Today we’d like to introduce you to Kenny McWilliams.
Alright, so thank you so much for sharing your story and insight with our readers. To kick things off, can you tell us a bit about how you got started?
I’m from a musical family and I’ve played music in one form or another since I was in middle school. I guess my first instrument was the saxophone, but around the eighth grade I started playing bass guitar, and from there added acoustic and electric guitar. I couldn’t get enough of playing music and worked hard to grow in proficiency at my instruments. While I was in high school, my dad made a record and I got to spend a good bit of time in the studio with him. To say I was enamored is probably an understatement. Everything about the studio environment appealed to me and I knew I was hooked.
Around that time, my parents helped me buy a little 4-track tape recorder. This gave me the ability to begin recording myself and my friends’ bands. Of course, it didn’t sound all that good, but I had a blast learning the very basics of recording. Soon after that, a band I was in saved up our money and went and recorded an EP at The Jam Room (a great recording studio here in Columbia). Again, I was completely intrigued by everything going on in the studio setting. My parents were incredibly supportive and they helped build a small, soundproof recording studio in their backyard. I think they even had to remortgage their house to pay for it. After that, I purchased some more equipment and began recording my music as well as my friends’ demos.
Over the next few years, I was in multiple bands and got to travel the country playing music. One of the bands I was in, named Baumer, got signed and we had the privilege of making a record at an unbelievable studio in New York. The producer knew I was doing some recording on my own and he really took me under his wing and was happy to show me techniques and tips. I learned so much from that experience and I was able to begin making professional sounding records back here at Columbia.
By the time that band broke up I had built my business to be steady enough that I could focus on recording full time. Over the past 19-20 years I’ve continued collecting equipment and immersing myself in the recording world. It’s truly my hobby and my full-time job.
At this point in my career, I have made countless records and had the privilege of helping many, many bands and songwriters create a recording that we are all proud of.
Would you say it’s been a smooth road, and if not, what are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced along the way?
There have certainly been plenty of struggles along the way. Honestly, learning to run a business is not something I had really thought about before starting on this journey. There were plenty of growing pains there and it’s still a struggle to balance the busyness of my job with the rest of my life and my family.
This field is also quite expensive to get into and that directly affects how much money you can make. For the first several years I was still having to spend a good bit of my income just to try and stay competitive with equipment and technology. There is always more to purchase and upgrade and that will always be a factor.
Can you tell our readers more about what you do and what you think sets you apart from others?
My job title would be recording engineer and/or recording producer. The engineering side of my job focuses more on the equipment and knowledge of mic placement, mixing, etc… The producing side of my job really focuses on the songs themselves and all of the musical/lyrical components.
I truly love both aspects of my job and I believe that can be a great benefit to my clients. I play several instruments and love to play on clients’ records. I work on some projects for songwriters who don’t really play an instrument. On those projects, I often write and record almost all of the music myself. On the other side of the spectrum, I often work with bands that have already written and arranged everything and they just want me to help bring their vision to life. Of course, there are also many projects that land somewhere in between those examples.
Discovering an artist’s vision and helping bring that to life in a way that others can enjoy, is a special thing. I’m very thankful to have so many trusting clients over the years that have allowed me to create with them.
What matters most to you?
I think that helping create something truly artistic and unique, that also captures the artist’s vision, is what matters to me the most. I work hard to ensure that my clients are happy, but I want even more than that. I want to be personally inspired by each record I make and see that translate to the listeners being inspired as well.
Contact Info:
- Email: archeravenuestudio@gmail.com
- Website: archeravenuestudio.com
- Instagram: archeravenuestudio
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/archeravenuestudio
Image Credits
Eric McCoy
Beau Sherman
