Spotlight on Madison Records Mix Engineer and Producer Wyatt Oates

It’s one thing to have access to some of the best equipment in the business, but even a quality console and rooms designed for optimum acoustics aren’t going to help your music shine if you don’t have the talent to put it all together. Wyatt Oates, producer and sound mix engineer for Madison Studios, comes into play. Wyatt’s unique style and technical talent help all the artists who work with him really shine, whether they’re recording for an LP or live-streaming a concert.

Wyatt found his calling in the music world when he went to school at Full Sail University in Florida. “Growing up in a small town in Georgia, I thought the only career pathway in music was as an artist or performer,” Wyatt says. “At college I learned there was so much more you could do in music, from production or engineering, to the business side of the industry. That’s when I really fell in love with producing and engineering records.”

Even before receiving formal training, Wyatt had an ear for sound. “I was always interested in albums, even concerts, where the production and sound quality were a cut above the rest,” Wyatt says. It’s something Wyatt hears intuitively, but it also comes through in the technical aspects of a recording. “When you’re listening to a really good quality record, you can turn it up as loud as you want without distortion, or listen really quiet and still hear all the elements of the song,” he says.

After college, Wyatt found a home at Tree Sound Studios, one of Atlanta’s top recording studios. While there, Wyatt had the opportunity to work side by side with many talented professionals in the business, including Andre Benjamin, Ed Roland, Brian Michael Cox and Jazze Pha. Some of the artists he has worked with include Gwen Stefani, Fergie, OutKast, Collective Soul and Mumford and Sons, among others.

In 2010, after a few years as an independent contractor, Wyatt teamed up with Tanner Hendon, helping to start Madison Records and MadRex Productions. “Tanner and I came together with a shared vision as far as music in Atlanta, where it could go, and what we could do to help it get there,” Wyatt says. “Having the opportunity to work in this studio, with the artists we do, has elevated me as a producer and engineer.” As the main mix engineer for Madison Records’ artists, Wyatt has worked with Like Machines, Chelsea Shag, Tony Lewis and Forrest Isn’t Dead to help them hone their sound and put out recordings they can be proud of.

Anyone who has worked with Wyatt knows that it’s much more than technical expertise that he brings to his work. He also a unique ability to make all different styles of music relatable to a wide audience. “So many people I ran into through the years would say they like one type of music, be it Country, Hip Hop, Pop, or whatever,” Wyatt says. “I never stayed in one genre, I’ve always been drawn to all types of music, and as a producer and engineer I really lean into that.”

Understanding the intricacies of different types of music helps Wyatt mix music to make it more interesting, whether it’s being able to blend in the sample snares that a hip hop song might have with the big guitar sound of heavy rock, or the more polished drums of today’s pop. Making all of that blend and fit together is a unique skill that really makes songs stand out. That depth of knowledge also helps him feel out what’s “hip” right now, and bring that to the studio when he’s working with artists to help their songs have what it takes to rise above the crowded field of musicians.

Wyatt knows that he owes a lot to the mentors and professionals who helped him out along the way, and now he’s taking time to pass his knowledge and skills on to the next generation of engineers through teaching and mentoring in the classroom and the studio. “The apprenticeship model is a great way to learn, and I always wanted to be able to give back some of what I was lucky to have been given. I’ve also found that I learn just as much from my peers and apprentices through the process,” Wyatt says. “These young pros coming up really keep me on my toes, just by asking why I do things a certain way or questioning a process in the industry. It’s been great for me stylistically and creatively, and I’m glad to have the opportunity.”

(L to R) Cheney Brannon (Like Machines), Tanner Hendon (Like Machines), Bob Marlette (Producer), Andrew Evans (Like Machines), Wyatt Oates