An interview with supervising sound editor Brad Meyer
And Re-recording mixer Jeff Shiffman of BOOM BOX POST
It’s awards season again! We’re so honored to share that we’ve been nominated for a Children’s and Family Emmy Award! The awards ceremony will take place on the evening of Monday, March 2nd and can be streamed live from the Emmy’s website!
With the competition being stacked this year, we couldn’t be more proud of our team for being nominated for Outstanding Sound Editing and Mixing for an Animated Program for Max & The Midknights.
We sat down for a conversation with both the Supervising Sound Editor, Brad Meyer and Re-Recording Mixer, Jeff Shiffman to gain an inside look behind the sound of this incredible series! Enjoy.
Re-recording Mixers: Jeff Shiffman MPSE, CAS and Jacob Cook MPSE, CAS
Supervising Sound Editor: Brad Meyer MPSE
Sound Effects Editor: Ryan Gegenheimer
Dialogue Editor: Logan Romjue MPSE
Foley Editor: Carol Ma MPSE
A conversation with Supervising Sound Editor, BRAD MEYER
How did you approach the prep work on the sound editorial process for a new series like Max & The Midknights?
A lot of the prep work on this series involved figuring out the rules of the world that the characters live in, and the creative direction we wanted the show to go in sonically. We had to find answers to questions such as:
How does magic work in this universe? Should magic sound powerful and intimidating, or whimsical and playful?
Since they live in medieval times, how modern can we make things in their world sound? Can we incorporate steampunk-style elements for a creative flare? Simple machines like gears and pulleys?
How do we approach animals and creatures? Are they voiced by actors or designed by the sound design team?
We pre-designed elements we knew would be recurring throughout the series, which was an interesting task for a show like Max and the Midknights, since they are often going to new places and tackling new adventures every episode. Everything from knight armor, weapons, and magic spells, to doors, Foley, and ambient spaces were all designed early on in the process for ease of use in later episodes.
What are some of the biggest challenges you face with this series opposed to others?
The sheer size and constant action of the show was a regular challenge, with tons of new elements and design in each episode. Keeping track of the storylines and plotpoints, especially when they are often referenced in later episodes, was also a challenge.
With series that feature big, in-your-face rock music through action-packed scenes, does this impact how you approach to the sound editorial?
Like editorial on any show, we go out of our way to make full use of the frequency spectrum in the sounds that we create, so no matter what music or score ends up sounding like, our sound editorial will cut through one way or another. The show also has the occasional diegetic song number, in which case we try our best to compliment the song and let the music do the heavy lifting.
Do you have any favorite sequences from the nominated episode, ‘Welcome to Byjovia?’
The opening sequence was so much fun to design, and really starts the show off with a bang! Part action scene, part horror film, and part dream sequence, the opening of the series was quite fun to create. We got to include an intimidating dragon, panicking crowds, and an awesome rock score from the composers. It really does have everything.
With so many fantastical creatures, dragons, horses, knights in armor and so on, could you discuss how your team approaches the foley on this series?
The general direction of the show is realism, so most of the Foley for the human characters is pretty straightforward and designed/walked with the footwear and weight of the character we see on screen. Most of the knights have designed armor that is walked in tandem with their footsteps so the knights always have a layer of armor when they are walking. For larger animals and creatures, we almost treat their Foley like SFX, with a surface layer, often a heavy boomy layer, and sometimes LFE sweeteners. For horses, we use the sound of real horse hooves, and will cover the saddles, reins, etc. with SFX on top of that.
Is there a particular design build or aspect of the sound editorial you’re most proud of in this episode?
I’m really proud of all of our background and ambiance builds. A huge part of the sonic identity of this show is lush, hyper specific location sounds which really help bring the story to life. For example, the sound of Byjovia includes everything from active horses and buggies, church bells, and barn animals, to children playing, townsfolk walla, and even people tossing buckets of sewage offscreen due to the lack of modern day plumbing. The sounds of Byjovia will even change depending on the tone of the episode, who is in power (good vs. evil), and what is happening in the story. We will often even sneak in hidden Easter egg sounds, such as Red-winged Blackbirds, because they remind Executive Producer David Skelly of his childhood home in Michigan.
If you were transported to Byjovia, which character would you be besties with?
Definitely Millie. I love her chaotic energy!
A conversation with Re-recording Mixer & Boom box Post co-owner, Jeff Shiffman
From a mixer’s point of view, what sets Max & The Midknights apart from other series you’ve mixed?
The world-building of the series is extremely dense, which calls for very dense and detailed sound design. Brad Meyer and his team do an incredible job of covering each and every detail, but it does mean there’s a lot of material to go through. Balancing that work with a relatively consistent score (often driving rock music) makes the action beats a real challenge. That being said, the producers are not afraid of quiet in the show, so we take the time to find moments to pull back on score and really let that world-building shine. Those are some of my favorite times in the series, where the textures truly shine through in the mix.
There’s a TON of score in this series, often times in the form of big, epic rock and roll numbers. Could you discuss how you approach mixing the music?
Indeed the rock montages are the most challenging. Whenever a sequence or montage has a driving beat, I find fader moves on the music are often very transparent. That being said, you’ve got to find a way to clear dialogue. My solution, which I discovered and honed specifically on this series, is to group all of the non-percussion stems, making my fader moves on those stems alone and leaving the drums at a steady level. It’s amazing how much this simple trick fools the ear. The mid-range frequencies that tend to mask dialogue are pulled out of the way, but since the beat never changes in volume, the energy of the score stays persistent.
Do you have a favorite sequence you mixed from the nominated episode, ‘Welcome To Byjovia?’
I’m a sucker for song numbers. So may favorite moment in the episode is when they break out into the “Welcome To Byjovia” song. That being said, songs are often relatively easy sequences to mix, as you want to have deference to the original song mix. The songwriters have put countless hours into perfecting it and my job is simply to place it in the scene, possibly mess with a few moments of diagetic vs non-diagetic singing and pepper in the sound effects without getting in the way.My favorite challenge however was the cold open. From the moment I opened the mix, I knew exactly what the producers were going for. The dragon sequence, with driving rock music and epic slo-mo would set the tone of the entire series. All cards on the table, here we are, in your face! I’m extremely proud of how it turned out.
What are some of the biggest challenges you face in mixing this series from a technical and storytelling standpoint?
On the technical side, I’m acutely aware of volumes. Though it’s a TV show, I try to mix Max more like a feature, with moments of quiet contrasting moments of bombast. It makes it more of a challenge to get in spec but the end result is dynamic and worth the effort. From a storytelling standpoint, I’m trying to focus the audience’s attention on key moments with my mix. The show is so dense that it’s important to make hard decisions on what to lose and what to feature at any given moment.
What is the experience on the mix stage like with the creative team?
Thirty-five plus episodes in, we are all great friends. The creative team see the Boom Box Post team as true collaborators, often deferring to our opinion and expertise. That respect is so encouraging. We’re also not afraid to make jokes at each other’s expense and drop terrible puns. It’s a very congenial atmosphere, and one that came about totally organically after spending so much time together. I always look forward to my mix days on Max.
If you were transported to Byjovia, which character would you be best friends with?
I like to think Kevyn and I would get along really well. He’s such a sweet, warm-hearted character… we all need more of that in our lives. I could see us hanging out, each with a good book and a warm bowl of stew.
A big thank you to Jeff and Brad for chatting with us. Congratulations to everyone who was nominated this year and we hope to see you at the Children’s and Family Emmys!
Which series are you watching right now that you believe has emmy-worthy sound??
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