DiGiGrid’s company page provides us with some interesting insights into the professional backgrounds of team principals Dan Page and Michael Mäurer, but here, as the two answer our DiGiGrilling interrogation we discover a little more about where the tech meets the art…
Audio plays a central role in your lives but once the technical work is done, what do you listen to? Give us your top three recording artists…
Dan –
Not sure I can give you a top three – my listening taste is hugely varied. I love classical music – I’m a big fan of Rachmaninov. I also never get tired of listening to Sting. Ten Summoner’s Tales reminds me of the time I first moved to London in my early twenties. My most played Spotify playlist includes everything from Coldplay, Ed Sheeran, Dire Straits, Snoop Dogg and Bon Iver to Maceo Parker, Thomas Dolby and Van Morrison!
Michael –
There is not “classical” Top three as I listen to nearly everything (except Volksmusik and German “Schlager”) there are so many artists. I love Rock, Chillout, Techno, Deep House… some favourite artists are Queen, Richard Bona, Robert Babicz, Eelke Kleijn (Days like nights podcast), Sting, Seed, Rammstein, Michael Jackson, George Michael, Torfrock, Wingenfelder / Fury in the Slaughterhouse, Food for the monkeys…
Is it possible for you to listen to recorded music without being constantly tuned in to the minutiae of the production or can you switch off and just enjoy the music?
Dan –
Absolutely. I can appreciate the technical achievement and production value, but I mostly listen to music to switch off and relax.
Michael –
It is hard sometimes, but mostly I can!
What was the first live gig you attended, the best live gig you attended and the most recent live gig you attended?
Dan –
First gig would have been classical – orchestral probably. I couldn’t tell you what, but do remember “Jack” Brymer playing the Mozart Clarinet Concerto at maybe the Festival Hall sometime in my teenage years…
Best : U2 – The Joshua Tree Tour, Croke Park in 2017. I Stood at FOH. For the overall experience – sound, image, feeling – it was just one of “those” gigs…
Most recent : DiGiGrid friend Lizzie V in the lobby of a hotel @ NAMM Show 2018?
Michael –
First : Fury in the Slaughterhouse at the Palladium in Cologne.
Best : Santana at Hockeypark, Mönchengladbach on 15.8.2018
Most recent : A small, socially-distanced open air festival in my hometown with different local bands.
What instruments do you play? Who is your favourite player of those instruments and why?
Dan –
Main instruments are flute and piano but I also played clarinet and saxophone a bit as a kid. I don’t have a favourite pianist, but when I was growing up playing the flute, it was James Galway (and his famous gold flute) and Susan Milan. In the classical world of the 70s and 80s they were, I suppose, the closest thing to celebrity musicians?
Michael –
I played the accordion as a kid and thus can play a bit piano. But my main “instrument” nowadays is my mac with Logic and/or Ableton. My favourite accordion player is Lydie Auvray because she can make the instrument fit in different music styles, like Jazz, Folk and Pop.
When a non-technical friend asks you what DiGiGrid is for, how do you answer them?
Dan –
For recording records and mixing live sound. It’s an easy explanation that everyone can relate too
Michael –
For REALLY non-technical friends, I tell them that DiGiGrid makes network “soundcards”, which can be used for live and in the studio…
What do you consider to be the most important development in twenty-first century audio?
Dan –
FPGA processing (as used by DiGiCo). The move from traditional DSP opened up huge potential, and made the audio engines much more a platform rather than a fixed product with a limited lifespan.
Michael –
Digital mixing consoles, although they were already invented a bit earlier (I LOVED my Soundtracs Virtua!). For 21st century only I would say the technology which made Melodyne possible.
Three essentials for a successful audio engineer are…
Dan –
A thick skin, patience and a thirst to learn.
Michael –
Good ears (analytical hearing), patience, a willingness to learn new things.
Three lockdown lessons you learned…?
Dan –
I can work from anywhere. Humans need human contact. Sitting that close to the fridge all day requires discipline…
Michael –
The First lesson was that it can be nice that nobody wants to see you and get on your nerves. 😀
Second lesson is that after a while you are missing personal human interaction, especially hugging friends, and the third one is that live music, concerts etc are “just a luxury” and not supported by governments…
Which country that you haven’t yet visited would you most like to see?
Dan –
New Zealand
Michael –
New Zealand
You can stage a live show featuring three artists/bands from history at a venue of your choice. Give us the lineup and location…
Dan –
Location : Madison Square Gardens
Lineup : Jimi Hendrix. Queen. Prince
Michael –
Location : A small or mid-sized, good-sounding location.
Lineup : Queen. Michael Jackson. Robbie Williams
And finally…
If you could have been present at the recording of any classic album, which would it have been and why?
Dan –
A Night at the Opera by Queen. Just for Bohemian Rhapsody.
Michael –
Hard to decide between Queen’s A Night at the Opera (because of Bohemian Rhapsody), Michael Jackson’s Thriller (because of the stories I’ve heard about the development of the songs as well as the unbelievable amount of new techniques used during the recording) and Queen – Innuendo (just because of Freddie singing ‘The Show Must Go On’ in one take!)
Hard to decide between Queen – A night at the opera (because of Bohemian Rhapsody), Michael Jackson – Thriller (because of the stories I already heard about the deveopment of the songs and the unbelievable amount of new techniques during the recording) and Queen – Innuendo (just because of Freddie singing “The show must go on” in one take!).
