A Conversation With Yukihiro Carmichael

By Nathan Park, June 29, 2023

Yukihiro Carmichael is a producer, multi-instrumentalist, remixer, and professor at the Berklee
College of Music. He has worked with Netflix to compose the music for the massively popular
anime Dr. Stone, recorded and mixed music for the Final Fantasy series, and toured with the Red
Hot Chili Peppers. His production work has landed him the number one spot on Japanese jazz
album charts and UK soul charts.

Interview conducted and condensed by Nathan Park

Q. How did you first get into music production, and was there anyone that inspired you to start
producing or learning?

A. When I was a kid, I was surrounded by a lot of synthesizers and drum machines and all the instruments at my music school. The class had a lot of different toys, like DX Seven synthesizers, bass guitars, drums and bongos. I was interested in playing all of them when I was maybe ten or eleven. I used to take piano and organ lessons at the Yamaha Music School in Japan, and this school had so many different instruments. I just touched all kinds of instruments and made noises– I played a bass line on the DX Seven and I still remember. I was like, oh, wow, this is a synth bass? Damn, this sounds so cool! I was just exposed to making noise at the Yamaha Music School. Sometimes I would keep tapping the table for hours and hours and hours when I was kid, just because I loved making noise. My teacher was a multi-instrumentalist, so I got the essence of bass, guitar, percussion, toys, drums, and basic rhythm patterns, and how to program in drums, synthesizers, drum machines, bass, synthesizers, electric piano, organ, and of course, piano. My music school had an ensemble lesson that incorporated speech, singing, rhythm, and musical vocabulary. It was like rapping, or drumming, even like beatboxing– like Bobby Mcferrin. I learned music this way, more hands on, working with sound, timber, dynamics, pitch, and groove. But my love of music comes from when I used to go to music school when I was four. I know this is funny, but I asked my mom how to become a ninja. My mom tricked me and told me I had to go to swimming school and music school to become a ninja. And I was super innocent, so I believed it. So I practiced piano very hard and swam every day. I believed that I would become a ninja until the age of six or something like that, but by that time, I was already loving it. It’s my perfect story to share. But since I was a kid, I learned how to not just enjoy music– listening to music is a very easy tool for you to enjoy in your life, but playing and expressing something through your instruments is another thing. Communicating through your instrument is key. Music is a tool for communication– even thousands of years ago, people communicated through sound, like drums, not just language. I had the skill set to use music as a way of communication, even since I was a kid.

Q. After you learned those producing and instrumentation skills, how did you begin to get into

the music industry and start producing and composing for recording artists and companies?

A. I started on a cheap Casio programming keyboard when I was 11. I started making beats and little rhythms to play chords on top of– super cheesy and not very good. But when I was a kid, that was a big deal. I was like, oh, man, I’m so cool. I started rapping on them and making mix tapes, using my grandmother’s karaoke machine. After school, I was into making music with the other kids in town, and I got into jazz, fusion, disco, and even Latin jazz. My buddy played drums and I went to his lesson and I was just there to listen and catch the vibe. I was into those Latin rhythms and punk rhythms, all kinds of rhythmic details. So before I was a musician, I was a rythmician. There were a few breaking points in my career. I was lucky to have those breaking points by accident because of a friend of mine who worked for an actor’s agency. Through those connections, he introduced me to a lot of different professional rappers. We just hung out with them and made music. Later, I decided to go to Berkeley when I was 19. By that time, I had a little club gig in town, and through that, I found a few people who were interested in working with me. Not famous, but semi-pro level musicians. I ended up sending one of my mixes to a competition in the US. This rap music competition was held by a famous music magazine called The Source. But that year I won that competition, and I decided to make music my career. So I used to have a bunch of CD’s sitting in my closet filled with my music and I would always just pass them out for free. I never forgot to bring my demo CD’s anywhere. Every single time, I just presented myself as a music provider. But enjoying music is very, very casual. Sharing music is very, very casual. The problem of some young musicians is that sharing their music is not easy for them. For me, sharing my beats or playing my piano in front of someone is super easy. I would be like “I have a melody I came up with this morning, can I play it for you?” I used to stand there in front of everybody, like my grandfather, dad, mom, and younger brother and show them melodies I came up with. “Can I play for you?” This was the same for my beats and mixes. My door is always wide open for playing my music for someone– I like to jam with people whenever I can. “Oh, you play bass? Okay, let’s play. Oh, you play drums? Okay, let’s jam.” I’m not a perfect guitar player. I’m not a perfect bass player. But, at least I can make some noise. And through jams, you get to know little rhythms to play chords on top of– super cheesy and not very good. But when I was a kid, that was a big deal. I was like, oh, man, I’m so cool. I started rapping on them and making mix tapes, using my grandmother’s karaoke machine. After school, I was into making music with the other kids in town, and I got into jazz, fusion, disco, and even Latin jazz. My buddy played drums and I went to his lesson and I was just there to listen and catch the vibe. I was into those Latin rhythms and punk rhythms, all kinds of rhythmic details. So before I was a musician, I was a rythmician.

Q. Do you have any tips, ideas, or resources for new producers– especially if they’re trying to

pursue a career?

A. The first tip is to not think about your career and make more music first. The second tip is to have a supporting mentality rather than a surviving mentality. Do your best for your craft, because if you keep making music you will get better no matter what. This is the beauty of music. Make sure to support people too. There are a lot of people who need support in this music industry, so have a supportive mentality. Music is teamwork. Someone needs to hear your music, someone has to make the noise, it’s a cycle. have a supporting mentality rather than a surviving mentality. Do your best for your craft, because if you keep making music you will get better no matter what. This is the beauty of music. Make sure to support people too. There are a lot of people who need support in this music industry, so have a supportive mentality. Music is teamwork. Someone needs to hear your music, someone has to make the noise, it’s a cycle.

Q. I saw you worked on the Dr. Stone Soundtrack for Netflix! What’s your process when you’re
composing music, especially for TV shows and video media?

A. One day, my director said “can you make music for Dr. Stone? Can you make a storm sound, something like that?” So what I do is I think about the sound I need to replicate. What’s the noise of the storm? What’s the sound? Then I try to mimic the sound, listen, then go back. And I repeat that. So making music for film, animation, TV commercials, jingles, and soundtracks and stuff, you should be ready for revisions. I usually came up with a lot of different versions all with different beats, tempos, keys, melody, styles. One melody could be rock, punk, soul, disco, boogie, classical, contemporary classical, baroque, latin, or indie rock… all kinds of styles. You figure out what vibe they [directors] are looking for. You compose by vision. You also need to come up with an atmosphere. Simplicity could be one dimension, craziness could be another, and sadness has its own dimension too. The same melody can have another interpretation. Even with just the piano, I can go different ways. I use drums differently, and bass and guitar are complex. You’re the one to control the vibe, you need to communicate it and conduct it. Do you want it to go deeper? Do you want it to be sad? What sadness? Italian sadness, French sadness, Japanese sadness, Studio Ghibli style sadness, Director Kitano Takeshi style sadness, or Steven Spielberg sadness? It all sounds different. So we need to deal with what vibe they’re going for. with different beats, tempos, keys, melody, styles. One melody could be rock, punk, soul, disco, boogie, classical, contemporary classical, baroque, latin, or indie rock… all kinds of styles. You figure out what vibe they [directors] are looking for. You compose by vision. You also need to come up with an atmosphere. Simplicity could be one dimension, craziness could be another, and sadness has its own dimension too. The same melody can have another interpretation. Even with just the piano, I can go different ways. I use drums differently, and bass and guitar are complex. You’re the one to control the vibe, you need to communicate it and conduct it. Do you want it to go deeper? Do you want it to be sad? What sadness? Italian sadness, French sadness, Japanese sadness, Studio Ghibli style sadness, Director Kitano Takeshi style sadness, or Steven Spielberg sadness? It all sounds different. So we need to deal with what vibe they’re going for.

Q. Do you have a favorite music DAW or do you strictly use live instruments?

A. I have four all-time favorite DAWs: Cubase, Logic, Ableton Live, and ProTools. For me, I’m not using only one. They all have their benefits. ProTools has very high fidelity audio information, but lacks midi function. Cubase and Logic have strong midi functions. For tempo changing functions, Logic is stronger than Cubase, I think. Logic has a lot of software instruments too. When I submit to the mixing engineer, I usually use ProTools. I like programming beats both on Logic and Cubase, but I like the function and mixing tools for beats on Ableton a lot. At the end of the day, the DAW is just a tool that you use to support.