Barry Rudolph is a recording engineer,

mixing engineer A mixing engineer (or simply mix engineer) is responsible for combining ("mixing") different sonic elements of an auditory piece into a complete rendition (also known as "final mix" or "mixdown"), whether in music, film, or any other content of a ...

record producer A record producer is a recording project's creative and technical leader, commanding studio time and coaching artists, and in popular genres typically creates the song's very sound and structure. Virgil Moorefield"Introduction" ''The Producer as ...

and

technical writer A technical writer is a professional information communicator whose task is to transfer information between two or more parties, through any medium that best facilitates the transfer and comprehension of the information. Technical writers researc ...

best known for his work with Rod Stewart, Lynyrd Skynyrd and

Hall & Oates Daryl Hall and John Oates, commonly known as Hall & Oates, are an American pop rock duo formed in Philadelphia in 1970. Daryl Hall is generally the lead vocalist; John Oates primarily plays electric guitar and provides backing vocals. The two ...

. He has been a contributing editor for Music Connection Magazine since 1987 and

Mix Magazine ''Mix'' magazine is a periodical, billing itself as "the world's leading magazine for the professional recording and sound production technology industry". The magazine is headquartered in New York City and distributed in 94 countries. Its Korea ...

since 1997. Rudolph is credited on more than 30 RIAA-certified gold and platinum records.

Early life and career

Rudolph's interest in electronics started at a young age. While in sixth grade, he won a science fair for building a radio transmitter with parts from a war surplus store. In high school, Rudolph played the drums in a rock band and also designed and built a

PA system A public address system (or PA system) is an electronic system comprising microphones, amplifiers, loudspeakers, and related equipment. It increases the apparent volume (loudness) of a human voice, musical instrument, or other acoustic sound sou ...

for their use. He describes how his interest developed for recording engineering: "''I was interested in what made certain records sound better to me and why".'' He graduated with an Associate of Science Degree from

Santa Ana College Santa Ana College is a public community college in Santa Ana, California. History In 1915, Santa Ana Junior College opened its doors to 25 students as a department of Santa Ana High School. It was the second community college founded in Oran ...

in 1969. A year later, he graduated California State University, Long Beach with a Bachelor of Science degree. Simultaneously, Rudolph worked for various Southern California aerospace and computer companies as a digital test technician. His first job at a recording studio was as an assistant at United Audio in

Orange County, California Orange County is located in the Los Angeles metropolitan area in Southern California. As of the 2020 census, the population was 3,186,989, making it the third-most-populous county in California, the sixth-most-populous in the United States, a ...

. In 1970, he moved to

West Hollywood West Hollywood is a city in Los Angeles County, California, United States. Incorporated in 1984, it is home to the Sunset Strip. As of the 2020 U.S. Census, its population was 35,757. It is considered one of the most prominent gay villages ...

after accepting a position at

Larrabee Sound Studios Larrabee Sound Studios is a recording studio complex in North Hollywood, California, originally established in 1969. Facilities Located at 4162 Lankershim Boulevard in North Hollywood, Larrabee has six studios, three tracking spaces, and a produ ...

. Rudolph started cutting demo

acetate disc An acetate disc (also known as a ''lacquer'', ''test acetate'', '' dubplate'', or ''transcription disc'') is a type of phonograph record generally used from the 1930s to the late 1950s for recording and broadcast purposes and still in limited use ...

s and later assisted recording engineers during sessions. He was first engineer and mixer on his first #1 record, Al Wilson's album "

Show and Tell Show and tell (sometimes called show and share or sharing time) is the practice of showing something to an audience and describing it to them, usually a toy or other children's-oriented item. In the United Kingdom, North America, New Zealand and ...

" that received an RIAA gold certification in December 1973. Rudolph became a freelance engineer afterwards. Rudolph started writing for Music Connection Magazine in 1987 and for

in 1997 and has been a regular contributor to both journals since. He started teaching audio engineering in 2010 at Pinnacle College in

Alhambra, California Alhambra (, , ; from "Alhambra") is a city located in the western San Gabriel Valley region of Los Angeles County, California, United States, approximately eight miles from the Downtown Los Angeles civic center. It was incorporated on July 11 ...

and went on to teach at

Musicians Institute Musicians Institute (MI) is a private for-profit music school in Los Angeles, California. MI students can earn Certificates and – with transfer of coursework taken at Los Angeles City College – Associate of Arts Degrees, as well as Bachelor ...

Hollywood, California Hollywood is a neighborhood in the central region of Los Angeles, California. Its name has come to be a shorthand reference for the U.S. film industry and the people associated with it. Many notable film studios, such as Columbia Pictures, ...

. Rudolph is founder and owner of mixing facility Tones 4 $ Studios (pronounced "Tones For Dollars").

Selected discography

References

External Links

Barry Rudolph Interview
NAMM Oral History Library (2021) {{DEFAULTSORT:Rudolph, Barry Living people American audio engineers Record producers from Los Angeles Year of birth missing (living people)