I am Toby Schuetgens, an independent country rock artist, and, what´s more important in this case:

a professional audio engineer!

Apart from this I´m living with my family a simple country life out here on the ranch.

We are keeping up traditional values and this is also what makes my sound.

It´s natural, dynamic, authentic, honest, edgy and sometimes even dirty.

I´m definetly not one of these modern ironed smoothed appearances barking standard phrases.

I´m not afraid to get my hands dirty out here and this kind of lifestyle reflects also in my work as a professional audio engineer.

This is just about the real life!

As even Lenny Kravitz once said: "Don´t be afraid to keep it simple!"

We life in a world where everything seems to be more appearances than reality. But this is not what I like to offer. That´s even not just me. I like it when things are true. And that´s also what I like to achieve with my sound. I believe in simplicity - I believe in what it is. I don´t impress with distraction from reality, I work out elements and emotions the way they are in a simple but effective way. It´s not my style to alienate sounds that far just to make them fit into what´s "modern" these days.

Studio Setup

My homestudio is a hybrid studio what means it combines the best elements of both worlds: analog and digital. A big part of my mixing and mastering is happening in the box but there is also some analog outboard gear for example to add flavor at some points and to get rid of the digital harshness.

The digital part makes a lot of things easier and cheaper. But sometimes it feels that there is something missing and that is where analog gear comes in to play. The analog gear makes a song feel more natural and organic sometimes.

These are the benefits of a hybrid studio where analog and digital gear comes together.