1. Favourite knob or fader or switch on a piece of gear and why?
Of course, it’s the cutoff knob; it changes the tone so beautifully and effectively. But the decay knob is also one of my favorite knobs, because it’s the way to get beautiful pluck sounds.
2. Do you have an ‘almost’ perfect bit of kit? What would you change?
For a long time, I thought the Sequential Prophet Rev 2 was my perfect synth, but since I got a Moog Muse, my opinion has slowly changed. It’s incredible how quickly and easily you can coax beautiful and powerful sounds out of the Muse.
3. What setup do you bring on holiday or tour or commute etc.?
Since I always go on vacation in a camper van, my setup has to be pretty small. Lately, I’ve been taking the Novation Peak with me on my trips. It’s an incredibly good-sounding synth and very versatile; with it, I can almost always do without additional VSTs.
4. What software do you wish was hardware and vice versa?
I often use VST GForce Oberheim DMX as a drum kit. It would be cool to have it as hardware.
5. Is there anything you regret selling… or regret buying?
Most of the time, I have to sell hardware to buy new ones. But I’m slowly getting my setup together, I’ve tried a lot of things, and I’ve sold the Nord Lead and the Yamaha MODX, for example. It always takes me a while, and I end up idling around a synth, watching YouTube videos, or driving to our amazing music store in Cologne and testing it out there. Currently, I find the Vermona Performer MKII very exciting 🙂
6. What gear has inspired you to produce the most music?
The Sequential Prophet Rev 2 was always the most inspiring synth. A few years ago, I sold it to buy a Nord Lead. A big mistake… I sold the Lead and got the Rev 2 again.
7. If you had to start over, what would you get first?
If I had to start all over again today, the Moog Muse would be my first synth, and as soon as I have more money I would get the Rev 2.
8. What’s the most annoying piece of gear you have, that you just can’t live without?
I’ve had a Tascam Model 24 for a few months now. I finally have enough audio channels to keep all my synths connected at all times. This mixer is the centerpiece of my studio. I don’t know how I ever worked without it before 🙂 It’s so easy to integrate it into CUBASE and record with it.
9. Most surprising tip or trick or technique that you’ve discovered about a bit of kit?
I love processing my pluck sounds with reverb and echo to create a wide soundscape. I like to use Baby Audio’s Spaced Out and sync it to the MIDI clock. It can create very nice, wide sounds.
Artist or Band name?
Martin 🙂
Genre?
I actually find it very difficult to categorize my music into a genre; I don’t really think about it. I go into the studio with a certain mood in mind, and I’m usually surprised by the kind of music that emerges. I think you can hear that in my tracks on Instagram, too; they’re often very diverse.
Selfie?
Where are you from?
I am from Germany and live in a small town called Hilden near Düsseldorf.
How did you get into music?
I took my first piano lesson at the age of 6. Later, I played in many bands. Then I took a longer break and focused more on photography, which is how I earned my living. When my son showed interest in the piano at the age of 3, I was hooked again.
What still drives you to make music?
Music is my companion in all situations. Our house is usually filled with music, and I can best express my feelings with it. It often doesn’t matter whether I listen to music or make it myself.
How do you most often start a new track?
I usually do a jam session every Sunday, as I have the time and almost always feel like it. Sometimes I have a theme in mind; sometimes I spontaneously sit down at a synth and let myself be inspired. And sometimes I just sit at the piano.
For the past two years, I’ve also been doing this jam session: 31 days = 31 jams. It was very stressful on the one hand, but also very educational. There’s something really nice about spending a few hours in the studio every day.
How do you know when a track is finished?
Most of the time, I manage to finish a track for Instagram without having to keep tweaking it during mixing and mastering until it no longer sounds right. It’s a gut feeling when a track is finished.
Show us your current studio
Best creative advice that you’ve ever heard?
It was especially helpful for me to keep the studio speaker volume down while recording and to listen to the finished mix on different speakers. I mostly work with my JBL speakers, even for mixing. I also have two older Kurzweil speakers, which I also want the mix to sound good on. Finally, I listen with headphones and then again really loudly with the JBLs.
Promote your latest thing… Go ahead, throw us a link.
Not the latest but one of my best jams 🙂
https://www.instagram.com/reel/CpAfo5IjYWg/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link&igsh=MmMxZTF4N2tzY2li
Latest jam:
https://www.instagram.com/reel/DKo9B_2JaAp/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link&igsh=NDhoN2tobng2cjNv
