Lesezeit 6 min

BEYERDYNAMIC TRIFFT
MICHAEL WYNNE

Auf seinem YouTube Kanal „In The Mix“ dreht sich bei Michael Wynne alles um die Themen Recording, Producing, Mixing und Mastering. Mittlerweile hilft der aus Schottland stammende YouTuber mit seinen Tutorials über 700.000 Abonnenten bessere Ergebnisse zu erzielen.

Während Michael Wynne seit jeher unsere Kopfhörer trägt, kooperieren wir offiziell erst seit knapp über einem Jahr miteinander. Michael Wynne wird auch in die Entwicklung neuer Produkte miteinbezogen und sein Feedback wird gehört und geschätzt.

Bitte beachte: Das Interview wurde auf Englisch geführt und kann im Folgenden im Original gelesen werden.

In the interview: Michael Wynne

The successful YouTuber gives us an insight into his work and shares some advice for upcoming producers.

Coffee or tea?

Michael: Coffee

Analog or digital instrument?

Michael: Analog

Start working in the morning or in the evening?

Michael: Morning

beyerdynamic: Which role has music played in your childhood and how did you get into making music?

Michael: Music shapes all of our lives in one way or another. I didn’t think I’d have a career in music when I was younger but eventually I discovered the joy of working with sound. I started out by trying to help my friends music sound better and naturally grew into my job.

beyerdynamic: On your YouTube channel „In The Mix“ you upload high-quality and informative videos about producing, monitoring, mixing and mastering. How did you acquire your knowledge?

Michael: Lots of trial and error! I experimented making my own music, recording songs and helping others mix their music. Plenty of podcasts and interviews with professionals have helped to shed light on new ideas and techniques. I strongly believe that getting practical experience is the best way to learn and I encourage this in all my videos.

beyerdynamic: What motivates you to share your knowledge?

Michael: Hearing the success stories from our community members motivates me every day! When I started out it was so difficult to find the information I needed. Many videos were simply self promotion and advertising. I found the best knowledge was hidden away in interviews from experts and advice from mentors so I decided to start a channel where there would be a 100% focus on education and knowledge with no self promotion or advertising.

beyerdynamic: Do you need a degree in music to become a music producer?

Michael: No! Having knowledge of an instrument and music theory is very helpful though.

beyerdynamic: What do you think a song starts with? With the lyrics or the beat?

Michael: Beat making can inspire songs but I think most great stories start with the words/lyrics.

beyerdynamic: Okay, you have the beat and the audio track. Now in mixing & mastering you have endless possibilities to adjust the sound. Does the adjustment of the song develop during the process or do you already know in advance how it should sound?

Michael: Sometimes I have an idea of how I want the mix or master to sound but it always changes along the way. The audio reacts dynamically with all the processing and new tones and textures reveal themselves

beyerdynamic: How do you start the editing process? Tell us what your first steps look like.

Michael: It starts before I turn on the camera. I think about the best way to put across my message and consider the maximum length of the video. I make sure my videos are as long as they need to be and not a moment longer! Typically when filming is done, I organise everything into folders and try to stay organised.

beyerdynamic: If you could only do one job from now on – producing, mixing or mastering – what would you choose?

Michael: Mastering. I love helping provide the final confidence boost to artists and I find my skill set is ideal for mastering.

beyerdynamic: What’s on your agenda for 2021? Are there any exciting projects you can share with us?

Michael: Lots of long format videos showing the start to finish for more processes. I find that there is a gap on YouTube for that sort of content. I try to make my videos feel like a premium course but free of charge. Making more longer videos will not be as popular but will be appreciated by many!

beyerdynamic: How would you describe beyerdynamic in 3 words?

Michael: Dependable, Professional and Fun. (Oops that’s four words!)

Do you have some advice for upcoming producers?

beyerdynamic: What is the difference between a „YouTube Producer“ and a „Studio Producer“?

Michael: If you produce, you are a producer. I don’t worry about labels too much but I would recommend developing your skills and making the music you like. YouTube will promote some genres more than others so always be true to yourself and your art. Don’t follow algorithms or trends, I know I didn’t!

beyerdynamic: What are the differences between the income sources of a „YouTube Producer“ and a „Studio Producer“?

Michael: YouTube will likely provide more advertising revenue and beat sales. Studio Producers will likely get more session work, royalties and placements. If you are great at what you do, there will be demand for your work no matter what platform you use.

“If you are great at what you do, there will be demand for your work no matter what platform you use.“

beyerdynamic: How do I get a placement? Do I have to be active on certain platforms to get discovered?

Michael: Always work on the music and art first. If your work is excellent you will be discovered eventually.

beyerdynamic: What initial equipment would you suggest to upcoming producers? What is crucial?

Michael: A decent audio interface and the best headphones you can afford. Invest in Studio Loudspeakers (often called “monitors“) only when you have the budget for room treatment and stands to isolate them. $250 headphones will beat $1000 studio monitors without acoustic treatment. This is a pitfall I see most people fall into, including myself. Learn from my mistakes! Your room will introduce many inaccuracies and interferences to the sound coming from loudspeakers. This makes it very difficult for a mix to “translate“ onto other playback systems.

Voriger

beyerdynamic: Which advice would you give your younger self to start a successful producing career / not to make the same mistakes you did earlier?

Michael: Don’t follow any trends and don’t restrict yourself with any ”rules“ of mixing or producing. Be patient and give yourself lots of time to develop sound and style. This usually takes many years and you shouldn’t be discouraged if you can’t get the sound in your head into the DAW in the first few weeks or months. Also, don’t pull allnighters. They are never worth it!