Meet Thanos Willey | Audio Engineer

We had the good fortune of connecting with Thanos Willey and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Thanos, where are your from? We’d love to hear about how your background has played a role in who you are today?
I am from the central Texas area. My background and upbringing impacted me in a positive way. My family is kind and did everything within their power to provide a good life for me growing up. I was taught good core values and convictions that I still live by to this day. Hard work and perseverance were instilled in me at an early age.

I remember days when I was a kid that my family and I would clean our apartment together every Sunday morning. We would listen to Motown, 60’s, 70’s, and 80’s music while mopping floors and cleaning the rooms. I learned that discipline and consistency are key factors to success. If there was something that I wanted in life, then I would have to work hard to achieve it.

My dreams began back in the late 90’s. My family and I visited my Uncle Robert in Port Arthur in 1998 and 1999. He had renovated his garage into a recording studio. I was fascinated by all of it. As the years went by, I studied music in school and eventually became an audio engineer.

Alright, so let’s move onto what keeps you busy professionally?
At Thanos X Productions, I record, mix, master, and sound design for film, music, and podcasts. My freelance business started back in Jan. 2015. It started off with sound for film. Between 2015 – 2017 I worked with my friend Ben Gibson’s company Youvolution as an audio engineer. I recorded and directed ADR sessions, sound designed, and mixed short films. After getting into sound for film, I fell in love with it.

I enjoy synthesis and sound design. It is fun to create custom sounds that bring a movie to life. My love for sound design eventually led me to work on podcasts as well. Working on podcasts is also enjoyable because often music and cinematic sound design can be implemented. Aside from podcasts and sound for film, I love working on music too.

I engineer, edit, mix, and master music as well. Mixing live shows in the past gave me experience with artists and bands of several genres. Thankfully that experience translated to the studio side regarding interaction with musicians and running recording sessions. Over the years, I have recorded some incredible artists, bands, and orchestras. I love working on music because it makes me feel happy.

There’s nothing like the sound of a well-rehearsed band singing tight harmonies or an orchestra performing Mozart in an excellent concert hall. It’s simply inspiring. That’s why I enjoy working with music. Regardless of the production, whether it be a short film, podcast, or engineering a record, I will always do my best to make everything sound good.

My journey to get where I am today was not easy. There have always been challenges to be met and overcome every step of the way. When I first started working, the goal was to gain experience however I could. I took whatever gigs came my way to gain experience.

As a result, I ended up doing live sound for several years. Although I had gained video production experience on previous jobs, the main goal was to become an audio engineer. One of my first live sound jobs was mixing FOH for musical theatre. I did that for a few years while working at Guitar Center.

Shortly afterwards I went to college to expand my knowledge and skills. From 2015 – 2018 I attended The Art Institute of Austin full-time. I lived over 51 miles away from the college. My commutes were long and gruelling. While I was there, I freelanced, had a part-time job, and was often up late studying. I would drive to school in the morning before dawn and back home in the evening after dusk.

When I had to work, I would drive even further. There were countless sleep deprived nights on the road that I could’ve ended up in a fatal car accident. I am lucky to still be alive. While in school, I freelanced as much as I could, recording artists, mixing live shows, doing ADR sessions, sound designing, etc. It took time to learn and become proficient in different areas of audio engineering.

Technology is always changing and can be difficult to keep up with. This is especially true with computers, software, and digital audio equipment. I had learned analog equipment rather well during the years. Analog gear is easier to remember with time and repetition. However, digital audio equipment and software can have some steep learning curves. That requires daily learning to stay up to date on tech and tools of the trade.

There were several times in the past where I doubted myself and was not sure I would ever be able to make a living as an audio engineer. It took me a long time to overcome my own self doubt and have confidence in my work and abilities. I look up to people like Tom Dowd and Al Schmitt. They were phenomenal engineers and good people. My biggest take away from them is that in order to succeed in the audio field I just have to stick with it and stay consistent.

Over the last seven years of having different jobs in the audio field, I found that I enjoy working with music, film, and podcasts. Later on in August 2020, I ran into Eric Meyer, the owner of The Noiz Faktory Recording Studios in Georgetown, TX. He invited me out to meet with him at his studio, and I have been working with him ever since then. Eric is a good man. He is kind, honest and lives with integrity.When I engineer, mix and master at The Noiz Faktory, it feels like home. Some of the awesome people that I have met since my time with Eric include: Josh Wolfer (Wolf Man Sound), Demetrio Scopelliti (Inspiria Guitars), Laurent Bernadac, and Geraldine (3DVarius). I am fortunate to be around such good people.

Any places to eat or things to do that you can share with our readers? If they have a friend visiting town, what are some spots they could take them to?
If my best friend was visiting the area, I would take them to The Town Square in Georgetown, Downtown/South Austin, and Lake Travis. The itinerary would include the Palace Theatre, Lake Georgetown, 600 Degrees Pizzeria, The Oasis on Lake Travis, The Balcones Canyon Land, Bass Concert Hall, Lady Bird Lake, The Bullock and Blanton museums. In my opinion those are some places and things that are worth checking out.

Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?
The people that have mentored and helped me over the years are Randy Hudson, Brad Retz, Jerry Wilson, Nick Guage, Eric Meyer, Travis L., and several other good people. They have all helped me grow personally and professionally. I have the utmost respect for them.

Website: www.thanosxproductions.com

Linkedin: linkedin.com/in/thanos-w-822390178

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/people/Thanos-X-Productions/100094377320598/?mibextid=ZbWKwL

Youtube: https://youtu.be/_wokK-ccu5k

Other: https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLkb_xXtN-GpFajEDgvvIaBoqrgYaNxImv

Image Credits
Eric Meyer and Cerria Humphrey.