Gastonia, NC (July 8, 2025) — Sometimes finding your way doesn’t mean blazing new paths. Sometimes it means reconnecting with your roots, joining together with old friends and embracing your first love, but now enriched with the wisdom of life experiences you’ve gained along the way. After years of navigating the world of acting, Meredith Parks has done exactly that with her debut album, Trying To Find My Way, produced by recording legend, Bill Szymczyk in collaboration with independent music company, Head in the Clouds Music, founded by Bill’s son, Michael and Meredith’s childhood friend, Evan Mathews. Integral to capturing the unique sound and emotional depth of this album was the extensive use of AUDIX microphones including the SCX25A, the PDX720 and the A231.
Parks’ path to her debut album has been a winding one. Growing up in Gastonia, North Carolina, Meredith was surrounded by music and developed a love for the stage early on, singing in church and performing with her grandfather’s bluegrass duo from the age of four. Although she started college as a vocal performance major, she became disillusioned with music theory and transferred to study drama, leading to a successful acting career.
While acting provided opportunities to tell stories through other people’s words, Parks felt a pull back to her own voice. “In acting you’re playing a character and saying other people’s words, but on my musical journey it took time for me to not just find my voice but to also trust in my voice and home in on what I wanted to say as an artist,” Parks reflects. She credits her acting experience with enhancing her musical pursuits, from being more confident on stage to aiding in a more authentic delivery of songs not written from her first-person perspective.
Parks grew up with Evan Mathews in Gastonia, and she met his childhood friend, Michael Szymczyk around 2013. Their musical style developed working together on and off over a decade, but the current project wasn’t possible until now. The pivotal moment came at Michael’s wedding in 2023, when Parks met his father, Bill Szymczyk. Bill inquired about her music, and from there, “the pieces just fell into place.”
Bringing Bill Szymczyk onto the team added an extraordinary dimension. Bill is a highly acclaimed American music producer and recording engineer, best known for his extensive work with rock and blues icons. His impressive discography includes seminal albums like the Eagles’ Hotel California, B.B. King’s Completely Well (featuring “The Thrill Is Gone”), and numerous albums with Joe Walsh, the James Gang, the J. Geils Band, and Bob Seger & The Silver Bullet Band. Unlike many producers, Bill has no background as a musician but considers himself a “professional listener.” His approach often involves pushing bands to expand their sound and has been credited with giving artists, including the Eagles, greater commercial success. Having Bill’s six decades of experience and vast network of friends was invaluable for this project. Joe Walsh even played guitar on a track for Meredith’s record, something she describes as “absolutely surreal.”
The album Trying To Find My Way consists of fifteen tracks that serve as Parks’ “diary entries,” chronicling her personal and creative journey, including her move from North Carolina to California and back again. The seeds for many songs were voice memos saved on her phone for a decade before being brought into the studio. The album tells a story about finding one’s way in life, a theme that resonates on multiple levels, from “Meredith’s personal path to the team navigating the ever-shifting music industry landscape,” Michael Szymczyk explains. “Finding your way in life is a larger metaphor, something that everyone can understand and relate to.”
A key element in capturing the authentic sound of Trying To Find My Way was the exclusive use of AUDIX microphones. Bill Szymczyk’s awareness of AUDIX dates back about 15 years when session drummer Joe Vitale sent him the i5 and original D6 “to check out.” Michael Szymczyk’s experience with AUDIX began by miking drums and realizing “AUDIX could make them sound better.” In the post-pandemic era, as Head in the Clouds Music began working with artists like Meredith, AUDIX reached out and assisted them in sourcing the right product for their needs. Michael credits AUDIX for providing “otherworldly levels of support for independent artists and producers.” Bill adds, “At this point, we mic everything with AUDIX.”
The team highlights several specific microphones that were crucial to the recording process. SCX25A “lollipop” large diaphragm condenser microphones were particularly versatile. Bill initially used them as overheads on the drums, “loving their crispness.” When a piano overdub was needed, he turned them around, placed them in the piano, and was “stunned at the sound we captured.” This led them to use the SCX25A extensively on the record, finding success with it as a hi-hat-mic for softer dynamics and even on a “crazy guitar part.” Bill also paired them with an A231 for live strings. “It was fun to figure out all the uses for the SCX25A, it was so flexible,” he adds.
The PDX720 professional dynamic studio microphone also prominently featured in the sessions. Michael notes it was crucial for “vocals, guitar amps, and even a cello.” For Meredith, the PDX720 became her favorite. “When we use the PDX720, it’s just beautiful. Give me that mic on everything I sing, every day. I love it,” Parks exclaims. The versatility of the AUDIX lineup meant that “Every mic we have from AUDIX has two or three prominent uses on the record. It’s a testament to their versatility,” Michael observes. While they experimented with microphones from other brands, they consistently returned to AUDIX because they “just sounded better.” This experience even led Bill, who strictly used a series of go-to microphones for decades, to change things up, saying, “for the first time I’ve rethought my entire approach to miking and it’s all thanks to AUDIX. I’m totally happy.” Looking ahead, they plan to use AUDIX mics for live performances, testing OMX series mics for upcoming festival appearances.
The team also shared valuable advice for independent artists. “It’s so cliché, but really, just believe in yourself,” Meredith advises. Michael adds that artists need to “absolutely grind on your music until you feel like it’s worthy of putting out.” They emphasized that building a music career is a marathon, requiring perseverance. “For as long as you can possibly hold out, don’t quit,” Michael urges. Finding trusted collaborators and knowing your strengths and weaknesses is also crucial, echoing Bill Szymczyk’s advice to “hire the best and get out of the way.”
Meredith Parks’ debut album, Trying To Find My Way, was released on May 13th and is available on all streaming platforms. The release will be supported by additional singles, videos, and live performances. Listeners are encouraged to explore Meredith’s music and learn more about Head in the Clouds Music and the artists they support at https://headinthecloudsmusic.com. While the album chronicles a journey, Parks admits she’s “still trying to find my way,” suggesting more stories are yet to be told.
About AUDIX
Celebrating the milestone of four decades of audio excellence, AUDIX has been a trusted companion for musicians, engineers, and audio enthusiasts since 1984. From the introduction of the groundbreaking OM1 in 1985 to the distinctive design of the legendary D6, AUDIX has consistently set new standards for innovation, performance, and quality.
Proudly designed & crafted in the U.S.A, the company’s cutting-edge facility based in Wilsonville, Oregon is a hub of creativity and ingenuity where artistry meets technology, and we continue to push boundaries to redefine industry standards. Every AUDIX microphone undergoes a meticulous process to guarantee it attains the pinnacle of performance and reliability, a reflection of our dedication to quality and meticulous attention to detail. That is why AUDIX is recognized among musicians, vocalists, sound engineers and other industry professionals for delivering microphones that capture audio with clarity and precision for an exceptional audio experience. www.audixusa.com
