cleaned up and lightly edited, but has some external and peripheral sounds including some cell phone interference, chairs banging around and jack hammering street repairs! In the spirit of Eno himself, these "ambient" additions were left in for interview continuity. Eno and Peter Chilver’s reg...