Production services
My services
- Professional recording of bands and solo artists
- Band recording in large commercial studios
- Overdub recording in my own private studio in Cologne
- Individual solutions catering to every budget
- Highest quality vocal and voice over recording
- Analog synth collection
- Live and on location recording
Those many hours of songwriting, band rehearsals, practicing rudiments, the pre-production – it all pays off when you hit record! No matter if it’s a complex tracking session with a full band or just a quick guitar overdub: I’m a huge fan of capturing “mix-ready” sounds during tracking. It may sound a bit old-fashioned at first, but this style of recording will save you time and money during mixing and it also fosters better performances!
Creating an inspiring and relaxed atmosphere is paramount to me during a recording session, because it allows the musicians to focus on their art. This obviously includes getting a great monitor sound while recording. You know this from performing live: when the monitor sound is rockin’, delivering a compelling performance gets just so much easier. So I really push hard to go the extra mile and get the best possible sounds in your headphones. But sometimes you have to go a little bit further and get rid of headphones entirely, which is what we did for the jazz project The Owl Ones with Pablo Held and Kit Downes on piano. The bottom line is a central aspect to my recording philosophy: the artist and the performance comes first! Ideally, you don’t even notice the technical considerations and all the nerdy gear-talk that happens in the background. Instead, you just focus on on your music and your art.
Fortunately, I can draw from many years of experience recording sound and music, and I’m not a one-trick pony when it comes to genres and musical styles. While getting my degree in audio engineering in Düsseldorf, Germany, I already spent a lot of time working at the WDR radio network and on broadcast trucks recording all sorts of weird music. I then spent over four years working as a freelance engineer in Los Angeles, recording mostly jazz and heavy rock music. But there was the odd classical session too, like recording the soundtrack for the Diablo III game under supervision by John Kurlander (Lord of the Rings, Abbey Road Studios). I was fortunate to receive mentoring by several high-profile producers and engineers like Billy Graziadei (Biohazard, Cypress Hill), Toby Wright (Metallica, Alice in Chains), composer Jeremy Soule, James Lugo, and Ryan Williams (30 Seconds to Mars, Biffy Clyro). Since 2014 I have my own private studio in Cologne, Germany, but I have had the privilege to be recording in many world-renowned studios: Abbey Road Studios and Air Studios in London, Sunset Sound and Ocean Studios in Los Angeles, Maarwegstudio 2 and Toolhouse Studio in Germany, and even in Jakarta, Indonesia.
Something to keep in mind for your next project: choosing a studio for a recording session should be an individual process based on the nature of the project and the music involved. That’s why it does not make sense to have my own big studio. I much rather make that call together with you depending on your budget, the sound we’re going for, how many musicians will be recording at a time, and whatever else is important to you. I strongly believe that this approach is much more appropriate than dictating a studio and will ultimately lead to better recordings.
By the way, my experience recording music is by no means limited to studio sessions. I’m just as comfortable doing recordings at live shows. Check out the Filou project I did a little while ago if this interests you. Also, I’m totally cool if you want your project produced or mixed by someone else! It takes a village to make an album, and sharing responsibilities can be wonderful.
So how much does this cost me?
Easy answer: It depends! Booking a single day at my studio in Cologne is a very different beast than having me come out for two weeks recording at an external studio for an album. I’m a big fan of individual solutions that nevertheless are transparent and easy to budget. Nothing beats a personal conversation so please get in touch via email or phone for an individual quote.
What else do I need to know?
Making a record is hard work, but it should also be great fun. So what better opportunity to share this process with your fans? In my experience fans really dig participating in the recording process. It always pays off to share video and photo footage from the sessions. Cell phone videos are often fine for that purpose, but we can do a little better with my collection of high-quality DSLR and GoPro cameras to capture some of the highlights from the sessions. Sharing those moments will help you keeping your fans engaged and getting them excited about the upcoming record. We should talk about what exactly makes the most sense to you. Short Instagram clips, “live in studio” videos or a full-blown EPK video, and even broadcasting for Facebook Live – anything is possible. And if you are ready to go the extra mile, I can easily bring in additional camera operators or production teams to get you fantastic videos documenting our work.
Cool, so what’s next?
You’ll find a selection of projects I’ve recorded below. Have a listen to find out what my work sounds like. Do I have your attention and you’re ready to move forward? Great! Just send me an e-mail or get in touch via the social networks. I promise to get back to you ASAP!
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Have a listen
more Services
Songwriting
A great song is the foundation for everything else. That’s why the songwriting process is the most important stage in music production. If the song falls flat, you can’t fix it in the recording or the mix. It’s just not going to be a hit. Only if you start with something great, you can end up with a production that’s truly fantastic.
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Producing
Finding the right music producer can be anything from slightly annoying to a full-blown nightmare. And it’s not that uncommon that you end up with a record the artist doesn’t fully stand behind. So the result is maximum frustration on all sides involved and the belief that you’re better off without a producer anyway. Does that sound familiar?
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Mixing
The song won’t let you go anymore, the production is cutting-edge, and the recorded tracks sound stellar – all it takes is a rocking mix that makes it all come together. Working out of my own Satellite studio I will put the finishing touches on your record to create an exciting and engaging mix. In my studio, I combine the best of both the analog and digital worlds, incorporating boutique outboard gear to sculpt unique sounds while making use of all the digital bells and whistles.
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What's happening?
You're about to launch a project, you'd like to book me for a gig or you just have a question? Great! Send me a message right away and I promise to get back to you ASAP!
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