Stanton DJ and Cerwin Vega , all part of Gibson Pro Audio . I didn ’ t really want a full-time job so I went to the interview in typical musician attire , jeans and a t-shirt . I was mostly going there to interview them . I thought , if I go back to the musical instruments industry , I want to love the place and the people . I ended up loving the interview and a few of my friends from Line 6 were working there , so I jumped on board .
The first thing I realized was that KRK had lost touch with all the artists that used and loved KRK for years . They had created the affordable Rokit line and had not really developed new products in the midline to take care of artists . So , I helped them finish and bring to market the V Series 4 to get back the artists to great success . My beta team was Dave Pensado , Spike Stent , Jacquire King , Dwayne Larring and many more .
One key guy was J . R . McNeely . A monster producer / engineer who got his start with John and Dino Elefante at Pakaderm Studios in California and Sound Kitchen in Nashville working with artists such as Petra , Guardian , Rich Mullins to Mercy Me , Jeremy Camp and Kutless . He had used KRK V8 Series 1 for years and relied on them but could not get parts and Rokits were not right for him . I brought my beta pair of V8 Series 4 to him and he said , “ Look Rich , before we listen , just know that I have come to know and understand my Focals . I would love to come back to KRK but I have to make a living first .” Well , we listened and as I was putting the V8s back in their carrying bags , he was in tears and said , “ When can I get my beta units ?” This happened with many artists , and I knew I had something great for the market .
They did very well , so when I set out to refresh the Rokit line , I started with all that I had learned doing the V Series 4 . It had to start by , for the first time in Rokit history , using real Kevlar for the woofers and tweeters . These are more expensive than the glass aramid cones they had used on Rokit for 15 years so it took a lot of hard work by my engineer ,
KRK under Gibson . Giving Dave Pensado a tour of the engineering department in Chatsworth , CA .
Craig Hockenberry and project manager , Steve Marks and I to keep the price point but really make a truly professional product . I knew we nailed this when I brought them to producer Jacquire King . He has worked on everything from Switchfoot , Avalon , Petra to Norah Jones and James Bay as well as winning a “ Record of the Year ” Grammy for mixing Kings of Leon ’ s Use Somebody . He mixed that record with a pair of Rokit 5 Gen 1s and a small JBL bean speaker . He used Rokit for 15 years so when I brought him the G4s I knew I needed his stamp of approval . I got it .
In 2019 after going through a bankruptcy , Gibson sold Stanton DJ and Cerwin Vega and moved KRK to Nashville . I have five grandkids now and could not move from California so I was on to my next adventure .
[ WM ] Besides what we have already covered , you have worked on record mixing , live sound production and even played bass in various worship bands and church settings . Tell us about some of those ?
The name of my mixing business , Rev4 Audio , comes from one of my favorite chapters in the Bible , Revelation Chapter 4 , that describes the throne room of God in great detail and never ceases to amaze me . It is at the core of all that I am as a Christian and musician and artist .
[ WM ] What I like about your unique calling is that the Lord has opened several times where you get an opportunity to share Jesus with mainstream musicians / artists and NAMM industry people alike . Do you have a few stories to share with us ?
[ Rich ] The stories are many . They are all because of and completely credited to Jesus . I cannot take any credit . Whenever some coworker or industry cohort or others come back and share with me that they came to the Lord