08/02/2026
A recent Interview by Adam Douglas on Music Radar. Here the complete answers:
Does sound quality even matter anymore?
Actually, the questioning of ‘good sound from expensive studios’ began back in the 1980s with home recordings on 4-track cassettes, not just with TikTok and digital recording.
I don't believe that home recordings generally sound more authentic. Artists always tried to appear better or more commercial than they are. This is usually the biggest obstacle to getting authentic recordings. In my opinion, however, authenticity is something very desirable. And I am actually pleased that more and more musicians are attaching importance to it. Since the ‘music business’ promises good money, there is commercial music that is tailored to profitability. That can be good, but it is often intrusive and simply ‘inauthentic’.
-Is sound quality important to you? In what way?
Define quality. Asking a mastering engineer with more than 30 years of experience that’s a good one! And a very tricky one as well ;-)
Of course, I love good sound. But if one person loves harsh noise, the next person might get heart palpitations from a single wrong note.
It's a very individual matter. But since us are children of the 80s, it was very hip, at least in our scene, to be a non-conformist and to strictly reject anything that was somehow pop. Punk, dub, destroy and atonality were the characteristics of our taste back then.
Sound quality was not evaluated in terms of ‘resolution’ and ‘dynamic range’, but in terms of “impact” and ‘edge’.
What gear do you use to get the sound you need?
As I just mentioned, it was mostly (not always, we had ballads too) about ‘impact’ and ‘edge’. Intensity was also an important aspect. So, how do I achieve these states? Certain instruments were predestined for the satisfying sound and effect. First and foremost, the Roland TB 303. Wacky, incomprehensible and consensual in sound. Then there were certain mixing desks that were able to provide distortion and saturation without any additional accessories, which immediately created an ‘ahhh experience’. Of course, we were always happy when all of this could be produced in a good studio. When the DAT recorder came along, the sound reproduction improved dramatically, as did the whole handling of the recordings.
It seems like a lot of young people prefer lo-fi music as it's more ‘authentic.’ Is that a thing with electronic music too?
If you can't get hi-fi, you just do lo-fi with a rebellious attitude? I don't think I ever think in those terms. Music either works or it doesn't. Ultimately, it's a question of taste and socialization. We should all allow ourselves more freedom in that regard.
-I've read that people are deliberately sabotaging their music with lo-fi to show that it's not AI. Is that something you've considered or done?
No, I don't use AI for my music. It doesn't make sense to me, as I want to express my inner world.
But at the moment, when I listen to music, I often find myself wondering whether it's AI or not. Images, music, lyrics, everything can be fake, everything can be AI. But what is actually fake? Milli Vanilli were also fake. And that was 40 years ago. I try to remain unbiased and let my gut feeling decide. But I find that AI doesn't convince me at all when it comes to music. It's more convincing when it comes to funny little videos with animals!
