+44 20 8445 2446
About Us
How We Started
KMR Audio was founded in 2003 by a small team of audio bods, all obsessed with music and the recording process. Our intention from the beginning was to be a home for high-end studio equipment; anything that we thought was a genuinely good piece of recording gear that could prove useful in a session (didn’t matter how much it was or who made it) we wanted to make available to our customers.
We also wanted to make sure we had a strong working relationship with the manufacturer so that anything we sold could be supported fully – there’s no point in something sounding good if it goes down during a session.
These remain our guiding principles when it comes to the manufacturers we work with – amazing sounding gear, and professional levels of support.
Equipment You Can Demo
Since our humble beginnings representing only a handful of brands, we now carry everything worth carrying with hundreds of thousands of pounds worth of demonstration, new and used gear in stock. We’re pretty sure there is no better stocked dedicated studio supplier outside the USA with our variety of classic and esoteric products on display or for purchase.
Our home since the very beginning has been in leafy North London, at the very top of the Northern Line and (although stretching the concept of actually being in London), we are on the Tube and have excellent transport links close by with the M25, M1, North Circ and various airports within striking distance.
We’re always blown away by how far people will travel to visit us; we’ve had visitors from all over Europe, North & South America, Asia and Australia. Part of the reason for this we feel is our showroom that also houses all our stock, which includes everything from basic cabling requirements to consoles, main monitors, outboard and mics of all shapes sizes and prices as well as a burgeoning high-end synthesizer selection.
Passionate About Music
The other reason people travel from so far to visit us is our knowledge and passion for what we do.
All our sales and tech team have true technical chops - all of us have worked in studios and have been invoved in the recording industry for decades. Always keen to share knowledge, we encourage anyone who is serious about music production and needs a chat or guidence to contact us.
We have no agenda other than to honestly share our opinions and make a friend, who we then hope will become a customer for life. Staying in business is important, but staying in business with integrity and a firm eye on the long term is even more so. As we supply so many products we are unbiased in our approach and will recommend purely on what you may require - and can always provide demo or alternatives to help you decide at your pace.
21 Years And More
KMR really has become a home in the last 21 years, not just for those of us here, but for all our suppliers and customers from around the world. We consider ourselves part of the wider audio community, always involved in Shows, Industry Events, Equipment Showcases as well as our Social Channels always sharing positive creative products and news.
We love what we do – we want to look after you and your studio and help you make beautiful music!
Please let us know if we ever fall short of these commitments or if you have any suggestions for us – Keith Malin (Co-Founder)
Meet the team...
TOM SHORTER
Managing and Technical Director
Tom is very tall and knows pretty much everything there is to know about all the gear we supply. He looks after everything that's broken or not quite up to scratch in the world of KMR, as well as keeping our vast fleet of demo stock moving… and did we mention he’s very tall?
FAVOURITE GEAR: Vertigo VSM, Crane Song Avocet, Highland Dynamics BG2
GEAR EXPERTISE: Everything
PLAYLIST: Herbie Hancock, Grover Washington, Dr. Dre, Sohn
EMAIL: tech@kmraudio.com | TEL: +44 (0) 20 8445 2446
NICK STRINGER
Operations Director
Nick Stringer has been with KMR Audio since 2011, he has a long history of working in the pro audio industry and studied foley and sound design. He might struggle playing guitar but can tell you everything you need to know about studio gear.
FAVOURITE GEAR: Barefoot MM12
GEAR EXPERTISE: Audio interfaces, speakers, microphones
PLAYLIST: Bob Dylan, Blues Brothers, Planetary Assault System, Sam Fox, Oasis
EMAIL: nickstringer@kmraudio.com | TEL: +44 (0) 20 84452446
LI DAGUERRE
Sales and Marketing Director
With over 15 years in audio gear sales, Li’s musical background is in sound design and sound-to-picture. He generally gets excited about things filled with tubes, transformers as well as knobs and oscillators although his (not so) secret passion is for 90s hip hop, 70s funk and obscure dusty old vinyl.
FAVOURITE GEAR: Roland Juno 106, Moog MIDI MURF, Overstayer 8755DM
GEAR EXPERTISE: Audio interfaces, outboard, speakers, microphones, synthesizers
PLAYLIST: George Clinton, Madlib, Captain Beefheart, Flying Lotus
EMAIL: li@kmraudio.com | TEL: +44 (0) 20 84452446
STEFAN POPE
Senior Sales
Stefan has an uncanny ability to help music producers identify the best equipment to suit their application. He has an insanely deep and detailed knowledge of everything from large format recording consoles to outboard and converters.
GEAR EXPERTISE: Mixing consoles, outboard, audio interfaces, speakers
PLAYLIST: The Beatles, Luke Vibert, The Police, Polvo, Claude Debussy
EMAIL: stefan@kmraudio.com | TEL: +44 (0) 20 8445 2446
JAMES BURTON
Technical Support
After starting out playing drums and guitar in bands, James shifted his focus to recording and engineering. He has run his own studio for a number of years and is passionate about all things studio and tech. Once on a third date, he taught the lucky lady how to solder XLR’s – there wasn’t a fourth!
FAVOURITE GEAR: ATC SCM25A’s
GEAR EXPERTISE: Speakers, mics, preamps, outboard
PLAYLIST: Counterparts, Invent Animate, Fit For An Autopsy, Turnover, John Mayer
EMAIL: james@kmraudio.com | TEL: +44 (0) 20 84452446
PAUL LAVIGNE
Web + Synth Genius
Our resident Frenchman, Paul brings a little “je ne sais quoi” to the team. In addition to his passion for everything relating to electronic music, he has spent the last 15 years honing his skills from live sound to mastering. He joined KMR in 2013 and is the man behind the KMR website.
FAVOURITE GEAR: Buchla Music Easel, Formanta Polivoks, Crane Song HEDD
GEAR EXPERTISE: Mastering equipment, synthesizers
PLAYLIST: Throbbing Gristle, Orphx, Portishead, David Bowie
EMAIL: paul@kmraudio.com | TEL: +44 (0) 20 8752 9627
RAB
Marketing Manager
Rab was a research scientist before dropping out to bum around India. He has been in equipment sales and installation since 1991, joined KMR in 2013 and now takes care of marketing. When he’s not glued to Photoshop, he’s usually strapped into his cycling lycra or noodling on a guitar.
FAVOURITE GEAR: Huss & Dalton 000, ever-evolving pedal board, Schoeps CMC6/Mk21
GEAR EXPERTISE: Most things - just don’t ask him about PC’s or DJ kit (ever!)
PLAYLIST: Gong, Plaid, Miles Davis, Allan Holdsworth, The Zombies, Burning Spear, Cate Le Bon
EMAIL: marketing@kmraudio.com | TEL: +44 (0) 20 8445 2446
AL RYALLS
Web Master
Two of Al's motivators are music and tech. He didn't get famous, so he put energy into making things work on the web. After 10 years in doing so he has now found a sweet spot coding and developing for KMR Audio.
FAVOURITE GEAR: Godin XTSA, Native Instruments controllers, Pro Tools
GEAR EXPERTISE: Audio interfaces, DAWs, Midi Controllers, Guitar Synths
PLAYLIST: Red Hot Chilli Peppers, Rage Against the Machine, The Police, Luke Vibert, Plaid
EMAIL: al@kmraudio.com
ENA JOWAH
Purchasing
Highly passionate music tech specialist, Ena has been in music retail since 2001 with experience in sales, studio installation and teaching music tech. He is our purchasing and products manager, making sure our shelves are always well stocked!
FAVOURITE GEAR: Genelec 1031, UA Apollo
GEAR EXPERTISE: Audio interfaces, speakers, microphones
PLAYLIST: Gil Scott-Heron, Howlin Wolf, Massive Attack
EMAIL: purchasing@kmraudio.com | TEL: +44 (0) 20 84452446
CALLUM BROWNSON-SMITH
Sales Administrator
Callum joined KMR in 2014 and makes sure all orders are correctly received and processed, in addition to chasing suppliers when gear hasn’t arrived on time. A bassist by trade, Callum gigs regularly with his extreme metal band. He’s also the hairiest guy in the store (by some margin!).
FAVOURITE GEAR: Barefoot MM27’s, Epiphone bass
PLAYLIST: Dead Can Dance, Bathory, Roky Erickson, Rome, Morbid Angel
EMAIL: callum@kmraudio.com | TEL: +44 (0) 20 8445 2446
TONI KORSTEN
General Manager KMR Audio Germany
Toni single-handedly runs KMR Germany and wears many hats – sales, customer support, technical support, shipping, marketing, accounts and HR (of himself!). He’s a busy guy and really knows his stuff when it comes to gear.
FAVOURITE GEAR: Barefoot MM27
GEAR EXPERTISE: A bit of everything!
PLAYLIST: Michael Jackson, Timbaland
EMAIL: toni@kmraudio.de | TEL: +49 (0) 30 5523 0658
NICK MITCHELL
Content Creator
Nick is a classically trained multi-instrumentalist with a long history in both studio work and music retail. He now runs a private studio, bringing his extensive knowledge of equipment to bear in creating content for our website and taking care of our social media.
FAVOURITE GEAR: Dramastic Obsidian
GEAR EXPERTISE: Outboard, monitors, Pro Tools
PLAYLIST: John Mayer, deadmau5, Chickenfoot
EMAIL: mitchell@kmraudio.com
CUONG NAM PHAM
Logistics
Cuong is the most recent addition to the team and ensures KMR customers receive their orders well packaged and on time, as well as making sure all stock is present and correct. An invaluable member of the KMR crew who helps keep the wheels turning!
PLAYLIST: Linkin Park, Imagine Dragons, Burnout Syndromes, Coldplay
EMAIL: cuong@kmraudio.com | TEL: +44 (0) 20 8445 2446