Michael's Mixdown

Featuring the creators of some of the best audio dramas on the market today, Allison Cossitt (Partial Veil, Howl, Mend), with Samantha Philyaw and Rob Harrower (Set Sail!/The Daring Adventures of Sierra Stone/Bells in Lilac), this episode is packed with insights from these awesome showrunners. We talk all about how we got into audio drama as a format, and what keeps us going. This was a very conve...

On today's episode of Michael's Mixdown, Kyle Decker, showrunner for Quest Friends! joins me for a discussion about actual play table top roleplaying podcasts. He and I compare notes on what makes our audio dramas different, as well as talk about what makes the actual play podcast scene so popular these days! Plus I put Kyle to the test and ask him to blindly react to which one of my dice towers s...

If you're a fan of the show, you know I love a good concept album. And when I found out there were local Indy prog musicians creating a concept album just down the road from me? I had to have them over to discuss it! This episode, I sat down with StarChaser, the medium-bending band led by the visionary Kara Tucker (vocals/guitar) and her husband Nick Tucker (bass/guitar). Dorian Phelps rounds out...

Ever wonder how the burgers get made over at Midnight Burger HQ? Tune into this episode of Michael's Mixdown to find out all about Joe Fisher, and how he makes his hit sci-fi audio drama series. We talk about the differences between how we make our respective shows, and discuss what goes into audio drama production from dialogue to sound effects. How many cores should your computer have to make an...

We had a few... difficulties this episode. I've decided that "Black Hole Benny" the giant space cat must have been interfering with our transmission. Apologies in advance that the interview skips around a few times. We had a terrible time with the recording service, and people kept dropping out and having difficulty connecting. Bearing that in mind, this is still an excellent episode packed with t...

Cole Millward (Bass) and Phil Rich (Vocals) join me to discuss their latest release, Ozai. Ozai is an EP that reintroduces some of their older work to the world in a re-recorded, mixed, and mastered package. They tell me all about rebuilding that EP from the ground up, and how they've changed over the years from the original release. We discuss them meeting Dream Theater, playing at ProgPower, har...

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...

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...

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 wh...

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...

In this Solo'd episode of Michael's Mixdown, I quickly break down two versions of In The Air Tonight, the first being the original, and the other being a cover version by The Protomen. I talk about how Phil Collins went from being the drummer of Genesis, to being an incredibly successful solo artist. I also talk about the differences between the two songs, and what I like about the cover that they...

Welcome to a new format style episode from Michael's Mixdown. The Solo'd episodes will be shorter and come more frequently than the big deep-dive episodes. Sometimes a song just strikes me in a certain way, and I have an immediate appreciation for the production. Some songs also just do not have all that much detailed history to search for online. So this series was born. These episodes will be mo...

In this episode, I break down the iconic Thriller, by Michael Jackson. There's a ton of information about this album out there, and there was a lot to unpack. This is a great episode, and you'll learn a lot about what went into Thriller, the best selling album of all time! Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In this first episode of Michael's Mixdown, I discuss the Original Broadway Cast Recording of Hamilton, and how the record was made and other behind the scenes details! Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

I've been thinking about covering my thoughts on this song for a long time, and here it finally is! In this episode I discuss the song "Cigarettes" by King's X. This song debuted on their 1994 album Dogman, and it has some really killer production. I talk at length about how the vocals and guitars are hard panned left and right, which adds some depth and emotion to the song. In my opinion, they so...

In this episode, I tackle one of my favorite albums of all time, Dream Theater's Metropolis Pt.2: Scenes From A Memory. Scenes is an amazing display of musicianship and lyrics, and every time I listen to it, I'm totally blown away. It's one of those feelings that I wish I could go back and listen to it for the first time again. Scenes really is an incredible piece of art, and I hope you all will g...

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...

Happy birthday to Michael's Mixdown! I've been podcasting for five years now. I've met a lot of very cool people, and I've experienced a lot of cool things. Today I want to recap my journey to this point, and go over some of the things I've learned. I can't teach you how to make a lot of money, but I might be able to teach you how to be a better podcaster. This episode comes on the heels of the no...

In today's episode, I sat down with the team at Bewildered Biscuit Productions (BBP) and discussed their projects in animated comics! Many of my voice acting friends are involved in their various projects, including former Michael's Mixdown guest Nels Gross (episode 36). BBP take comic books and turn them into something special far beyond any ordinary motion comic. They add animation, voice acting...

Joining me today is Carolyn Regula, aka The Cell Doll! I saw Carolyn talking on her YouTube channel talking about building a booth for home recording, and I knew that we should have a conversation about that! We talk all about her career as a cellist, our favorite metal bands, and about her journey to becoming a home recording artist. I guarantee you will learn interesting things about recording,...

Pete came back! This time, we talk about Pete's solo career, but we do talk a little about No More Kings. Pete has released 4 albums and half a dozen singles spanning the last 9 years. We go into his process for production, how his solo stuff alters from No More Kings, and a few nerdy tangents. Oh, and if you listened to the last episode with Pete, you might remember that I tried to set up and int...

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...

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 th...

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 thro...

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 design...