Me in my studio: Kramnik

Intro

"The studio you see here is at my home in Madrid and, as you can see, it's pretty small. The main reason is that I don't have space for a bigger studio right now, even though I don't think I really need one anyway.

"I started producing about 3 years ago, so at first there wasn't a need for something big. But, as time went by and I started working on the album, I went on a gadget frenzy and started buying everything I needed for production. But, right now I don't really need anything else, because the whole idea was to move to a 100% mobile studio."

Roland TD-30KV

"In addition to this small studio, as of last month I finally got a hold of my dream controler: Roland TD-30KV V-Drums!

"The good thing about this drum set is that you can play on it as hard as you want without bothering the neighbours, even though I have two Mackie HD 1531 speakers in the same room... Since I don't really have space for all this at home, in Feb I'm moving into a proper studio in Berlin which will be properly sound proof and have everything together, finally...."

Headphones and recorder

"The beauty of producing these days is that you just need a good laptop and good headphones. That's it! So I have the AKG-K702 and a MacBook Pro.

"I've been working on the album all over the world with just these two gadgets. You could in factgo directly from just that gear to the mastering studio, without ever going through monitors. Not that I would ever do that - but it's perfectly possible! When I travel I also carry an Olympus LS-11 recorder. That's how I recorded tons of bands in Cuba this summer and in Mongolia last summer."

DJ gear

"I also have a Native Instruments S4 for my 'Invisible Radio Show', as well as two Pioneer CDJ1000 Mk3 and the Pioneer 800 with the X1controllerfor Traktor.

"Plus, in addition to the Pioneer mixer, I also have a Vestax PCV-275R with rotary faders, which I prefer. I've also had the Xone 92 in the past, but I don't think the extra EQ is much help."

Unity The Rock monitors

"I have the very first Unity The Rock and a Velodyne Impact 10 BVE subwoofer. The monitors are a little low on the high ends, but as long as you know that you're ok."

Mastering

"I master at Mastering Mansion, which probably is one of the best mastering studios out there."

Mobilility

"In terms of controllers I have a Novation 25SL, a Korg Triton for the full keyboard, Maschine, Kore and Kaoss Pad 3. Kaoss Pad is the latest addition because I need more effects in some of my productions."

Mapping Maschine

"The most important controller for me right now is going to be the Roland TD30 kit because you can control Native Instruments Maschine with it.

"The idea behind controlling Maschine and other electronic sounds using the Roland kit is to help make the beats more natural. Hopefully this will speed the process too and improve the final result. But right now it's too early to tell because I'm still mapping the bloddy thing - which requires a Phd in cartography!"

Software

"The rest of the studio is all software. I don't want any hardware because that would limit mobility, which meansthere is almost no difference between the mobile and the home studio. It's nice to have controllers, but it's also nice to live without them.

"Plus, I don't think the sound difference between real and software synths is that huge or worth it. So I have Logic on the one hand, and then Native Instruments Komplete, Arturia Collection, Trilian, Stylus, Omnisphere and Traktor. It would take a whole decade to go through all that stuff, so I don't think I need anything else in terms of sound. And now, of course, I also have the Roland V-Drums, which has tons of analog drum sounds."

Check out Kramnik's latest tracks and get all the latest Kramnik news at his website - www.kramnik.dj