Tommy on himself.

When did you get interested in recording and producing?
Already as a child, I was introduced into the world of recording technology by my uncle. He also taught me to identify and isolate single instruments in an orchestra recording, pinpoint their position in the acoustic pattern and to conceive the task of every particular instrument.
Later, when I played in bands, recording the preproductions and demos came natural to me. I did so on 4-track tape recorders back then!

During my time with Coroner I was lucky enough to work with some very talented sound technicians. I always wanted to know exactly what they did, and why they did it. I probably got on their nerves quite a bit with all the questions.

Where and when did you record/produce before Newsound Studio? And what bands/projects can you remember from that time?
I founded first studio that actually deserves the term "studio" back in 1993 together with a good friend of mine. We worked with ADATs and a 24-track analogue console. The studio was just a home studio, but we already produced recordings for Coroner, Clockwork and Stephan Eicher. Our neighbours were very, very tolerant...

After that I moved into a factory loft and built my own studio "Hit Head Productions" slowly, piece by piece. Everything I earned as a guitarist back then I invested into recording equipment. It wasn't possible to record drums in those rooms, but for everything else it was pretty high-end! For Kreator's "Endorama" album, practically everything except the drums was recorded there.

Discography from that time (selection):
Coroner (CD, Comp(, Noise Records, 1995
Clockwork (EP), 1995
Stephan Eicher - „1000 Vies", Barclay, 1996
Crank - „Heavenly Appeal", Universal, 1997
Kato - „Album", 1999
Kreator - „Endorama", Gun / BMG, 1999
Curb Dogs - „Throw Stone...", 2001
...and many more.

When did you get and open New Sound Studio?
I did my first production at the New Sound Studio in May 2001. The studio wasn't doing very well back then. The former owner gave me the chance to produce in a top studio, and build a name for myself as a producer and audio engineer. The quality of my productions took quantum leaps! In 2006 I was able to fully take over the New Sound Studio.

If you had to describe your trademark sound what would you say?
"Big, fat, clear, but warm and beautiful", of course! But seriously: My productions sound all very different and have their own character. For me it is very important to help the artists to keep their identity. Contrary to other producers I don't try to put my stamp on it, but instead I focus t bring out the artist's character and strengths.

What is your advice to artists who can't afford a full studio production?
Many bands today end up in a cheap hobby studio or try to record themselves because of a low budget. I don't think this is inherently wrong, but my experience is that the artists usually aren't happy with the result. That's why we get a lot of "damage control" projects. While we can get impressive results out of less-than-perfect recordings even afterwards, the result is much better if we accompany the home recording from the beginning. We can, for example, provide advice on recording technique as well as equipment. Bands have the possibility to record just drums in our studio, have us optimize their guitar and bass recordings through re-amping, and let us handle the mix professionally. The cost of such a project is much lower than a full studio production, but can nevertheless provide a very satisfying result.