Rising Stars: Meet Kauner Michael

Today we’d like to introduce you to Kauner Michael.

Hi Kauner, we’d love for you to start by introducing yourself.
I grew up in Boone, North Carolina – a small mountain town in the western part of the state. Not exactly an artistic mecca, but it had its charm! I was drawn to music from a very early age, and have fond memories of listening to 80s pop, rock, folk, and bluegrass cassette tapes with my parents on my way to school in the mornings.

Classical guitar was my foray into the creative world of music, of which I eventually lost interest for a time shortly thereafter. I picked up the guitar a few years later in high school, reinvigorated by a new guitar teacher. My Mom and Dad were my biggest fans – paying for all of my lessons, all of my instruments, and clearing the path for me to expand my musical playground.

After years of practice, I slowly (and reluctantly) came to the realization that I would never be a good enough player to make a living, so I set my sights on becoming a doctor. This half-hearted aspiration soon faded, following a six-month volunteer rotation at a trauma center. Medicine was not for me.

Feeling lost but inspired, I started looking for ways to work in music that didn’t directly involve performing, and I came across an opportunity to work in live sound engineering at my undergraduate university. I started as a stagehand, worked my way up to assisting, and eventually was offered a position as Audio Department Head. I had fallen in love with engineering just as quickly as I had stumbled across it, but I wanted to break into the studio side of things. I rushed through the remainder of my undergraduate program, and amidst the pandemic, completed a 1-year program at Berklee College of Music, then moved to LA to fulfill my dream.

I applied for internships at 20 or more studios as soon as I arrived in LA, offering to clean and make food runs. LA County was on the cusp of ending its COVID lockdowns, and after months of persistent emails, I finally secured an internship at Westlake Recording Studios in West Hollywood.

Fast forwarding to now, I am a freelance mix engineer, having left Westlake at the end of 2021.

Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way. Looking back would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
I don’t agree with the binary of the smooth/bumpy road. Anything worth doing in life will be difficult. There are easy days, and then there are hard days. I’ve scrubbed bathroom floors on my hands and knees at 3AM, and I’ve worked with artists I could’ve only dreamt of working with just a year ago. Life has a funny way of balancing out like that. Positivity, empathy, and selflessness are my “smooth road”.

Can you tell our readers more about what you do and what you think sets you apart from others?
I’m primarily a mix engineer, but I’m also a recording engineer and vocal producer. I find myself working in the pop, singer-songwriter, R&B, Arabic pop, hip-hop, and rap genres most frequently, but I work on all styles of music. I pride myself on being chameleon-like; my music taste spans the full genre spectrum and I lovingly work on anything.

As an engineer, I strive to ensure that the technical aspects and jargon of my craft never interfere with the production process. Music is about relationships and storytelling – my approach to mixing music is built upon delivering compelling stories that all can relate to.

In terms of your work and the industry, what are some of the changes you are expecting to see over the next five to ten years?
Music production is a male-dominated industry where gatekeeping is common. Thankfully, I have witnessed these cycles being broken every day, and that gives me hope for the future. However, we’re a long way from equity and there’s plenty more work to be done.

Music production is also one of the few professions where pseudoscience runs rampant. That being said, I believe that many of the up-and-coming engineers/producers of this generation are able to see (and hear) past the snake oil, which means we can all focus a little more on the important aspects of music making.

Contact Info:

• Website: kaunermichaelsound.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/kaunermichael/
• Other: https://open.spotify.com/playlist/3XP3Np1OW1dq541OelCN2A?si=a262fa56ee0f46cd

Image Credits
Lynsey Ruangchan Kauner Michael Connor Hedge