Tape Notes

John is joined by Lizzy McAlpine, along with producers Mason Stoops and Taylor Mackall and engineer Omar Akrouche to talk about how they wrote, recorded and produced the album ‘Angel’. Lizzy McAlpine is a singer-songwriter and producer from Pennsylvania.  Having written and recorded music through her teens, in 2020 she released her debut album ‘Give Me a Minute’. She has since released two more critically acclaimed albums: ‘five seconds flat’, featuring the viral hit ‘ceilings’, and ‘Older’, her first collaboration with producers Mason Stoops and Taylor Mackall. Lizzy’s fourth album, ‘Angel’, arrived in September 2026 working once again alongside Mason and Taylor. Sitting down at Platoon Studios, the four dig into the writing process and final Pro Tools sessions, exploring vocal production and layering guitars around Lizzy’s signature intimate vocal style. They also discuss finding the perfect harmonies and instrumentation for the album, including the “army of pianos”!  Tracks discussed: Peach, Two Elevens, Our Strange Ways TAPE IT Thanks to our friends at Tape It for supporting the podcast. Visit tape.it/tapenotes or use the promo code TAPENOTES in the app to get 20% off. IMAGINE PLUGINS BY SOUNDBETTER Build and sell your own plugins. Get your FREE Vocal Effect plugin here MUSIVERSAL Skip the waitlist and get your discount HERE Recorded at Platoon Studios. LISTEN to ‘Angel’ here - Angel by Lizzy McAlpine, RCA Records under exclusive licence from Indigo Blue, LLC LINKS TO EVERYTHING TAPE NOTES   linktr.ee/tapenotes  Intro Music - Sunshine Buddy, Laurel Collective GEAR MENTIONS Gulbransen Pianofor Minipiano SoundToys Panman Boss VB-2 Pedal SoundToys Devi-Loc Fieldtone Weaver Source Audio Collider Acetone Thumb Jam App Aria ADD-100 Delay Pedal Neumann U67 AKG C12 Neumann KM84 Moog Minimoog Chase Bliss Audio / Meris CXM 1978 Valhalla VintageVerb Line 6 Echo Park Danelectro Bellzouki Tech 21 VB2 CompTortion Neumann U47/U48 Neumann KM 56 Antares Auto-Tune Celemony Melodyne Goodhertz Lossy EMT 250 Reverb Optigan Wurlitzer Valhalla Super Massive Gibson 1953 ES-140 P-90 Guitar Boss VB-2 Fender Champ LOMO Flashlight Mic Oscar Schmidt / Stella 12-String Baritone Universal Audio 1176 Danelectro Bass 6 Danelectro Sitar OUR GEAR https://linktr.ee/tapenotes_ourgear HELP SUPPORT THE SHOW If you'd like to help support the show you can join us on Patreon, where among many things you can access full length videos of most new episodes, ad-free episodes and detailed gear list breakdowns. KEEP UP TO DATE For behind the scenes photos and the latest updates, make sure to follow us on:  Instagram: @tapenotes  YouTube: Tape Notes Podcast Discord: Tape Notes Patreon: Tape Notes To let us know the artists you’d like to hear, Tweet us, slide into our DMs, send us an email or even a letter. We’d love to hear!  Visit our website to join our mailing list: www.tapenotes.co.uk Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

BONOBO SPECIAL! - 50% of Tape It Pro at tape.it/bonobo (available until 30th September 2026) John is joined by Simon Green, aka Bonobo, to talk about how he wrote, recorded and produced the album ‘Distance in Static’. Simon Green, aka Bonobo, is a British musician, producer, and DJ, considered one of electronic music’s defining voices. Across eight albums, including the seminal ‘Black Sands’, ‘Migration’ and ‘Fragments’, he has built a celebrated career blending electronic, jazz and organic instrumentation, and received seven Grammy nominations. His latest record, Distance in Static, arrived in September 2026.  Sitting down at Platoon Studios in London, Simon deep dives into what he reveals might be his last “broad, multi-genre Bonobo record”. He discusses the album’s collaborations and reveals his techniques and go-to gear for vocal processing, producing strings and “humanising” drum sounds.  Tracks discussed: Me and You, Fire on the Water, Talk to Me LISTEN to ‘Distance in Static’ (Ninja Tune): Distance in Static by Bonobo  TAPE IT Thanks to our friends at Tape It for supporting the podcast and inspiring Simon with great tools!  Visit tape.it/bonobo to get 50% off. Try the new Tape It Denoiser  currently 50% off! IMAGINE PLUGINS BY SOUNDBETTER Build and sell your own plugins. Get your FREE Vocal Effect plugin here MUSIVERSAL Skip the waitlist and get your discount HERE LINKS TO EVERYTHING TAPE NOTES   linktr.ee/tapenotes  Intro Music - Sunshine Buddy, Laurel Collective GEAR MENTIONS Audio Damage Quanta Cable Box ShaperBox FabFilter Simplon Oeksound Soothe MakeNoise Morphogene Polyverse Wider Valhalla Plugins Valhalla Shimmer TapeIt Yamaha CP Rhodes Moog Bass Celemony Melodyne Korg Monopoly Fender Rhodes Ableton OUR GEAR https://linktr.ee/tapenotes_ourgear HELP SUPPORT THE SHOW If you'd like to help support the show you can join us on Patreon, where among many things you can access full length videos of most new episodes, ad-free episodes and detailed gear list breakdowns. KEEP UP TO DATE For behind the scenes photos and the latest updates, make sure to follow us on:  Instagram: @tapenotes  YouTube: Tape Notes Podcast Discord: Tape Notes Patreon: Tape Notes To let us know the artists you’d like to hear, slide into our DMs, send us an email or even a letter. We’d love to hear!  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

John is joined by Haim and producer Rostam Batmanglij to discuss how they wrote, recorded and produced the album ‘I Quit’. Haim are an American pop-rock band from Los Angeles, made up of multi-instrumentalist sisters Danielle, Este and Alana Haim. Playing together in their family band growing up, they formed Haim in 2007 and released their debut EP, ‘Forever’, in 2012. Their debut album, ‘Days Are Gone’, arrived in 2013 and earned them a Grammy nomination for Best New Artist. Their follow-up records, 2017’s ‘Something to Tell You’ and 2020’s ‘Women in Music Pt. III’, both received widespread critical acclaim, with ‘Women in Music Pt. III’ also securing a Grammy nomination for Album of the Year. Haim released their fourth album, ‘I Quit’, in June this year, once again collaborating with longtime producer Rostam. In this episode, John is joined by Danielle and Rostam, from Rostam’s LA studio where much of the album was recorded. The trio discuss everything from garageband demos to recording and reamping drums, as well as techniques for producing Haim’s distinctive vocals and being influenced by multiple genres and sounds. Tracks discussed: Relationships, Down to be wrong, Now it’s time, Everybody’s trying to figure me out GEAR GIVEAWAY COMPETITION Join the Christmas Giveaway on the Tape Notes Patreon Page TAPE IT Thanks to our friends at Tape It for supporting the podcast. Visit tape.it/tapenotes or use the promo code TAPENOTES in the app to get 20% off. QUBE Get 20% off at Qube Studio: https://www.theqube.com/ MAKENOISE PRO AUDIO Get 20% off all Franklin Audio products at https://makenoiseproaudio.com/ MUSIVERSAL Skip the waitlist and get your discount HERE LISTEN to ‘I Quit’ here: I quit by HAIM, Polydor Records LINKS TO EVERYTHING TAPE NOTES linktr.ee/tapenotes Intro Music - Sunshine Buddy, Laurel Collective GEAR MENTIONS D16 Repeater Delay Waves Soundshifter Plugin E-Mu Emulator ii Vintage Synth Solaris Synth Universal Audio AMS-DMX Roland Juno Gretsch Round Badge Drums Ludwig Steel Snare SPL Transient Designer Korg Trident Eventide Harmonizer UnderToneAudio Unfairchild Korg A5 Multi-Effects Pedalboard E-Bow Oberheim OB-8 Synthesiser Electro-Voice RE20 RCA KU-3A Vintage Arturia Mellotron GarageBand OUR GEAR https://linktr.ee/tapenotes_ourgear HELP SUPPORT THE SHOW If you'd like to help support the show you can join us on Patreon, where among many things you can access full length videos of most new episodes, ad-free episodes and detailed gear list breakdowns. KEEP UP TO DATE For behind the scenes photos and the latest updates, make sure to follow us on: Patreon: Tape Notes YouTube: Tape Notes Podcast Instagram: @tapenotes Discord: Tape Notes To let us know the artists you’d like to hear, slide into our DMs, send us an email or even a letter. We’d love to hear! Visit our website to join our mailing list: www.tapenotes.co.uk Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices