Christoph Bull
Occupation:
Concert organist, organ professor, pianist, singer, songwriter, composer and music director
Official Website:
http://www.christophbull.com
Background:
Christoph Bull hails from Mannheim, Germany, and is now the University Organist and organ professor at UCLA. He improvised his first tunes on the piano at age five and started playing church services, organ concerts and rock shows at age twelve. He’s been at home in the worlds of classical and rock ever since practicing the organ in the choir loft and with his first rock band in the basement of the same church.
Bull’s education began in Germany (Karl-Friedrich Gymnasium Mannheim, University of Church Music Heidelberg, Freiburg Conservatory) and continued in the United States (Berklee College Of Music, University of Southern California, American Conservatory of Music). In Los Angeles he has performed at the Walt Disney Concert Hall, Royce Hall, First Congregational Church, Whisky a Go Go, The Viper Room, Cinespace and Hotel Café.
Bull has played the pipe organs at the Catholic Cathedrals of Los Angeles and Salzburg and received an invitation to perform at the Cathedral of Moscow in 2007. In July of 2004 Dr. Bull was a featured recitalist and workshop presenter at the National Convention of the American Guild Of Organists. In 2007, he received an ASCAPLUS Award for his concert programming. Bull has worked with the L.A. Master Chorale and Grammy Award-winning Southwest Chamber Music.
Apart from more traditional performances, Bull has opened up for Cindy Lauper with violin player Lili Haydn, performed in India with Sitar player Nishat Khan, and also has performed with Bootsy Collins, and George Clinton of Parliament Funkadelic. He has produced several CDs with contemporary and classical music, as well as a series of educational albums with children’s music (www.singlish.com). One of his songs, “Ali Ali Ali,” was licensed by to promote a collector’s book about Muhammad Ali by Taschen Books.
His concert and CD series organica was conceived in 1999 to showcase the many facets of the pipe organ and other keyboards, ranging stylistically from traditional organ repertoire to original arrangements of popular and film music. It has repeatedly been Classical Pick of the Week by the L.A. Weekly publication.
Christoph Bull
Bull on M-Audio hardware and software: “My personal studio set-up couldn’t be simpler— that’s the way I like it. I use an Apple PowerBook G4, Pro Tools M-Powered software and Ozonic MIDI controller. With my keyboards I use an M-Audio SP2 sustain pedal. I like a blend of acoustic and electronic music, and I don’t like a lot of cables and clutter. That’s why I¹m thrilled about the possibilities of laptop recording with M-Audio.
“I use my laptop set-up for everything—it’s very handy and transportable. On stage I use it like an arsenal of synthesizers; off stage I use it for writing and recording. I’m working on several new organ CDs, recording pipe organs wherever I go, worldwide. I use the MicroTrack 24/96 to capture these sounds.
“Pro Tools M-Powered makes all the difference for me. I can travel from home studio to home studio and open up my sessions on other Pro Tools systems.”
His songwriting process: “My songwriting process is intuitive—I write when a song bubbles up, but I never force it. Having finished one song is not a reason for me to start another. I let inspiration strike, put lyrics down on paper, musical ideas down on a MicroTrack 24/96 and then I start editing the composition right away. Once that process is done, I try not to tinker with it much.”
Why M-Audio? “I like the simplicity and quick set-up of my M-Audio equipment. I have no patience for troubleshooting, however I actually believe in studying manuals. M-Audio has helped me work quicker and easier. It has helped me make the switch from ADAT recording to computer hard disc recording. It’s helped me create more space in my home studio and given me new computer-based editing possibilities.
“When I played for Academy Award-nominee Kathleen Bird York, we had our practice the same day as the performance. I discovered that my sustain pedal didn’t work with the keyboard I was using. On the way to the gig, I stopped by Guitar Center to grab an M-Gear SP-2 sustain pedal. It’s a simple thing, but was absolutely necessary for the performance.
“M-Audio makes music production more democratic—more people can make music more simply and cost-effectively.”
