Today we’d like to introduce you to Tim Meyer.
Hi Tim, we’re thrilled to have a chance to learn your story today. So, before we get into specifics, maybe you can briefly walk us through how you got to where you are today?
My story started when I was about eight years old. I was playing in my room and my older sister had her old keyboard built up as she was trying to sell it. Curious as I was, I touched the keys and I was immediately amazed. My touch on the keyboard could make sounds, real ”music sounds” to my ears. It was like a puppy being amazed about its new squeaking toy! I decided to take piano lessons and everything snowballed from there! My friend Tom invited me to join a Rock band that we later called Jamboree. I learned to play the guitar and took extra theory lessons, as well as classical piano lessons.
With the band, we played a lot of concerts and also wanted to participate in competitions, so I started writing original songs for the band. It was so much fun and a whole new world for me! We actually won our first competition and got to open a concert for ”Kissin’ Dynamite“. It was an unforgettable time! While writing the songs for our band I got more and more into producing demos in GarageBand and later Logic Pro and Ableton to even be able to apply for the competitions, and this is where I found my next ”puppy squeaking toy“ moment. Realizing how accessible and fun it was to not only play music in a band but capture it forever and having the opportunity to make your music sound exactly how you want it to sound!
So, more and more, I started writing and producing my own songs, exploring different genres, taking courses and camps in electronic music production and songwriting until I finally released my first album with 12 songs when I was about 16 years old. It was a huge process and took me over two years but I loved every moment of it! I learned so much going through the whole process of writing, producing, mixing, mastering, designing the cover artwork, publishing, making CDs, selling them and advertising the album through social media and concerts all on my own with support from my family, my mentor, Andreas Jaeger and my friends!
When it came to studying, I had a hard time finding my path. I wanted to do something with producing music, but also making my own music and not producing other people‘s music. After some visits and talks with professors, I chose to study Composition for Film. I never thought it was an option for me as I had little to no idea about orchestral music and no interest in classical music either. I felt like an Outlaw coming from Rock, Jazz and Electronic music but guess what? Times changed and there is a lot of non-orchestral film music today! I went with it, and I got accepted to the ArtEZ Conservatory, the beginning of the next chapter of my journey!
The first score I ever got to do was for a documentary called “Under the Skin”, directed by Taylor Garcia, who became one of my best friends through the process! While working on this movie once again, I realized what I love most about the work I do; it is the people I get to meet, work with and even become friends with! I love to hear the stories behind and around projects and also love to tell stories about the times and experiences that I had working on my projects.
In my opinion, these memories and stories can be worth so much more than the project itself, and most of the time that enhances the product of the project even further. After the first movie, I got to work on a lot of other short films, meet a lot of people and friends, and found myself surrounded more and more by amazing, creative people. You can not imagine the energy of a group of people coming together to create something, with everybody bringing their skills and passion to the table. It is indescribable, and I will never lose this excitement I get every time I work in such an environment!
Because after all, I feel like I am incredibly fortunate being able to do what I love in every moment, chasing my dreams, exploring my own creative and musical identification and developing myself with every new project or challenge I am faced with. Just recently, I got to shoot and direct my first very own music video, the score I did for Taylor’s most recent film ”Penny’s Gallery“. It was a totally fresh but unbelievably fun experience! I gathered a team and cast that I loved and trusted and together, we dove into work! There again, I felt that ”puppy squeaking toy“ sensation, getting to combine my Work and passion with people I love and another hobby of mine in photography and filmmaking.
It was so eye-opening to not only see but experience everything from the opposite perspective: instead of writing music to picture, I got to ”write“ picture to music.
I hope to be doing music videos more often in the future! And I am also very happy to be working on two short films in the near future: ”Happy Sadurday“ by Hannah Mittermeier as well as ”Tell you soon“ by Chelsea Ayllon. I love starting new projects, having a blank piece in front of me again, and just vibe with it, exploring what the movie sounds to me and what the story asks from me 😀
Alright, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
I would say that so far it was quite a smooth road. I am very fortunate to have a family and a group of friends that have always been there for me and supported me on every step of my path! Of course, there were hard times too, but I never felt alone! I always had loved one’s around me who had my back and kept me going. It has not always been a straight road though, a lot of turns and corners. However, I am also very happy about the route I took if I am allowed to play with that metaphor 😀 I feel like everywhere I have been and everything I have done has made me who I am today – I am the sum of my past! I think a diverse background will help me to find my own unique voice and place moving forward; especially in the creative business.
Can you tell our readers more about what you do and what you think sets you apart from others?
Ever since I got my first iPod, my world turned into a soundtrack. Whenever I could, I listened to music, trying to chase the feelings I had with the music I was listening to. Sometimes it went so far that it took me ten minutes to start walking to the grocery store because I was looking for the perfect song that exactly fit my mood. As quite active person, I always need music to feel occupied and satisfied, but in hindsight, it helped me so much! Not only did I get to explore and know a massive amount and range of music (with my iPhone currently having about 130GB of music downloaded) but also I have been coloring my world with music as long as I can remember, expressing every feeling I ever had with at least a handful of different songs.
What sets me apart musically is my love for synthesizers, big sounds and sampled, self-recorded and designed sounds. I feel like there is still so much unexplored terrain in these areas when it comes to film music and music in general. So, I am exploring that, chasing my next ”dog-squeaking toy“ moment (last time I used this metaphor, promise :D)
Another aspect I am proud of is my passion for what I do. Since not only can I motivate myself a lot and keep working endlessly while remaining the happiest person I can be, but I can also motivate people around me in the same way, infecting them with the same passion, motivation and energy that I approach everything with.
I just do what I love and I can’t wait to share my love and energy with the people I get to work with! I am excited to develop myself and see where this beautiful journey will take me next: The music I will write, the stories I get to be a part of, the memories I make within that and most importantly, the people I get to meet along the way!
Contact Info:
- Website: https://timmeymusic.jimdofree.com/
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/timmeymusic/
- Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/timmeymusic/
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@timmeyofficial
- SoundCloud: https://soundcloud.com/timmeymusic
- Other: https://youtu.be/q61sc6u7-iU
Image Credits
Photos by Tim Meyer
