Miami, FL (January 9, 2024)―To make her latest album, Grammy-nominated singer and songwriter Paula Arenas and her Latin Grammy-winning engineer Maria Elisa Ayerbe adopted KRK’s KNS 8402 studio headphones.
Arenas released her third album, A Ciegas, in May 2023, and it has since been nominated for four Latin Grammy Awards and a Grammy Award in the category of Best Latin Album. Like Arenas’ previous two albums, A Ciegas was crafted with the help of her friend Ayerbe, who is also a Latin Grammy-nominated producer and composer.
Arenas started her music career in her home of Bogotá, Colombia, and eventually made her way to Miami, where she has lived ever since. Ayerbe is also from Bogotá and has been working professionally for 17 years.
“I like the 8402s specifically because they help make our tracks sound good and are well-balanced headphones,” Ayerbe says. “I also really appreciate the fact that they have volume control, so I don’t have to ride the artists’ volume on my end the entire time. The KRK KNS have great isolation, so you don’t get a lot of bleed, which doesn’t happen with other headphones.”
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Equally crucial to the duo is the fit. “They’re comfortable, and that is important while recording since we’re wearing them for hours,” Ayerbe shares.
“They are also nice looking, which is always a plus,” adds Arenas. “I love them and really treasure them.”
A long-time KRK user, Ayerbe has a variety of gear at her Miami-based South Mountain Studios, which she also deployed in the creation of Arenas’ music, as well as a variety of other recording and mixing projects. This includes KRK V4 Series 4 powered reference monitors and KRK’s S8.4 powered studio subwoofer. “The V4s are incredibly accurate, high-quality compact speakers,” says Ayerbe. “I love how transparent they are. They have a great low end and a very open, pristine, high end, as well as a very good stereo image.”
Arenas has her own pair of KNS 8402s at her home as well as the KRK Rokit 5 G4 5-inch near-field powered studio monitors, which Ayerbe recommended for Arenas’ space. “The monitors work great no matter what environment they are in,” explains Ayerbe of the decision to install the monitors in Arenas’ home. “The Rokits are good at providing a great reference without relying too much on the acoustic treatment of the room, which is perfect for home-listening applications.”
