About Magic Masters
Short version of our eventful history
January 1990
Start of a collaboration
The roots of Magic Masters go back to 1990. The Frankfurt producer Thomas Schmitt-Zijnen was commissioned to produce the “Moody Blues Classix” project. The greatest hits of the sixties and seventies cult band "Moody Blues" should be reborn in the modern pop-symphony sound.
January 1990
January 1991
Foundation of MPT
Schmitt-Zijnen quickly realized that this project was too complex to be able to cope with all tasks alone. He decided to hire someone to do the engineering. His choice a lot on Thomas Korge. Both knew each other because they worked in numerous studios, not just in Frankfurt.
At this point, both had already been active in studios for a good decade and had not only produced with an astonishing number of national and international greats, they had also contributed to a number of successful productions.
The predecessor of Magic Masters, the "Music Production Team" (MPT for short) emerged from the collaboration.
Autumn 1991
"Dolphin Studios" project
While the "Moody Blues Classix" was being produced, MPT received the order from a German-American label to set up and manage a large studio with an international class. The "Dolphin Studio", which is still legendary today, was created in Mörfelden. A studio that was one of the few of its time that offered everything from rehearsing studio to two production rooms with Neve & SSL digital and analogue. The “icing on the cake” was the mastering studio, in which at that time almost everything that had rank and name had their productions refined. Rock, Pop, Schlager, Dance (and much more) - stylistically everything was worked on with great expertise.
Autumn 1991
July 1995
incision
The year 1995 then represented a bitter turning point for "MPT". The German-American label, which had initially commissioned the management of the complex, got into turmoil due to a series of wrong decisions, which also endangered the continued existence of the studio. Korge and Schmitt-Zijnen decided to leave the "sinking ship" and founded Magic Masters digital data on January 1st, 1996.
January 1996
Foundation of Magic Masters
Foundation of Magic Masters digital data in Darmstadt.
The name is a bow to Michael "Mike" Staab's chart-topping project "Magic Affair. Mike acted as a silent partner until shortly before his premature death (2009). Staab, Schmitt-Zijnen and Korge knew each other from various productions, not least of all." from working on Magic Affair.
January 1996
End 2001
Moving to Frankfurt
Since it was getting too tight in Darmstadt, Magic Masters moved into the premises of the "Art of June" studio to cooperate with owner Heinz Hess.
Dezember 2007
Relocation within Frankfurt
Once again, more space was needed, so Magic Masters moved to Daimler Strasse in autumn 2007, where the studios are still located today.
Dezember 2007
November 2020
restart
Magic Masters digital data becomes Magic Masters - Thomas Korge.
After the unexpected Tod from Thomas Schmitt-Zijnen, Thomas Korge decides to lead Magic Masters into a new future as the last of the three founders. The restart was on November 1st, 2020
December 2021
Move to Darmstadt
After the landlord of the studio rooms had new plans for them, after 14 years there was another move in Daimlerstrasse. Back to the roots. so to speak.
December 2021
February 2022
New opening in Darmstadt
After some structural changes to the rooms, the new studio successfully started operations in February with revised technology.