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Hervé Lomprez, Chromo-Management
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Composer producer Hervé Lomprez has formed the band Trisomie 21 (T21 for short) with his brother Philippe. With a discography comprised of over twenty releases, T21 is well established on the French music scene. The band is currently in demand for remixes (such as “Le Grand Secret”, originally by Indochine) and has recently taken part in the “Sensations pourpres” compilation by fashion designer Kenzo Takada (Sony). Hervé and Philippe are also involved in management and studio installations. Their company, Chromo-Management, is now a Regional Soundscape Centre (RSC) in South-West France.
Hervé, do you remember the first time you played an instrument?
Of course, we started music relatively young, at around 11 years old in 1972. We were very influenced by one of the first rock programs of the time, presented by Antoine De Caunes: Chorus.
We were lucky to make our first record rather quickly, as early as 1981, and to quickly get signed to a record company.
 Did Philippe start at about the same time?
Yes we started together, Philippe with drums and myself with guitar. This of course evolved over time, I went into programming and studio work, Philippe completely stopped playing drums and took on singing instead.
Is it easy to work together? How do yo work out (possible) differences?
No it is not always easy to work together. Regular rehearsals soom become a constraint. The arrival of direct to disk systems allowing easy editing and the development of the internet now allow us to work remotely. Philippe is over 1000KM (note : around 620 miles) away from the studio.
What are your respective instruments these days?
I still play some electric guitar and bass, but mostly play keyboards and program. I think Philippe will continue singing.
What synths do you own?
Roland D50 – Korg Z1 – Roland Jupiter 8 – Nord Lead – Kurzweil K2000 – Prophet 2000 – Roland JX3P – YAMAHA CS1X – Roland JD800 – Korg M1– JEN SX2000 – Prophet 5 – Roland S770 – Akai S2000.
This is mostly what we use. However we are not stuck on these machines. We try, test and hire all the time.
Do you use a lot of virtual instruments?
No, we are not really convinced by virtual synths. The originals have so much more warmth, and they remain independent from the computer configuration, which does not always help creation.
How did you start as a producer?
I was lucky enough to make my first record very early, at 16. Things quickly snowballed. Trisomie 21 was signed by a Belgian company, and after several years studying sound in Paris I became involved in several studios as a sound engineer. Various production opportunities arose naturally. We then decided to set up Chromo-Management in order to gain independence and to be able to finalize various projects without pressure or constraints.
The management is not just for promoting your productions?
No not really, the management operation is mostly based around 3 bands. We decided to go this way, quite simply, to reach a wider audience. Signing up with a major in France generally means selling in France, rarely in all of Europe. Therefore we started with T21, the development of the internet helped us of course, we deal independently with many countries that our record company has never been able to reach.
 How is the music industry in France today?
It seems to me that record sales are pretty much the same in all countries. The greater availability of home or computer based CD writers has not helped the market. I think that somehow the record companies shot themselves in the foot. The development of MP3 and ADSL will certainly not help things in the coming months.
So you look after other artists?
For the moment we look after a small number of productions that are close to our hearts. We aim to develop this next year.
Do you have an established creative process, usual sources of inspiration, or is it a new adventure each time?
We do not have a predefined creative process. We have been influenced by our work with Soundscape, that has allowed us to completely change our working practices and musical orientation. Having a theme is not difficult, however finalizing and arranging are more tricky. Soundscape has really made our job easier in this respect.
How did you get to do remixes, and in particular Indochine’s “Le Grand Secret”?
Trisomie 21 has never been much into doing remixes, The « Grand Secret » remix for Indochine happened in the usual way via a record company. We received a CD-ROM with vocals plus one or two instruments, we had to compose and mix two titles within two weeks. We do not dislike this kind of work, sometimes a bit of « pressure » is beneficial for the band.
How did you get to be included in the Kenzo compilation?
Again via a record company. This track had already been recorded to an analog medium several years ago. We did not have enough time to change everything around, however mastering, especially with Soundscape, was really crucial and allowed us to give the track this up-to-date feel.
When and how did you discover Soundscape?
That was maybe ten years ago. We had noticed a system in the press that seemed to be as reliable as, and in direct competition to another system which was very popular on the Mac, and that offered a level of ease of use, recording quality and reliability unheard of on the PC. We found Soundscape to be so reliable, so simple to use and so exceptional in terms of quality that we became resellers, working directly with the company that imported Soundscape at the time. Since then Soundscape has really been a part of our operation.
Have you considered and tried other systems?
Of course we have tried a lot of PC-based systems that are sometimes interesting from a graphical point of view but that do not match Soundscape’s stability or audio quality. We have also tried a certain Mac-based program that is of some renown due to its age but that does not fulfill our demands for various reasons.
 What hardware configuration and plug ins do you use?
We invested as little as possible in IT, we use old PC100s for our various Soundscape systems, even for the R.Ed32. We own all the plug ins. Obviously we are fans of the TC Dynamizer and of the Cedar Dehiss that allows us to clean up old analog tape recordings, but also of the Big Bottom Pro that emphasizes the « warmth » in the bass and of course of VocAlign, which is very useful to line up various takes.
Are you very interested in visuals?
Yes, we often do post-synchronization work, especially for corporate or institutional videos. We store data on different hard disks: one is for sound effects, the other for music… most of the time we finalize the product with our client, at his premises or in the studio using an AVI file or a syncronization format suitable for video.
What place does Soundscape have in your studio and creative process?
Soundscape holds the most important place. Our working method has changed considerably since our first Soundscape purchase. Finishing is easier, work is faster and better organized. The automation via Console Manager allows us to react very quickly when a remix or a change to an existing mix are required in record time.
As well as playing concerts, you install studios worldwide. What are the places you most enjoyed visiting?
It all depends if it is for work or pleasure. Obviously we have exceptional memories of a studio we look after in Tahiti. Generally speaking, all of our clients have something special that we like, about the quality of their work or the way heir studio is set up.
Do you enjoy meeting people, learning about their needs and expectations?
Yes, I think this is really important to Chromo-Management. Even though it is a commercial operation however you look at it, we feel the need to have a privileged relationship with our clients. We must be able to advise them or help them with their choices. We have won over many clients because we listen, we are available and we give advice.
What projects does T21 have for the immediate future?
T21 will release a new album completely produced on R.Ed32 early in 2004, then tour in April/May.
How about the long term?
We will continue to support Soundscape and install recording studios and continue with management, and we also plan to create our own label using Chromo-Management.
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