Watch my approach to product management in a new music tech startup.
Kimera Morrell
Product Manager & Owner
Music Tech Startups
I've built 6 audio plugins from concept to release.
Now I want to be part of an impactful team.
Why My Background Is Rare
I am the user.
18 years as a daily recording engineer means I understand creator frustration at a level most PMs can only approximate. My user research confirms what I already feel.
I've shipped the product.
I know what it takes to go from blank page to paying customers. 6 commercial plugins and 2 web apps designed, built, marketed, and updated.
I understand the business.
Growth funnels, lifecycle sequences, onboarding flows, retention strategy. I build the ecosystems that feel like home to my users.
The Approach
Whether you've never had a PM or you've been building without one, here's where I start.
KIMERA AUDIO
My process in action.
Problem Identified
Home studio vocalists need professional signal processing but existing plugins are expensive, complex, or designed for mixing engineers.
Validation Method
I converse and engage with my audience daily, learning from their feedback and interviewing directly. Hypotheses are confirmed through extensive personal use as the end user, and through beta testing partnerships.
Product Shipped
Complete vocal processing chain: reverb, delay, EQ, compression, de-essing, gating, plus templates and presets.
Adapt & Iterate
Continuous iteration based on user feedback, beta testing results, and performance data to improve product-market fit.
Tools
Brand Collaborations
Resume
Kimera Morrell
Product Manager & Owner | Music Tech Startups
310-741-2358 • kimera@kimeramorrell.com • San Diego/Los Angeles, CA
Professional Summary
Music tech founder, audio engineer, and vocalist with 18 years of deep intuition for creator experience built through active music production career, plugin beta testing, and building products that music producers rely on. Personally developed 6 commercial audio plugins from greenfield concept through live release, using an agile-inspired product management framework documented across a FigJam portfolio and live Jira backlog. Skilled at AI-assisted development workflows, growth funnel architecture, and translating creator feedback into clear product direction. Recording Academy voting member and former SONY ATV songwriter with access to top music industry players.
Experience
Founder & Product Manager | KIMERA AUDIO LLC
2021 – Present- Owned the full product lifecycle for 6 audio plugins and 2 web apps from concept, DSP research, and feature specification through UI design, QA, launch, and post-release iteration
- C++ and python scripts (AI assisted coding), JUCE, Cursor and Xcode, rigorous debugging and testing, securing Apple Developer and AAX code-signing credentials, deploying Digital Ocean server, and delivering license codes through server web hook infrastructure
- Integrated Pytorch/Libtorch and Jupyter notebooks to explore ML-based audio processing features, including a hybrid DSP/AI plosive detection pipeline
- Owned the product backlog using Agile principles, organizing work into Epics, user stories with acceptance criteria, and sprint-based execution cycles
- Coordinated with beta testers to identify UX friction, inconsistent behavior, and edge cases
- Authored detailed product specification documents, EULAs, privacy policies and terms
- Built growth-marketing infrastructure across 3 audience segments with dedicated lead magnets, lifecycle email sequences, and onboarding flows designed to form lasting product habits
- Tracked performance metrics to make prioritization calls and changes across marketing and offer design
Plugin Beta Tester & Product Consultant | Soundware / Soundbank / Ark Audio
2022 – 2026- Identified bugs, UX oddities, and workflow friction across beta cycles for audio plugins
- Thoroughly tested soundbank.us user experience for onboarding, profile creation, uploading sample packs, buying and selling samples processes
- With emphasis on Usability, provided structured feedback on feature behavior, edge cases, and creator-facing experience from the perspective of a professional daily user
- Contributed to pre-release QA in multiple DAWs
Creative Director & Head Mixing Engineer | Global Mix Music
2025 – 2026 Seasonal- Led creative direction for a full-service custom cheerleading music production company
- Managed 30+ artists from sending assignments, to creative direction, receiving files and sending payouts
- Utilized tools like Splice and Suno to prepare demos
- Edited and Mixed over 400 verses in Pro Tools, while also assisting lead producer in Reaper
Sales & Marketing Consultant | Byte Size Cookie
2024 – 2025- Advised on product positioning, go-to-market strategy, and creator-facing messaging for AI voice app
- Helped in additional areas such as voice data collection and organization to prepare for AI training sessions
- Built out Meta Ads campaigns, Ad sets, and Ad Creatives, ran audience and creatives testing and managed campaigns
Brand Collaborator & Creator | Music Tech Industry
2020 – 2026- Long-term content partnerships and product collaborations with: AutoTune, BandLab, Soundtrap, Polyverse, Zplane, EMvoice, Fluid Audio, Audiohertz, Musio, König & Meyer, and several others
- Produced educational content and product demos reaching thousands of home studio producers, giving firsthand insight into how creators discover, evaluate, and adopt new tools
- Facilitated influencer relations and negotiations for Kimera Audio plugin content
- Maintained weekly content marketing; blog, email newsletter, long form content and short form content
Professional Session Vocalist & Recording Engineer | Independent
2019 – Present- 18 years of recording engineering and vocal production, with 7 years of finally getting paid for it
- #1 Singer for hire Soundbetter.com off and on
- 100+ sync placements across TV and brand campaigns
- Created 8 sample packs featured on BandLab, ADSR Sounds, (formerly) Sounds.com, Soundbank.us and more
Published Songwriter | EMI/SONY ATV
2010 – 2014- Worked with producers including Louis Bell, Rodney Jerkins, August Rigo and Stargate with unreleased works recorded by Britney Spears, Becky Hill, and various new signees. Songwriting success steered toward sync licensing.
Education
BA Music & Sound Recording | BA Music Business University of New Haven 2009 cum laude
Skills & Tools
Operations Stack: FigJam, Jira, Miro, Asana, Monday, Slack, Discord, Google Workspace
Development Stack: Mac & Windows, Xcode, Visual Studio, JUCE, Cursor, Pytorch/Libtorch, Vercel/Next.js, Figma, Google Cloud APIs/OAuth Credentials, Apple Developer, PACE Central/AAX Wrap Configurations and Codesigning, Azure Codesigning, GitHub, Digital Ocean, Webhook integrations, Stripe, PayPal, and more
Music Production Stack: Pro Tools, Reaper, GarageBand, Cakewalk, Audacity, Splice, Suno, Spitfire LABS, Serum, Kontakt, Melodyne and more plugins than one can count
Marketing Stack: Canva, Metricool, Captions App, Filmora, Final Cut Pro/iMovie, Google Analytics, Meta Ads Manager, Kajabi, Shopify, GoHighLevel, Squarespace Domains, Youtube Partner, Instagram, Tik Tok, Facebook, Linked In, TubeBuddy, ChatGPT, Claude, LeadConnector, Mailgun, Post Master Tools, and more
Industry Relations: Recording Academy, lifelong friendships with various Grammy award winning engineers and producers, masterminds with music tech influencers, relationships with music publishing and record label A&Rs
Special Skills: Vocalist, vocal arranger, songwriter, music producer, operations swiss army knife, copywriter, content creator, master communicator, mildly funny, web developer, web automations, email marketing, user journey mapping, good listener, email deliverability, SEO, action taker, reads the room, predicts/presents team needs, quick to respond, optimizer, finisher