Here we have an interview with the voice actor for Dr. Robotnik in the 4Kids dub of Sonic X. Most of the questions here were done by Ego God, but some were submitted by various Sonic fans. The opinions expressed are his own, and do not necessarily reflect the views and opinions of 4Kids Entertainment or its affiliates.

SOAH: Thank you for taking the time to do this interview with me.
MIKE: No problem at all.

SOAH: First off, can you tell us a little bit about yourself and your personal life?
MIKE: Sure. I’m 38 years old, married with a 1 1/2 year-old son, I live in New Jersey, and I write song parodies and comedy bits for a radio syndicator for a living when I’m not voice acting. Lots more info at www.itsamike.com

SOAH: How did you get casted to voice Dr. Robotnik in Sonic X?
MIKE: 4Kids knew me from my previous work on Ultimate Muscle and Kirby, etc. Sonic is produced by the same folks that dub Kirby, so they brought me in for an audition. After numerous callbacks, I got the role.

SOAH: Can you tell us the kind of stuff 4Kids asked you to do in the auditions for Sonic X?
MIKE: Yup. They played me some clips of one of the games and said, “we’re looking for something like that.” I recorded some samples. Went home, worked on it a few more times, came back in a few weeks later and recorded some more. They were particularly interested in hearing the deep voiced stuff, and the slide up-and-down sound, so that’s what I focused on.

SOAH: In your personal opinion (feel free to brag on this), but why do you feel that you got chosen as Dr. Robotnik?
MIKE: Oooh, bragging rights! Since they knew me from Kirby, I’d say my work as the Mayor, Samo, Kit Cosmos, and Chef Shitake spoke for themselves, so to speak. They knew that I was good at yelling, and can go both very low and high in pitch, and that was what they wanted.

SOAH: Were you a Sonic fan before you started working on the project?
MIKE: Nope. But I am now. And I always collect merchandise of my characters, whenever possible.

SOAH: What are your standards of success in your job?
MIKE: Above all, I’ve gotta do what the director and producer want. If not, they write notes, and I have to come back and redo stuff. Beyond that, I’ve gotta have fun, and not be afraid to act like an idiot. If you’re not laughing occasionally, I’m not doing my job. I also have to strike a balance between my day job and voice acting, which can take a lot of time out of my day, and that’s a very fine line to tread.

SOAH: Keeping balance is always a hard thing to do. You mentioned before that you work for a radio syndication. What do you do exactly and how is it different from your voice acting job?
MIKE: I write comedy bits and song parodies that get sent out to radio stations around the country. I also write a prep sheet with wacky news stories and trivia bits, and a daily TV preview that makes fun of lousy stuff on TV. I also voice the comedy bits, which is very similar to the voice acting. And I get to use my writing skills at 4Kids when a line doesn’t work for some reason. I get to make minor changes to the dialog.

SOAH: In your work experience, what have you done that you consider truly creative?
MIKE: I’m pretty lucky in that I get to be creative every day. As part of the prep sheet I do, I get to write a Top Five list, and those are usually pretty funny. I think my other comedy bits and song parodies are pretty funny, too. And even though I don’t write the animation stuff, I’m really proud of that, as well. I’ve been fortunate to have always had creative aspects to my various jobs.

SOAH: Where do you get your inspiration from for your various jobs?
MIKE: Well, earning a paycheck is always an inspiration, but for my day job, I scour the news and look for stuff to make fun of, and some days are tougher than others for that. When I’m voice acting, if it’s a comedic role, I try to make myself and the studio crew laugh. If that happens, I know I’m on the right track. For serious action/adventure roles, if I feel really drained by the time my session is done, I know I’ve done a good job.

SOAH: I personally have a hard time when people ask me where I get my inspiration from.
MIKE: Me, too. To quote the candy store guy in Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory, “Do you ask a bird how he flies? Or a fish how he swims?”

SOAH: True, true. Speaking of entertainment, what kind of movies and books do you like to watch and read?
MIKE: Not much of either. I got a TiVo recently, so I’m watching a little too much TV. Mostly comedy stuff. I also listen to a lot of radio, being the radio geek that I am. Also usually comedic-talk stuff. And most of my reading is news stuff online.

SOAH: Sometimes when I watch a movie or show, I’ll focus on certain things with the way it flows since I’m writer. As you watch stuff, do you tend to focus on the voice acting more than the show itself?
MIKE: Yeah. Same with commercials on the radio, since I’m starting to get back into voice over work. I often say to myself, “wow, I could do better than that!”

SOAH: What is a typical day of work doing voice acting for an episode of Sonic X?
MIKE: I usually get booked the Thursday before for one or two days of two hour sessions. I leave my office about fifteen minutes before my session for a leisurely walk to 4Kids. I get there and head right into the studio, where director Andrew Rannells, and engineer Ron London are waiting. I walk into the voice booth, hook up my headphones (I bring my own, which I’m told is fairly unique among VAs. I see the script for the first time when I get there. Andrew will usually give me a summary of what’s going on in the episode, then we record one line at a time, and do retakes, as necessary. I’ll sometimes watch a shot first to see what the intensity level is, then I’ll go for a take. Andrew (and sometimes Ron) will tell me if it was any good, or if I need to do a retake. As soon as they like it, it’s on to the next cue. Since we all record separately, I may or may not hear the others actors, depending on whether or not they’ve recorded yet. And I never see the entire episode until it airs. The session continues until we’ve done all the cues necessary.

SOAH: Is anything different when you’re called in to do a promo?
MIKE: Promo sessions are usually quicker, and I’m not usually matching lip flaps, but the process is very similar. The main difference is I stay in the booth while different producers march in and out.

SOAH: What effect does the whole lip-synching thing (as opposed to traditonal forms of voicing animation, which is done before actual drawing occurs) have on your performance? Do you feel that, hypothetically speaking, if a traditional form of voicing was used, your results would be much better than what it is currently? I’m reffering to this in general, not just concerning Sonic.
MIKE: Sometimes I’ll have to… break…up a… line in a… funny way to make the words fit the flap, but usually I can get away with it. The tough part is if lines in the script are over- or underwritten. Then stuff won’t fit, and we have to rewrite. But I will say that the handful of Teenage Mutant Ninja Turles episodes I’ve done were very liberating, since they’re recorded first, then animated.

SOAH: What do you do to prepare for the Eggman role?
MIKE: I walk into the studio with a bottle of TEAS’ TEA® to keep my throat from bursting into flame.

SOAH: What are your opinions about Dr. Eggman’s character?
MIKE: Eggman is great fun to play, although he’s very vocally demanding. But it’s always fun to play the guy you love to hate!

SOAH: Do you think Dr Eggman’s a dumb name?
MIKE: I thought it odd at first, but when I realized it describes his physique it made perfect sense.

SOAH: When you do that Hohohohoho laugh Dr. Robotnik does, do you sometimes feel embarrassed doing it?
MIKE: If I don’t do something embarrassing occasionally, I’m not doing my job. You should never be afraid to make a fool of yourself when you’re voice acting. Besides, when the checks arrive, you’d be amazed at how much better you feel about things!

SOAH: What would you saw is the hardest part in voice acting?
MIKE: Yelling for hours on end.

SOAH: What would you say is the easiest?
MIKE: Goofing off.

SOAH: Do you watch the dub of the show after it comes out?
MIKE: Yup. I TiVo it, and record to VHS. I also buy the DVDs when they come out.

SOAH: You must have an extremely heavy workload, as do many of the other voice actors, since voicing must be done for multiple shows in the same time period. How do you juggle your time, and how is this multi-tasking handled from 4kids professional standpoint?
MIKE: My day job boss lets me be out of work for about two hours per day at lunchtime, plus travel. It’s a 15 minute walk from my office to 4Kids. Usually 4Kids will schedule whatever I have to do (dubbing, promos) into that two-hour window, but sometimes they’ll tack on an extra half-hour here or there. Or sometimes I’ll have to go to 4Kids on my way in or on my way home. I’ll usually have two two-hour Sonic X sessions a week, an hour of Ultimate Muscle , and an hour or two of promos.

SOAH: What courses in school have been of most help in doing your jobs?
MIKE: In college I took some dialect courses to learn various accents. I also did lots of theatre stuff in school. I’ve also studied the International Phonetic Alphabet, so I can make detailed notes to pronounce Japanese names.

SOAH: For people interested in a career in voice acting, what advice would you give them?
MIKE: Do as much stage acting as you can, whether at a school or a community theatre. Pay attention to how other people around you talk, and try to mimic them when they’re not looking. And never be afraid to make a fool of yourself in front of the microphone!

SOAH: Speaking of making a fool of yourself in front of the microphone, think you can do some promo for my Sonic site with the Dr. Robotnik voice?
MIKE: I’d love to, but my pesky contract forbids that. Sorry.

SOAH: It’s okay. ^_^ Anyway. What should a person expect when first getting into a career into voice acting?
MIKE: Coming from radio, I really had to get used to watching the screen while recording. I still forget sometimes. And be prepared to be directed. Don’t feel bad if the director wants you to do a line over and over and over again. And expect to be tired after a session. But when you see the finished product, it’s all worth it.

SOAH: What organizations, clubs, unions, etc. do you belong to?
MIKE: None professionally. But the geeky hobby side of me belongs to a Pirate Radio listener’s club, and a few police scanner clubs.

SOAH: Which character in any of the dubs you voiced on can you relate with?
MIKE: I have the most fun doing Meat in Ultimate Muscle, so I’d have to say him.

SOAH: How do you like your eggs?
MIKE: Poached.

SOAH: Is there anything else you would like to say about yourself or your jobs we have not touched on?
MIKE: Ummmm….. Thanks for watching! Otherwise, I’d be wasting my time!

SOAH: Well thank you for your time with this interview.
MIKE: Sure. Thanks for asking.