Today we’d like to introduce you to David Goeckner.
So, before we jump into specific questions, why don’t you give us some details about you and your story.
My interest for music and recording technology really began in high school. I was playing guitar in this southern hardcore band called Haddonvale and we’d record at my house. My dad was a musician and had a lifetime passion for sound engineering; mainly in the live event medium. He was fully supportive of my interests in music and recording. With some of the equipment he had mixed with a few other pieces we bought, we had a home studio. Through some guidance from him and mere trial by fire, I was recording, mixing and even producing my first band from home at 16.
Haddonvale ended after some creative disagreements but shortly after, I joined this indie-folk band named Willbur. I played banjo, guitar and sang back up. We wrote a ton of fun tunes and played shows wherever they’d have us; mainly in Pomona and Fullerton. This also ended up fizzling out mainly due to a rough patch I went through – getting in a lot of trouble and losing my means of transportation.
After high school, I wanted to further my knowledge of the whole recording/mixing process so I attended The Art Institute of the Inland Empire studying audio production. I had a bunch of great teachers/mentors here including Ian Vargo, who has mixed countless records including Panic! At The Disco, Plain White T’s, One Republic and many more. Around this time, I became interested in alternative electronic music after a wild night of psychedelics. I was listening to artists like Bonobo, Four Tet and Blockhead. I had never heard music like that before and it really opened my eyes to a whole new world. Naturally, I began producing similar stuff under the name Lone Kawan. For my school projects, I’d produce all my own music and use the facilities there to really get my stuff sounding the way I wanted. I then started an indie folk/rock project named Mia Milo. I missed playing real instruments and singing but it didn’t really fit with the electronic stuff I was doing so it seemed fitting to make it its own thing. Throughout the next couple of years, friends of mine would contribute to the project; helping write and produce and/or sing on songs. It was a great time of learning and creating.
My last year of college, I interned at a post-production studio called Private Island Audio located in Mid-City, LA. Here I learned how a studio operates and about sound for film. I decided not to continue after my internship because I really wanted to get into the music industry.
Thought out this time, I was working at a restaurant. I kind of got stuck working here because I had moved out and had school loans to pay back and the money was good, unlike entry positions in the sound world. When I graduated, my dad handed down his live sound business, Enigma Audio, to me. I had always helped out and knew the system like the back of my hand so it was an easy transition. With the help of my friend Keith, we took over. We stayed in contact with most of his clients, who did a lot of harvest festival and concerts in the park type events but also branched out to edm and hip-hop type of events.
So I was juggling all these different interests while working at the restaurant up until COVID hit. My restaurant closed down and all of the sudden, I had a bunch of free time. I decided to do another internship at a studio in Downtown called Mad Muse Studios. I happen to get in at the perfect time because they just fired their in-house engineer for going on a drug binge with one of the bands on their label. Within two weeks, they started throwing sessions my way and paying me for it. In school, I learned the fundamentals and the science behind everything but here, I really learned what it was like to engineer for artists. The psychology behind it, learning to break the “rules”, creating relationships with clients and so much more. There really isn’t anything like being thrown in the deep end and having to figure it out quick! The CEO and lead producer there, Matt Salazar, was a true mentor for me. Things were going great until they hired another engineer, who had a long list of credits including Beyoncé and Kanye, and my work went from 6-7 sessions a week to practically zero. The thing with most studios is, you’re on-call. So I had to keep my whole week open and available for them, even if I didn’t get any work. Eventually, I couldn’t afford to do it anymore, so I had to quit.
My restaurant called me saying that they opened back up and needed me to work. I needed the money so I came back. So now I’m working there, been producing and mixing for a couple of artists and running Enigma Audio. Basically doing the freelance thing. I plan on getting back into a studio while freelancing and building my clientele.
Great, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
It definitely hasn’t been a smooth road. It’s been fun and eventful but never smooth. It’s just hard to support yourself off of music in the beginning and the competition is fierce!
Can you give our readers some background on your music?
I would say I’m known for producing and mixing music. I specialize in indie rock/folk and hip-hop. I know they’re pretty different genres but I truly love them both and that’s what it takes to give it you’re all. I offer a unique perspective to any project I work on because of my wide array of interests. I find myself using techniques that aren’t typically used in the style of music to bring a unique vibe.
Enigma Audio, my live sound business, is also what I’m known for. We provide sound services for small to medium-sized events around the LA area.
I’m proud that through all of the disappointments I’ve endured, I still love it and will never give up. I can’t give up. I don’t know what I’d do without music.
What moment in your career do you look back most fondly on?
My proudest moment of my career so far has to be when I was asked to be the in-house engineer at Mad Muse Studios. I got to work with artists off of Meek Mills label, Goonew, producers that have produced for big names like Dababy and Lil Yachty and many more.
Also, there’s nothing quite as satisfying as running sound for a live event. Knowing that everything people are hearing is controlled by you is both exciting and terrifying. My favorite event has to be this warehouse show we did in LA. My partner Keith usually handles the business end of everything so I didn’t know who was on the bill, but upon arrival I found out multiple Soulection artists including AbJo were performing and my favorite visual artist, Major Gape was handling the visuals. This blew my mind and I was super grateful to work with them.
Contact Info:
- Email: [email protected]
- Instagram: Instagram.com/david_goeckner
Image Credit:
Nigel Duarte, Joscie Bonneville
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