History
I started playing guitar from the tender age of 10 and moved on to electric guitar at 12. By the age of 15 i got my first drumkit and played with various friends from school. Whenever there was some kind of concert at school i would also invariably end up behind the (mostly rudimentary) mixing-board. I guess my future career was already laid out clearly... I was also in various bands with varying success from the age of 19 onwards.
The first real studio-job was at the - now defunct - Brussels Square Studios where i worked until 1991. Being main house engineer i got to record and sometimes produce an interesting blend of bands and artists from all over the world. Those were the beginning days of MIDI and we still recorded onto tape (anyone remember ??). Lots of improvising and coming up with solutions for the limits of the gear were the motto in those days. It taught me - besides from simply learning my trade - to make decisions on the spot and not postpone them 'til the mix as is so often the case now. It is something i still adhere to today...
This was of course what I always wanted to do and i got quite successful at this, contributing largely to the emergence of the french metal-scene and to the carreer of many other french artists. Take a look at the list of bands i worked with to give you an idea. I have also established a few longtime relationships with artists producing many albums together, some are still lasting today. In 2005 I decided to call it quits as a studio-manager and sold the studio. |
Stephan Kraemer