Who is Aaron? Why does he do audio? Come find out in this episode of Michael's Mixdown. Today's guest, Aaron Willis, has nearly 30 years of audio experience and joins me in this episode to share his experiences and share some wisdom he's picked up along the way. We also talk about some of our favorite audio software and other gear. We wax philosophical about how to get the best out of your time in the studio. Find Aaron's website here https://aarondoesaudio.com/ Follow Aaron on...

What do you get when you throw Rue Fontaine, Abe Rodriguez, Daniel Minnerick in a blender? Probably a gross mess. But throw them on stage or in the studio together and they become Sunset etc! They're a band local to me that plays shows all around Indianapolis. I actually had them live in the Michael's Mixdown studio (small bedroom in my house). We talk all about what the band has been up to lately, including the recording of their recent singles. We also just cover a lot of life stuff, audio...

Warriors, torchbearers, come redeem your dreams! Joining me in this episode are Markus Kaarlonen (aka Captain) and Olli Tukiainen, who appear in Alan Wake 2 as Tor Anderson and Bob Balder respectively. Captain and Olli are the keyboard player and guitarist from Poets of the Fall, but they also make music as the Remedy Entertainment in-universe fictional band Old Gods of Asgard. We discussed how they make the switch from Poets to Old Gods, how interactive game songs like "Herald of Darkness"...

The progressive metal scene has been shaken up by some dudes from North Carolina calling themselves Nospūn. Their bass player and audio engineer, Cole Millward, joins me on this episode to talk all about the production of their debut album Opus. Opus is a concept album following the story of a young man who is obsessed with completing his opus, and will sacrifice just about anything to see it through. Cole tells me all about the recording and engineering on the album, from guitar cab sims and...

Ever heard any Nashville Prog Rock? You're about to! Odysseus' upcoming album "Horizon" will be out 2/3/24, and you should check it out! This episode we talk about the story of this ambitious concept album, and the production behind it. And we talk about Cheerios at some length, so there's a little bit of everything in this episode! Plus, near the end, one of my favorite bits that I've ever designed for the show and I had myself howling with laughter, so stick around 'til the end! Find...

Today's episode forecast calls for stupid voices and a high of lotsa laughs. Meet Nels, he's a cool guy. Voice actor, musician, engineer, he's everything you could ever want to be and more. We've worked on a few projects together, from his Hellscape to some of his music. Come listen as we spin you a tale (and use a lot of stupid voices to do it). Nels info here: https://linktr.ee/voiceofnels Join the Hellscape Discord: https://discord.gg/25sJmqUMr4 The New Zodiax...

Have you seen those voice acting challenges on TikTok? Maybe you've participated in a few of them! Or maybe you've started looking up resources for voice acting and found there are Discord communities online. Well join us in this episode where guests Chris Greenfield and Mandy Fisher discuss their online voice over communities. We discuss all about what resources you can find and take advantage of if you are just starting your voice over journey. Mandy and Chris provide all kinds of content...

You folks are in for a treat today! Russ Castillo is a record producer, audio engineer, and former audio professor, as well as my friend for the better part of 10 years. We met when he was invited to be a guest speaker at one of my audio classes in college. It was immediately clear that he'd had a long and storied career in audio in Los Angeles. He worked for Producer's Workshop, which saw many huge bands walk through the door. Russ was close with Pink Floyd during their time making The Wall,...

HEY, LISTEN: I never actually thought to record this information, so it might be important for you to know that during this episode, all comparison segments are the 1991 version, followed by the 2022 version. So the first section you hear is the old, then the new. Thanks! For years I have had a little tradition in November. Whenever it rains, I listen to November Rain. Some years I only listen once or twice, but some years I've clocked over 10 plays. I started the tradition because growing...

This episode of Michael's Mixdown has been awhile in the works. Gabe, front man of the Gabriel Harley Band, and I have been friends for 7 or so years now. Gabe was my first post-college audio connection, and we've worked together on many projects since. I've been Gabe's studio assistant, his pain-in-the-side, and live sound engineer. I've finally gotten the chance to have him on the show, along with the rest of the band, of course! Dave Alexander (lead guitar), Kendall Thomson (bass), and...

It's been awhile since I had my friend Colette on the show, and has she ever been busy! Since we spoke last, she completed her PhD, got married, and has started a career as an audio book director. She also does voice acting, and can make trumpet and loon sounds. Is there anything she can't do? Join us for a peek behind the curtain on how audio books get made, and other goofy things that we discuss along the way. --- Support this podcast:...

Hey, I made some new friends! Join me for a sort of impromptu episode where Joel and Matt from Maryland-based Science Penguin get to know me, and I them. We talk all about what kinds of bands we're into (surprise it's prog) and how their recent tour went. There's some really good advice in here if you're a musician that's heading on the road or into the studio for the first time. --- Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/michaelsmixdown/support

Hey Michael's Mixdown fans, are you ready for a Wilde time? Get it? Because on today's episode, I have Devora Wilde as a guest! Devora has many on-screen credits in shows such as "Pandora" and "Hollyoaks" and voice-over credits in games such as "Total War: Warhammer 3" and "Battlefield 2042." But most recently she was one of the lead roles in Baldur's Gate 3, playing the Githyanki fighter Lae'zel. Baldur's Gate 3 (BG3) has taken the PC gaming world by storm and has quickly risen to be one of...

Today a dream of mine came true. They say never to meet your heroes, but I say you need to find better heroes. I've been listening to No More Kings since my college friend and roommate Mike introduced me to them. NMK has a particular style and sense of humor that just fit perfectly with us. Joining me today is the man behind the band, Pete Mitchell. Join us for a lot of laughs and sincere moments. We talk about the background of the band, some behind the scenes info on various tracks,...

In today's episode, I had the pleasure of talking to some new friends, Kris and DJ from stop.drop.rewind! The TikTok labeled "progpunk" band caught my ear the first time I heard them, and the fact that they were fellow Hoosiers was the icing on the cake. I knew from seeing them on TikTok that they would be the exact type of guys I would have a blast talking to, and so I did! We cover a lot of ground, everything from Lord of the Rings, to the business behind the music, and even some tips for...

In this episode, I decided to talk about one of the most iconic villain voices of all time. Darth Vader! Later in the episode I also take a crack at recreating the iconic character's voice and effects with my own style. I didn't want to do an impression or copy exactly what's already been done, so this will be Vader like you've never heard him before! Also, this episode contains spoilers for Obi-Wan, so if you haven't seen it yet, go watch that first! --- Support this podcast:...

In today's episode, I chat with voice over professional Mandy Fisher about her experiences in the voice over field. You might have heard Mandy's work in commercials for Macy's, Crayola, or Peloton. With 15 years experience behind her, I figured she would be the right person to ask, "How does one take things to the next step?" So if you've already dipped your toes in the voice over pond, and you've decided to move forward with how to acquire the right gear and work with the right people to get...

A decade ago, I saw a show when I was in college that left an impact on me. After that show my college girlfriend and I bought a CD from the singer we'd seen. His name is Peter Rothbart, and his album "You Are What You Dream" has been in my music library ever since. Every so often over the past ten years I have listened to that album all the way through and admired the song-writing. So I got in contact with Peter and asked him to be on my show! Join us as we discuss the album "You Are What...

Joining me today is Mikey from the podcast "The Crossover with Josh and Mikey." Josh is a buddy of mine, and you can hear more about him in episode 12. Anywho, Josh introduced me and Mikey and awhile after that he's jumping at the chance to be on my show! So today we're talking about Fleetwood Mac's classic album "Rumors." Sometimes you get a rare album where nearly every song is perfect, and many, if not all, of the songs from the album are successful hits. Equal parts drama, talent, and...

This episode, I wanted to talk about all my favorite albums and songs that came out this year. There's no real order here, it's not a top 10 in any way. Just all my favorite things that came out this year. I discuss what I liked about these releases and how they got me through the year. And since I listen to a decent variety of genres, so there's a whole bunch of different stuff to listen to this episode! And at the end, I got some friends to chime in and tell me what their favorite stuff was...

Do you remember the 21st night of September? The day that American Idiot by Green Day was released to the public? And I'm pretty certain that no other significant musical history has to do with September 21st. Anyway, this episode is all about the album American Idiot, which was a huge hit for Green Day in 2004. This album brought them back to the scene, even though it was vastly different than what they'd done before. Full of political unrest and teenage angst, this album contains songs that...

So, in or around October of 2020, my friend Jake and I had the idea to have a crossover episode of our respective shows, What Were We Talking About and Michael's Mixdown. So here, nearly a year later, we've done just that! In this episode, we talk about our favorite cartoon theme songs and cartoon music in general, but as usual, we tend to get off topic a little bit. But that's the way we roll. And as we didn't do a whole lotta prep for this one, we left out one of our favorite theme songs,...

I have loved this band since I was a kid, and it's one of the few bands that has stuck with me all my life. Join me in this episode where I talk about all the walks of life that have included Counting Crows. I ramble on about personal stories, times of doubt and hurt, and times where I felt inspired and mighty. Counting Crows has it all. This is probably the most personal I've gotten in an episode to date, so be open and have some feels with me.  --- This episode is sponsored by ·...

Hmm, what's this? Pop music?! That's right, this is no longer a show just about rock n' roll and heavy metal (and it was never really meant to be, it just took me this long to get to a pop song). In this episode, I break down Billie Eilish's Bad Guy from the album WHEN WE ALL FALL ASLEEP, WHERE DO WE GO. I discover there's many layers to this song, and tons of production work. This song has some of the biggest, fattest bass I've ever heard. It's no wonder that this song and this album cleaned...