In Patrick Schönbach, I definitely found a master in his field!
During the last months, I did a CD production project for a local wind band. My client wanted a live recording in a church that is known for its beautiful acoustics throughout the whole region. As a music producer,, I developed an adequate concept, and recorded the wind band in a multi track recording this several direct signal microphones and several room microphones.

In my Studio, I edited and mixed all the recorded audio material within the Samplitude Pro X3 suite, and I created preliminary demo mixes. For the final mix, I gave the project to Patrick Schönbach. Technically, the data transfer went well, apart from some initial small issues with the DAW projects, and he was able to mix and master the project without any problems.

Even though my client was very with my own mixes already, I wanted to hire an expert who critically listens to the mix and refines it,, if necessary. Honestly speaking, I really couldn't stop being amazed. As an old-timer, I have worked with a lot of studios already, but the result of Mr. Schönbach totally amazed me and my client as well!

Also, the communication via email worked flawlessly. We worked in a very relaxed and patient atmosphere. And even though the first version of the master was really great already, we still needed several versions until all involved people were fully happy with every small detail. For me, this already started to become a little embarassing. When I wrote to Mr. Schönbach that I had to create eight master versions for a client, recently, he took it with humor, and he called our final version of the master "Version 7b".

Thank you very much for the fantastic collaboration.

-- Andreas Biermann
Music producer

Klangezellenz indeed provided excellent audio editing and mastering services. I was pleased with the efficiency and clear communication throughout, all leading to an ideal result.

-- Carson P. Cooman
Composer and Concert Organist

The fact, that Patrick Schönbach agreed to take care of the CD production of the recordings of our children and youth choirs was a great benefit for our work, for me personally, and for the resulting CD. As I never did such a project before and as I had no idea about how such a project has to be done, actually, and about the technical possibilities of editing and sound enhancement, it was necessary for me that he takes me by the hand, figuratively speaking, leading me through this process. And indeed, this worked very well, as Patrick Schönbach has an extraordinary endurance and a remarkable patience in addition to his skills as a composer and as an audio engineer. Furthermore, he has worked with great effectivity and he was superbly organzied. I never had to wait long for replies and feedbacks. Sometimes, he has corrected my conceptions from the aspect of audio engineering or from the musical aspect, and we had a very fruitful and enlightening correspondence on the project by email. At the end, Patrick has guided me even that far that I founded my own record label. I never would have believed that if someone would have told me that before the project! In the autumn of 2014, I will start to work on our next CD, and there is no question who is going to produce this CD...

Problems that seem impossible to solve for someone who has no experience, were solved by Patrick Schönbsch in a timely manner. „Miracles“ will take somewhat longer, but often, he really made them happen! The competences of Patrick Schönbach are hard to beat, in the musical field as well as in the field of audio engineering. His statements and comments are very clear and always to the point. He always dealt patiently with the many inept questions that I had at times. And when I asked him to go one step with me, he went two steps, and he always has been ahead of me. Then, he probably has waited that the coin will fall into the bucket for me. I am very much obliged to Patrick Schönbach. Does he know, how many impules he gave to my life...?

-- Elke Landenberger
Choir Master

It surely has been a challenge to have no recording engineer present during the recording who gives directions and corrective advice. Furthermore, one of the involved audio devices completely failed, unfortunately. Still, the recording session with choir and string orchestra went flawlessly. Solely, the position of the pair of main microphones has not been completely optimal. However, because of this unusual recording approach, we didn't have to record organ, unaccompanied choir, choir and orchestra, solo voice and orchestra, and also children choir with organ accompaniment in just a few hours. Instead, I was able to take time and concentrate on each ensemble, which has been a great relief. Unfortunately, I was a bit "careless" so, we recorded a bit too less raw material for some of the pieces.

However, the extraordinary skills of Patrick Schönbach made it possible to compensate for these shortcomings in a convincing way. Together with the beautifully designed booklet, it has become a really nice CD.

-- Helge Metzner
Director of Music at St. Lamberti Hildesheim, Germany

Patrick Schönbach mixed and mastered my CD „Spider Planet“. I got a CD with a really good sound. Especially, the sound impression and the stereo effects are great! Look at the site Klangexzellenz and contact Patrick Schönbach if you need professional audio engineering for your music!

— ID MM

After a CD with organ music, Patrick Schönbach has released a second CD from St. Aegidien in Brunswick, Germany, on his label Klangxzellenz. This CD contains Christmas music which is sung by a choir of children and adolescents accomprnined by the organ. The raw multitrack recordings were created by myself and were then mixed, revised, and matsered at the studio of Klangexzellenz. Once again, it has been proven that Patrick Schönbach not only just completes a project reliably, but that he always tries to get out the optimum with high expectations in himself.

With 40 children standing on wooden benches and pedestals, it is hard to totally avoid any crackles or rumbles. Patrick Schönbach has eliinated all these noises in incredible detail work. A brilliant and lively choir sound with an organ accompainiment that has presence but that never dominates. These are the characteristics of a CD that has been created from amateur raw recordings from a church room with complex acoustic conditions. The contained solo pieces for organ sound brilliant and beautiful as well that put the quality of the big Klais organ into the right light. Interesting as well is the chorale prelude on „Kommet ihr Hirten“ that demonstrate the skills of Patrick Schönbach as a composer: The piece is enjoyable to listen to yet it has an individual style and a colorful musical language.

Patrick Schönbachs wife designed the artwork, making sure that the CD had an adequate and attractive appearance. Also in this aspect, quality has been the main goal. Nevertheless, tight time constraints had to be and indeed were met. From the recording until the CD release, we only had five months, where the work also had to lie idle sometimes, because I did not find the time to listen to the intermediary results and to provide feedback due to other professional responsibilities. In a sense, this project has been an adventure, because I did not know for sure in advance, what will effectifly come out of these recordings in the end. However, the final results clearly prove that the taken risk and the invested effort really paid off: The CD greatly surpasses our expectations! It is a marvellous remembrance to the boys and girls of the choir, and it also was a exceedingly sought-after Christmas persent, whose demand exceeded my most bold expectations by far.

— Bernhard Schneider
Choirmaster of the Pueri Cantores
Director of Music at St. Aegidien, Brunswick, Germany

„Klangexzellenz“ – if someone gives such a name to his studio and record label, he surely sets high quality expectations for the work of his own. And indeed, the final result that Patrick Schönbach has created out of the audio files from St. Aegidien, that had been sent to him, is truly excellent. In the past, I always had been convinced that the quality of a CD recording is maxed out in general by using high-quality microphones and by placing them as well as possible. However. now I learned, that there is still an enormeous potential in digital post-production, namely mixing and mastering. Of course, this potential has to be elicited by a professional audio engineer. The fact that modern audio workstations provide the tools for professional audio editing and processing to basically everyone, is definitely not enough to obtain results of that quality. The necessary know-how and the required experience shouldn't be underestimated by any means.

During the creation process of our organ music CD, Patrick Schönbach has proven that he possesses the necessary skills to adapt to the specific requirements of an organ recording. Not only the specific strenghs (and weaknesses) of the particular instrument had to be taken into account, but also the room of the church with its acoustical characteristics plays an essential role. The sound of an organ and its music largely depends on room acoustics which enhances the organ sound itself. However, at the same time, the acoustical characteristics can possibly also diminish the transparency of the music as well as its clarity. The ideal balance has to be found for every piece anew, since it depends very much on the compositional structure, the tempo of the performance and the registration used for the particular piece. Patrick Schönbach, who himself is a confessing adept of organs and their music, has an extraordinary grasp of these issues.

Patrick Schönbach never has heard the sound of the organ of St, Aegidien live. If it has worked out nevertheless to capture the original sound of this particular orgen as it can be perceived from the nave of our church, it also means that Patrick Schönbach always listened with great sensibility to my wishes regarding the intended sound and that he has implemented these requests in his work in a very goal-oriented manner. In this, he showed infinite patience and an admirable endurance. Even when the work on the CD project had to lie idle for days or even weeks because of other professional duties for my part, he always reacted on my feedback very swiftly, with great cooperativesness wirhout ever being angry or impolite.

This CD with the complete organ works of Duruflé wouldn't exist without Patrick Schönbach. It only exists thanks to his tireless dedication to solve all problems that appeared, including those caused by the endless jungle of administration and legal requirements, and also thanks to his insisting purposefulness. It has been a great and fruitful time of cooperation for me. Dear Patrick, I want to thank you for that with all my heart!

— Bernhard Schneider
Director of Music at St. Aegidien, Brunswick, Germany

As an organist, I only can strongly recommend a cooperation with Patrick Schönbach from Klangexzellenz. During the production of the CD of my project „the popular organ”, there have been plenty of aspects that make him the first choice in my opinion.

The most essential aspects are:

1. Patrick Schönbsch himself is also a composer and musicologist, and at all times, one has the feeling that he understands the music that is being edited and can think his way into it. This is a most important aspect if the takes should not only be selected based on their correctness but also on their musicality. This aspect also weighs in a lot when searching for musically sensible edits or pauses, or when the intentions of the composition are to be supported by precise shaping of the sound.
2. The support during the recording stage has been consistent and competent - from the calculation of the exact microphone positions based on a floor plan of the church, to taking into account diverse special requests.
3. An additional advantage is the production philosophy of Patrick Schönbach, which aims as much as possible at creating a natural and lively listening experience. Dynamic contrasts, as they can be found quite often in organ music, remain intact and are thus experiencable by the listener. At the same time, the sound is transparent and captures the acoustics of the room fantastically. The results on my CD speak for themselves.

In any case, I have the impression that Patrick Schönbach has delivered a high quality product to me, that is light-years away from the usual „off the shelf” productions.

— Dietmar Korthals
„the popular organ”