Quality and flexibility are key for engineer covering music, magic and comedy in a variety of settings…
Maurice Pätzold is a 24-year old sound engineer from Saarbrücken in Germany, who works for Schütz Sound and Light, a small but busy events production supplier. In his career to date, Maurice has already gained a wealth of experience working with a wide range of bands and artists both on the road and at many mid-sized festivals across the country. He is currently working with German singer-songwriter, Philipp Leon, who came to the attention of a wider audience by reaching the later stages of TV show The Voice of Germany.
Passionate about achieving the finest sound quality possible, Maurice has been using DiGiGrid for a couple of years. A number of experienced colleagues suggested he take a look at the products, as he explains:
“I was using a Waves MultiRack, and the DiGiGrid suggestion came up in a number of different conversations. Having done some research, it was pretty clear that the products could offer the quality and flexibility that I was looking for. Ultimately, for me everything is about quality – everything needs to be perfect and using DiGiGrid enables me to achieve the best results possible on behalf of all the artists I work with.”
Maurice uses a DiGiGrid IOS with Waves LV1, as well as for additional inputs or siderack connection with different digital and analog consoles. He also uses a DiGiGrid MGO for live recording.
In common with the majority of his profession, Maurice saw a sharp decline in opportunities in the first half of 2020 owing to the Coronavirus pandemic, but recent months have seen the first signs of a return to regular live events. July saw him working at a series of festival-style events in Mainz which, although restricted in numbers, featured top regional and national artists like comedian Enissa Amani. Philipp Leon has also recently appeared in concert, and whilst acknowledging that there is some way to travel before a return to normal is possible, Maurice remains optimistic:
“Lately, as well as working with Philipp Leon, I’ve done a number of drive-in shows for bands with Schütz Sound and Light. I’ve also worked on some events with another regular client, magic show artist Maxim Maurice, all of which have gone really well. When things eventually get back to normal, I’m keen to expand my DiGiGrid system to include an IOX or maybe even two – I can’t recommend the products highly enough for their audio and build quality. For now I’m just very glad to be working.”