---
title: "Some Kind Of Voltage with Rob Maile (AEA Microphones)"

description: "Rob’s a producer-engineer & classically-trained musician. He produced his first record just last year. His DIY spirit and engineering chops combine for a unique mix of science and magic. An alchemy of the recording studio. He’s modded and restored classic gear. Builds microphones at his day job (at the legendary AEA Microphones in Los Angeles). And is passionate about pairing the right tech with the right moment."

status: complete

date: 2026-05-05

kind: guest

guestSlugs:
  - rob-maile

listenUrl: "https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/lovemusicmore/episodes/Some-Kind-Of-Voltage-with-Rob-Maile-AEA-Microphones-e3iqjrj"

lmwUrl: "https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=THv0oMFdSyo"
appleUrl: "https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/some-kind-of-voltage-with-rob-maile-aea-microphones/id1567355195?i=1000766189060&uo=4"
spotifyUrl: "https://open.spotify.com/episode/5p01nZDlWmYl09LMttmKGE"
youtubeUrl: "https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f0FMjtTyXC0"

topicsDiscussed:
  - "Microphones"
  - "Analog"
  - "Music production"
  - "Electronic music"
  - "Genre"
  - "Music theory"
  - "Microphone technology at AEA"
  - "Creating unique sounds with vintage gear"
  - "Navigating a music career"
  - "Fusing electronic and acoustic elements"
  - "The emotional resonance of music"

hostNote: |
  **Rob Maile** builds microphones at **AEA Microphones** in Los Angeles by day and produces and engineers records with a classically trained ear and a DIY spirit. He forged most of what he knows from people and from connecting, not from a single linear path: and that self-directed formation shapes how he thinks about gear and capturing sound.
  
  We get into the physics first: microphones are transducers, they translate sound into electricity, and dynamic mics and speakers are built from the same components (coil and magnet), which means you can use a speaker as a microphone if you know what you’re doing. Rob walks through ribbon microphones, why analog low-end is an underexplored area of recording, and the kind of non-traditional experiments that produce interesting results when you stop treating the signal chain as fixed.
  
  We also talk about the Pultec — "almost an instrument on its own", the intersection of professional gear and DIY thinking, and what it means that music is one of the things that makes us continue existing: the stories that hold people together, especially when everything else is uncertain.

selectedMoments:
  - label: "Rob introduces his role in the industry"
    startSec: 116
    note: "Rob shares his background as a producer-engineer and his work with AEA Microphones."
  - label: "Understanding dynamic and ribbon microphones"
    startSec: 198
    note: "A deep dive into the mechanics of different microphone types and their uses."
  - label: "Connecting microphones with speakers"
    startSec: 287
    note: "Rob discusses the relationship between microphones and speakers and creative DIY solutions."
  - label: "Non-traditional recording techniques"
    startSec: 531
    note: "Rob shares insights on unconventional techniques in capturing low-end sound."
  - label: "Combining instruments with unique miking techniques"
    startSec: 942
    note: "Rob reflects on the process of integrating various instruments during recording."
  - label: "The intersection of professional and DIY gear"
    startSec: 1273
    note: "Discussion on how professional recording gear influences his creative decisions."
  - label: "Exploring the emotional dimension of recording"
    startSec: 2635
    note: "Rob articulates how music serves as a unifying force in society."

excerptQuotes:
  - text: "So I'm a producer-engineer located in the Los Angeles area. I went to Musicians Institute in Hollywood."
    startSec: 125
    reviewed: true
  - text: "Microphones are a type of transducer, which is an electrical device that translates sound into electricity."
    startSec: 197
    reviewed: true
  - text: "Dynamic mics are made of a coil and a magnet... speakers use the same components."
    startSec: 309
    reviewed: true
  - text: "I've found some interesting, cool results doing that, just experimenting. Non-traditional low-end is an underexplored part of music recording."
    startSec: 514
    reviewed: true
  - text: "I kind of had to forge it for myself... most of my knowledge that I obtained... I got from people and from connecting."
    startSec: 928
    reviewed: true
  - text: "The Poltec is such a musical piece of gear. It's almost an instrument on its own."
    startSec: 1441
    reviewed: true
  - text: "Music has always been one of those things during the pandemic... that's what makes us continue existing is things that tell our stories."
    startSec: 2637
    reviewed: true

faq:
  - question: "What is Rob Maile's role at AEA Microphones?"
    answer: "Rob Maile is a producer-engineer who builds microphones at AEA Microphones in Los Angeles."
  - question: "How can I create unique sounds in music production?"
    answer: "Explore non-traditional recording techniques and utilize vintage gear to capture distinct sounds."
  - question: "What are the differences between dynamic and ribbon microphones?"
    answer: "Dynamic microphones use a coil and magnet, whereas ribbon microphones use a thin strip of metal suspended between magnets."

transcriptPublished: false

draft: false
---