About Us

Hi!

We are Ahmed and Tom – two friends with a passion for music. We are both fortunate enough to have quite a technical background (we are both Masters in Engineering graduates) and have worked in various aspects of the Music industry, from events, radio, DJing, distribution and label management! So it’s pretty safe to say that we are engrossed in as many elements around music as we can get our hands on. 

Over the years we have converted those around us into fellow audiophiles; and with this we have often been asked a lot of questions about various aspects of the listening experience, particularly around turntables and speaker systems. After plenty of frustration with the poor, conflicting and over-complicated information we found online, we decided to set the record straight ourselves. We pooled our years of knowledge and experience to create a fact-based, jargon-free, reliable online information source for audiophiles and vinyl enthusiasts. And so Set The Record Player was born!

Welcome to our blog and thank you for being here!

Ahmed Elnaggar & Thomas Allman

Founders of Set The Record Player

Meet The Team

Alfonce Kandie

Alfonce Kandie is a broadcast engineer, an audio-visual media guru. As a resident  technician, he spearheads the digitization of audio visual content for Kenya  Broadcasting Corporation (KBC) in Nairobi, Kenya.  

Alfonce worked as a studio technician for 15 years at Kenya Broadcasting Corporation  until year 2008 when he could produce his own homebrewed projects that centers  mainly on audio related projects. While helping to spearhead the digitization of both  analogue video and audio content for KBC, his role is to ensure that the current state-of the-art in broadcast audio processing incorporates digital precision technology. 

More than his role as a technician, Alfonce is highly collaborative. During his 15 years  working for Kenya Broadcasting Corporation, he facilitated production of radio  programs including live studio performances. With those years of experience in audio  and psychoacoustics behind it, the story doesn’t end there; he is exhaustively

Neal Sawyer

Neal Sawyer is a songwriter, producer, musician, and writer based in the UK.

Frontman, songwriter, and guitarist in his first band. He traveled across the UK and Europe performing live, culminating in an album release in 2012.

In 2019, he dropped his debut solo album ‘Ballads of the Mortal’. Having worked alongside acclaimed producers with number one records to their name. This time around—he was the producer and played all instrumentation on the record. From DAWs to microphones to mixing, he understands what it takes to record an LP.

Besides also being a creative writer, Neal is a forensic audiophile. He believes time spent listening to a vinyl LP is one of life’s biggest pleasures.

Jordan Lent

Jordan Lent is a producer, musician, sound engineer, and writer based out of Arkansas.

Growing up in a family that owned two radio stations, Jordan discovered a love for vinyl at a young age through his father’s record collection, and his passion for music only grew from there. 

Over the years, Jordan has worn (and continues to wear) many hats, working as a live sound engineer, music producer, and most recently a writer. 

When he’s not making or listening to music, Jordan enjoys spending time with his spouse, watching true crime documentaries, learning new skills, and taking care of stray cats in his neighbourhood.