Tayte Nickols on turning dyslexia into his producing superpower

Named MPG Breakthrough Producer of The Year winner in 2024, Tayte Nickols is a sought-after producer for emerging musical artists in the U.K. and around the world. His early forays into recording and production included an internship at Catalyst Studios where he would learn the Pro Tools platform. By age 23, he would become one of the youngest commercial studio owners in England with the opening of Mad Fox in Manchester. 

Here, he reveals how he turned his dyslexia into his producing superpower, how he overcame imposter syndrome, and provides an insight into his favourite microphones, which comprise an AUDIX multi-mic FP7 Fusion kit on drums; the SCX25A on piano, overhead duties and other acoustic sources; the A133 large-diaphragm condenser on vocals and acoustic guitar, and the new D6X on kick drums and toms.

Congratulations on your MPG win for Breakthrough Producer of 2024.

I won that in the earlier part of last year. It was so nice to be recognised for my work. All I really do is find bands that are up-and-coming, grassroots, talented but perhaps not doing much, and I try to develop them. That was lovely.

When and where did AUDIX microphones come into the picture?

My first full drum mic set was one of the AUDIX Fusion series, the FP7 I believe. It included the F9 condensers, which are pencil mics that I still use to this day. At Catalyst Studios, I had a three-month internship with an accomplished producer called Sugarhouse. He always used a D6 as his kick drum mic and an i5 on the snare. 

So, when I started to get set up, I knew they were great, and not crazy money, either. Then I saw the Fusion series kit and thought it would be a very good jumping-off point. The D2 and D4 became my go-to tom mics. 

As my business started doing better, I started upgrading to your higher range of mics. I always request the D6 if I’m working in a commercial studio, because you put it in front of the kick, or a bass guitar cabinet, and it just works. I should have brought my D6 coffee mug for this Zoom call!

Which mics do you use as drum overheads?

The ones that look like a lollipop — the SCX25A. I don’t think they’re specifically sculpted for drums, but whether I have them in a standard overhead configuration or in X/Y, which I’ll sometimes do, they just sound right. 

The cymbals and snare cut really nicely in them, but they stay warm and don’t get too sharp or strident, which can happen with a lot of condensers as overheads. They created a nice stereo picture of the kit with very little effort needed.

Have you tried the SCX25A on piano?

My production room in Camden is quite small. There’s a drum kit on one side and an upright piano on the other. So, I’ll often turn the drum overheads around and just put them on the piano. They have the same warmth in the treble range but pick up a lot of detail, like just the right amount of the fingers on the keys and the mechanical noises of the piano.

With AUDIX mics in general, how much EQ and/or dynamics processing do you find you need after the fact?

The D6 is amazingly sculpted for kick right out of the box, but I like to push things in that direction even further. I suppose what I’m saying is, yes, I do EQ quite a bit, but with AUDIX mics it’s to enhance what they’re already doing, not to compensate for what they’re not doing.

You also use the A133 on vocals, correct?

On vocals, yes, and I’ve been using it outside the kick drum in conjunction with the D6 inside. For vocals I find that what someone sings into the A133 is what I get out of it. It’s straightforward and truthful, and helps me instead of hindering me. It’s next to impossible to f*** up vocals with that mic, and next to impossible to botch recording any source with AUDIX in general!

How have you been using the new D6X?

Sometimes, I’d need to swap mics or tweak settings to get the extra mids or tame an airy kick sound. But not anymore – now I just flip to the middle setting, and boom, all the mids I need are there. 

In my production room, I’m a “set-it-and-forget-it” kind of guy. Switching out mics used to kill my creative flow and slow down sessions, but now I can change the sound with a flick of a switch. I’ve also found that the D6X is way more usable on toms. Those extra filtering options really make a difference!

How has your dyslexia affected your music production journey?

It’s been a huge part of who I am because it was such an obstacle to work around. It hasn't been an obstacle for learning how to use, say, a mixing console though, which is laid out in a very orderly visual fashion. 

There's something quite lovely about it, which is that when I’m in the music and in the act of producing and recording, I’m not overthinking things. Which I tend to do otherwise. I don’t think I’d be the music producer I am if I weren’t dyslexic.

What advice would present-day you give to your younger self when you were just starting out in music?

I’d tell myself to beware of impostor syndrome. The first several times you get it, you want to quit. I’d tell myself to just keep going for it, because I’ve since learned that even some of the most talented people in the industry get it. I still do, sometimes quite badly. 

But I try to reframe it as wanting to improve. Not that I’m not any good, but that however much we achieve, the best mindset is that you’re forever a student and there’s always something new to learn. We’re all making up life as we go along. It’s like jazz.