Ryan Coomer

Hailing from a patch of green between Detroit and Flint, Ryan Coomer knew that he was destined for a career in music from the first time he heard the intro to Black Dog at 10 years old. Coomer grew up listening to a wide range of artists, from Motown to David Bowie to Charles Mingus, which eventually led to his love of recording.

"My first recordings were 'radio shows' I made on an old mono cassette recorder when I was very young. I'd tell stories and jokes, trying to sound cool. Once I started playing in bands, music studios became a second home. For the last decade, my focus has been location recording for TV, commercials and film, which is similar, but also very different from studio recording. There is no such thing as a controlled environment and often you only have one chance to get it right, so skill and technique are key."

With a love for vintage recording gear of all kinds, Coomer fits right in with the rest of the VK crew. "My favorite pieces of gear are Vintage Nagra III and IV Recorders. Battery-powered, mobile, and with beautiful preamps. The level of engineering and craftsmanship that went into them is amazing, even the hand soldered and machined components are beautiful."