Brand first, then music
A brand sound starts with questions, not notes: what does the brand stand for, where is it heard, who is listening?
About me
Christoph Groß-Fengels.
Founder of 42 Sounds · HamburgBrands should sound like themselves. That has been the goal for 24 years – since 2025 with 42 Sounds in Hamburg.
After two semesters of musicology in Giessen I moved to the studio in 2002: coordinating projects, licensing music, producing myself. From 2009 I led a sound branding agency for 15 years – with sound branding systems for Olympus, TUI, EnBW and bonprix as well as sound logos, brand music and campaigns for McDonald's, Bosch, EDEKA, CEWE and many more.
42 Sounds followed in 2025: smaller, more direct and with in-house AI tools. From the first call to the final mix, the point of contact stays the same.
Photo: Dominique Brewing
- years in sound
- 24
- years as managing director
- 15
- international projects
- 50+
- awards
- 6
Career
Milestones
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2025 – today
Founder · 42 Sounds, Hamburg
Sound logos, brand music and brand voices for brands people recognise. Plus in-house AI tools that make variants, languages and formats faster.
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2009 – 2024
Managing director · GROVES Sound Branding GmbH, Hamburg
Operational and strategic lead of the agency and its team. Sound logos, brand music and campaigns for McDonald's, Bosch, Siemens, KIA, EDEKA, bonprix, BMW and CEWE.
- Collaborations between brands and artists – casting and management
- Product sounds for medical devices according to IEC 60601-1-8
- In-house software and AI for sound organisation and voice synthesis
- Customer surveys and market research on sound
- Articles in trade media such as MEEDIA, Healthcare Marketing, Netzwirtschaft and Textilwirtschaft
- Talks, workshops and projects in the USA, the UK, Saudi Arabia and the Netherlands
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2002 – 2009
Project coordinator · GROVES Studios GmbH, Hamburg
Started in the recording studio, then project management and client service.
- Sound projects for Mercedes-Benz, Olympus, EnBW and Busch-Jäger
- Music licensing and rights clearance, e.g. for Wrigley, Melitta, Gerolsteiner and LBS
- Production and masters for web, radio and TV, casting and recording voice talent
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2001 – 2002
Studies · Musicology, Justus Liebig University Giessen
Ear training, analysis, harmony and empirical music research. Then straight into the studio.
Awards
Recognition
- Red Dot Design Award 2012 · Olympus sound identity · project management
- ADC Nagel 2013 · Bronze · ZDF Kulturcontainer „Boombox und Waschsalon“
- International Sound Awards 2017 · Better Sound · SonicTonic „Sound 4 Healthcare“
- International Sound Awards 2018 · Better Sound · Audio Branding
- Deutscher Wirtschaftsfilmpreis 2018 · 1st prize · “Wirtschaft gut präsentiert”
- German Brand Award 2021 · Winner · Brand Events, Fairs & Exhibitions
How it works
What matters
One point of contact
From the first call to the final mix, the project stays in one pair of hands. Voices and music are cast to fit the brand.
AI as a tool
In-house Python tools read the edit, suggest sounds and create variants. That saves time – the decisions still rest with people.
On stage
Talks & workshops
FMX 2026 · Stuttgart
Photo: Dominique Brewing
From Pixels to Waveforms: How AI Bridges the Gap Between Picture and Sound
Custom AI tools read the edit, evaluate keyframes and suggest matching sounds and MIDI – as a Python workflow that fits into existing post-production. In the sound design track alongside Nina Hartstone and David Fluhr.
View in the FMX program
Hands-on: AI tools in the audio workflow for moving-image sound design
Workshop, 60 minutes, moderated by André Klar.
