About Julian David

I'm a music creator, producer, recording & mixing geek, songwriter, and marketing whiz. Most importantly, I'm here to transform your musical ideas into emotionally engaging products, that is a record that people will play over and over again. I love to create songs that get stuck in people's brains forever - it's what motivates and drives me every single day whether I'm recording, mixing, or producing. My own Satellite studio in my native Cologne, Germany is my creative launch pad, but I love working at inspiring places around the globe: LA, Jakarta, Berlin - bring it on!

Like so many other producer/engineers I created my first “productions” in my parents’ basement with just a few pieces of gear: a Roland MC-303 Groovebox and a tape deck. As a toddler I quickly started to pester my parents by banging the crap out of pots and pans in my mom’s kitchen. Eventually they caved and bought me my first drum kit. And so my passion for this whole recording and mixing thing started first and foremost by being a musician. First it was drums, later I started playing piano and keyboards in several bands, which naturally led to some baby steps in the studio. I’ve always been entrenched in a wide spectrum of music no matter what. As a child of the 80ies I just barely missed the heydays of German NDW (Neue Deutsche Welle) pop. A wild roller coaster ride across the genres followed in the 90ies: Ace of Base and The Scorpions, but fortunately also Nirvana, Soundgarden, and lots of hip-hop from both U.S. coasts and Germany. My dad had a decent collection of vinyl records with albums by Van Morrison, Simon & Garfunkel, and the United Jazz and Rock Ensemble to ground me.

Somehow it was just always a natural progression that I would want to surround myself with music for a career. Not necessarily as a musician, but rather on the other side of the glass making records that mean something to other people. I never even considered having a “plan B”. After school I studied audio engineering and music production at the Institute for Music and Media in Dusseldorf, Germany. I probably spent a few too many semesters there, but ended up with lots of hands-on experience and the necessary background to handle pretty much any audio related challenge. While studying I went through the ranks at several public broadcast networks in Germany, such as the WDR and ZDF. Even so, I decided that I’d rather do my own thing in the studio after I graduated with honors and a good ol’ German “Diplom” degree.

So I quickly left Germany to head for one of the major music capitols in the world: Los Angeles! Under the awesome California sun I had the chance to work with talented artists and renowned producers from all around the globe. Live recording at the Jazz Bakery with Larry Goldings and Bud shank, hardcore with Billy Graziadei (Biohazard) and the Raimundos from Brazil, film music with composer Jeremy Soule and orchestral recording with the legendary John Kurlander (Lord of the Rings, Abbey Road). It was an incredibly rich and exciting time that laid the foundation for my work today. But at the same time I also had a growing desire to having my own recording and mixing studio at my disposal 24/7. So in 2014 I decided to say Goodbye to the California sun to build my own private studio in the former EMI Records building complex in Cologne, Germany. Here I sharing the building with several other German producers, engineers, and musicians, as well as Wolfgang Stach’s fantastic Maarwegstudio2. I really enjoy the creative atmosphere that revolves around this creative hot spot.

My recording and mixing philosophy is a creative blend of old-school, organic recording and new-school technology. I very much love crafting a great sound right away rather than fixing it in the mix. A great performance in a good-sounding space and a few carefully placed microphones is really all you need for an exceptional performance. Having been taught by great engineers and mentors has helped me gain a deep understanding of what is really important in creating great music regardless of the genre. They’ve also taught me the importance of committing to sounds. I love this quote by producer/engineer Vance Powell: “Lack of commitment is the destruction of good music!”

Some artists just need to have a song mixed, others might need help with the writing process, or we work on a full-length album start to finish. It all depends on what the artist needs and how the project can benefit from my services best. With a degree in engineering and music, and work experience in marketing, I take a strategic approach offering solutions catered to my clients’ individual needs. With a wealth of incredibly talented people in my network, I can pull in additional resources when necessary. Collaboration is important and nobody can do everything equally well, so I really enjoy working in a team of cool people.

Ultimately though, this section should not be about me, but about you:

• What is your story?
• What are your goals?
• How can we take your music to the next level?

It all starts with a crisp espresso at my super comfortable studio I call The Satellite while we have a chat about your goals and creative vision. Have a look around on this page to learn about what I can do and why it might be hip to get me on board for your next project. If all that sounds cool, contact me today by sending an email or give me a call, and I promise to get back to you as soon as possible!