When gentrification forced him out of his previous location, Berlin-based electronic musician/mixer Felix Klostermann relocated his studio, taking advantage of a new, larger space to install a 32-channel Solid State Logic Origin analogue mixing console. The move marks the latest step in Klostermann’s evolution toward a fully analogue process for live performance-based recordings.
He began working in Ableton with a collection of Midi-connected synths and drum machines, and developed his recording workflow while working on an SSL Matrix. Now, he says, with a Native Instruments Maschine+ to provide sequencing, he can work on his rhythm tracks without booting up the DAW.
‘I don’t need to switch the computer on,’ he says. ‘Once it’s a nice loop and basically working, then I start tracking. I do functional jams; I start just with a kick, bring everything in, then take everything out and let it run for a few bars – ecause I’m going to rearrange it in the DAW.’
Given the opportunity to purchase an Origin while planning his new studio, he jumped at the chance: ‘It has eight stereo groups; that’s the most important thing,’ he says. ‘I’m layering stuff so I don’t need more than eight tracks when I record.’
It was while working on the Matrix at his previous studio that his current production process evolved: ‘I have a habit for drum machines. With the Matrix, 16 channels weren’t enough, so I bought a 32-channel submixer for my drum machines. I used the six group outs and summed all the kick drums on one channel, snare drums, claps and rims on another channel, and so on. My drum loops were made of six mono tracks – four channels of drums and two channels of distortion – and I could easily edit them in Ableton. That was a gamechanger for me.’
Klostermann also has three SSL Fusion analogue stereo outboard processors: ‘I have one on each drum machine,’ he explains. ‘I mainly use Fusion for the Vintage Drive section.’ He is currently transitioning to working in Avid Pro Tools, he says.
Having settled on that workflow, he says, ‘With the Origin, I thought, I have to do the same. But because I wanted to integrate my synths as well, I had to squeeze down the 32 channels of the drum machines to the 16 channels on the right side of the centre section and use the 16 channels on the left side for the synths.’
Klostermann’s current set-up, with all of his instruments permanently patched, allows him to focus on being creative and not be distracted. ‘Moving cables is not an option,’ he says. ‘I don’t want to use my brain. If I’m being creative and I need to start thinking logically, I’m out of it; it’s a deal-breaker.’
During the time before Origin, he realised that he never used the automation. The same is largely true of his current collection of synths, which are all analogue and offer few possibilities for automation. ‘I don’t have any Midi connections from the DAW to my set-up; everything is free sync. All the drum machines I have are all analogue with no presets. I like doing everything from scratch.
‘When have an idea I just I record it. If it’s good, it’s good. What changed my style and made me better was that I can’t go back anymore. When I had the possibility to go back, I had doubts. Now, I can’t go back,’ he says, adding, ‘I don’t work with samples, either.’
Klostermann spent the past year, leading up to the recent move, refining his studio workflow and equipment set-up to make it easier and faster to produce: ‘When I think something is too complicated, I dive into it to find a solution. That’s the main reason I’m using the SSL Origin. Everything is well thought out and makes sense. It’s a workhorse.’
More: www.solidstatelogic.com
