Production, Mixing, Mastering

Q: Tell us about your studio setup.

A: There are a lot of microphones, drums, guitars, basses, amps and above all a lot of space and cool vibes here on the moon. For mixing and mastering, I love my big Geithain RL900 and besides a few great outboard devices, I mainly use a large 64-channel controller console. I work with Steinberg Nuendo 11, I'm totally into the stuff of Sonnox (Sony Oxford), but I also like to use the Nuendo Channel Strip for all possible standard edits ...

Q: Tell us about a project you worked on you are especially proud of and why. What was your role?

A: The debut album of Jessica Baran-Surel (Aremorica - Land Of Elves) is a great piece of music and was highly praised in the trade press for sound and arrangement. I was the creative producer, percussionist and mixing & mastering engineer... I'm also very proud of the last Black Stains record I've produced, mixed and mastered. Of course, my heart project The Lets must not be missing, with some of the greatest musicians in Hamburg, where I am not only the producer, but also recorded guitars and drums on some songs and was able to contribute some backing vocals...

Q: What are you working on at the moment?

A: I'm arranging, mixing & mastering the new album of Jessica Baran-Surel (Celtic / Medieval Music) - expected release: Spring 2020

Q: What other musicians or music production professionals inspire you?

A: Musically I am a child of the 90s and bands like TOOL, Rage Against The Machine, Helmet, Soundgarden, Kyuss as well as New Model Army, Radiohead or Björk have certainly influenced me a lot. Later, bands like VOLA, Twelve Foot Ninja, Northlane, Arcane Roots, VAN HOLZEN, Agent Fresco and many more came along. There is a lot of cool stuff and this list should make clear what my heart beats for the most. But Blues Rock and Celtic Folk inspire me again and again, and so I like to have my fingers in the game ...

Q: Describe the most common type of work you do for your clients.

A: My job is to make gems out of rough diamonds. I question every note and put everything to the test. It only counts the song and the record, nothing else. I am a music producer and above all responsible for all kinds of rock music. I record live as much as possible and have more than enough space at Studio Mondbasis in Hamburg. Of course, there will be plenty of overdubs after that and we'll work on vocals and guitars. I love fat sound, with big drums and thick guitar walls. When I'm not working with artists on the songs, I'm doing a lot of mixing and mastering the records I've produced, but of course from other studios as well.

Q: Analog or digital and why?

A: both, because it's all about sound and workflow... sometimes, if you need harmonics and warmth, analog sounding better, sometimes you need it clean and accurate, then you do it digital without any noises... But the absolutely first priority is workflow! Only if you are able to do it intuitive, you will do the best job and I built my studio for my workflow with great analog outboard and a large 64 channel controller mixing desk. I use the legendary Geithain RL900 Main speakers for the whole sound of 25 to 20.000Hz without any subwoofers and on more than 200 square meters, is enough space for simultaneous recording of the whole band and a pleasant atmosphere for creative work...

Q: What was your career path? How long have you been doing this?

A: At the beginning I tried to play keyboard and started a band with some of my friends in 1990. My mother was a piano teacher and so I learned to play the piano;-) I started to write songs and was interested in the other instruments and arrangements and so I learned these as well. I wrote a lot of songs, started some other bands and tried to be a good front guy... In 1998 I started producing other bands as well and I was fortunate to use my uncle's studio, with a large analog console, tape machine and the finest analog outboard... In 2004 I moved to Hamburg and built my first own studio and today I produce on more than 200 square meters various artists and bands from all over the world... Most of the time on stage I was a guitarist, drummer and singer and my big passion is loud rock music