Michael, I have been a fan of your work for years, what have you been up to lately?
As you probably know, I moved to Nashville in 1996 and built a studio just
outside of town. No, I'm not doing country music, still into the harder
stuff. The studio (called WireWorld, check it out here:
http://michaelwagener.com/html/ww.html ) is a fully digital 5.1 surround
sound facility and we've been doing all kinds of Rock out there. We recently
finished an album with the band TITANIUM BLACK, which was recorded and mixed
in surround from the ground up, one of the first I think.
Can you tell me how you got involved with Titanium Black?
I was contacted by Terry the singer and mastermind behind the project. I
listened to the material he sent me and we hit it off right from the
beginning.
How did you decide to record that disc in 5.1 surround sound? That's
ground breaking!
It's something I have been working on for a while. As mentioned before,
WireWorld is completely set up for recording and mixing in surround. Terry
LeRoi (singer for Titanium Black) was really into this new sound, so we
decided to do the album in surround.
Will you be recording in 5.1 with another project?
Yes, if I could I would do everything in surround, it sounds so much better
and makes the listener really feel like they are there with the band. We
recently finished a surround mix for the Christian band Mercy Me, which was played in Regal Cinemas all over the country, it came out great, great band too.
I read somewhere that you grew up with Udo from Accept, is that true?
What was that guy like as a kid?
Yes that is true. Udo and I went to school together from when we were six years old. He was always a crazy wild guy, totally devoted to music, even as a kid. We had a lot of fun times together
Did you & Udo ever do any recording in a band situation? And what
instruments do you play?
We originally founded ACCEPT together. I played guitar then. But after I got drafted to the army in Germany, practice was out of the question, so I left the band to become an engineer/producer. I did 5 or 6 Accept albums as a producer/engineer. Wolf Hoffmann was the guitar player in Accept. He now owns the property where my studio is, just outside of Nashville and even though I don't have that much contact with Udo anymore, I run into Wolf almost every day out on the farm.
What have been most memorable projects that you're been involved over the years? And why?
Well, there was a lot of great projects, but some of the more memorable were Skid Row for the sheer fun of it, Raven for the same reason and Ozzy, just because he is THE coolest guy on the planet.
What are some bands that you'd love to work with?
AC/DC, AC/DC and AC/DC
How do you determine what band would be worth working with? Is
there criteria that they must meet?
It is getting harder and harder, because the talent pool is getting smaller
and smaller. I am really looking for "real" emotions in the music. A great
performance is essential too. I don't like most of the "fabricated" stuff on
the market nowadays and it looks like the kids don't like it either, because
they seem not to be buying it.
Who are your top five producers?
Let's see:
1) Roy Thomas Baker
2) Mutt Lange
3) Nathaniel Kunkel
4) BT
5) The Matrix
What's your view on the rock & metal scenes today? Do you think rock will make a comeback in America anytime soon?
In my book Rock never left. I think we will see a drastic change in music
soon. Just look at what's going on in Europe with The Darkness and such
bands. I hope we're going a little more back into the Fun-Rock direction.
Has there ever been one that got away? A band that you were on the verge of signing on with & it just didn't materialize?
Yes, I just started Russian Roulette with Accept in freezing Germany and got a call from Atlantic to produce Flick Of The Switch with AC/DC in the
Bahamas, but it was too late, I had already committed to Accept.
Michael,
In closing, I like to thank you for taking the opportunity out of your busy schedule, to answer some questions. Is there anything you'd like to say to someone trying to break into the music business, either as a producer & or a musician?
Well, it's not going to be an easy job. Anything to do with music involves
24/7 practice and 110% commitment, but we need talent desperately, so strap
on that guitar and start rockin'.
Thanks Million,
RM AKA SIXXSWINE
Any time,
Michael Wagener
Double Trouble Productions, Inc.
WireWorld Studio
http://michaelwagener.com
As you probably know, I moved to Nashville in 1996 and built a studio just
outside of town. No, I'm not doing country music, still into the harder
stuff. The studio (called WireWorld, check it out here:
http://michaelwagener.com/html/ww.html ) is a fully digital 5.1 surround
sound facility and we've been doing all kinds of Rock out there. We recently
finished an album with the band TITANIUM BLACK, which was recorded and mixed
in surround from the ground up, one of the first I think.
Can you tell me how you got involved with Titanium Black?
I was contacted by Terry the singer and mastermind behind the project. I
listened to the material he sent me and we hit it off right from the
beginning.
How did you decide to record that disc in 5.1 surround sound? That's
ground breaking!
It's something I have been working on for a while. As mentioned before,
WireWorld is completely set up for recording and mixing in surround. Terry
LeRoi (singer for Titanium Black) was really into this new sound, so we
decided to do the album in surround.
Will you be recording in 5.1 with another project?
Yes, if I could I would do everything in surround, it sounds so much better
and makes the listener really feel like they are there with the band. We
recently finished a surround mix for the Christian band Mercy Me, which was played in Regal Cinemas all over the country, it came out great, great band too.
I read somewhere that you grew up with Udo from Accept, is that true?
What was that guy like as a kid?
Yes that is true. Udo and I went to school together from when we were six years old. He was always a crazy wild guy, totally devoted to music, even as a kid. We had a lot of fun times together
Did you & Udo ever do any recording in a band situation? And what
instruments do you play?
We originally founded ACCEPT together. I played guitar then. But after I got drafted to the army in Germany, practice was out of the question, so I left the band to become an engineer/producer. I did 5 or 6 Accept albums as a producer/engineer. Wolf Hoffmann was the guitar player in Accept. He now owns the property where my studio is, just outside of Nashville and even though I don't have that much contact with Udo anymore, I run into Wolf almost every day out on the farm.
What have been most memorable projects that you're been involved over the years? And why?
Well, there was a lot of great projects, but some of the more memorable were Skid Row for the sheer fun of it, Raven for the same reason and Ozzy, just because he is THE coolest guy on the planet.
What are some bands that you'd love to work with?
AC/DC, AC/DC and AC/DC
How do you determine what band would be worth working with? Is
there criteria that they must meet?
It is getting harder and harder, because the talent pool is getting smaller
and smaller. I am really looking for "real" emotions in the music. A great
performance is essential too. I don't like most of the "fabricated" stuff on
the market nowadays and it looks like the kids don't like it either, because
they seem not to be buying it.
Who are your top five producers?
Let's see:
1) Roy Thomas Baker
2) Mutt Lange
3) Nathaniel Kunkel
4) BT
5) The Matrix
What's your view on the rock & metal scenes today? Do you think rock will make a comeback in America anytime soon?
In my book Rock never left. I think we will see a drastic change in music
soon. Just look at what's going on in Europe with The Darkness and such
bands. I hope we're going a little more back into the Fun-Rock direction.
Has there ever been one that got away? A band that you were on the verge of signing on with & it just didn't materialize?
Yes, I just started Russian Roulette with Accept in freezing Germany and got a call from Atlantic to produce Flick Of The Switch with AC/DC in the
Bahamas, but it was too late, I had already committed to Accept.
Michael,
In closing, I like to thank you for taking the opportunity out of your busy schedule, to answer some questions. Is there anything you'd like to say to someone trying to break into the music business, either as a producer & or a musician?
Well, it's not going to be an easy job. Anything to do with music involves
24/7 practice and 110% commitment, but we need talent desperately, so strap
on that guitar and start rockin'.
Thanks Million,
RM AKA SIXXSWINE
Any time,
Michael Wagener
Double Trouble Productions, Inc.
WireWorld Studio
http://michaelwagener.com
