Producer x Kits Creative Highlight: Michael A. Levine
How a veteran award-winning composer, producer, and longtime Hollywood creative brought a wallaby to life with Kits AI.
When we sat down with Michael A. Levine, an award-winning composer, producer, and longtime Hollywood creative, we weren’t quite expecting stories about Irish fiddle loops at poetry readings, last-minute gigs at Hans Zimmer’s studio, and writing for Walker, Texas Ranger.
“We thought synthesizers and samplers were going to end the music industry. Instead, they gave birth to whole new artforms.”
But that’s exactly how this versatile composer’s journey to Kits AI began — driven by a lifelong curiosity for tools, a passion for storytelling, and a belief that embracing new technology is key to shaping the future of music.
From Jingles to Zimmer
Trained as a violinist but self-described as a “pathological eclecticist,”, Levine hit the New York session scene at a time when most players didn’t know their way around samplers or synthesis. That edge led him into composing for advertisements — including the now-legendary “Gimme a break” jingle for Kit Kat, which Hershey’s continues to license in North America.
He won Clio awards for that work, but still had his sights on a “bigger canvas.” He moved to Los Angeles in 1999 — no connections, no contacts.
Through an odd series of events, he found himself playing on a session at Media Ventures, Hans Zimmer’s famed studio complex. During a break, Zimmer walked in. Michael handed him a CD - he always kept one in his pocket - and later found a voicemail on his machine.
Hans said, “Your CD is f**ing incredible. Of course, I just came from the dentist so I’m probably just high.”
Shortly after, Hans hired him to do additional music and arranging.
So when it came time to create a demo for Wilbur the Whompin' Wallaby, a new tongue-in-cheek adventure game geared at tweens, Levine reached for Kits AI.
Enter Kits: From Lo-Fi Leads to Soaring Sopranos
Despite Levine’s professional background and experience, not every project comes with the budget to hire session vocalists. While imagining the voice for Wilbur’s antagonist, a haunting, hypnotic sidekick villain meant to seduce Wilbur away from his mission—there simply wasn’t funding to bring in a live singer for the demo. This made Kits the ideal choice, allowing him to create a compelling vocal performance with AI voices without compromising on quality or breaking the budget.
“I was stunned. When I held a note and swooped up — it followed me. I didn’t feel like I was programming something. It felt like a performance.”
His process?
Initial Recording: He sang the part himself, ensuring it was perfectly in tune using Flex Pitch in Logic Pro.
Import into Kits: He brought the audio into Kits and experimented with Royalty Free voices (free to use for commercial work).
Voice Selection:
Lo-Fi Female for the lyrical base.
Modern RnB for soaring, wordless operatic lines.
Customization: Michael leveraged Kits’ new vibrato control to fine-tune expressiveness — less here, more there. The glissando and phrasing, he notes, were surprisingly natural.
Why It Matters
In addition to Wilbur, his credits include Resident Evil: Biohazard, every episode of the CBS series Cold Case ever aired, The Simpsons Movie and dozens of projects that shaped the sound of 2000s cinema. But even now, he sees Kits as part of the same tradition that began with samplers and synthesizers in the 1980s:
“People thought that stuff would wipe out musicians. What happened? The people who embraced it made new art.”
Looking Forward
Michael’s excited to keep exploring Kits. He’s experimented with other AI tools, including Ace Studio, but found Kits' vibrato engine and natural playback more satisfying — especially when tweaking realism in delicate spots. He’s even imagined applying Kits to projects from the past, including unreleased vocal demos from legendary singers whose careers were cut short.
“It’s a touchy subject. But imagine giving someone like that the ability to perform again, even just to sketch an idea. What an incredible tool that would be.”
For now, he’s refining the Wilbur demo, grateful for a platform that makes his ideas sing — literally.
“The proper use of AI isn’t to displace humans. It’s a tool for human creativity — and that’s exactly how I want to use it.”
Listen to Michael A. Levine’s demo for Wilbur the Whompin' Wallaby below
Check out Levine’s website, connect with Levine on LinkedIn, or check out his IMDB discography and socials: Facebook | Instagram.
To jump in on the future of AI voice and music get started today at Kits AI.