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10 questions with Broombeck
A seasoned exponent of all things minimal, Frankfurt resident Marcus Schmahl - aka Broombeck - has recorded for Sebastien Leger's 'Mistakes' label, enjoyed support from Richie Hawtin, Deadmau5, Carl Cox and Funkagenda for his future classic 'The Clapper' on OPSM, appeared at seminal techno clubs Berghain in Berlin and Cocoon in Frankfurt and also found time to create sample collections such as Minimal Techno for our own Sample Magic imprint. We hear from the main man on why mastering matters, why flexibility breeds confidence, and why simple is often best.
Loops? Or programming your beats from single hits?
Both, but I don't use full loops as they are. I usually only use a few fragments of a loop or rearrange the sounds in combination with single hits to create my own grooves.
What is the key ingredient in a track? Breakdown? Style of production? Bassline?
The key ingredients in my project Broombeck tracks are the deep sine basslines, breaks with pitched-up sounds, reverbs and delay FX.
When building a track how do you normally work? Do you start with the drums and build from that?
I usually start with drums. I love creating beats! Occasionally I have a musical motif - like a bassline, melody, synth lead or arpeggio - in mind that I'll start with. There's no perfect formula for creating songs and I tend to vary the process on each one.
Do you mainly use analogue or digital soft synth sources? Do you think analogue makes a difference?
I use everything to create my sounds: digital, analogue, or 'traditional' instruments. I like mixing everything up and I regularly use my drum kit or guitar and record everything from shakers through hand claps to vocals.
But I'm a gear junkie too. I've got plenty of analogue kit, like the Moog Voyager, Access Virus, DSI Tetra and Machinedrum. I love using them as you can tweak them all live, seeing and feeling what you're doing. For me analogue does make a difference: it sounds much wider and warmer compared with digital; that's why I do analogue summing with a Neve 8816. I feel it really adds something to the overall sound.
That said, soft synths do have their advantages: they speed up workflow, they take up less space and they're much cheaper than analogue gear.
Any advice on monitoring? Quiet? Loud? Do you prefer flat and boring speakers, headphones or big, phat and chunky monitors?
I regularly switch between quiet and loud monitoring. Making club music means you have to listen loudly sometimes! I have several sets of speakers in my studio (Tannoy system 1000 with subwoofer, KRK Rockit 5, JBL monitor 1 and some cheap computer speakers) and several pairs of headphones (Sennheiser HD265, HD25 and some cheap AKGs). Tracks have to work on all kinds of systems. By varying what I listen to the mix through I can check how it's shaping up. The last check is always done on the car hi-fi.
What are the biggest barriers that new producers face?
Most software packages come with a huge amount of plugins and sounds nowadays, that no-one really needs. It feels like you're getting a lot for your cash but I think the number of choices the open is often overwhelming and you can end up not knowing where to begin. When starting out, try to reduce your tools to a minimum. Start with 100 or so basic drum sounds, one or two simple synths and some nice loops/samples. It's good to learn how to create different sounds with a minimum of tools, learning each tool inside-out before adding to your setup.
How important do you think it is to have your music mastered commercially? Can you do it yourself as effectively and what tools would you recommend?
I think it's extremely important to let someone with a fresh pair of ears and with great technical/musical knowledge listen to your tracks again, eliminating mixing errors and doing some final shaping (compression, limiting) on the mixes. Every producer wants to have a hit track, and for that the sound has to work on all kinds of sound systems, from cheap iPod headphones to huge Funktion One rigs. The best person to ensure that this happens is the mastering engineer. If you do decide to master yourself you don't necessarily need lots of expensive outboard equipment. It's possible to do a good job with plugins like the UAD and SPL mastering suites. But you do need a nice room with a choice of different monitoring systems - and you have to know that room and its acoustics inside out.
What's your opinion on processing the mix bus? Leave it clean or drive it to the extreme?
99% of the time I leave the mix bus clean. The sound of the final mix comes from the initial sounds picked in the arrangement, with compression and EQs on individual channels or busses, rather than on the mix bus.
What do you believe is the secret to your success as a producer?
I think working on projects within different genres has been an important factor. Being able to cross over - to bring different styles and influences together in one song - is a great way to be a creative and individual producer.
Any advice for aspiring producers out there?
Firstly, listen to well produced music, whatever the genre, and use this as a standard to aim for in your own productions. Secondly, don't be afraid to keep things simple: not everything has to be complex. The biggest hits are relatively simple in terms of production, but they are dominated by a killer hook line (bass, synth, fx or whatever) which everyone loves and remembers.
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