SoundGym Hero: Kevin Koelzer

A classically trained guitarist and audio engineer from Virginia Beach, with a focus on mixing and mastering. Kevin Koelzer Is this month's SoundGym Hero! 

Who are you and where are you from?

My name is Kevin Koelzer, and I am from Virginia Beach. I’m a classically trained guitarist and mixing/mastering engineer. I went to a 4-year university to obtain a bachelor’s degree in sound recording technology and then I furthered my education through the Reverse Engineer Program. I now run my own business offering mixing and mastering services. 

How did you get into music?

When I was young, I played a lot of Guitar Hero, but apparently, that wasn’t enough for me. I had to play the real deal. Once I got my first guitar in 2010 that pretty much set me on the path to become the guitarist I am today.

In the early days, I was heavily inspired by YouTube guitarists doing covers. It looked like fun, and I wanted to do that too. I guess that’s where my pursuit of audio engineering began, too. I was self-taught with guitar for the first six years but then started taking classical guitar lessons in college.

At first, I was not going to college for audio engineering, but I was still exploring the craft on my own with my covers. After transferring to a 4-year university I started to shift my focus towards audio engineering, I became more interested in mixing and mastering because I was curious how the music I’ve always listened to came to be.

Once I graduated I spent some time learning on my own until I stumbled upon the Reverse Engineer Program. From there, I decided to run my own audio engineering business. Now I help other people bring their music to life, and occasionally I’ll make a guitar cover video for some fun. 

What do you like to do for fun outside of working on music?

I go to the (not sound) gym almost every day. I like being active because a lot of my work involves sitting down, so I need something to get me moving.

I’ve also gotten back into Judo recently. It’s my favorite martial art because it gives me a fighting chance if I’m ever facing off against someone bigger than me. The training can be rough but I always leave the classes feeling accomplished which carries on into the work I do.

The only other non-heavily physical hobby I have outside of music is playing pool. My brother and sister got me into it and every now and then I go to the pool hall with friends and or family. 

What's your most useless skill or talent?

I can take a cold shower in the middle of winter. I guess it’d be somewhat useful if I were to fall into a frozen lake. I’d have better chances of survival, but since I never felt the urge to go anywhere near a frozen lake, it seems redundant.

What inspires you to keep making music?

I don’t really “make” music these days aside from the guitar covers I do. I mostly mix and master other people’s music. I would like to write my own music soon but I have my business to tend to for now. I would say I do feel inspired to create by watching TV shows, playing video games, and other forms of media.

It makes me want to work harder to build up my business so I can have all the free time I want just to create and have fun with music. 

If you could sit down to a session with any artist, who would it be?

I would love to be a part of a session with my favorite band Dios. Their guitarist is my all-time favorite, and their approach to Japanese music is so unique. It would be great to see how they come up with their song ideas and how it all comes together. 

Any habits you have before starting a session?

Nothing really. I just set up the mixing and/or mastering session and got to work. 

If you could pick one, what would be the theme song of your life?

I discovered this song when I was networking with some artists online and I found Chris’ music. I was immediately impressed with Arcadia, but it wasn’t until after a few weeks of listening that I really felt the lyrics.

I’m at a point in my life where I’m working really hard to make things better for myself. It can be exhausting at times, and progress can seem uncertain, but hearing the lyrics to Arcadia start off seemingly hopeless yet pick up at the chorus felt real. It acknowledges the pain of life but still encourages you not to give up until you find your place of peace.

For me, that peace will come once I can write and have fun with music without worrying about financial struggles.

What is your favorite piece of music gear you own?

It's probably my Cordoba Stage guitar. I perform and record with it all the time. It’s super comfortable to play, and the tone sounds great. It is my main guitar and if I could only keep one of my guitars, it’d be that one. 

What is your favorite SoundGym feature?

The games. I know it seems like an obvious answer, but they’re why I joined SoundGym. I’ve done ear training almost every day for the past two years, and now I’m hearing even the most minute differences in sound when mixing and mastering.

Of course, I struggled at some points and felt like I was either making no progress or that the progress wasn’t exactly paying off. The funny thing is that it will be the most random moment where you hear the most subtle difference in sound or hear a specific frequency and know what it is, and suddenly you realize you were able to hear it because of all of the training.

The games are great at simplifying ear training to where you can pick whatever specific area of audio you struggle to hear and work on it. The levels are good for tracking progress as well. It helped me stay motivated and pushed me to keep reaching for higher levels. 

What does the future hold for Kevin Koelzer? 

Right now, I am growing as a mixing and mastering engineer under the mentorship of Kevin McCloskey. With his help, I hope to become the best that I can be. I really want to make a living off of bringing other people’s music to life because if I must work, then I want it to help others create art.

It can also, in turn, help me bring out my art someday, once I start to have regular clients I definitely plan on growing my business. Eventually, I’d like to own a full-fledged brick-and-mortar studio, but for now, it’s all about taking the next small step toward greater things.

You can follow Kevin on his Instagram, Website and TikTok.