So Right & So Wrong

Sorry for the lack of posts lately. The blog might seem dead from time to time, but it will always come back to life at some point. Here's a post for all the recording geeks out there (probably disregard this if you're not one). For those unaware of Tape Op, it's an excellent magazine which features interviews with a wide range of producers and engineers discussing the various projects they've worked on, different recording techniques they use, how their studios are setup, etc. Tape Op is absolutely FREE to subscribe to. Just go to their website to register and soon enough each new issue will start showing up in your mailbox. Very cool. I recommend it highly.

Anyway, the current issue has a fascinating interview with Sufjan Stevens that has sparked an interesting dialog or two online. He describes how he used dated gear and cheap mics to produce his albums, such as recording Michigan and Illinois on an old digital eight track machine, setting it to a lower bit rate setting because he didn't know what the button was for, painstakingly overdubbing drum parts by eye, etc. Basically, he does everything opposite of how a seasoned producer would approach recording, but is able to produce very big / lush sounding records. It's a really great interview if you're into that sort of thing. Hopefully I won't get in trouble for posting this, but here it is for those interested. Enjoy. (click the images)