Meet Kyle Cadena

Today we’d like to introduce you to Kyle Cadena.

Hi Kyle, please kick things off for us with an introduction to yourself and your story.
I’d like to give create to my family for always being so supportive. My dad, Pru, loved guitar-fronted music, from every genre, Classical, Jazz, Rock, Hip-Hop, and R&B. I think maybe that’s why I gravitated towards guitar as the instrument I wanted to play. My grandfather, Ozzie, a jazz producer, and uncle, Dez, singer, and guitarist for Black Flag and the Misfits, were also an influence musically. They were invested in different styles of music professionally, but that only helped broaden my musical interests.

I really got into sound and recording when I was in high school in NJ when I recorded a full album with my band. I then went to college for Sound Engineering Arts at William Paterson and interned at a professional studio during my senior year. Not too long after working at House of Loud studios, I decided I wanted to do multiple things in music and audio and started my own home studio. I recorded and mixed a lot of different local artists in different styles of music, Rock, Hip-Hop, Pop, and Singer-Songwriter. I also got into editing and recording a jazz radio show, with Carla Lilien, and audiobooks for Riverside Digital Productions. At the same time, I gave guitar lessons, at a lessons studio, Elefante Music, and privately. I also toured the country and played guitar with several bands, one of them being Bernie Worrell, (Parliament Funkadelic) and Jimmy Destri (Blondie).

After 10 years of being a freelance musician and audio engineer, I moved to Cincinnati with my family and found Music Resource Center. MRC encompasses all the things I did and the lessons learned as a freelance engineer and musician. It is a creative mentoring and teaching space to help guide students interested in audio and music.

Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way? Looking back would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
It has not been a smooth road, but that’s just part of life. The experiences we have in different scenarios, and how we learn from those experiences make us who we are today. I’ve been very fortunate to have a loving family, friends, and co-workers to help me along the way. I am always striving to do better and to grow as a person, and in my career. I love learning new skills and developing the ones I’ve been working on for a while.

As far as recording, for many of the new engineers and producers out there, you will be working with many different people and personalities. How you can be accommodating, respectful, and adapt to different scenarios is part of the gig. There are many things to keep in mind when recording a band or an artist, and figuring out the most efficient way, as far as the technical side of recording and having a system, can help a lot when you want to focus on the creative aspect of your project.

Can you tell our readers more about what you do and what you think sets you apart from others?
I currently work at Music Resource Center Cincinnati, as the Operations Director. MRC is after-school non-profit music and recording program for teens, grades 7-12. I oversee all programming for the organization. I work with a great group of staff and volunteers, and now with the support of the YMCA of Greater Cincinnati, it is truly a team effort to have the program run efficiently. I instruct students in music production, multi-track recording, and guitar. The thing I’m most proud of at MRC is helping guide the students creatively, and seeing them develop not only as musicians but their personal growth and confidence.

What sets us apart from other organizations or people? The multitude of experiences to share knowledge with the students and no one else in the area has the setup, space, and focus on audio that we have at MRC.

Something personally I’m proud of is that I was able to devote 3 years to performing with Bernie Worrell and some amazing bandmates. We were self-sufficient. I had the opportunity to tour with the band on Guitar. I also communicated all technical ideas with the venue sound guys, and band mates stage setups. I had the opportunity to record our albums, and also coordinate logistics on tour with the Bernie Worrell Orchestra.

Can you talk to us a bit about happiness and what makes you happy?
Here is a list of a few things that make me happy:

1. Spending time with my wife and kids.
2. Eating good food with family and friends.
3. Watching NY Giants Football, especially a win!
4. Jamming and producing a song with friends.
5. Spending time outdoors, especially in the fall.
6. Family movie nights!

Contact Info:

• Website: www.kylecadena.com
• Youtube: www.youtube.com/kylecadenamusic
• Other: www.mrccinci.org

Image Credits
Chris Davis, Angie Lipscomb, and Chris Watt