Music Producer

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

A: That was during my studies. I was one of the founding members of our university band and we were working on a major production as part of a semester project - a double album with various artists - all students from the university. The album was recorded live in the university's own television studio as part of a studio concert. A very exciting project. I was on the first albums as a guitarist and in a string trio as a violinist. I had never been involved in a studio production before. It was very exciting and we were all very proud of the result.

Q: What are you working on at the moment?

A: I'm working on 10 pop-rock singles by a singer-songwriter that will be released in the next few months. I'm also working on two of my own songs that I want to release - a rap song and a pop-rock number.

Q: Is there anyone on SoundBetter you know and would recommend to your clients?

A: Not yet. I'm new to Soundbetter.

Q: Analog or digital and why?

A: I am a digital earth. Perhaps because I got to know and appreciate the possibilities of digital technology early on. My father bought an Apple Power Mac 120, when I was 14 and I started experimenting with images, video and sound on it. That fascinated and influenced me. I got to know ProTools during my studies. At the beginning of the 2000s, our university had a state-of-the-art recording studio with its own server room and the latest digital technology. That's when I was hooked. I still remember how fascinated I was that the controls on the mixer automatically adjusted themselves when you opened a project in ProTools. Today you laugh about that. Back then it was the latest shit.

Q: What's your 'promise' to your clients?

A: I take you seriously and respect you. Not just as an artist. As a human being. You are the centre of my attention. I am the man in the background who tries to transport your talent. No egos, no shitshow. Professional work without blah blah and bullshit.

Q: What do you like most about your job?

A: I love the energy and creative power that arises when great musicians come together in a room and it "clicks". There are no better moments in life than when everyone in the room looks at each other and you feel: Wow, we've just created a musical work that takes everyone completely with us.

Q: What questions do customers most commonly ask you? What's your answer?

A: Can you correct my intonation with pitch correction? My answer: Can yes, want no.

Q: What's the biggest misconception about what you do?

A: Some more inexperienced artists often think I can do magic. I can compose a great melody and make a balanced arrangement. However, if the singer doesn't have a strong and expressive voice or doesn't have the will to perform at their best and their musical career isn't a priority, I can't work miracles. A bad arrangement can ruin a great vocal performance, but the reverse is also true. I also don't guarantee millions of streams or downloads. Some things work, but many things don't in music. The listeners still decide what they like.

Q: What questions do you ask prospective clients?

A: Just some of the questions: How does the artist see themselves? What is the profile of their listeners and fans? What niche does the artist see themselves in? What is his goal with this production? How open and willing to experiment is the musician? What are the no-gos in terms of genre and style? What are his musical strengths? What should be produced? A single? An EP? An album? What does the artist want to contribute to the production? Are there already song ideas, lyrics, fragments?

Q: What advice do you have for a customer looking to hire a provider like you?

A: Always agree on the delivery of a test recording - this can be just 30 seconds or one minute. Several such song pieces are also welcome. This allows you to see immediately what the producer can do and whether it matches your taste and ideas. Meet with the producer and make a vocal recording. It is very important to find out how the producer works and whether it works between you. As an artist, you can't give your best performance in the studio if you don't get along. And vice versa.

Q: If you were on a desert island and could take just 5 pieces of gear, what would they be?

A: 1. My PRS Tonare Guitar or my Hanika 58PF, because these instruments work without power 2. Macbook Pro 3. Universal Audio Interface 4. AKAI Professional Mini 5. One of my electric guitars (PRS Silver Sky or Musicman Steve Morse Y2D

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

A: I started learning the violin at the age of 7. I first played in children's and youth orchestras from the age of 11 and discovered my love for Johann Sebastian Bach. I started teaching myself guitar and drums at the age of 13. I later professionalised my guitar playing by taking lessons in jazz, pop, rock and classical guitar - on the classical guitar with with pieces from Silvius Leopold Weiss and Bach. I started singing as a tenor in choirs at the age of 16. At 18 I learnt to conduct a choir and trained as a conductor. I have been composing my own pieces since around 2010 and producing music since 2015.

Q: How would you describe your style?

A: My style is characterised by the listening habits that have shaped me since my childhood and ranges from classical and jazz influences to rock and hip hop. My greatest strength lies in pop-rock.

Q: Which artist would you like to work with and why?

A: I would love to work with Raye one day. She has an outstanding voice, is an excellent and very versatile songwriter and is also very likeable. If I could choose a producer, I would like to work with Mark Ronson.

Q: Can you share one music production tip?

A: Less is more

Q: What type of music do you usually work on?

A: I usually work on pieces from the genres, pop, rock, rap/hip hop

Q: What's your strongest skill?

A: My strengths lie in the composition process, in arranging and in playing guitar parts. I have been playing guitar for 25 years and am very good at it.

Q: What do you bring to a song?

A: It's very different and depends on the artist or the label that commissions me. It could be that I only provide an idea or a melody or lyrics. But it can also be that I deliver a complete song for which I have created the lyrics, the melody and the arrangement and play some of the instruments myself. The most common case is that artists come to me with an idea for lyrics and I then work with the artist to shape it into a song, arrange it and mix it.

Q: What's your typical work process?

A: When artists approach me, I first take a lot of time to understand the artist's positioning and goals. This involves answering questions such as: How does the artist see themselves? What is the profile of their listeners and fans? What niche does the artist see themselves in? What is his goal with this production? How open and willing to experiment is the musician? What are the no-gos in terms of genre and style? What are his musical strengths? What should be produced? A single? An EP? An album? What does the artist want to contribute to the production? Are there already song ideas, lyrics, fragments? Based on this, we set a schedule and budget and I start work in close consultation with the artist.

Q: Tell us about your studio setup.

A: I have a small but very nice studio in Stuttgart, Germany, but I can work worldwide and also rent out other studios. My setup in Stuttgart is mainly digital. The technology and instruments are focussed on recording vocals and guitars. I work with Neumann studio microphones for vocal recordings and audio interfaces from Universal Audio, as well as Neumann and Adam Speakers. For guitar recordings, I work with amplifiers and speakers from Bogner, Fender and VOX as well as digital amp simulations from various manufacturers. My equipment includes several electric and acoustic guitars from Fender, PRS, Hanika and Musicman.

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

A: Musically, many artists, music producers and songwriters have influenced me over the many years that I have been making music, but unfortunately I can't list them all. My guitar playing was mainly influenced by the guitarists Ritchie Blackmore and Steve Morse. In terms of music production and songwriting, I have great admiration for Max Martin, Mark Ronson, Raye, Jay-Z and Linda Perry. As my taste in music ranges from classical music, jazz to hip hop, house and hard rock, the list of artists and musicians who influence me is very long. Some examples from all genres: Beyonce, Lady Gaga, Deep Purple, Mr Big, Pink, Lenny Kravitz, Red Hot Chilli Peppers, Queen, Jamie Cullum, Diana Krall, Esbjörn Svensson, Guru, Run-D.M.C, David Guetta, J.S. Bach, Edvard Grieg and many more.

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

A: I write songs for artists or together with artists. This ranges from writing songs to arranging, mixing and mastering. Alternatively, I participate as a co-producer or play guitar, my main instrument, on productions.