MSU alumni making their mark in sound engineering and mixing in Hollywood

MSU Today with Russ White

A group of MSU alumni are making their mark in audio and sound engineering and mixing in Hollywood. And they’re garnering Emmy nominations and awards, too. The group is affectionately known as the “audio mafia.” The common denominator is longtime MSU audio teacher Gary Reid, who is also emeritus director of broadcasting and general manager of WKAR Public Media.

Andy Lange (2002-2006) is up for two Emmy's in 2024. Phil DeTolve (2002-2007) and Gary Megregian (1994-1997) are up for one each for a total of 4 in January.

Pat Cyccone won the mafia’s first Emmy almost 30 years ago and has played an important role in getting all these guys started in their careers in Los Angeles. Cyccone has been mixing all of Alexander Payne's films.

Mike Olman (1987-1990) has won three Emmys with shows like “24”, “Desperate Housewives,” and Discovery Channel’s “When Dinosaurs Ruled the Earth” movies.

Chris Foster (2002-2006) is co-owner of a major music editing post house in LA and is nominated this year, and Luke Schwarzweller (2008-2012), the youngest alumnus, mixed the last Indiana Jones film, Ferrari, and West Side Story, essentially doing Steven Spielberg's work.

Conversation Highlights:

(1:22) – What does it mean to be an audio or sound engineer/mixer? What do you do?

(2:54) - “It’s not the quality of the mix that makes a good mixer. It’s having a good time with the people you’re working with and making sure that everyone’s at ease and taken care of. Those are the experiences that paying clients are going to remember.”

(8:01) - “Don’t ever not take a job because you don’t know how to do it. Take it and then learn it as fast as you can.”

(14:22) – “The director just has to know that you’re on his side.”

(21:21) – “I got to go every day and sit in a big, giant electronic sandbox and play with all my friends.”

(27:30) – “One of the things the average viewer doesn’t realize necessarily is just how much we can use sound to manipulate the viewer.”

(30:29) – “It’s learning the power of sound and how it can tell a story and evoke emotion.”

(32:36) – “The ultimate compliment you can pay a music editor is that you have no idea what they actually did. If I did a good job, I’m totally invisible. Nothing I did should be noticed.”

(35:45) – “The upside and the downside of what we all do as professionals in sound is that if we’re really good at what we do, you will never know we were in the room.”

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