It’s no secret an engineer’s knowledge of his tools is a source of great power. Anytime I’m preparing for a recording session or live sound gig, the first thing I set upon once I determine the makeup of the ensemble and the equipment at my disposal is to determine how best to utilize the available...

In late 2008 I was called out by a friend to repair a Studer tape deck; an A827, which I had never used before. While I was very fortunate that the studio owned both the original alignment tape and tentelometer, the original (rather aged and unused) tape shed like crazy because of its storage conditions,...