The Mr. Bill Podcast

Today we're joined by Nicholas Yochum, an LA based sound designer currently working at Blizzard on Overwatch, where he focuses on synthesized sounds to help create effects with a more clean, stylized aesthetic. He's on the heroes team and is currently working on new heroes for the game. Nicholas and I actually go way back to like 2012 in Boston, so it's cool to finally catch up. We get into how he got into the industry — starting out at a third party audio company called Hexany, which he describes as kind of like sound design boot camp, and eventually landing a senior sound designer role at Blizzard, which even he still seems a little surprised about. We talk about what stylized sound design actually means — why game audio has been pulling more and more from the electronic music world, and how listening to stuff like Noisia is basically research at this point. We also get into the difference between working at a third party studio versus being embedded on a game team, and why that sense of ownership and connection to the work ended up mattering a lot to him. Hope you enjoy it. Please welcome Nicholas Yochum. Follow Nicholas Yochum https://www.linkedin.com/in/nicholasyochum/ https://www.youtube.com/@NicholasYochum Follow Mr. Bill https://linktr.ee/mrbillstunes

Markj is a Melbourne based DJ from New Zealand. His sound encompasses all things House, Techno, and everything in between. He runs a little project called Soundfood. This is where he simultaneously cooks food and DJs for his audience. Over the years he has been lucky enough to open for a bunch of amazing musicians, including Carl Cox, Seth Troxler, Moodymann, James Curd, Psychemagik and D-Nox. He has also had the pleasure of showcasing his projects at some incredible festivals, including Rainbow Serpent, Burning Man, Strawberry Fields, Rhythm & Vines, Happy Daze and Chi Wow Wah Town. In 2014 he released a cookbook featuring a group of musicians who all provided a tune to go with a recipe. Some of the artists included Opiuo, Spoonbill, Tom Cosm, Fiord and Mr Bill. For the last few years he's been working on a follow up to that book. This time to be released on vinyl, and featuring artists such as Doppel, Uone & Out Of Sorts, Electrocado, James Curd and K+Lab. You can rely on him to serenade your senses. Markj Links New Soundfood box set release Mr. Bill's Links

Sierra Bowler, known as Downtempbowl, is a Chicago-based performing and music artist, movement instructor, and computer engineer. Her work blends fusion bellydance, animation dance, and flow arts with experimental sound and technical precision. She is the founder of Mycochanel, a creative project exploring design and identity, and Fine Linez, an all female movement collective focused on fingerstyles, tutting, and hands performance. FLOW SYSTEMS NEW MUSIC RELEASE NEW MUSIC VIDEO Downtempbowl Links Mr. Bill's Links

Brad Sweet is the co-founder and CEO of Same Same But Different Music Festival and Same Same Presents. With a background as a musician and producer, Brad's understanding of the industry has fueled the growth of Same Same But Different from a 400-person gathering to 7,500 daily campers in under five years. This achievement was recognized with a nomination for Best Emerging Festival by X-Live and winning Best New Festival by USA Today. Brad's approach to festival organization is rooted in empowering passionate, creative individuals with the tools to build and create with as little restrictions as possible. This has grown and fostered a passionate team around the festival and has led to incredibly rich and meaningful experiences for attendees. The team sets the tone and ethos for any festival and a team built directly from the community means that the attendees and the team become a unified force working together to the benefit of the festival. His personal commitment to create a welcoming, inclusive environment are hallmarks of his leadership style. At the heart of Brad's work is a commitment to building a community that extends beyond the festival grounds, fostering lasting connections and memorable experiences for each attendee. Brad Sweet Links Mr. Bill's Links

Opiuo is a genre-bending plethora of auditory and visual masterclasses. Born in 1984 in rural New Zealand, his parents provided the land upon which music festivals were held. This extremely formative growth surrounded by the early incarnations of Aotearoa's electronic music scene exposed him to the celebration of life through self-expression, dance, and giant sound systems. These experiences shaped so much of who he is & what he stands for today. Positivity and movement at the core of the project, his music is an infectious electronic based blend of funk, soul, psychedelia, and booty-shaking bass. Now calling Australia home, Oscar tours his party-starting music throughout the globe. Having spent more than a decade performing at some of the world's most renowned festivals and venues including Lollapalooza, Glastonbury, and Coachella, as well as selling out Colorado's famous Red Rocks Amphitheatre multiple times, he's performed his music in an unimaginably large array of formats. From self-built Orchestras, to collaborating with symphony choirs, touring his own Opiuo Band, and as an immersive solo audio & visual show, his live creativity is limitless. Taking home the New Zealand Music Award for Best Electronic Album in 2014, his catalogue is vast. Having released 6 full-length albums, 10 EPs, and a myriad of singles and remixes over the last 14 years. In his own words, he is still "just getting started!". Opiuo Links Mr. Bill Links

In this conversation, this research team discusses their innovative project that combines social cognition, crowd dynamics, and machine learning. They explore how to utilize body tracking technology and infrared cameras to gather data on audience behavior during live performances. The team aims to understand the relationship between crowd dynamics and environmental factors, ultimately seeking to predict crowd behavior and enhance audience engagement. In this conversation, the speakers delve into the complexities of extracting data from crowd dynamics, particularly in the context of music performances. They discuss the challenges of video data extraction compared to audio, the inspiration behind their project, and the ethical implications of using technology for crowd surveillance. The conversation also touches on the potential for real-time integration of audience behavior into performances, the future of brain-computer interfaces, and the exploration of life beyond Earth through advanced technology. Michael Schnebly is an Applied Physics PhD student at Harvard University, where he studies the mechanics of proteins. He is also the creator of Stepwise (@stepwise.xyz), an experimental artist project using body-tracking technology to build new musical instruments and ways of performing. His work bridges scientific research, live performance, and social experimentation. Michael is one of the co-creators of "Calibration," a new collaborative research-performance series alongside neuroscientist Landry Bulls and electronic music artist Supertask. Calibration is a scientific study of group synchrony, embodiment, and the neural basis of musical experience through body-tracking in live concert crowds. It launches at Cervantes' Other Side in Denver this summer. Michael Schnelby Links Landry Bulls is a PhD student in the Department of Psychological and Brain Sciences at Dartmouth College. As part of the Social Computation, Representation, and Prediction (SCRAP) Lab working with Dr. Mark Thornton, he uses computational methods to study social signaling of human groups and crowds. Landry Bulls Links For the people who love to experience music, look no further than Supertask. With deep roots in hip-hop and a focus towards immersion, Supertask creates sonic landscapes that dance between the intensity and stillness of the human consciousness. His offerings of musical escapism are consumed by the concept of infinity, and with a background in IT, Supertask often utilizes code and programming in his artistic vision. A vision that his loyal community, the Dev Team, are directly involved in. Blending both analog and digital sound design, his unique approach has proven to be a driving force in the forward progression of electronic music. Through soundscapes that feel sentient, interactive live streams, and mind-bending visuals, Supertask is changing the way that we consume art. Supertask links Mr. Bills Links

Hailing from Sydney, Australia, PhaseOne's distinct sound (a unique blend of hard-hitting Bass Music infused with Metal) quickly found him a niche in the hardline EDM landscape. His music has been described as "a symphony of filth", and boy are they not wrong. As a producer, guitarist, and songwriter PhaseOne expertly crafts a "metal meets electronic" sound that not only defies genres but has earned him multiple number 1s, and millions of streams globally. PhaseOne's DJ performances bring unmatched energy to the stage; it's a show he's toured extensively in global markets including North America, South America, Europe, Australia, the Asia Pacific region, the Middle East, and Europe, playing sold-out headline shows and festivals such as Tomorrowland, EDC, Rampage and Lost Lands, with some of the biggest names in electronic music. His music is loved and supported by artists such as Skrillex, Illenium, Slander, and Excision. PhaseOne Links Mr. Bill's Links

Matt Xavier is a full-time psychedelic guide, DJ, and mental health counselor whose remarkable career has spanned more than three decades at the intersection of music, healing, and expanded states of consciousness. In the early 1990s, Matt gained prominence as "Matthew Magic," a pioneering force in New York City's underground electronic music scene. As cofounder of Tsunami Productions, he introduced Psychedelic Trance to the North American East Coast and later founded the influential techno label Railyard Recordings. Throughout his tenure, he held DJ residencies in both New York and Los Angeles, performing at renowned festivals and clubs around the world. Educated at Loyola Marymount University and credentialed in California, Matt has worked as a certified Gestalt therapist and co-occurring addiction counselor, providing evidence-based care at leading treatment centers across Los Angeles. In 2019, he received formal training in psychedelic-assisted therapy and launched Integrated Psychedelics—a private practice offering harm-reduction therapy, integration counseling, and immersive, music-enhanced psychedelic journeys. Through his work with Therapeutic DJing, Matt teaches others how to harness the powerful synergy between music and psilocybin-assisted therapy to support emotional release, healing, and deep personal transformation. Career News: Book release Early June 2025: The Psychedelic DJ - A Practical Guide to Therapeutic Music Curation and Psilocybin-Assisted Therapy DJ Sets @ Psychedelic Science Conference June 2025: Shulgin 100 Year Birthday Celebration @ Psychedelic Science 2025 - Denver, feat. Oona Dahl & Matt Xavier AFTERGLOW: unofficial ambient-techno afterhours for Psychedelic Science 2025 - Denver, feat. Oona Dahl & Matt Xavier Matt's Links Mr. Bill's Links

​ Vojtěch Meluzín is the founder and CEO of MeldaProduction, a Czech-based audio software company renowned for its innovative and versatile audio plugins. Born and raised in the Czech Republic, Meluzín's journey into music and technology began early. He started programming at the age of 10 and was already creating music on an Atari using Cubase by the age of 8.​ Meluzín pursued his passion for music and technology through formal education, culminating in a university degree where he developed a GUI system for plugins as part of his diploma work. His initial foray into audio software development was the creation of MDrummer, a project that began as a school assignment but evolved into a commercial product. Encouraged by a peer to market his creation, Meluzín improved MDrummer significantly and decided to venture into the audio plugin industry independently.​ Under his leadership, MeldaProduction has grown to offer over 120 plugins, including the flagship MSoundFactory and MTurboComp. Meluzín is known for his hands-on approach, having developed the company's custom framework without relying on third-party SDKs, allowing for complete control and optimization. He emphasizes innovation over imitation, often critiquing the industry's focus on analog emulation and instead leveraging digital capabilities to create unique audio processing tools.​ Meluzín's work is characterized by a commitment to pushing the boundaries of audio software, integrating machine learning and advanced algorithms to enhance functionality and user experience. His dedication to quality and innovation has positioned MeldaProduction as a respected name in the audio production community. Vojtech Meluzin Links Mr. Bill's Links

In this highly anticipated episode, we sit down with legendary sound designer and software developer Steve Duda, the mastermind behind Xfer Records and the groundbreaking synthesizer plugin Serum. Renowned for pushing the boundaries of digital audio, Steve has garnered a cult following among producers worldwide—from chart-topping EDM acts to film score composers—for his meticulous attention to sound quality and user experience. Now, with the release of Serum 2, Steve takes us behind the scenes of its development, sharing insights into the new features, workflow enhancements, and the innovative technology that will redefine the way creators craft their sounds. Tune in to learn about the challenges of maintaining Serum's signature clarity while incorporating cutting-edge functionalities, the surprising inspirations that influenced its design, and how community feedback played a key role in shaping the next generation of this beloved synthesizer. Whether you're a seasoned music producer, a synth enthusiast, or just curious about the future of sound creation, this episode promises a deep dive into the art and science of synthesis with one of the industry's leading visionaries. Steve Duda Links Mr. Bill's Links

Curtis Roads creates and pursues research in music technology. He is Professor Emeritus of Media Arts and Technology (MAT) and in Music at the University of California, Santa Barbara (UCSB), where he also managed the Center for Research in Electronic Art Technology (CREATE). He studied composition at California Institute of the Arts and the University of California, San Diego and received a Doctorate from the Université Paris 8. A researcher at MIT for six years, he also taught at Harvard and the University of Naples "Federico Due." He was Editor and Associate Editor of Computer Music Journal (The MIT Press) from 1978 to 2000, and cofounded the International Computer Music Association (ICMA) in 1979. His album POINT LINE CLOUD was reissued in 2019 by Presto Records. His album Flicker Tone Pulse (2019) was published on DVD by Wergo (Schott Musik). The textbook The Computer Music Tutorial, Second Edition (The MIT Press) appeared in 2023. Curtis Roads Links Mr. Bills Links

BIO: Head Engineer at Hacienda Mastering. Principle Designer at Hacienda Acoustics. Professor at Full Sail University. Founder, curator, and FOH at Reference Sessions. Occasional front of house engineer for Jade Cicada, Detox Unit, and Mickman. Unrepentant shitposter. Matt Davis Links https://lnk.to/163mattdavis Mr. Bill's Links