Mike Schmid is a Los Angeles based singer/songwriter as well as the keyboardist for pop sensation Miley Cyrus. He has also played with the Jonas Brothers, Billy Ray Cyrus, Sheryl Crow, Kenna, Chantal Kreviazuk, Ed King, Jeffrey Steele, Van Hunt, Aly & AJ and the Corrs as well as many independent singer/songwriters, such as Connie Kim, Right the Stars and Renee Stahl. His songs have been played on "So You Think You Can Dance," "The Real World," "All My Children," "The Bad Girls Club," "Felicity," "The Black Donnellys" and more.
Mike Schmid
Mike Schmid - My Nocturn
Mike is currently touring with Miley and about to release his 5th solo album, which also happens to a kids album, "Let It Out": a record of songs for children of all ages. Mike recently got his hands on Novation’s Nocturn controller and had nothing but good things to say about it.
“With Miley I use a Roland Fantom G8, V-Synth GT and AX Synth, and in my studio I use a Nord Electro-3, NI's Maschine, Mackie Control, and lots of plugins. But of course I'm currently obsessed with my Novation Nocturn. I plugged it in and started automating delays on a tune. Made it sound like a million bucks in about 5 minutes.
It fills a very specific need for me. I have limited desk space and wanted to be able to automate my virtual instruments and plugins without my mouse. Using the mouse engages me visually in a way that is unproductive. I like the old way: closing my eyes and moving a knob till it sounds right. The Nocturn is my little piece of dream gear. The build quality is very sturdy, the knobs all feel good and it's super easy to use. My mixes sound better because I'm just listening, instead of looking at numbers. And it's so much faster!
I was attracted to Novation gear because of the great craftsmanship and good integration with Logic. I love Automap! It’s so easy to map new controls on the fly. Speed dial rocks for quick adjustments. The ease of assigning controls is pretty amazing. Also, the whole package is much more slick and intuitive than anything else I've used.
Novation’s Nocturn has completely revolutionized the way I work. It has become an extension of my brain. Feels like a body part. It has made my mixes sound better and take less time. And it's way more fun.”