words: MICK WILSON TECH
ANDROID AUDIO
Robosonic have a fondness for keeping it real, find inspiration in their extensive vinyl collections, and have a rather unique way of recording, spreading their productions over three studios in Berlin. DJ Mag wanted to know more...
B
erliners Cord Henning Labuhn and Sacha Robotti have been steadily building themselves a solid reputation as a serious production duo under
the name of Robosonic, gaining many fans both behind the decks and on the dancefloor, smashing out tunes and remixes for labels such as Off Recordings, King Street Sounds and Defected. The guys have adopted an interesting approach to their production work, operating out of two private project studios in the same building in the uber-creative Berlin Kreuzberg district. The two studios are connected by an NAS (network attached storage) system, allowing the guys to share project information effortlessly between the two studio spaces.
Final analogue mixdowns are often engineered by trusty friend and Robosonic’s unofficial technical assistant/mixing engineer Jesco Lohan in his comfy studio down the road in Berlin’s Friedrichshain quarter. His analytic approach and helping hands are essential to developing a flexible, highly-productive workflow. Jesco’s fine ears and engineering know-how complement Cord and Sacha’s production technique. He’s a valued component of the Robosonic gang.
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Over the years, their equipment and software have evolved from laptop production to workstations with basic essential gear, but one thing’s for sure, the sound has always remained pure. We decided to quiz Cord, Sacha and Jesco to find out how it all works...
What are your studio set-ups like? CORD : “Myself and Sacha both use PC systems at the heart of our studios. I work on a custom Windows 7 system, which has worked flawlessly since it was built two years ago. My soundcard is a Focusrite Saffire 40, the controller keyboard is a Novation 49SL. For monitoring, I am using the Mackie HR824 Mk2. My first choice production software is Ableton Live 8 Suite. I also use Cubase when it comes to sequencing.
“When we play live and for gigs and recording mixes, I like to use a Faderfox controller to control aspects of Ableton Live. I love Native Instruments Maschine for sample workouts and throwing down grooves, I used to do all this stuff back in the day on my Akai MPC2000. And to make the space more cosy and a fun environment to work in, I have some ‘soft machines’ lying around, basically pillows designed and shaped like classic gear, made in a small Berlin factory.“
SACHA : “My studio has been in existence since 2005 and started off in the living room of my flat in Kreuzberg. It was the production place of our first Robosonic album. Over time it has changed from a hugely chaotic, creative mess with various people living and working in it, to a slightly more organized creative mess. Most of the early Robosonic productions, and my solo music, has been made or finalized in this room. It’s all pretty DIY and low-key. Like many other dance music producers I know, I don’t own much outboard gear. I’ve just used my laptop and an external soundcard for years. Now I use a Core i7 920 PC with 12GB RAM, running Ableton Live and Cubase hooked to the NAS with 3TB space and automated back-up routines, which is also connected directly to Cords’ system.“
JESCO : “The Midas Venice F24 mixing console is the sonic heart of my studio. Bringing together 24 channels in analog does wondrous things to the depth, width, definition and punch of the sound, and music in general. Most importantly, it helps me achieve my desired sound quicker.“
Do turntables and vinyl play a big role in your productions? CORD : “Yeah. I’ve got a classic turntable set- up with a battle mixer, which I use to practice my mixing and scratching. The Technics 1200s weren’t the first turntables I owned, I started on some crappy ones at age 15 or so, but at some point, when I could afford it, I made this investment and of course I’ve never regretted it, it’s timeless. This is how bits and pieces of our record collections find their way into actual productions.“
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