Mikael Andersson

Hi!

My name is Mikael Andersson and I’m born in a town called Ängelholm in Sweden. As a person growing up in the 70’s and 80’s, I was heavily influenced by the music of that era. Especially disco, pop, and synth. I tried to listen to some rock music back then, but generally I didn't like it. But that has drastically changed over the years, where I now occasionally listen to both heavy metal and rock. Thanks to my father I also got to appreciate classical music too. I’ve always loved to sing and I realised early that I had the ability to do so. My mother would encourage me, and that led me to be part of the school choir. The problem was, that I was extremely shy and wasn’t really comfortable singing in front of people outside my own family. That made me underperform and withdraw by singing so quitely that the others in the choir couldn’t hear me. When I became a teen, I started to make my own

money, working at my fathers workplace during the summer. During the same time I got my first computer which was a VIC-20, which I later upgraded to a Commodore 64. Later I bought my first stereo and started to buy my own records. But my computer interest was something that completely took over for a period. I learned programming, like basic and a little bit of assembly language. But at some point during the mid 80’s I came across a simple program where you could make music with the Commodore 64 and I remember that I was facinated about it. I couldn’t play any instruments and have never tried to learn one either, so this was a new way to create music. But of course, this was more are less a toy with that 8-bit sound and you had only 3 channels to play around with. To make real music with real hardware was extremely expensive and wasn’t anything that average people could afford at the time. But at least it planted a ”seed” in my mind for the future. A few years later I built my own PA speakers and bought a powerful amplifyer and two DJ turntables with a 5 channel mixer which I learned to mix on. I then started to play at some schoolpartys and other events. As time went by, I got to know, through a friend, a DJ who was working in a nightclub in Helsingborg. When he was going on a short holiday, I got the chance to fill in for him and that was really fun. But even though I was grateful for the chance to do this, it wasn’t enough for me to just play other artists music by mixing them in a nightclub. It wasn't creative enough, because my inner desire was to make my own music instead. So around

the ability to do so. My mother would encourage me, and that led me to be part of the school choir. The problem was, that I was extremely shy and wasn’t really comfortable singing in front of people outside my own family. That made me underperform and withdraw by singing so quitely that the others in the choir couldn’t hear me. When I became a teen, I started to make my own money, working at my fathers workplace during the summer. During the same time I got my first computer which was a VIC-20, which I later upgraded to a Commodore 64. Later I bought my first stereo and started to buy my own records. But my computer interest was something that completely took over for a period. I learned programming, like basic and a little bit of assembly language. But at some point during the mid 80’s I came across a simple program where you could make music with the Commodore 64 and I remember that I was facinated about it. I couldn’t

1987 I did some "research" on what was available at the time and to what cost. I then discovered that it was finally possible for me to buy a setup that I wanted to produce my own music at home. So I bought an Atari 520st, the midi software PRO-24 and the Yamaha DS55 FM-synth. I then used the mixer I had since my DJ time to connect everything and recorded what I did onto a cassett tape. I had to teach myself the basics of how to play the keybord, but the whole idea of the setup was that I did’t had to be a virtouse to make music and only needed the basics skills to start out, thanks to the early midi software like PRO-24. So the equipment grew as the time went by. The first thing I bought shortly after the initial setup was a drummachine, because the synth didn’t have any drums. I got a Yamaha RX-11 which I was very happy with. After that I bought a reverb and a delay effect. It would take a lot of trials and errors to finish my first song in the first album 1988-1992. First, I had to learn the basic structure and harmonies by listening to other music a lot. This was a technical way of listening which I hadn’t done before. Today, you can get a

play any instruments and have never tried to learn one either, so this was a new way to create music. But of course, this was more are less a toy with that 8-bit sound and you had only 3 channels to play around with. To make real music with real hardware was extremely expensive and wasn’t anything that average people could afford at the time. But at least it planted a ”seed” in my mind for the future. A few years later I built my own PA speakers and bought a powerful amplifyer and two DJ turntables with a 5 channel mixer which I learned to mix on. I then started to play at some schoolpartys and other events. As time went by, I got to know, through a

ton of information to help you through on Youtube and other channels or read some other content online. Information that was much harder to come by at the time before the internet. But I manage to figure it out and that resulted in my first song, which eventually became my first album of 15 songs. The starting year of the second album was also the year when I bought a new synth and a new drummachine. I got the Roland JV-30 and the Boss DR-660 together with an Behringer exciter. I also ditched PRO-24 and bought the light version of Cubase called Cubeat. That meant that the basic GUI and workflow became the same that most of us are used to in todays DAWs, and I have been using Cubase ever since. Once I’ve started on this route on music-production, it has become a way of life and a calling. These days I don’t care so much if people like my music or not, like I used to. Because, what I’ve created, and is still creating, is a part of me and who I am. It also feels like a way of leaving something behind when I leave this life. The music I make today, in my own humble opinion, is way better produced than the music I made

friend, a DJ who was working in a nightclub in Helsingborg. When he was going on a short holiday, I got the chance to fill in for him and that was really fun. But even though I was grateful for the chance to do this, it wasn’t enough for me to just play other artists music by mixing them in a nightclub. It wasn't creative enough, because my inner desire was to make my own music instead. So around 1987 I did some "research" on what was available at the time and to what cost. I then discovered that it was finally possible for me to buy a setup that I wanted to produce my own music at home. So I bought an Atari 520st, the midi software PRO-24 and the

when I started out. I now know a little bit of music theory and how to better arrange a song. My mixingskills are lightyears better than the early days, but it's also thanks to the tools available today that is necessary for mixing. I’m also starting to become somewhat decent at mastering. But if people still doesn’t like what I do, it wont make it or break it for me at all. There’s a lot of jelaous people out there who have never even come close to music production and still think they have all the answers. If people can cheer you on and lift you up when you're doing other activities in life you certainly should get that in music production too, without people putting you down. It's better to surround yourself with the right people who lifts you up and encourage you but can also give constructive critisism. Everyone has been a beginner in the past and have a different level of talent. So I will always strive to get better at what I’m doing. Today I’m using Distrokid to release my new music on the major plattforms and I’m so grateful that I live in a time where all the music production tools that previously where reserved for the big record companies and

Yamaha DS55 FM-synth. I then used the mixer I had since my DJ time to connect everything and recorded what I did onto a cassett tape. I had to teach myself the basics of how to play the keybord, but the whole idea of the setup was that I did’t had to be a virtouse to make music and only needed the basics skills to start out, thanks to the early midi software like PRO-24. So the equipment grew as the time went by. The first thing I bought shortly after the initial setup was a drummachine, because the synth didn’t have any drums. I got a Yamaha RX-11 which I was very happy with. After that I bought a reverb and a delay effect. It would take a

studios are today available for avarage people. That's really awsome! Unfortunally I had many years, where I didn’t do any music at all, or at least very little of it and that was mostly because of my struggles with addiction. But when I finally got help and turned my life around, I actually moved to Thailand in 2010 where I worked as a diveinstructor. That gave me very little time with music production along with my changed priorities, being in Thailand and everything. But at least I brought with me the necessary equipment from Sweden. Then the pandemic hit 2020 and all the tourists disappeared. So I had no income for 7 months and had to move back to Sweden again. When I got back, I got a job and started to slowly build up a new studio which has become the best setup ever, and I'm super happy with it. So the music I put up here for free, I really want to share with you for nostalgic purposes only and has taken me 11 months to complete. But instead of just uploading the original songs that was originally taken from cassett tape, I wanted to do the songs some justice by doing a remake of them all. The originals had a degraded sound

lot of trials and errors to finish my first song in the first album 1988-1992. First, I had to learn the basic structure and harmonies by listening to other music a lot. This was a technical way of listening which I hadn’t done before. Today, you can get a ton of information to help you through on Youtube and other channels or read some other content online. Information that was much harder to come by at the time before the internet. But I manage to figure it out and that resulted in my first song, which eventually became my first album of 15 songs. The starting year of the second album was also the year when I bought a new synth and a new drummachine.

because I waited too long before I made them digital and of course they had the mixing skills and the sound of a beginner. Thankfully I had almost all of the midi-files saved since then. Some songs I had to recreate from ground up and that took a lot of work. But the most imortant thing for me, was that I was going to be true to the original when it came to the sounds and also not make it too good, so they really reflected the era that they where made in. I even found the impulse responses for the reverb I had at the time. However I could’t resist to put some vocoder on some instrumental songs. Obviously inspired by Koto and Laserdance. Ha! ha! And I also added some small extras, with additional drumfills and so on to make it a little more interesting. Today we are spoiled with an almost limitless number of tracks that we can use. Only the performance of the computer sets the limit for modern productions. So the music back then, had to be minimalistic compared to now. The pictures on this page shows a little bit of my setup from different years until now. Unfortunally I have no photos from my first setup in my family home when I was

I got the Roland JV-30 and the Boss DR-660 together with an Behringer exciter. I also ditched PRO-24 and bought the light version of Cubase called Cubeat. That meant that the basic GUI and workflow became the same that most of us are used to in todays DAWs, and I have been using Cubase ever since. Once I’ve started on this route on music-production, it has become a way of life and a calling. These days I don’t care so much if people like my music or not, like I used to. Because, what I’ve created, and is still creating, is a part of me and who I am. It also feels like a way of leaving something behind when I leave this life. The music I

a teenager. But you can see some of the equipment from then on the top picture.

Mikael Andersson

make today, in my own humble opinion, is way better produced than the music I made when I started out. I now know a little bit of music theory and how to better arrange a song. My mixingskills are lightyears better than the early days, but it's also thanks to the tools available today that is necessary for mixing. I’m also starting to become somewhat decent at mastering. But if people still doesn’t like what I do, it wont make it or break it for me at all. There’s a lot of jelaous people out there who have never even come close to music production and still think they have all the answers. If people can cheer you on and lift you up when you're doing other activities in life you certainly should get that in music production too, without people putting you down. It's better to surround yourself with the right people who lifts you up and encourage you but can also give constructive critisism. Everyone has been a beginner in the past and have a different level of talent. So I will always strive to get better at what I’m doing. Today I’m using Distrokid to release my new music on the major plattforms and I’m so grateful that I live in a time where all the music production tools that previously where reserved for the big record companies and studios are today available for avarage people. That's really awsome! Unfortunally I had many years, where I didn’t do any music at all, or at least very little of it and that was mostly because of my struggles with addiction. But when I finally got help and turned my life around, I actually moved to Thailand in 2010 where I worked as a diveinstructor. That gave me very little time with music production along with my changed priorities, being in Thailand and everything. But at least I brought with me the necessary equipment from Sweden. Then the pandemic hit 2020 and all the tourists disappeared. So I had no income for 7 months and had to move back to Sweden again. When I got back, I got a job and started to slowly build up a new studio which has become the best setup ever, and I'm super happy with it. So the music I put up here for free, I really want to share with you for nostalgic purposes only and has taken me 11 months to complete. But instead of just uploading the original songs that was originally taken from cassett tape, I wanted to do the songs some justice by doing a remake of them all. The originals had a degraded sound because I waited too long before I made them digital and of course they had the mixing skills and the sound of a beginner. Thankfully I had almost all of the midi-files saved since then. Some songs I had to recreate from ground up and that took a lot of work. But the most imortant thing for me, was that I was going to be true to the original when it came to the sounds and also not make it too good, so they really reflected the era that they where made in. I even found the impulse responses for the reverb I had at the time. However I could’t resist to put some vocoder on some instrumental songs. Obviously inspired by Koto and Laserdance. Ha! ha! And I also added some small extras, with additional drumfills and so on to make it a little more interesting. Today we are spoiled with an almost limitless number of tracks that we can use. Only the performance of the computer sets the limit for modern productions. So the music back then, had to be minimalistic compared to now. The pictures on this page shows a little bit of my setup from different years until now. Unfortunally I have no photos from my first setup in my family home when I was a teenager. But you can see some of the equipment from then on the top picture.

Mikael Andersson