SoundGym Hero: Martin Lechner

Self-taught producer and electrician with a passion for black and white photography, currently from Bavaria in Germany, Martin Lechner is this month's SoundGym Hero! 

Who are you, and where are you from?

My name is Martin Lechner, alias Calegro. I am 36 years old and from Bavaria in Germany. I am an educated electrician who works in an industrial environment. Together with my wife and her 3 kids, we are living in a 4-room flat. We decided that every child has his room. That’s why I am a living/kitchen/bedroom producer.

How did you get into music?

Music was always a big part of my life. I was only a listener for a long-time, but this changed after I started going out clubbing. I saw this guy behind the decks, and I know I want to do this. So I started mixing music with 2 Denon CD players, with very poor functions. Back in these days, my dad had a radio shop. So I took his equipment and did some parties with my friends.

After a while, I could afford 2 pioneers cdjs 800 mk2 and a good mixer, after that I chanced it vs two technics 1210 mk5. After my first gigs in clubs, I had to do a brake for 4 years, because we started renovating the house with 5 flats and my son was born. As we finished the house I turned 30 years old and got free time again. I thought “what I am going to do now?”.

I want to play music again in clubs, but this time I want to play my tracks! I bought Ableton and did my first tracks. But it doesn´t sound like the tracks I‘ve played. They sound like crap! And I realized that I have to go a very long way to become a professional producer. So I did a lot of courses, watched I don´t know thousands of videos on YouTube, learned to play percussions, also read music sheets, and played the piano. 

I improved every skill I need for music production. At the same time, my spiritual journey started, and I met my wife. She got also on her journey. “Alone you can walk fast, but together you can walk much longer” She is an educated opera singer from Croatia, and her mom is a famous opera teacher. We have the same passions. It’s so much more fun doing things you like together with the person you love. 

The next step was hard, as I decided to move to Cologne, to visit the Sinee institution, a school for electronic music production. I traveled a lot between these two places (600km) until they closed as the corona pandemic started. A short time before my dad passed away and I decided to go back to my hometown and concentrate on my family and spending much time as possible making music.

A big gamechanger on my journey was SoundGym. After a lot of games, I improved my mixing skills a lot! This was huge! I built up my studio, building my desk, sidecar, absorbers, and mixing and recording gear. For the desk, I used an old tabletop from my dad. He used to build his speakers on it, over 100 pcs. 

I thought I want to use it for my desk! So I will always have a nice memory of him while making music. in February this year, I did a Practicum at die: Mischbatterie near my hometown. This guy, Stephan Zeh is amazing! He is like a magician in Mixing. Everything was sounding so good and locked so easily. And this Studio - neve console, Telefunken mics, shadow-hill mastering comp, Distressor, everything. I learned a lot at this time, recording with professional musicians, and I know some of them from my childhood! That was my dream, every day doing this job and getting paid for it.  To give something back, I build him two, original circuits, like the real deal. They sound great and I thought, I want them to, but better! So, I started the next project…

What do you like to do for fun outside of working on music?

I like going hiking, swimming, and riding my bicycle. All these things l do with my wife. I often have my recorder with me to sample some interesting sounds. We are living between the mountains, and there are a lot of lakes. It is so beautiful here in Brannenburg, and I don’t want to miss this place. Besides that, I like to meet my friends. They are so crazy, every week they do some Techno events, and it is hard to say no. I do also take photos of industrial environment, persons, and chairs. Most of them are in black and white and I use them as a cover for my songs. 

What's your most useless skill or talent?

Driving BMX. I did it from the age of 10 to 16. I improved it after a while but realized that I don´t want to get hurt all the time by my bike. But If I have the chance to ride someone else BMX, I would probably try to do some tricks and then get hurt again.

What inspires you to keep making music?

Other producers like Paul Kalkbrenner, Anna, Patrice Bäuml. They did it and it motivates me to keep it going. Also, the feedback of my friends. I am a perfectionist, and it is hard to finish tracks. They say: it is good, don’t do anything more. Most people don´t hear the difference. And guess what – they are right (Only SoundGym members can hear the difference).

If you could sit down to a session with any artist, who would it be?

Defiantly Stephan Bodzin – he's the maestro of the Moog sub-37. I want to know how he starts his tracks, his workflow, and how he manages his live set. That would be a great honor.

Any habits you have before starting a session?

I clean my working desk and prepare it for the session because it is at the same time the place where I am building my gear. I turn on my led lights to get in the mood. After that, I am doing some exercises at the SoundGym or I hear some got tracks in the kind of music I want to produce. Most of the time I can´t wait and start immediately with my current project and hear it from beginning to the end and make some notice what to do and what is the daily goal. I also start with Headphones, because it is better for me the get in the vibe of my track.

If you could pick one, what would be the theme song of your life?

Probably alt-J - U&ME, cause I do all the joy of living with my woman. She is the most important person in my life. I like the vibe of the song, and how it´s made. Alt-j is one of the most inspiring Bands for me.

What is your favorite piece of music gear you own ?

Ohh difficult question – I think it is now my new two DIY- Pultec eq. Every Signal I put on it is going to be with much more presence and 3d in the Stereo field. I can boost tons of low-end and silky highs. I am very proud of it because I did the first Time my Design and my Logo. I have learned a lot from the building process. And it makes me every time smiling if I turn on the Knobs.
But – if I have to choose only one thing, I will take my MacBook, because there is everything I need to make some great music!

What is your favorite SoundGym feature? 

EQ Cheeta – this game improved my hearing skills a lot. I am doing it as long as possible the get to a higher level, but sometimes it is quite annoying with that “wrong frequency bell 
sound”.

What does the future hold for Martin Lechner?

Now I am working on my album with 10 to 12 tracks. It is a mixture between techno and melodic techno. I want to finish it by the end of the year so I can play my music in the clubs. After 6 years of making music, I am at a point where I can say, ok you can play that in front of people, and they don´t get bored. 

I hope at some point I can release on my favorite Label Kompakt Recordings – that would be nice. Besides that, I want to build and sell my gear. I am planning for a mastering / mixing eq but something new and special on the market. With huge ergonomic knobs and only the best electronic parts. 

 

You can follow Martin Lechner on his YouTube, Facebook, SoundCloud and Instagram.

 

---