Hans -Martin Buff
Grammy award winning Hans-Martin Buff began his career as a recording engineer and music producer at Pachyderm Studios in Cannon Falls, Minnesota, USA, where he honed his studio chops by assisting on projects such as Live’s million seller Throwing Copper.
Buff worked his way through various Minnesota rock’n’roll factories, before he found a more permanent home at Prince’s Paisley Park Studios, whose personal engineer he became and remained for four funky years. During this period, he wasn’t only responsible for His Purple Majesty’s recordings, but also for Prince’s collaborations with artists such as No Doubt, Chaka Khan and Larry Graham.
Being a native of Germany, Buff relocated to Europe in 2001, where he has since recorded, mixed and/or produced a host of national and international talent, such as Mousse T., Joss Stone, Zucchero, Eric Burdon, Roachford, Maxi Priest and the Scorpions.
Since 2018, Buff has explored the subject of 3D-Audio, especially for headphones. Buff is now considered an industry expert, and he is proud to help artists lift their immersive adventures to the next musical level.
Buff is affiliated with msm-studios in Munich and Berlin, Germany, and with Real World Studios in Box, England, where he shaped the Dolby Atmos “In-Side” mixes of Peter Gabriel’s 2023 release I/o which he won a Best Immersive Audio Album Grammy for.
What made you want to add the SubSix to your current setup?
I love making immersive/3D/spatial music, and I’m always on the look-out for sound tools that give me possibilities beyond stereo. SubSix is an immersive game changer for guitar.
How do you currently use it?
I use the SubSix to spread out a guitar around a room, and to alter the sound along the way.
Has it changed your creative process and if so how?
It sure has. It’s given me a huge new sound tool that I can offer to musicians I work with.
Have there been any surprising discoveries in the time that you've been using it?
The b string (kidding).
Have you used it in a live setting?
Yes. It was an immersive concert, during which I spread sounds around the venue. The SubSix outputs were individually routed into and routed by way of a d&b audiotechnik Soundscape system during a concert by The Breath at Manchester’s Century Hall. I don’t do that much live work (I'm a studio guy), but if I did, I’d certainly use it more in this way.
The Breath at the English Folk Expo, New Century Hall Manchester, October 2023. Photo © Jody Hartley.
What is your favourite guitar gear? Software? Hardware?
The guitar, which makes an amazing racket in and of itself. I like me some fancy guitar pedals and modular trouble makers, too.
How has having multiple channel outputs changed how you use these?
It’s changed my use by having the possibility to weave various effects chains from single instrument into an immersive whole.
Have you got any tips for other SubSix users?
Buy another one.
What are you currently working on?
Many things. Various mixes, toys and immersive productions.
Photo by Jakob Himmelein
Hans-Martin Buff can be found on instagram instagram.com/buffwerk
A Deep Dive With... is a brand new series where we interview Submarine users, explore their creative process, share tips, and hopefully inspire you to discover new ways to make the most of Submarine's creative potential.
*Main photo courtesy of Rankin for the Recording AcademyⓇ
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