STUDIO NAME: Rudy’s Studio

LOCATION: Denver, CO

KEY CREW: Mark Obermeyer, Justin G. Preston

CONTACT: www.rudysstudio.com

CONSOLE: Digidesign ICON D-Command w/ Digidesign 192 Interfaces (3)

SUMMING: API 8200 (2), 8200A

COMPUTERS: Dual G5 Mac 2.3GHz; Pentium 4 PC 3.2GHZ

RECORDERS: Pro Tools HD 3 Accel

CONVERTERS: Apogee AD16X (2), DA16X (2)

MONITORS: ADAM S3A; Yamaha NS-10M, SW-10 (2)

PRES: API 3124, 3124+MB; ART TPS II (2); Avalon VT737 (3); Focusrite ISA 428; Grace Designs Model 801; Great River 1NV (2); Universal Audio 2-610 (2)

MICS: AKG 414 ULS (2); Blue Baby Bottle (2), Blueball (2), Blueberry (4); CAD Tube V2; Electro-Voice 868 (2); Neumann KM184 (4); Røde NT-2 (2); Sennheiser 421 (6); Shure Beta 52, Beta 56 (2), SM 7B, SM 57 (6)

OUTBOARD: A-Designs ATTY (2); Alesis MasterLink; Apogee Big Ben; BBE 882i; Empirical Labs Distressor; Furman IT1220; Manley Massive Passive; MOTU MIDI Timepiece II; Peterson Digital Strobe Tuner; Radial J-DI; SSL XLogic G Compressor; TASCAM DA-78; UREI 1178; UREI 535 Dual 10 Band EQ

NOTES: “We are obsessed with finding new production techniques, and creating really unique sounds,” Mark Obermeyer says when asked about why he decided to start Denver, CO-based Rudy’s Studio — a facility he co-founded with mastering maharishi and post-production habitué Justin G. Pearson (of sister sanctum Dragon Studios) in 2000, following a stint at the University of Colorado’s Recording and Music Program. “With our combined experience, we built a studio that is not only a great working environment, but also has the tools to help bands sound like more than just the sum of their parts — and we’ve been booked steadily ever since.”
Comprised of three separate live rooms (“We capture natural reverbs from the various rooms, adding to the live feel of our recordings”) that satellite a sizeable control room, Rudy’s Studio is built around a Pro Tools HD 3 Accel system with a Digidesign ICON D-Command console at the helm, set to control the heart of the sun. But while the boys choose to work in Pro Tools due to the obvious benefits of utilizing the platform, they manage to achieve incredibly spirited sounds via a slew of high-end analog hardware — effectively integrating the best of both worlds: efficiency in workflow with the heightened audio capabilities only boutique equipment can produce.
And they keep expanding their arsenal at a rate rivaling most red giant stars. As Obermeyer comments on some of the recent upgrades to Rudy’s Studio, “With the clean power courtesy of the Furman IT1220, the advantages of using the [Apogee Big Ben] word clock, working at 44.1kHz, and having a ton of sweet pres and analog outboard equipment at our disposal — not to mention the [ADAM] S3As for playback — really makes for a pleasurable workspace. The live room is nice and flat, and when you get back into the control room everything has a way of just sounding great.”
But it’s not just the impressive gear selection that is to blame for the great sounds that are constantly emanating from Rudy’s Studio; it’s the shared vision of Obermeyer and Preston — two audio engineers hell bent on translating their artist’s intent truthfully to disc. “Retaining the live feel, natural dynamics, and overall energy of the artist’s performance is what’s most important to us,” Obermeyer states. “The ability to work with so many amazing musicians makes us feel incredibly lucky. We really do have the coolest jobs in the world.”