Today we’d like to introduce you to Thanos Willey.
Hi Thanos, we’re thrilled to have a chance to learn your story today. So, before we get into specifics, maybe you can briefly walk us through how you got to where you are today?
Hello. My name is Thanos. I am named after Thanos from Marvel’s Avengers. My dad has always been a big Marvel fan. Back in 1992, he got a copy of my birth certificate signed by Stan Lee. I never met Stan; however, I have the utmost respect for him and his achievements.
Later on in 2024 I was able to meet Josh Brolin who portrayed Thanos in the Marvel Cinematic Universe and Jim Starlin who created the character in Marvel Comics. Both of them were very warm and welcoming. I was fortunate that they were nice enough to sign their signatures next to Stan Lee’s signature on the copy of my birth certificate. That’s my background with Marvel.
My interest in audio production began in 1998. Back then, my family and I visited my Uncle Robert in Port Arthur, TX. He had renovated his garage into a recording studio. He had a pearl drum set mic’d up with Shure SM57s and several Fender guitars hung on the walls by the sound booth. I was fascinated by the gear and the room. That’s where it started for me.
Not long after in 1999, I was fortunate that my uncle Pete got me a Washburn acoustic guitar. I still own and play that guitar to this day. Over the years, I continued to play guitar and studied classical singing. Eventually, I dove into audio engineering. During my senior year in high school, I started my first job working with KISD TV. That’s where I developed my skills in live sound and video production.
After I graduated, I started working at Guitar Center for a few years. I met a lot of great people there as well and made some good friends. There was one audio engineer I met when I worked there by the name of Nick Guage Todd. He mentored me when I started live sound for theatre. I learned a lot from him. Nick is one of the hardest working engineers I know. It was because of Nick and my former supervisors in KISD TV, Randy Hudson, Brad Retz & Jerry Wilson that I had a decent foundation of knowledge and experience to build on.
Eventually, I went on to mix front of house for musical theatre and artists of many genres for several years. The experience I gained working in live sound was invaluable. Although my background consisted of live sound, I had always wanted to pursue studio recording and production. That became my next step. I had the opportunity to work in KISD TV’s new recording studio in 2013 – 2016. It was a great experience.
In 2015 I attended the Art Institute of Austin to further my knowledge and education. My former teachers, George Oldziey, Marloes Polman, and Robert Nabbe, were phenomenal. I learned a lot from them. While attending the Art Institute, I was a studio maintenance tech.
I soldered cables, installed patch bays, repaired equipment, and performed maintenance on recording consoles (SSL Duality, Toft, Digidesign, etc.). From 2015 – 2018 I recorded bands, orchestras, and provided sound design services for my friend Ben Gibson’s former video production company YOUvolution in Austin, TX.
Over the last several 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 (https://thenoizfaktory.com). 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 has a strong sense of integrity.
Engineering at The Noiz Faktory is a great experience. There are several rooms that are used for lessons, songwriting, recording, mixing, mastering, and video production/editing. The gear is dialed in and the rooms sound fantastic. Some of the awesome people that I have met during my time at The Noiz Faktory include:
* Demetrio Scopelliti (Inspiria Guitars, https://inspiriaguitars.com)
* Laurent Bernadac (3DVarius, https://www.3d-varius.com)
* Juan Antonio (Juan Antonio Music https://www.juanantoniomusic.com)
* Marty “Monster” Haley (Jügülar, Ashdown Music, https://ashdownmusic.com/pages/monster)
* Nathan Chanyarlak
(- Pro Fisherman, ZPro Lithium Batteries, No Bad Days Kayak, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oe2e4xbK0G0
– https://tourneyx.com/app/profile/nchanyarlak
– Guitarist/Producer at DAYS PASS https://www.youtube.com/user/DaysPassMusic,
– EAT! – Featuring Jahred Gomes of HED PE, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ygs0L8fUMQo)
* Paula & Larry Meyer (The Red Poppy Foundation Scholarship)
* Bob DeAvila (Fleetwood Mac, Steely Dan, Emmy Award Winning Audio Engineer)
* Bjorn Englen (Soul Sign, Dio Disciples, bjornenglen.com, SoulSignBand.com)
It is a blessing to be around such good people.
Would you say it’s been a smooth road, and if not what are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced along the way?
– It has never been a smooth road. 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 grueling. 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.
– During and after finishing college, I worked in corporate av production for a few years. The drives were long, and the work was rigorous. I was at a dark point personally and under stress professionally with getting my career on track. It was March 2020 when the pandemic hit the states hard. Several of my co-workers and I at the time were furloughed or let go. Thankfully I was able to get another job and continue working. Miraculously, things worked out over time.
Alright, so let’s switch gears a bit and talk business. What should we know about your work?
– 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.
Some of my recent projects involve building and repairing gear at The Noiz Faktory Recording Studios (https://shorturl.at/LVyHz). Fixing equipment is a lot of fun and it is something I will continue doing.
What has been the most important lesson you’ve learned along your journey?
One of the people that I look up to is Tom Dowd. He was a physicist, recording engineer, and a producer. He was innovative in his use of multitrack recording and also popularising stereophonic sound. His involvement in The Manhattan Project during World War II and his achievements in the music industry are inspiring to me. One of the lessons that I learned from Tom Dowd was to work hard and stay consistent. Both are key to accomplishing goals over time.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://thenoizfaktory.com/ and https://www.thanosxproductions.com/
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thenoizfaktory/?hl=en
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/people/Thanos-X-Productions/100094377320598/
- Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/thanos-w-822390178/
- Youtube: Fixing Gear: https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLkb_xXtN-GpFEdUtlMfdP2i7blCfsiiKN&si=d7P1WQD_Hv_1Jhfx
- Other: Work Portfolio: https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLkb_xXtN-GpFajEDgvvIaBoqrgYaNxImv&si=iRyEMSwbbIzxscMY
Image Credits
Eric Meyer and Cerria Humphrey
