The Emotional Power of Sound in an AI Music World | Myles Wakeham

“If you’re a creator of sound, you’re in a blessed place, because you can not only communicate with somebody in that two-dimensional, ‘it sounds like this’ mode, but you also have the ability to touch their spirit. You have an ability to give them goosebumps. You have the ability to make them think differently about themselves, to question their belief system, right? Those things are powerful, and if we sit back and we defer them to a machine or a synthetic whatever, and we don’t pay the amount of respect for that, that very same society will rebel, and they will punk rock this.” – Myles Wakeham This week’s guest is a professional recording engineer, producer, and the owner of Troubled Clef Studios, located in San Miguel de Allende, Mexico. He’s originally from Australia, but at the age of twenty-five, he found himself unexpectedly living in Los Angeles, which turned into working in some of the largest and most legendary recording studios in Hollywood throughout the 1990s. After thirty years in technology, music, and recording in the United States, he and his wife left the US for Mexico and began a four-year project to build one of the world’s most prolific recording studios, based on the legendary AIR Studios Montserrat studio, which recorded many of the hits of the ‘80s. His name is Myles Wakeham, and he’ll be sharing what it takes to create a world-class studio environment, what challenges artists face in today’s world, and how AI is affecting what creators create. If you want to learn more about how sound is engineered to give you goosebumps, keep listening. And if you like what you hear and you want to support this podcast, there are a bunch of ways to do that at audiobrandingpodcast.com, including subscribing to the YouTube channel, the newsletter, writing a review, or buying me a coffee. Because this takes a lot of coffee. Thanks so much. (00:00) – From Orchestral Kid to Punk Rock Our conversation starts off as Myles shares the start of his audio journey, and the influence that his family’s musical background had on him growing up. “It was kind of weird because I grew up as a kid in orchestra,” he recalls. “I played with my friends and rode my bikes and all that stuff that kids do… but growing up as an orchestral kid, you’re always surrounded by music.” He talks about the early days of CB radios and self-built computers, and how moving from Australia to the US, and having to wait for his green card, left him with plenty of time to spare. “I went back to my music,” he tells us. “I mean, I’d been playing music all the time, but I transitioned away from orchestra and violin into punk rock and guitars and things…. so I ended up in [Los Angeles], and I ended up joining a band.” (13:18) – The Role of AI in Music Myles talks about the family tragedy that took him back to Australia, and how much the sound industry had changed upon his return. “I was there for like three years,” he tells us. “I didn’t come back until about 1999, and by the time I came back, the music industry was a disaster. And one word: Napster.” We discuss how the internet, streaming audio, and now AI have transformed the industry, and what it takes for artists to cut through the digital noise. “You used to be special, right?” he says. “Used to have fans, used to have record deals, used to have all of that. And you’re not special anymore. You might sing like Barbra Streisand, but that doesn’t matter because some computer can do that.” (26:22) – Cultural Shifts in the Music Industry As the first half of our conversation wraps up, he shares his insights as a studio owner and producer on the reluctance of artists to trade in authentic musicians for AI sounds. “And the thing is,” he continues, “I think that 80% of the audience doesn’t [want that] either. They want to know that something came from a real-life human being who suffered and struggled to create it. And I think that that means something to people.” We discuss the impact that growing up with his family’s musical legacy has had on his daughter. “She’s now a choreographer,” he explains. “She travels all over the world and does dance choreography. We’ve got a very artistic family, and it does follow down the line.” Episode Summary Myles shares how both punk rock and classical training shaped his early life. How AI is affecting music creation and the importance of human touch. The changes technology and streaming are bringing to the music industry. Tune in for next week’s episode as we talk about the lessons Myles learned from legendary producer George Martin about running a studio, how a break from audio brought him back into the industry just in time for the digital revolution, and his advice on building a fandom in the streaming era. Connect with the Audio Branding Podcast: Book your project with Voice Overs and Vocals by visiting https://voiceoversandvocals.com Connect with me on Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/jodikrangle/ Watch the Audio Branding Podcast on YouTube - https://www.youtube.com/c/JodiKrangleVO Connect with me on LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/jodikrangle/ Leave the Audio Branding Podcast a review at https://lovethepodcast.com/audiobranding (Thank you!) Share your passion effectively with these Tips for Sounding Your Best as a Podcast Guest! https://voiceoversandvocals.com/tips-for-sounding-your-best-as-a-podcast-guest/ Get my Top Five Tips for Implementing an Intentional Audio Strategy https://voiceoversandvocals.com/audio-branding-strategy/ Editing/Production by Humberto Franco - https://humbertofranco.com/ This podcast uses the following third-party services for analysis: OP3 - https://op3.dev/privacy