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KRK Systems

KRK monitors provide the perfect composition for GRAMMY®-winning Producer, Composer, and Mixer Nicolas Ramirez

The seasoned industry professional creates notable sound for music and TV/film projects

MIAMI, JANUARY 7, 2025 ― GRAMMY- and Latin GRAMMY-winning Producer, Composer, and Mixer Nicolas “Nico” Ramirez has worked with prominent Latin artists such as Bad Bunny, Jennifer Lopez, Shakira, and Marc Anthony, among others. Today, he is the producer, mixing and recording engineer, and live sound engineer for multi-award-winning Artist and Songwriter Camilo, a fellow Colombian. In addition to his credits in the music industry, Ramirez also composes and provides sound design for films, documentaries, TV series, and animated shows.

For Ramirez, music and sound effects have always crisscrossed as a single entity in his creative workflow. His appreciation for the vast array of cultures that span this world and the influence each has on music has continually inspired him to create a unique identity for all his projects. To aid in his mastery, Ramirezrelies on his KRK V4 and V6 V-Series 4 Powered Studio Monitors,which he says, “are very dynamic and rich in sound, so I can always get the right vibe of the track.”  

As someone who focuses on sonic quality, it is critical that Ramirez has a realistic-sounding pair of speakers. “During the mixing process, I need speakers that sound good, and are easy and quick to use,” he explains. “My V6s are not too bright, and they aren’t too low; they work well and sound great. The V4s have a smaller diaphragm that translates well to a variety of listening scenarios, so I can assess how my tracks will sound in any other environment. Whether my songs are being played in a theater, through consumer-grade headphones, at an airport, or in the car, I know what I’m hearing on the V-Series will be what audiences experience as well.”

For times when Ramirez has been on the road running front of house for Camilo, his KRK V-Series monitors serve a dual purpose as nearfield speakers. “The monitors are vibrant and tend to have solid sound quality in loud situations, which is important for a concert tour,” he adds.

Never one to stray too far from his producer role, Ramirez uses KRK GoAux Portable Powered Studio Monitors for studio work on the go. “I travel a lot when I am on tour, and I like to have a solution that is easy to set up on the road,” he explains. “The KRK GoAux sound great, and the carrying case they come in is amazing. I never have to worry about where I am going to store all the pieces.” Whether in the studio or on the road, Ramirez also relies on KRK’s KNS Headphones when listening back on his mixes. “The KRK Headphones have a very particular boost on the mids and mid-lows, so I use them to check my tracks in that range,” he adds. “It helps me assess if I have everything under control.”  

As a longtime KRK user, Ramirez reflected on when he initially heard KRK monitors, at his first studio job. “I will always remember seeing the beautiful speakers with the yellow cone; I felt great listening to the music come out of those ROKIT 8s,” he reminisces. “The speakers sounded terrific, and I just knew they were a quality product. That was back in 2009, and I have been using KRK ever since. KRK continues to be a top-notch brand that has easy and affordable solutions for beginners, as well as higher-end solutions for professionals.”

Ramirez graduated with a degree in audio engineering from Pontificia Universidad Javeriana, in Bogota, Colombia, and later earned his Master of Fine Arts (MFA) degree in sound design from Savannah College of Art and Design in Georgia. From 2018 to 2021, Ramirez was the head recording and mixing engineer at Art House, GRAMMY Award-winner Julio Reyes Copello’s studio. Now, as an independent producer, Ramirez continues to use his array of KRK gear while in the studio and on the road, and his KRK GoAux monitors for personal listening applications.

KRK Systems

Legendary Mastering Engineer Howie Weinberg Calls on KRK’s Natural Sound in the Studio, On the Road, and at Home

LOS ANGELES, OCTOBER 15, 2024 ― When it comes to audio mastering, Howie Weinberg might know a thing or two. With over 8,600 mastering credits and more than 90 billion streams, 21 GRAMMY® Awards (58 total nominations), three TEC Awards, two Juno Awards, and a Mercury Prize on his resume, the mastering engineer is a legend in his own right. Having worked with some of the biggest names in music across nearly every genre, from hip-hop, alternative, and R&B to rock, pop, heavy metal, and EDM, Weinberg’s name is synonymous with iconic albums like Nirvana’s Nevermind, Madonna’s Music, and Beastie Boys’ Licensed to Ill.

Today, after more than four decades in the industry, Weinberg is still doing what he does best, from his professional home studio in Laurel Canyon, California. “We’re in the heart of an eclectic artistic area, there’s a big recording scene here, and we’re surrounded by a lot of other famous creatives,” he explains. “The house was an old hunting lodge, built in 1910; it has a lot of energy and a great vibe. I have a personal studio here that’s as nice as any commercial space I’ve worked in, along with two other studios on the property. It’s very California.” 

No matter where he sets up shop, Weinberg has continually called on KRK monitors throughout his career, today relying on KRK V-Series in the studio. “I was one of the original KRK users; when they first were released, the founder himself introduced me to the original 7000 Series speakers,” he says. “KRK has always been the number one speaker for audiophiles to have in their kits. There was something magical about that original set, and the KRK engineers did an amazing job of recreating that sound in the V-Series. Those V8s sound so good.”

Weinberg appreciates the compact nature of the V-Series for client listening situations. “Artists can sometimes get overwhelmed by gigantic monitors, so it’s good to have a nice, tight option like the V-Series,” he explains. “These monitors sound perfect; they’re not tiring, and they have really good imaging. I like that they tell me the truth on all frequencies. They have well-made amps, so they can also play super loud when people want; they can crank.”

In addition to his current eight-inch V-Series 8 (V8) monitors, Weinberg also has experience with the six-inch (V6) and four-inch (V4) models. “They are really good speakers that hit really hard,” he adds. “They get incredible bottom-end. You can always get them all bright in the mids, but to get something really big, with huge low-end, is special. I also keep a pair of the V4s at a small, remote beach house, so I can check on records while I am there, and they’re fantastic.”

For times when Weinberg is on the road, he calls on the KRK GoAux Mobile Monitoring System. “The GoAux are cool because people want to travel and still have a set of references wherever they go,” he says. “Whenever I go away anywhere, I just pack ‘em up, and off we go — and they sound great. My assistant finishes all our projects, and if I’m not in the studio, he can still send the files for me to listen to with the GoAux. Those monitors are fantastic for that application. I also use them when I am visiting with clients, which makes it possible for the artists to hear their music in different environments — whether it’s in my professional studio or their living room.”

While designed for mobile applications, Weinberg also uses the GoAux as commercial speakers in a small programming room. “They are just the perfect little speakers and are very well-priced; unlike traditional consumer monitors, the GoAux are not overly done,” he continues. “They can be used both wired or wirelessly via Bluetooth, they’re not heavy, and they have a professional sound. KRK really engineered these things to pack a punch, especially considering their small size.”

Weinberg further appreciates the GoAux for general listening applications. “I don’t get to go on vacation as much as I would like to, but when I do, I bring the GoAux with me so I can listen to music wherever I am,” he adds. “They come in a nice case, so they are easy to pick up and go. They set up easily as well, and they’re a great alternative to headphones.”

Like many of his colleagues, Weinberg keeps an array of studio headphones on hand, including the KRK KNS 6402 Headphones. “They’re a really good reference source,” he says. “They’re not overly engineered, so they sound as good as higher-end consumer options, which I like because a lot of professional headphones have too much sound. The KNS are very accurate in terms of the bottom and top end; and, like the GoAux, they’re not very expensive. Overall, I think they’re just cool headphones. I own a lot of headphones, and the KNS are among my go-to’s.”

As a longtime KRK user, Weinberg has seen the company’s evolution and product development firsthand. “I like KRKs because they’re very flat and even; I’m really hooked on these speakers,” he declares. “Every product KRK (Gibson) makes is phenomenal; super high-end and very well thought out. They translate very well to all the work I do, in or out of the studio, which is the key to a great speaker. The company’s customer support is also fantastic. Anytime I need a new product, or they make a new product that I want to try, they send it over for me to try out. Not every company will do that.”

In addition to the Nirvana, Madonna and The Beastie Boys, Weinberg has also been credited for his mastering work on albums with icons such as Prince, Yoko Ono, Metallica, Eddie Van Halen, Miley Cyrus, Mariah Carey, Sinéad O’Connor, Foster the People, The Black Keys, Smashing Pumpkins, Gary Clark Jr, Def Leppard, Run DMC and The Killers, among countless others. For a full recap of Weinberg’s work, visit his Spotify playlist: https://open.spotify.com/playlist/2Fot465ytwIt82sKqBxrfo.