Michael Cretu of Enigma has always made sure to use the latest studio technology available. In this way he has been able to produce new and fresh sounds, and each album is closely connected to the technology used.

The legendary Ibiza studio where the three first Enigma albums were created was called the Euphonix consol studio – or simply A.R.T. (you can see pictures of it here). On the latest albums Michael has used less hardware and more software synths, resulting in the Alchemist studio (see a comprehensive presentation of it here).

Now Michael Cretu has built a new and more compact studio which is called MERLIN (picture to the right). According to Enigmaspace.com:

“Merlin is not only a mobile studio, it fits perfectly to the way I am usually working. It can be seen at the intersection between playing, recording and mixing.” Michael Cretu says.

Similar to the Alchemist, Merlin combines the four key parameters of recording in one box: a computed recording environment, a modular hardware concept, a control surface and a surround monitoring system.

In the very center of the studio is an Apple Mac Pro 8-core with an 30” Cinema display – and of course the Logic Studio software. If you are interested in all the technical details, see here.

I think that all of this is fascinating – to a certain point. As a Michael Cretu fan of almost 20 years I’m glad that Michael is doing what he does best, with the tools he needs to create magical sounds. But I know for sure that he would create magic with almost any synth – for instance his old friends, Roland JD-800 or Korg DSS-1. But new is always better, right? .

Bottomline; We now know how the studio looks like; the wait for the new Enigma album can begin.

Also see Enigmamusic.com . Picture copyright Enigmaspace.com.

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