Where Creativity Meets Sound

Cover image: Photograph by Svetlana Citta / @svetlana.citta

Berlin, Germany, November 2026 – What happens when 200+ ​ high-profile musicians from around the world come together without knowing what music they will create or who they will create it with? At PEOPLE Festival 2026, Berlin's historic Funkhaus became a place for musical exploration, unexpected encounters, and new creative ideas.

From October 5, artists, producers, and engineers spent five days creating music across 40 studios and spaces before sharing their work with audiences during the official festival weekend on October 10 and 11.

An event as unique as PEOPLE Festival presented a special opportunity for Neumann to support creativity in an extraordinary setting. Working closely with the PEOPLE team and studio equipment supplier Digital Audio Service (DAS), Neumann developed a tailored recording environment in Saal 6, connecting five independent studios to a central control room. The aim was to provide artists and producers with professional tools and a flexible setup that would allow them to focus on what matters most: making music.

Beyond the technical support, the festival setting enabled meaningful, large-scale relationship building. It also offered the opportunity to connect with an international community of leading music professionals (members of Portishead, The National, Yeah Yeah Yeahs, and many more), exchange ideas, and gain firsthand insight into how Neumann products are used in real-world creative environments.

A Place for Music Without Boundaries

First held in 2016 as Michelberger Music, PEOPLE was conceived by a group of friends including Aaron and Bryce Dessner (The National), Justin Vernon (Bon Iver), and Nadine and Tom Michelberger. Returning in 2018 under its current name, the festival has always followed a different philosophy: no published line-up, no headliners, and no predetermined outcome. Instead, artists from various musical backgrounds come together in changing constellations, creating new music through experimentation and shared experiences.

The setting could hardly be more fitting. Developed between 1951 and 1956, Funkhaus Berlin once served as a major broadcasting and recording center for the former German Democratic Republic (GDR). Today, its exceptional acoustics and historic recording spaces continue to attract musicians and producers from around the world.

For one week in October, these remarkable spaces became home to an international community brought together by a shared passion for music.

Creating Space for Creativity

Supporting such an open creative environment required a recording setup that could accommodate different artists, instruments, and production styles throughout the week. Working closely with the PEOPLE team, Neumann and Digital Audio Service designed a comprehensive recording infrastructure for Saal 6. Technical preparations began on October 1 and 2, with the team installing the recording equipment and network infrastructure. On October 4, the immersive monitoring system was added ahead of the first recording sessions on Monday, October 5.

At the heart of the installation was a RAVENNA audio network, connecting five independently operated recording studios to a central control room. Equipped with Neumann MT 48 audio interfaces and Hapi MK III systems, each studio provided producers and engineers with the tools to capture their sessions independently. At the same time, the network allowed audio signals from the different rooms to be accessed and monitored centrally, with the option of connecting studios whenever a production required it.

The control room featured a 7.1.4 immersive monitoring system, combining Neumann KH 150 and KH 120 II studio monitors with KH 750 DSP subwoofers. Calibrated using MA 1 Automatic Monitor Alignment, the system provided an exceptional listening experience rarely found outside dedicated immersive studios. For many participants, it was a unique opportunity to experience music in an immersive environment, with the added possibility of monitoring live audio feeds from the different recording studios and exploring how the music translated into spatial audio.

While the technical setup was extensive, its purpose was straightforward: to give producers and engineers the flexibility and creative freedom they needed, while allowing them to take full advantage of the exceptional sound quality offered by Neumann’s complete signal chain.
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Legendary Microphones Meet World-Class Producers

The equipment available throughout the residency reflected the wide range of musical possibilities at PEOPLE. From legendary tube microphones such as the M 49 V and U 67 to the KM 183, KM 184, and KM 185 small-diaphragm condenser microphones, the TLM 103 large diaphragm condenser, the KMS 105 handheld vocal mic, and Neumann's Miniature Clip Mic System (MCM) for instruments, artists and engineers had access to a broad selection of recording tools.

The classic M 49 V and U 67 in particular attracted considerable attention, offering artists the opportunity to experience their distinctive sonic character in their own recordings.

In Saal 6, the equipment was used by an experienced resident team of international producers and engineers. Among them was Mikalai Skrobat, a Grammy-nominated recording and mixing engineer whose credits include Kanye West's Donda, Pusha T, and Daniel Caesar. He was joined by Chris McLaughlin, a producer and engineer with two Grammy nominations for his work on Beyoncé's Renaissance, including the hit single "Break My Soul", as well as credits with Bon Iver, D'Angelo, and Alicia Keys.

Will Chason, a producer, engineer, and multi-instrumentalist who has worked with artists including Tyler, The Creator, and Pusha T, brought further recording expertise to the sessions. Josh Berg, also credited on Donda, contributed both as a producer and engineer and as part of the festival's organizational team. Throughout the week, the studios hosted around four to five sessions each day, with changing line-ups bringing new creative approaches and recording requirements.

Neumann's support also extended beyond Saal 6. Microphones, audio interfaces, studio monitors, and headphones found their way into other rooms across Funkhaus, supporting a variety of recording situations. From elaborate recording setups to simple mobile workstations, the equipment was available wherever artists needed it.

More Than Equipment: Connecting with the Community

Beyond the recording sessions, one of the most valuable aspects of PEOPLE was the direct exchange with the artists, producers, and engineers. The festival provided a unique opportunity to hear firsthand how experienced professionals approach their work, which tools they rely on, and what matters most to them when recording music.

The Neumann Team received valuable feedback on sound quality, usability, and the integration of modern audio technology into established production workflows. These conversations offered insights that go far beyond a conventional product demonstration. Working alongside engineers with different backgrounds and approaches provided new perspectives on everyday production challenges and highlighted opportunities for future product and workflow development.

Just as importantly, the shared experience created personal connections within the international music community, opening the door to continued exchange beyond the festival itself.

Capturing the Moment

After five days of recording, experimenting, and creating, Funkhaus opened its doors to the public on October 10 and 11. Around 200 performances premiered across the festival weekend, many featuring unique combinations of artists who had only begun working together days earlier. With no published line-up, audiences often discovered who they were about to hear only when entering a room.

Neumann continued to support the festival throughout the weekend, capturing selected performances with the Neumann KU 100 binaural head, affectionately nicknamed "Fritz" by the audio community. Designed to capture sound as it is perceived by the human ear, the KU 100 made it possible to preserve the spatial character and atmosphere of these performances through binaural recordings.

For Neumann, PEOPLE Festival 2026 was much more than a technical project. It was an opportunity to support extraordinary musical talent, experience different creative workflows firsthand, and engage with an inspiring international community. From legendary studio microphones to modern networked audio solutions, Neumann provided the tools to help artists capture their ideas with exceptional sound quality.

But ultimately, the most valuable part of the experience was the exchange between people: sharing knowledge, discovering new perspectives, and being part of musical moments that might never happen the same way again. Great music begins with people.

About Neumann

Founded in 1928, Neumann is a global leader in professional audio technology and has been setting the benchmark for reference-quality sound for nearly a century. Renowned for iconic products such as the legendary U 47, M 49, U 67 and U 87 microphones, Neumann combines decades of innovation with German engineering excellence, earning the trust of recording studios, broadcasters, and creators worldwide. Since 1991, Neumann has been part of the Sennheiser Group. Over the years, the company has expanded its portfolio through the addition of Klein + Hummel's renowned studio monitor expertise and the integration of Merging Technologies into Neumann most recently. Today, Neumann offers a complete ecosystem of industry-leading audio solutions spanning microphones, audio interfaces, headphones, studio monitors, immersive audio technologies, and digital audio solutions, covering the entire signal chain from sound capture to reproduction. www.neumann.com

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