Fat&Holy Records

René Hofmann

music producer

“action speaks louder than words”

-Hard To Handle by Otis Redding

FAT&WHO?

Fat&Holy Records is a music production company by René Hofmann.

– born 1986
– based in Darmstadt, Germany
– autodidactic musician, producer and sound engineer
– music nerd

SKILLS

There are always projects running and if I have a spark of creativity, nothing else has importance in that moment.
Light me up with your spark!

After 100 years of recording history everything is allowed. So every artist deserves his own sound.

Before I do a recording, I always want to meet the musicians first. Recording is not about equipment, it's about the vibe in the room.

Recording & Mixing

Specialized in vinyl mastering and cutting. Always up to date in making a „shiny finish“ in all formats and for streaming.

I studied all characteristics of a vinyl LP and I can even prepare your finished master for the laqueur cut.

Mastering

Every venue and mixing desk you can imagine... I will handle them all. It's like driving different cars 😉

As a musician myself, I know all sides. So I am also a very sensitive monitor engineer.

FOH & Monitor Mixing

Certified system engineer for d&b audiotechnik, L'acoustics and CODA Audio. Certified Audinate DANTE engineer.

I am able to plan the sound of your event and I also have good staff for lights, video, catering etc.

System Engineer

FROM THE STUDIO

…a small selection of the latest releases I was involved in production, mixing and/or mastering.
Click on the cover for sound and enjoy xxx

EQUIPMENT PHILOSOPHY

Yes, you can talk about equipment. But it’s about the right choice, the right guy and decision. Trust your ears and it will be right!
Check out the tabs for the equipment in the studio

Mics

Of course there is the right microphone for every source. I am a little obsessed with ribbon mics, they never sound too harsh but at the moment my favorite mic is the Beyer M88. I also love SM57 and MD421. Room microphones are are a must have in every performance.

Here is a selection of mics I am using:

Beyer M160, M260, M88, M201, D71
Shure SM7, SM57, SM58, Beta91
Sennheiser MD421, MD441, e609, e604, MD21
Line Audio CM4
Neumann TLM127
AKG D12, D14, D112, C451, C414
Extinct Audio Berserker
Griffon Fuzzyphone

Amps

I have a lot of amplifiers for guitar, bass and keyboards and I still prefer putting a mic in front of a cabinet than only an amp modeling plug-in. An amp is half of the instrument „electric guitar“ and the right combination makes the sound most exciting. Don’t forget that the speaker is also just a big filter in the end of the chain!

A selection of amps in the studio:

Vox AC30
Hiwatt 200
Peavey 5150
Mesa Boogie Studio 22
Linnemann 45W Plexi Clone
Carlsbro TR100
Roland Jazz Chorus

…are just a few names to drop, next to the most obscure amplifier – the „Poseidon“

Speakers:

Celestion V30, V60, G12T-75
Eminence Legend
Mesa Boogie Black Shadow

Instuments

I love instruments. The haptic feeling, advatages and disadvatages have an impact on your performance. Next to a bunch of guitars and basses, the studio is equipped with…

Keyboards:

Wurlitzer Spinet Piano
Philicorda GM753 Organ
Hohner Pianet/Clavinet
ARP Odyssey
Moog Sub Phatty, SubSequent 37
Korg MicroKorg, CX3
Yamaha DX7
Nord Lead 2, Electro 6
„Toy“ Keyboards of Technics, Hohner and Casio

Along with all kinds of percussion instruments:

Congas
Bongos
Tablas
small and special percussion, like shakers, maracas, cuica, harmonicas, flutes…

What is not available in the studio, can be organized within hours!

digital or analog?

Most of the time I mix „in the box“, that means on the Computer only. Plug-ins nowadays are sounding so good and it saves so much time with total recall and automations in the DAW.

But I want to get most of my sound already before the recorded track. Choosing the right equipment, microphone, preamp etc. makes already 90% of the sound. The roughmix should give you already the true impression of your performance. Where you wanna go from there is a creative choice and it seems there are no limits with software effects. But there are many things a computer can hardly simulate, especially „dirt“. That’s why I built a complete hybrid surface with a Dante Network to work with all analog and digital gear simultaneously.

Tape sound? No Problem with a Foster 1/2″ 16 track reel to reel or a stereo Revox B77!
Analog effects? Sure, I have nice Spring reverbs, tape echos and also some really nice digital outboard effect units from Yamaha (SPX90, REV7) Lexicon, TC electronics etc.
Analog mixing? Possible at my colleagues studio. I had equipment for mixing analog for so many years unused in the studio, so I decided to close this department.