Hailing from the Sunshine Coast, Australia, The Orphaned Bee is a rising synth-rock and progressive project led by multi-instrumentalist and sound engineer Brett Tollis, whose genre-defying debut EP Thinking Without Language blends elements of progressive rock, ambient electronics, post-rock, and psychedelic soundscapes into a deeply emotional journey. Released through Bird’s Robe Records in early 2025, the EP features contributions from drummer Alex O’Toole (Meniscus) and pianist/mixer Ron Pollard (Tangled Thoughts of Leaving, Yomi Ship), whose signature sonic craftsmanship brings the record’s intricate textures and cinematic layers to life. With lush synth lines, vocoder-tinged vocals, and a meticulous production ethos, Thinking Without Language marks The Orphaned Bee as a standout new voice in Australia’s progressive and experimental scene—making Pollard’s role in shaping its immersive mix an ideal focus for this conversation.
Interview With Mix Engineer – Ron Pollard
Tell us briefly about you and how long you’ve been mixing
I’m Ron Pollard, I run Studio Sleepwalker’s Dread in North Dandalup, Western Australia. I’ve been working as a studio sound engineer professionally for about 13 years. Before that I started recording myself on the home pc when I was 10 or so. I recorded/mixed my bands first proper EP (Tiny Fragments) when I was 17. I built the first parts of the studio with my family when I was in my early 20s. The first record made there was my own band’s record called Deaden the Fields. After that I started getting asked to work with other bands
Tell us about your studio set up. (as much detail as possible…I want to intrigue all the gear nerds…haha)
My studio is currently 3 rooms. I run a suped up Imac and 2 UAD apollo 16’s in cascade for 32 live channels. One rack has 16 preamps by uad/focusrite/phoenix and the other 16 channels come from a vintage Yamaha M916 console that I’m loving lately. I have another rack largely for synths/effects and extra pres/compressors/eq from dbx/art/lexicon.
I keep my OG Korg MS10, Yamaha cs10 and Studio Electronics Se1x synths close by for filtering. Sometimes I use them to add bite and gain to a part, or sometimes just to isolate and boost the sub elements of the kick. This record was mixed on a humble pair of Adam Audio T7vs and an avantone mix cube. I have a ton of plugins that I love but some of the most critical on this record were the brainworx clone of the Vertigo VSM-3 and the Abbey Road Saturator. I also used True Iron quite a lot for in the box bus glue on the tracks that weren’t stem mixed outboard.
Tell us about your mixing process. What’s your starting point when you start mixing?
For this project, the first thing was making sense of the many stereo channels, getting them in groups of relatives and doing all the patching. I would mark potential automation points for the structure of that particular song on all the main channels and busses. I like to get the technical and less creative stuff out of the way, so when inspiration strikes I can go with the flow. While I’m doing that, I’m getting to hear each channel individually and I’d start to get an impression of what layers are really calling to me, or what layers are likely critical to the songs strength. I’ll cut a quick drum mix, feeling free to try out my first impressions. I’ll then blend in the bass and start bringing up the volume on the aux busses holding the synths/orchestral/guitar/vocals. At that point, it’s generally pretty obvious what needs more attention. With this project, there were a lot of layers so I needed to ensure everything had its own space. Once I felt I had a strong mix, even if it wasn’t quite finished, I’d send that off to Brett and wait for his input. We’d then bounce back and forth, discussing dream scenarios or things that are perfect as is. Sometimes he’d ask for more when there was no more to give on the path we were on, but I really enjoy the challenge of finding a creative solution to fitting monstrous layers under the headroom we had.
Do you rely more on mixing in the box (ITB), or do you prefer to use analog hardware?
Both. Being able to do the technical stuff ITB on a project like this saves hundreds of hours. All the compression and a lot of eq/reverb was done ITB. I will get my initial mix going in protools, then send the mix out as stems to my Yamaha M916. This gives me a more hands on approach, freshens my brain up a bit, simplifies things and also gives me that glue from the warm transformers on that thing. On the song Fire I mixed the drums nearly completely on the outboard desk. I sampled snares from other tracks on the EP, plus a sample of a snare sound on an organ in my studio and would blend that in during various parts of Fire. I also think Rain really benefited from the M916s EQ being pushed a bit too hot before the master. On the M916 I also had a vintage boss chorus as an insert on one channel, sometimes I’d use for synth bass or synth leads, mainly for the unique distortion and hardness it created when used as an insert. The reverb connected to the desk was an outboard lexicon mx200. That got used on backbeat and synth leads. It’s an inexpensive old reverb rack, but I’ve always loved it.
Regarding the The Orphaned Bee Project:
How involved were you in the creative process?
The songs arrived as finished compositions but there are so many different terrains and styles covered in the EP. Sometimes it’s a genre switch up between songs, and at other points 2 or more styles are being slammed together at once.
This variation opens the door to interpretation from a mixing perspective. I’d often send a few options giving different angles of the mix, sometimes trying more radical stuff on the mix. Brett gave me the green light to add extra effects or even extra synth/noise parts. I used some of my vintage synths to filter some elements, add white noise patterns percussively or to create distorted pitched bass stabs to support kicks. I also recorded some piano at the end of Rain that turned out really cool. Brett gave me the task of adding some intrigue at the end of Rain that becomes more intense at even intervals. The left hand chords are played on a roland rd700sx, but all the remaining layers are performed on a yamaha upright piano with palm muting to get a more plucked tone.
There are some unique sounds in the recording, tell us about how you created them.
The ep itself is so unique and curious sounding. For me it was just about helping it along its way. I got to use old synths to filter layers, a vintage console to warm or overheat things. I got to get creative with drum panning, and combine that with newly created white noise sequences. I spread vocal screams far and wide the Valhalla Supermassive, and gave breath to synths using the classic TALverb or by heading outboard to the lexicon mx200. I took inspiration from Neu Neu and Mew when it came to the feeling of the repetitive tight drums and lush soundscapes.
What challenges did you have?
There are always a lot of little challenges in putting a busy mix together. I like to have a dedicated block to really get my head in the record and let it talk to me. Some of the main challenges came from how to present the acoustic and electronic elements together. The drums were all recorded acoustically but the rest of the mix is nearly completely electronic/midi instruments. So finding an exaggerated but tight drum sound to meet up perfectly with the walls of synths and vocoders was critical. A lot of the synths were warmed up with plugin saturation or just ran a little too hot on the desk.
Was there a high channel count?
There were a ton of channels which I personally enjoy hah! On the final record, a lot blends together to create walls and textures but those walls are made by layering a lot of synths, with a lot of aux inputs for automating lush and long reverbs.
You are also a musician. How does that impact the way you mix records?
I think the biggest thing is that playing music was the first thing that taught me how to recognise that feeling of inspiration. The feeling when a piece of art you’re involved with really speaks to you. When I’m putting together the first and very basic elements of a new mix, that’s the feeling I’m looking for. Once I find that energy unique to this record, I stay with it until it’s complete.
What grabbed you and made you want to mix this EP?
Brett and I caught up when he was live mixing my band (TToL) while supporting Russian Circles in Sydney/Brisbane in 2024. He briefly mentioned his solo work and I was intrigued. Later in the year he sent me some songs to check out and I found it such a fun listen. I also hadn’t really mixed a record quite like this before, despite the crossover of genres still being relevant to me. There are walls of synths, odd time drums, heavy guitars, vocoders and feels. My body was ready.
Is there a particular technique or element you feel is a “signature” of your work?
It’s hard to pin down. There are definitely some tonal consistencies in a lot of the mixes I’ve done over the years. I like loud overhead mics on the kit, I love a huge kick drum. I love flirting with the lofi/hifi juxtaposition. I think most of all I try to make sure everything I work on has a feeling of being crafted and of having great and clear intent. I want to find what makes that record tick, and then do that, be that.
Who are your favorite engineers/producers and why?
Pelle Henricsson because of the early inspiration from his work with Cult of Luna/Poison The Well etc. Same with Kurt Ballou. Most of the stuff Trent Reznor has produced had a big impact on me, likewise Brian Eno/Ben Frost. I’ve also taken some inspiration from Mike Dean’s production over the years when it comes to blown out synths and massive bass.
How did you strike the balance between a fresh and modern sound and the other influences eg 80s
This current era feels like a massive melting pot where artists are often looking to blend vintage vibes with modern sounds. Who doesn’t love an 80s style tom with pre delay or a tight 70s snare with lots of bottom mic, and why not add some modern soft synths and odd time drums?!
What would you have done differently if you had more time and more budget for this EP?
Oh! Get the midi files for all the synth parts, fly Brett over, run a monster midi interface with lots of outputs to a room full of hardware synths.
Which other artists have you worked with?
I’ve worked with so many interesting artists but some of my recent favourites include mixing the debut Yomi Ship album, the last few Mt Mountain records that were made here and I’m currently mixing an album by Halo of Teeth that is going to eat the universe.
Links to Listen
Bandcamp
Spotify
Youtube
Soundcloud
Links to The Orphaned Bee Social Media
Instagram
Facebook
Youtube
Links to Ron Pollard
Studio Sleepwalker’s Dread
Studio Sleepwalker’s Dread E-Mail
Tangled Thoughts Of Leaving