Neumann speakers at Bauer Studios (Germany)
| The Bauer studios in Ludwigsburg have been among the leading studios on the German recording scene - for over 70 years! All the big names in German pop music have recorded here: Udo Jürgens, Reinhard Mey, Herbert Grönemeyer, to name just a few. Also international stars including Stevie Wonder, Chaka Khan, Miles Davis, Pat Metheney and Al Di Meola.
Bauer Studios has earned an excellent reputation for high-quality recordings in particular, including a legendary live recording beloved by jazz fans worldwide: The Köln Concert by Keith Jarrett The main attraction of Bauer Studios has always been Studio 1, with a Neve analog console and a nearly 2,000 square foot live room that provides ample space for orchestras and big bands. The well-known "Studio Konzert" series was recorded live in Studio 1 in front of an audience on analog 2-track tape and later distributed exclusively on vinyl - through the Bauer Studios label: The Köln Concert by Keith Jarrett.As of 2017, Bauer Studios is controlled by a new management duo, Bettina Bertók-Thumm and Michael Thumm. But the philosophy of the founders continues with great consistency. After all, Bauer Studios has always been characterized by an innovative spirit. When Bauer Studios opened in December 1948, it was Germany's first private recording studio.In the late 1950s, Bauer studios became pioneers in stereo. So it makes sense that there are still searches in the company that look forward to technology. "We have a tradition of looking forward," explains Michael Thumm, sound engineer and managing director. "What's beyond stereo sound?" What's next? We enjoy exploring new things and I think that's why we're still around after 70 years.'
Mutating the studio as an opportunity for immersive sound. Studio 2, which had been used in the past and was past its prime, was to be converted into a film sound mixing studio. At least that was the original idea. Both Michael Thumm and his partner Bettina Bertók-Thumm had completed Tonmeister studies at the Babelsberg Konrad Wolf Film and Television Academy (today: Film University) in Potsdam. So they were very familiar with multichannel audio formats, as film productions have long relied on surround sound - and are now increasingly resorting to similar modern audio formats.Michael Thumm: “It quickly became clear to us that if we were building a studio in 2017, it would be foolish not to think about adapting it to modern FORMATs. It was a relatively small step to bolting four more speakers to the ceiling. Considering the sound of the film, we made a conscious decision to go with Dolby Atmos, even though Auro 3D played a bigger role for music productions at the time. We felt that Dolby's relationship with the film industry would give it more influence in the market. And that's what we're seeing happening now. For example, Universal creates movies using Dolby Atmos at Capitol Studios in Los Angeles. |
Michael Thumm, sound engineer and managing director of Bauer Studios
in the redesigned Studio 2 room
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The newly designed Studio 2, now upgraded by Markus Bertram (MB Akustik), had to be equipped with a monitoring system supporting common surround formats as well as Dolby Atmos. When it came time to choose speakers the Neumann studio Monitors were quickly chosen as the first choice. Neumann Studio Monitors for maximum compatibility A determining factor in the choice of speakers was compatibility with other studios and the corresponding listening experience of their engineers. “Neumanns were in many TV mixing rooms, used at university and many recording studios are now also equipped with them. We spoke to many fellow sound engineers before making our decision: Which Studio Monitors do you know? What do you prefer? Personally, Neumann excites me. I used them often and was always able to achieve excellent results. Our fellow sound engineers here at Bauer Studios also agreed with Neumann. In addition, we also rent Studio 2 to external sound engineers. So we wanted loudspeakers that everyone would feel comfortable working with. Everyone knew the Neumanns and we often heard: "I have the little ones at home!" The precise sound image in the KH product range also plays an important role for the Monitoring system in Studio 2 because different models are used: “Five KH 310s form the circle of surround . If necessary, we can add two more KH 310 for 7.1. The subwoofer is a KH 870 and four KH 80 DSPs are used for the higher heights. So it's a 5.1.4 or 7.1.4 setup. |
| New mixing and listening experiences
Among the first productions to use this new system was Wer 4 sind (2019), a documentary film celebrating the 30th anniversary of German rap pioneers Die Fantastischen Vier. “This was done with a Dolby Atmos production. In the music industry, there are requests, but the demand is not huge, so far.' We figured out its form, experimented a lot, discussed our work and had fun figuring out what's possible, what makes sense. We tried a wide variety of approaches and ways of working.'
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Studio 2 in action: all eight engineers were able to
remix their productions in Dolby Atmos. (Photo: Andreas Barnowsky)
| The result is Freiheitsgrade ("degrees of freedom"), a collection of productions from Bauer studios, mixed in Dolby Atmos. The musical spectrum ranges from big band jazz and contemporary jazz to funk, pop and traditional music. Unlike many other exciting productions, there is a clear focus on the aural quality of the music.
"It's a huge pleasure to hear a big piece of sound, like a big band in exciting sound, to feel the energy in the room - even for people who really prefer other types of music," enthuses Michael Thumm. He summarizes his analysis as follows: “As a sound engineer, you should enjoy experimenting. What possibilities does this particular format offer and what can I do to serve this type of music? We should still not forget that we must always keep the interest of the listeners warm. Of course, the end result also gives great pleasure to the listener. Freiheitsgrade is available from mid-September 2021 via Apple Music, Tidal and Amazon . For example, they should notice that there are ceiling speakers. When I'm not mixing an image, I can give the listener a chance to stand in the middle of the band. The space created makes mixing easier. I don't need to use so much EQ and compressors to fit the music between two speakers. This way I can complete my arrangements in every detail, and present it to the listener in a more transparent way. Working in this way is a great joy.' Of course, the end result also gives great pleasure to the listener. Freiheitsgrade is available from mid-September 2021 via Apple Music, Tidal and Amazon
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