Das Making-Of
Instead of publishing a boring chronological list of studio-dates and corresponding reports we better let the people involved in the creation of the EP tell their own views.
These are: Sebastian Luther, Andreas Kesberg, Martin Moser, David Jäckle, Markus Degenhardt, Werner Günther, Tobias Steiger and Matthias Emsbach.

Simply beating or drumming with mathematics?
I asked myself this question at the beginning of the recordings: Are we gonna record every single track with or without the click? We chose the easier way so I could just “beat it” with almost no limitations. At first I was happy about that but it very soon turned out that it wouldn’t work without the permanent monotonous click-track. So we had to start it all over again and back at the drums I could not escape the mathematics. This time I had to count and try to be at least a good rival to the click-track (since you can never really beat it). To my surprise the recording process worked pretty well. Despite of all the difficulties that recording sessions tend to implicate I enjoyed it. I’ve learned a lot and in addition we’ve laughed a lot, making jokes and bad sayings at every time of day. I could learn much about recording techniques and accurate recording. All in all it was a positive experience and a great time that will hopefully recur many times. Finally a tip for the drummers: drumming with mathematics is worth the effort! Feel the click-traaaaaack! (Sebastian Luther)

Hello Friends
Ten months have passed since we entered the studio and during that time we recorded four songs. Yes, that seems to be not very much but this impression is diminished a little if you have a look at the total running time of the EP. The recordings were very informative for me and I could discover some new aspects of the way I play the bass. What is important at the studio? Discipline and an objective view on the own performance. If it’s not 100 % accurate: Please do it again! You have to be true to yourself. After the first weekend at the studio I really had to work hard to bring the performance we needed. LRL and FoS were of course two big hunks that had to be arranged and recorded very carefully. We often went through the songs bit by bit and recorded the single parts. But sometimes difficult longer parts had to be recorded as a whole until they were perfect. And we wanted them to be perfect. (Andreas Kesberg)

Now that everything is done I feel both relieved and sad. Relieved because the musical ideas we have been developing through the last three years are finally conserved on a CD for all eternity. Sad because I’ll miss the creative hours at the studio and the friendly and inspiring atmosphere. But I’m sure this won’t be our last record and my anticipation is growing every day. It’s interesting to see how the songs have grown, maturated and developed until the very end of the recordings. The result that I can hold in hands today is really the essence of SOLITARY. It’s as diversified as we as single persons are and “think” musically. But what is even more: These four songs express that special kind of “soul”. It’s the combined soul of five friends who have been sharing a dream, putting all their passion and emotions into that dream. Our dream is called SOLITARY. With the EP this dream has taken shape. (Martin Moser)

Looking back on the beginning of the recordings last year and finally holding the EP in hands the time at the studio simply seems too short. You gain a lot of important experience and develop constantly as a musician and after it is done you wish you could immediately return to the studio. Concerning my instrument I’ve learned pretty much, starting with the recording to a click-track: You really kick your ass and start practicing more in order to record it all accurately. Maybe the master of psycho exercises John Petrucci was right in his instructional video and the metronome should become my best friend. The fact that I changed parts of my equipment during the recordings (yes, it’s in a guitarist’s DNA) also made it quite difficult to get a similar sound all the time. But this is exactly what makes you gain experience: the best position for the microphone, the settings of guitar and amp, the effect settings… I listened to a lot of other music as well and paid attention to how the sound was defined and mixed. I’d probably do everything differently again next time. (David Jäckle)

The challenge about recording the keyboards was the variety of the songs and the recording strategies. On the one hand there was ODAD with a constant 4/4 signature and little variation of sound. Moreover I could record this one after the drums and guitars, just like I was used to. On the other hand there was LRL: I was the first to be recorded because we wanted a melody-instrument to start. Now if you have Mr. Click on your side who is waving with all kinds of different rhythms and speeds a recording session can be incredibly long and worrying. Concerning UTTS and FoS I have to say that these songs came up with some surprises, mainly where you did not expect any surprises. In the end I can resume: It has been a many-sided and therefore interesting, exciting and nice recording phase. (Markus Degenhardt)

When we started recording back in October 2006 I was surprised how refreshingly friendly the five guys of SOLITARY are. I was enthused by the dynamic that comes from the band. There were several moments during the recordings for instance when spontaneous and very positive changes were made which resulted from the many lively ideas of the band members. That explains a little bit the total length of the recordings. I was impressed by the friendly and fair behaviour despite of the sometimes harsh criticism. Since the band members have clear vision of their music’s quality they did not hold back self criticism nor endless repeating until every one was satisfied with the result. I can say that the time I’ve spent with SOLITARY has never been boring. We’ve had a lot of fun and learned a lot of each other and I am 100 % sure that we’ve created a great record with great musicians. Thank you very much for that! (Werner Günther)

Was zuerst war...
Die Hühner von Solitary brüten schon lange an einem neuen Produkt. Mehr als ein halbes Jahr nämlich - nur die Brutzeit von Schildkröten mit 2 3/4 Jahren ist länger. Herauskommen sollte schließlich keine Demoversion, sondern ein ausgereiftes Ergebnis. Herausgekommen ist keine runde Sache - das wäre zu banal. Es hat sich etwas in die länge gezogen, aber schließlich flutschte es. Es wurde sofort begutachtet: die Schale ist toll, aber eigentlich kommt es ja auf das Innere an. Ich mag es lieber etwas hart - andere vielleicht weicher, aber für beide von uns ist etwas dabei. Ein Maulentofant hätte so etwas nicht hin bekommen. In einen Stadium war es uns einer- ei. Das brüten hat sich gelohnt. Kein Hahn kräht besser als Martin, kein Küken klopft besser als Sebastian - es gibt keinen besseren Geburtshelfer als David, Markus und Andy. Nicht zu vergessen: Oberschwester Matthias. Ohne die Hühner hätte es das Ei nie gegeben. Es hat viel Spass gemacht! (Tobias Steiger)

I still can’t believe that the process of making the record is over and I’m holding the EP in hands. Regarding my part of the work which included basically everything concerning the EP’s visual experience I can say that the production offered the perfect basis for the design of print and online media. Fortunately I had the necessary freedom of decision to realise and shape my ideas. The studio sessions that I could attend as a “minion” for all the small things and as a photographer were fun and made me wish for more, just like the result of the recordings! (Matthias Emsbach)