Drooble is a place for everyone and for anyone who has a passion for music. You know we usually post articles about already successful musicians and interviews with professionals with a lot of experience. This time, we decided to do something different just to show you guys you don’t need a lot to start your musical journey and to do what you love.

We found Franck on Drooble because his love for music had helped him find Drooble first. He plays quite a few instruments, records his own stuff in his home studio and is pretty darn good at it. He doesn’t play with a famous band. He doesn’t own an expensive collection of guitars or high-end recording gear. And that’s precisely why we decided to interview him.

Hey Franck, first of all – a very simple but revealing question: who are you?

I am a 31 years old French guy and I do like simple things like good wine, a nice dinner and most of all music as an instrument player or simply as a part of the audience in a concert, or just listening to a nice record at home.

Just Franck showing some nice skills and attitude, but above else – having fun!

What instruments do you play and… why? How did you decide to take on so many challenges?

I began to play drums when I was seven and then around fifteen a friend gave me a guitar neck, a guitar body and some other parts, and I decided to renew it and began to play guitar. My two brothers were playing guitar so I was listening and trying to do the same. Step by step we began jamming together, playing some bluesy stuff mainly. At the same time, we had an old piano at home and I was trying to play a few chords and to cover a few songs.

At some point, I discovered that the bass guitar is a great instrument and was kind of a mix of instruments I was playing already so these last years I am more focused on the bass and I really like what it brings to a song. I did not really expect to try that many instruments. It just came naturally and each instrument helps you learn another one in a way… So I just let it loose and play as it comes to me.

Franck surrounded by guitars! 🙂

What would you say to people who believe it’s impossible to make your own music without really expensive gear, a professional studio and the support of a record label?

Nowadays we are really lucky with all the digital solution we have. It became easier to record at home than any time in music history. I am using the same old Line 6 sound card that provides some pre-amplicator emulation for the microphone, guitar and bass. I have a few effects on it and it’s really easy to use. I got it second hand in 2006 and 10 years later it still does the job. For sure this does not sound like a professional record in a studio in Nashville and a few people may think the sound is too “cold”, and that in the 70’s the record on tape was better and “warmer” and so on… They are actually right but 10 or 15 years ago recording in a studio, even just a demo, was much more expensive than the home studio equipment we can afford nowadays.
Many bands did great stuff in the past but never had the opportunity to record because the cost was too high. We probably missed out on very creative and innovative composition.

Funky mood!

With all of today’s social networks and streaming websites, you can touch an audience on the other side of the world. I remember the first comment I got from a drummer in Canada or when I saw that a guitar cover I did was seen in Japan it was something really unexpected but exiting. Before I started using the Internet for it I was playing at the bar on my street corner and suddenly the Internet offered me the possibility to share or play music with anyone in the world.

What genres do you like to incorporate into your songs? They’re all pretty funky and pleasantly mixed up.

When I discover a band or a song, I like it when it sounds funky or groovy. Basically if I hear something and it makes my head move like I wanna dance, then I feel it’s groovy. I do not limit music to the groove notion but as I began with music by playing drums the rythm of a song has always had a big influence on me.

Nice and smooth, this one is called ‘Since we first met’. Franck promises to sing next time 😛

How did you set up your home studio? How did you learn to wire everything up and make it all sound good without blowing up the building?

For the home studio, I am using the minimum equipment nowadays. A few years ago I was lucky enough to live in a house and I had a lot of space dedicated to music. In my flat today, I have to adapt and I really use just my sound card through the computer, a hi-fi amplifier and old hi-fi speakers. I do use headphones most of the time in order to keep a good relationship with my neighbours.

What software do you use to create your music? Was it hard to learn how to do it?

I downloaded Kristal Audio Engine. It was free and simple so it was for me. I do not have the technical background and the ear to use some better software so I took the easiest one. If you can use software like MS Paint and know how to copy-paste then you may also able to use Kristal.

What do you look for in a song? What’s your “thing” in music?

I like a song that invents something. In general, I like music that surprises me or makes me discover something new.

Rock ‘n Roll 🙂

Describe the perfect band!

The perfect band for me would be a band where everyone has really different influences and brings their own identity to the music we compose.

Name three musicians we’ve never heard before but definitely should.

I would advise you to listen to Zsolt Kaltenecker, a great keyboard player, Ramses Rodriguez, an amazing drummer and Tim Pierce, a guitarist with amazing skills in so many different styles.

What do you think of Drooble?

I discovered Drooble around one year ago. It helped me realize that there were many musicians around me locally and it was encouraging. At the same time, it offered me the opportunity to discover musicians from all over the world with the possibility to learn from them and I am open to any collaboration for jamming together or recording something just for fun and to see how it goes… Some people find love on the Internet so I am sure we will find creativity here!

Thanks Franck!

You can meet Franck Wagler on Drooble and arrange an online jam with him.