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Moses Schneider: the "wunderkind" of live recording
Moses Schneider is one of the most important music producers in Germany. Nominated for the ECHO in 2008, he can already look back on a long successful career. His main projects include work with the Beatsteaks, Tocotronic and Kreator.
Moses Schneider has had a long and successful career, with more than 180 albums published. In 1990, seven years before he founded the "transporterraum" recording studio in Berlin, he co-produced the legendary Pixies album "bossanova" together with British star producer Gil Norton.
His unmistakable production style makes him a champion of live recording. In many of his productions, he records all instruments at the same time in the same room.
"The technical setup does not guarantee a successful recording, it is the feeling which builds up during every song and which lies dormant within," he explains.
Schneider captures the live quality of each artist in their own way, which characterizes the sound of his productions.
Successes
The press describes him for good reason as a wunderkind and a sound magician. Schneider, a Berlin native, is responsible for some of the most successful records of the past few years. He produced the Beatsteaks' breakthrough album on the German charts. In 2008, Schneider was nominated for the German music prize "Echo" with his work on Tocotronic's "Kapitulation" and Beatsteaks' "Limbo Messiah".
Celebrity support
Working with the producer of the Strokes, Gordon Raphael, was another milestone in Moses' career. Schneider helped the Strokes producer, then based in New York, to success - he inspired Raphael in everything from his choice of equipment to musical interpretation.
In addition to teaching in the form of guest lectures at various colleges, Schneider summarizes his entire knowledge of live recording in his book "the alternative workbook or how to pimp your practice room". The first edition appeared in 2012, and the revised version will be available as an e-book in German and English with lots of audio samples starting in summer 2014.
Experience
Between 1991 and 1996, he was part of the producer team Bauknex. In 1996, he founded Transporterraum studio together with Bernd "Ben" Lauber in Berlin. Schneider started getting involved with recording studio technology in 1982 with his former band Nachdruck. From 1985 to 1987, he worked as assistant to Hans-Ulrich Weigel in Berlin at Sinus Studio before he moved on to Hansa Tonstudio to work with Tom Müller in 1987. Schneider also had some band experience himself in the Band Gum and as bass player for Susie van der Meer.
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New e-book release: How to pimp your practice room: German music producer's tips for successful live recordings
Star producer Moses Schneider, inspiration for the Strokes founder Gordon Raphael, is releasing a second edition of "the alternative workbook" as an e-book with sound samples.
Berlin, 21. August 2014. Producer Moses Schneider is one of Germany's most influential music producers. Sound on Sound magazine describes him as "quote". Under his influence, Strokes producer Gordon Raphael recorded the Strokes albums "Is This It" and "Room On Fire". Schneider passes on his knowledge with "The alternative workbook or how to pimp your practice room". It is now mandatory reading for live recording. From positioning the band members in the recording room to positioning the mics - in the e-book, Schneider explains techniques to produce the best possible recordings without great expense as well as descriptions and sound samples. He shares his personal approach to producing and his practical experience, including recording the internationally renowned metal band Kreator. The introduction is by Strokes producer Gordon Raphael who took his inspiration from his work with Schneider.
German star producer Moses Schneider is now publishing the second edition of his book "The alternative workbook or how to pimp your practice room." The first edition was published as a printed book and the second edition is now appearing as an e-book featuring sound samples. The Berlin-based sound magician got celebrity support for the e-book edition. His work with Kreator is featured here. Schneider explains, "All of our knowledge which is essential for recording in small rooms with little (or no) budget is presented here." Schneider gives insight into his approach to what is essential for successful recordings. "Anyone who prefers live recordings knows that the total is more than the sum of their parts. Since bands play together, they have to hear each other when they record."
Strokes producer Gordon Raphael - "Moses is the Albert Einstein of music production"
Schneider is revered by international producers because of his structured and at the same time emotional approach. Gordon Raphael, producer of the Strokes albums "Is This It" and "Room On Fire" said in an interview, "Moses is a real sound magician who knows how to discover the secret of every song before he records it."
Raphael, who in addition to the Strokes also produced Virginia Spector and Skin (Skunk Anansie), has worked with Schneider for a long time. They first met in 1998 in New York, where Schneider laid the foundation for Raphael's producing career. "Moses has a great passion for music. He knows the psychology of playing in a band and understands how to discover the individual sound and recording approach of every band. He talks about these experiences in his book - everyone, I mean everyone, who plays in a band can use this information."
Schneider's influence on the Strokes productions was essential: "I would not have been able to build up Transporterraum in New York without Moses' help. Moses was my greatest supporter and he gave me a lot of ideas how to record without using a lot of plugins or effects", said Raphael, who is now based in Berlin.
Colorful expressions illuminate Schneider's approach
Schneider comes out with visual expressions like "The sound is bone dry, the vocals sound like they are beginning to spit" which present his musical understanding with pictures you can imagine. As Schneider describes specialty micing, "The character mics determine beyond all the actual sound - the sweat and the feeling. We talk about Würste (sausages), fun tracks and show-off tracks: no false modesty here. The sound will remind you of certain consciousness-expanding drugs."