Akash Thakkar interviews successful audio professionals from every corner of the music and sound industries. From educators, performers, pop stars, game audio professionals, voice actors, composers, sound designers, plug-in designers, audio programmers, and everything in between, we dive deep into the business and mindset skills it takes to ”make it” in the worlds of music and sound.
Episodes
Wednesday Jul 06, 2022
Wednesday Jul 06, 2022
#33: Edouard Brenneisen is a composer for video games, film, and TV who has worked on projects such as League of Legends, Yu-Gi-Oh!, Dr. Oz, Harry Potter: Magic Awakened, and tons of other projects!
In this episode we talk about the long uphill climb to becoming a full-time composer, how composers sometimes need to pivot and transition their careers, what a composer's actual job is, and so much more.
Find Edouard here:
Website: https://eb-music.net/
Instagram: @ebrenneisen
And if you're interested in making music and sound for games, I have a newsletter and free courses that will get you started, and help you find paying work in games. Just go to http://www.bit.ly/soundbizpod
Wednesday Jun 22, 2022
Wednesday Jun 22, 2022
#32: Bryan Wilson is a touring, composing, and performing cellist based out of New Jersey. Unlike most cellists, however, Bryan doesn't focus exclusively on the world of classical music, instead focusing on the worlds of music improvisation and comedic music.
Bryan is also the author of two books: String Jams and Cello Chords, both of which help cellists play their instruments in a more improvisatory way.
In this episode we talk about the struggle of building up an income as a touring cellist, touring in Vietnam as a western musician, and so much more.
Find Bryan here:
Website: https://www.bryanwilsoncello.com/
Instagram: @bryanwilsoncello
Spotify: Bryan Wilson
And if you're interested in making music and sound for games, I have a newsletter and free courses that will get you started, and help you find paying work in games. Just go to http://www.bit.ly/soundbizpod
Wednesday Jun 08, 2022
Wednesday Jun 08, 2022
#31: Marshall McGee is a video game sound designer who's worked on projects like Just Cause 4, Roblox, Outriders, and has worked with clients such as Nike and Adidas. He also has a wildly successful (and incredibly fun) Youtube channel where he breaks apart sound design in a beautifully clear way that anyone can understand.
In this episode, we talk about the importance of showing up, building a network, creating your own opportunities in your field, and much more.
Find Marshall here:
Website: https://www.marshallmcgee.com/
Youtube: Marshall McGee
And if you're interested in making music and sound for games, I have a newsletter and free courses that will get you started, and help you find paying work in games. Just go to http://www.bit.ly/soundbizpod
Friday May 27, 2022
Friday May 27, 2022
It was my birthday this week, and in what's become an Akash tradition, here are three things I've learned over the last year about life, careers, and what I've learned to focus on.
Send me a message:
@akashthakkaraudio on Instagram
Wednesday May 18, 2022
Wednesday May 18, 2022
Every single one of us is making tiny decisions every single day, and those micro-decisions make all the difference when it comes to our life and career. In this episode, we dive into some of the most important decisions you can make to ensure a successful game audio career and life.
Book recommended in this episode:
Personality Isn't Permanent by Dr. Benjamin Hardy
Send me a message:
@akashthakkaraudio on Instagram
Friday May 13, 2022
Friday May 13, 2022
#30: Vanessa Flores is a sound designer and post production audio expert who works at Banana Post in Los Angeles.
Vanessa's work focuses on the world's of TV, ads, and film, working on projects like Total Bellas, Keeping Up With the Kardashians, Top Gear and many others.
In this episode, we dive into how to break into and succeed in the worlds of linear media, how she got her first jobs (even though no one was hiring), and why stepping away from game audio helped her succeed.
Find Vanessa here:
Instagram: @vanny.audio
Twitter: @vannyaudio
TikTok: @vanny.audio
Youtube: Sound Design 101
And if you're interested in making music and sound for games, I have a newsletter and free courses that will get you started, and help you find paying work in games. Just go to http://www.bit.ly/soundbizpod
Wednesday May 04, 2022
Wednesday May 04, 2022
A lot of us are working day jobs while pursuing or dreams to work in game audio full-time. That's great! But, ideally, we'll want to leave those boring careers behind as soon as we can. So, how can we make our escape from those more normal jobs and transition into our dream career?
Send me a message:
@akashthakkaraudio on Instagram
And if you're interested in making music and sound for games, I have a newsletter and free courses that will get you started, and help you find paying work in games. Just go to http://www.bit.ly/soundbizpod
Wednesday Apr 27, 2022
Wednesday Apr 27, 2022
#29: Sigurd Jøhnk-Jensen is a guitarist, drummer, sound designer, and composer who's had an insanely successful career as a touring musician, as well as a composer for some of the world's biggest movie trailers. He's worked on trailers for movies like House of Gucci, Scream, Marvel's Eternals, and many others.
In this episode we talk about the importance of creating and working no matter what results you're getting, what the world of writing trailer music is like, how he went from writing music that no one wanted to getting placement after placement, and so much more.
Find Sigurd here:
Instagram: @sigurdthemusicdude
Twitter: @sigurdjj
Website: https://sigurdmusic.com/
Youtube: Sigurd Johnk-Jensen
And if you're interested in making music and sound for games, I have a newsletter and free courses that will get you started, and help you find paying work in games. Just go to http://www.bit.ly/soundbizpod
Wednesday Apr 20, 2022
Wednesday Apr 20, 2022
In my 12+ years of working as a full-time game audio freelancer, the thing I see trip people up most is asking for money for their work. To help with that, here are three ultra-effective ways to make sure you're paid super well for your music/sound in and out of the game industry.
Check out my course, which opens on April 25th, 2022: bit.ly/gameaudiopro
Send me a message:
@akashthakkaraudio on Instagram
Wednesday Apr 13, 2022
Wednesday Apr 13, 2022
#28: John "Slide20XX" Smith (AKA Star) is a video game composer who's worked on projects like The Stars Between Us, Calico, and the Steven Universe Anti-Racism PSAs.
In this episode we talk about breaking in to the music industry from humble beginnings, finding the right teachers and musical education, working day jobs, dealing with non-deserving complex when things start to go well, and so much more.
Find Star here:
Instagram: @Slide20XX
Twitter: @Slide20XX
Spotify: Slide20XX
And if you're interested in making music and sound for games, I have a newsletter and free courses that will get you started, and help you find paying work in games. Just go to http://www.bit.ly/soundbizpod