ENGINEERS/PRODUCERS
Ian Gorman • Maggie Heeren • Samuel Peters • Ashd Kitchen
INTERNS/ASSISTANT ENGINEERS
Jasmine Davidson • Ben DeWitt • Gabe Hill • Jordan Rillera • Sophia Smith
ALUMNI
Cynthea Kelley • Nick Pasquino • Claire Horn • Tony Mitchell • Paul Schaedig • Marcela Valdivieso • E.T. Townsend • Julián Guerrero • Jacob Wolfe • Forrest Dodson • Matthew Jett • Jack Wentworth • Noah Shankool • Donovan Estep • Jasper Ballinger • Liam Fisk • Kirsten Nelson • Dustin Kellerman
Ian Gorman (He/Him)
Owner/Head Engineer/Producer
A veteran of over 1,000 albums and 30+ years in the studio, Ian has dedicated his life to the art and craft of recording, and specifically helping capture the independent Michigan music scene. His discography includes many of the most prolific and inspiring artists in the region, including May Erlewine, Seth Bernard, The Crane Wives, Stephen Lynch, Joel Mabus, Greensky Bluegrass, Joshua Davis, Jordan Hamilton, Red Tail Ring, Last Gasp Collective, The Go Rounds, Jen Sygit, Nervous But Excited, Lindsay Lou, The Lasso, Earth Radio, and many more. Ian’s engineering and production work has been featured on albums that have won 40 WYCE Jammie Awards (Including 2012’s Producer/Engineer of the Year), with over 370 nominations.
Like so many musicians, Ian started experimenting with audio in high school, recording his own bands with a 4-track cassette recorder and a pair of cheap mics. Looking to turn his love of recording into a full-time profession, he studied audio engineering at Western Michigan University from 1996-2000, during which time he recorded dozens of local rock bands, many classical and jazz projects within the school of music, and won an international award from Downbeat Magazine for Best Engineered Student Recording in 1999.
In 2000, Ian was hired as a staff engineer at the famed Chicago Recording Company. There, he worked with such artists as Wilco, The Smashing Pumpkins, and Mannheim Steamroller, which earned him a multi-platinum record. Gorman’s decision to focus on the thriving independent Michigan music scene brought him back to Kalamazoo in 2002, where he started to grow his own freelance recording business, which evolved into La Luna and the studio you see today.
Ian has made records in studios ranging from modest home setups up to multi-million dollar facilities, recorded on-location all over the state, ran live sound in clubs, theaters, and festivals, and taught audio engineering and production to hundreds of students. He also has stayed active as a musician, performing with Seth Bernard, May Erlewine, Gifts or Creatures, Who Hit John?, and his own eclectic Kalamazoo group The Red Sea Pedestrians.
PRESS: “Sonic Mad Scientist: Ian Gorman helps artists make music and find their voice” by Mark Wedel, Encore Magazine, March 1, 2021
Pic by Fran Dwight
Maggie Heeren
(She/Her)
Engineer/Producer
One of Kalamazoo’s most in-demand recording and live sound engineers, Maggie’s recent studio projects include Annie Capps, Joy Zimmerman, Bedroom Ceilings, Via Ferrata, Michigan Music Alliance’s “Respect” project, and the WMU Jazz Department’s Downbeat sessions. A fearless experimenter in the studio, Maggie is never afraid to find inventive ways to forge new ground.
You might also know Maggie from her work as live sound engineer throughout the state, running sound for many popular Michigan acts including Seth Bernard, Normal Mode, The Crane Wives, May Erlewine, Minor Element, Saxsquatch & Bridge Band, and Earth Radio, as well as national acts such as the Immanuel Wilkins Quartet, SaxKixAve, Ben Gulley, TAUK, Pokey LaFarge, FINOM, STRFKR, and Mdou Moctar.
Maggie is a graduate of the Honors College at the University of Michigan with a BA in English and a minor in Chemistry, and earned a BS degree summa cum laude from Western Michigan University in Multimedia Arts and Technology. When not engineering, Maggie plays with her band Fake Baseball. She is a creative force and loves music in so many ways, whether helping facilitate an artist's dream for their work in the studio, trying to cater to the most wonderful live experience, or writing and sharing her own music.
Pic by Fran Dwight
Samuel Peters
(He/Him)
Engineer/Producer
With stellar ears, incredible skills behind the board, and an absolutely relentless love for helping artists achieve greatness, Samuel Peters has become the go-to producer, tracking, mixing, and mastering engineer for many in Kalamazoo and beyond. His versatile discography features projects from classical to hip-hop, and is as at-home mic’ing up an acoustic guitar as he is creating beats. Recent projects include Jordan Hamilton, Celeste Allison, Last Gasp Collective, Benna, Healix, Kyle Toth, the Allah, Basic Comfort, Jessi Phillips, Taxi Cab, Liz Townsend, Jaz Bolar, Shelby O, Headband Henny, Benni Ola, Seth Bernard, After Midnight, Audrey Barnes, Eddie Codrington, Ethan Marc, Out of Favor Boys, and many more.
Sam has a Bachelor of Science degree from Western Michigan University in the Multimedia Arts Technology program, and further sharpened his skills as an intern with Chicago’s Audiotree Studios, finally joining the La Luna team in the fall of 2018. Between La Luna and his work as an independent engineer and producer, Samuel continues to hone his craft, helping his clients take their music to the next level.
Pic by Fran Dwight
Ashd Kitchen (She/Her)
Engineer
Ashd found a love for music before she could even speak. She always wrote and composed music throughout her adolescent years, but after high school is when she fell into recording and mixing. She got her start recording music with her friends in 2016. About 2 years later in 2018 she realized this was her newfound calling; she then went on to study at The Recording Workshop in Chillicothe, Ohio, receiving her Core and Advanced Certification in professional Audio Engineering. She’s been freelancing ever since, specializing in genres of hip-hop, trap, RnB, and Alternative music.
In 2020 she opened up her own studio in Kalamazoo called “The Lab” and works between there and La Luna. Over the course of a few years she has become a go to rap and hip hop engineer in the Kalamazoo area. When she’s not busy between both studios and a full time job she likes to get creative with her own music. Ashd continues to grow in perfecting her craft and achieving her clients true sound.
Pic by Fran Dwight
Jasmine Davidson - Intern/Assistant Engineer
Ben DeWitt - Intern/Assistant Engineer
Sophia Smith - Intern/Assistant Engineer
LA LUNA ALUMNI
Other engineers and assistants who have been a part of the studio over the years
Cynthea Kelley -
Engineer/Producer
Nick Pasquino - Engineer/Producer
Claire Horn -
Assistant Engineer
Tony Mitchell - Assistant Engineer
Paul Schaedig - Assistant Engineer
Marcela Valdivieso - Intern/Assistant Engineer
E.T. Townsend - Intern/Assistant Engineer
Julián Guerrero - Intern/Assistant Engineer
Jacob Wolfe - Intern/Assistant Engineer
Forrest Dodson - Intern/Assistant Engineer
Matthew Jett -
Intern/Assistant Engineer
Jack Wentworth -
Intern/Assistant Engineer
Noah Shankool - Intern/Assistant Engineer
Donovan Estep - Intern/Assistant Engineer
Jasper Ballinger - Intern/Assistant Engineer
Bio coming soon
Liam Fisk - Intern/Assistant Engineer
Bio coming soon