Some weeks ago, when I was doing another audio recording, I asked myself if there is an optimal gain setting for the input of the audio interface and what it might be. In general, we can adjust the input gain to any value and amplify or attenuate the signal later in the post processing. However, we all know that low gain settings destroy our recordings as they contain too much noise which is basically impossible to reduce afterwards. Read more

Some time ago, when I was looking for long microphone cables, I came across the idea of using network cables with appropriate adapters. This is a neat idea since you can run four audio signals over one network cable with 8 pins + shield. However, soon questions about the audio quality and other drawbacks came up. Therefore, I did some simple measurements on microphone and network cables of different lengths, which are described in the following. Read more

Recently, I had the chance of comparing different cardioid small diaphragm condenser microphones. Among the test candidates were the Neumann KM 184 and the Haun MBC 440, which are both highly recommended and praised by a wider community. Further, I included a Rode M5 MP into the test to compare the high-quality microphones to a much cheaper one. To enable a real comparison of the microphones, I performed simultaneous recordings of an organ and vocals. Read more

It was not allowed to celebrate masses on Sundays during the shutdown regarding the COVID-19 pandemic. Therefore, the churches of München-Neuhausen had the idea of recording short masses that could be celebrated at home. I helped with the recording and production of those podcast-style home masses. Read more

The Toccata in C major (BWV 564) is part of an organ composition of Johann Sebastian Bach. Bach wrote this piece during his time in Weimar in 1708. Recently, I had the chance of filming this music piece together with Deborah Hödtke, who is a church musician in Munich. In particular, the long pedal solo led to an unusual camera perspective. Read more