Show Us Your Studio #12: "Ableton Push’s pad layout is a bit like a guitar fretboard - I can play 10ths with one hand and have my second hand free"

This is Show Us Your Studio, a chance for our readers to show off their set-up, shout about their gear and invite the world into their home studio. This week's studio shot has been submitted by MusicRadar reader Julian Kleiss. 

Tell us about your studio set-up?

"Output's Platform desk finally made it possible to fit everything in without needing side tables and extra stands, and everything is within arm's reach without needing to move much or turn around. It even fits some of my CD collection - that's actually rack space for analogue audio gear, but I reduced everything to one interface and high-quality digital simulations.

"Having windows with a view of blue skies and a green park on nice days, plants, wooden diffusers and warm lights (all turned on at once with a single switch) for rainy days and evenings, is great for setting a mood for making music."

Tell us a little about your musical background and the music that you make in your studio?

"I grew up with the Lion King 1 and 2 soundtrack, the Backstreet Boys and Slipknot, went to a classical music high school and got super into African pop music as an 18-year old. In college I got into songwriting, learned about odd meters from the Balkans and rhythmic concepts from North Indian tabla pedagogy, took an introduction to music production via Ableton Live workshops, did some beatboxing and learned how to sing like Bobby McFerrin.

"Recently, I've discovered a new love for clawhammer banjo music. Over the years I've been making mostly technically impressive guitar based music (aka percussive fingerstyle) with a focus on catchy melodies and quirky lyric writing. Sometimes I get hired to make music for advertising. I might call my music feel-good folk-pop, but that's probably an oversimplification."

What's your favourite piece of gear in your studio and why?

"My favourite piece of gear is currently my newest guitar: a Strandberg 8-string. I had been experimenting with playing guitar and bass simultaneously for a while but using two different instruments was a bit inconvenient. I cancelled an order of a double-neck guitar/bass when I realized I'd have access to the same high and low notes on an 8-string guitar without the inherent playing restrictions of a double-neck.

"My favourite piece of non-guitar gear is Ableton Push 2. With its pad layout being similar to a guitar fretboard I can use a lot of my fretboard knowledge which makes playing some things easier and quicker than doing it on a piano. A keyboard has its own advantages, of course, but on Push I can play 10ths, or any wide chord voicings, in one hand with ease - and still have my second hand free to do other things."

What was the first bit of gear you ever owned?

"A terribly old and cheap hand-me--down nylon-string guitar from my grandma. On the music production side my first piece of gear (besides my MacBook) many years later was a Universal Audio Apollo Twin Duo audio interface and the Aston Spirit microphone, shortly followed by Ableton Push 2."

What dream piece of gear would you love to own if money was no object?

"Luca Stricagnoli's triple-neck custom made acoustic guitar/bass."

If you'd like to be featured on Show Us Your Studio, email us today with a clear and well-lit picture of your studio space.