Exclusive QQ Interview With the Creators of Lichtmond Surround!

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In association with the release of the 4th Lichtmond project - The Journey - I have reached out to Giorgio & Martin Koppehele, the creative team behind this work and the Ambra mixes, and asked them a few questions via email. They have graciously provided the answers below:


Q: Can you please describe your personal history with surround sound? When was the first time you heard it? What are your favorite mixes that you did not do yourself? What was the first thing you mixed in surround?

A: We started mixing in surround nearly 15 years ago. Our first project was AMBRA. This was really amazing having 5.1 Channels instead of only 2 channels for stereo. We decided not to listen to other surroundmixes first but to start freshly with our vision of a dynamic, floating surround sound.


Q: Can you please give us a complete list of everything you have mixed - particularly if it is available for purchase? Please include your own music and projects you have mixed for others - both video and audio-only projects.

A: AMBRA - Honour & Glory
AMBRA - Child of the Universe
AMBRA - Prism of Life
LICHTMOND - Moonlight
LICHTMOND - Universe of Light
LICHTMOND - Days of Eternity
LICHTMOND - The Journey


Q: Do you have a philosophy or approach to mixing surround?

A: We try to let the music „breathe“ within the surround field. Some audio objects are close to the borders, some are dynamically moving and others are more inside the circle and more static. Surround is for us a „holographic“ experience for the ears.


Q: How has your approach to mixing surround changed since the first mixes you ever did?

A: Now we know exactly what works in surround - and what not.
We are now very clear about using the LFE, placing Bass and Bassdrum, static and dynamically moving objects and the whole process of surround sound mastering


Q: What speakers do you use for monitoring your mixes in the studio?

A: We work with different types of speakers - they are all from the company Genelec. We have arrays of Genelec 1031A’s and the Genelec 7271 Subwoofer. (Photos here: http://avenue-music.com/index_en.php)


Q: Your music sounds very clean. What is your approach to mastering? What do you think of the so-called "loudness wars?“

A: Our music should transport „wellness for the senses and your soul“. Therefore we try to avoid any distortion in the mastering process. Although our mixes have a wide dynamic range from the intro of each song until the chorus we finally have a strong signal within all digital limits. Our mixes can sound „loud“ but do not try to be the „loudest“.


Q: I notice that the spoken poetic vocals are in German on the 5.1 mix of The Journey, and in English on the Atmos mix. What would be the likely differences in the musical mix if listening to the Atmos mix through a 5.1 system as opposed to an Atmos system? Would anything be lost, or would the system downmix discrete elements?

A: The Atmos downmix to 5.1 works pretty well and all used audio is still there. What you obviously loose is the 3-dimensional audio feeling which you have listening Dolby Atmos through and Atmos array of loudspeakers.


Q: What is your philosophy for the use of the sub-woofer?

A: We use the sub-woofer as low end for Bass and Bassdrum and some special low end FX. This gives a nice „warm“ feeling at the low end supporting the surround full range speakers.


Q: Some of your work reminds me of Tangerine Dream. Have you been inspired by their music? Who are your musical inspirations?

A: We are fans of Tangerine Dream since we were kids. But we are also fans of Pink Floyd, Alan Parsons, Jean Michel Jarre, Vangelis, Mike Oldfield, Klaus Schulze, Synergy, Isao Tomita, Moby, Santana, Coldplay and many more to name.


Q: There are many great German electronic rock composers, you among them, but certainly none more popular in the USA (the world?) than Tangerine Dream. Their work is ripe for mixing in surround, and you OBVIOUSLY know how to mix surround. Have you ever considered approaching Jerome Froese to broach the topic of mixing some of the classic T-Dream in surround?

A: We haven’t yet got in contact with Jerome but if that should happen we can speak about this subject.


Q: Are there other dream projects from existing recorded works you would like to mix in surround, if given the opportunity?

A: Of course there are interesting records around which would sound fantastic in surround. Some of them have been already mixed in surround but maybe a mixed performed by us would give a different flavour of surround. This could include records of Moby, Jean Michel Jarre, Pink Floyd, Tangerine Dream and so on.


Q: Do you listen to any of the other surround recordings being released, such as the Steven Wilson mixes of Jethro Tull, ELP, Yes and many others?

A: We heard some of them especially when we are invited to special surround demo listening sessions. But while mixing in surround we mainly focus on our own mixes.


Q: From your website: "Since 2010 (we) have big success with (our) own project LICHTMOND. This audio-visual act has its own radio show on Klassik Radio and also an own 360° show at Planetarium Hamburg. Can you describe these two projects in greater detail, and particularly how they incorporate surround sound? Are soundtracks available from these projects if the music is different from your other releases?

A: LICHTMOND classic lounge on "Klassik Radio“ is a monthly radio show we produce but it is produced in stereo. Our 360 degree Planetarium show is mixed in 7.1 surround sound and adapted to a 64 channel spatial audio system which is installed at the Planetarium Hamburg. (Please note that the planetarium is under renovation until January 2017.) See:
http://www.planetarium-hamburg.de/u...burg_LICHTMOND__Universe_Of_Light_06-2016.pdf
http://www.planetarium-hamburg.de/u...urg_LICHTMOND_Days_Of_Eternity_06-2016_01.pdf


Q: Your website (http://avenue-music.com/info_en.php) gives a list of other artists you have worked with. What have been your favorite projects? Were any in surround?

A: We have worked for the projects AMBRA and LICHTMOND in surround on the albums mentioned above. It was fantastic working together with Alan Parsons, Midge Ure, Martyn Ware, Boy George and I Muvrini for LICHTMOND.


Q: If there is anything else you would like to address to the surround community that has not been covered above feel free to write it here. We look forward to your answers!

A: We would like to welcome everybody in the surround community to „dive“ into our several productions in surround.
Here you can find more infos:
www.lichtmond.com
www.avenue-music.com


Thanks so much to Giorgio & Martin for responding to my inquiry. I highly recommend this music and these mixes! More can be found here:

https://www.quadraphonicquad.com/fo...d-album-announced-atmos-9-1.22586/post-311063
 
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The Ambra/Lichtmond Blu Rays are compressed to death, but the mixes are creative as hell!
 
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