Audio engineer, music producer and show programmer of more than 25 years’ experience Rudy Bethancourt recently expanded his remit from stereo to surround with a new Dolby Atmos recording studio, Nine Lives Immersive in Miami.
Bethancourt’s resumé includes collaborations with the likes of Ricky Martin, Shakira, Jennifer Lopez, Carlos Vives, Carlos Rivera, Ricardo Arjona, Lorde and Fall Out Boy. To accommodate his immersive projects, Bethancourt recently invested in three KRK V6 Series 4 Powered Studio Monitors, as well as ten V4 Series 4, and a pair of V8 Series 4. In addition, Bethancourt has two pairs of KRK KNS 8400 Studio Headphones, an S12.4 Powered Studio Subwoofer, and two pairs of a previous generation of V8s.
Nine Lives Immersive features a 9.1.4 Atmos configuration with four monitors mounted on the ceiling, six on stands on the ground, and three on his desk in an LCR configuration. ‘The V-Series already sound good on their own; they are transparent, which is important for Atmos,’ he says. ‘The monitors can adapt to different styles of music, and when you pair them with the S12 Subwoofer, you can get great low end. Even if you don’t use the sub, the V-Series monitors still sound excellent.’
In his Nine Lives Immersive studio, Bethancourt embraces transparency as a fundamental principle of his artistic workflow. ‘One thing I love about the V8s specifically is the low-end extension you get without a subwoofer,’ he elaborates. ‘They are very straightforward sounding and are overall amazing monitors. There is something about the stereo image that you get when you place them in the perfect position. Also, when you bring the loudness level down while mixing, the monitors translate well in that low volume environment.’
In addition to his KRK monitors, Bethancourt tunes in with his KNS 8400s headphones. ‘I found the KNS are great for tracking vocals because they have this little curve in the mid-highs with nice high end and little low end,’ he says. ‘Overall, they have a very flat frequency response.
‘Most of the broadcast mixes I worked on for the TV Show La Voz US, Tu Cara Me Suena and the Celia Cruz tribute performed by Jennifer Lopez for the American Music Awards, plus multiple mixes for various Latin Grammys live performances, were created with KRK V8s,’ he continues. ‘I also recorded, vocal engineered, and mixed Season 2 of the HBO show called A Tiny Audience, for which I used the V8s as well. The transient response of the V-Series is so good; when you are in a big room, you can reach 85dB, and they sound terrific. When you have a smaller room, like mine, there’s a different dB range, so you have to mix at lower volumes. What I like about the V-Series is that the transient response can continue at both the low and high volumes when I push it. These monitors give me that consistency in detail and allow a mid-range that most other speakers can’t.’
In addition to his exciting TV projects, Bethancourt uses his KRKs to assist fellow musicians in transforming their music from stereo to the immersive world of Atmos. ‘I have been using my Dolby Atmos room a lot to help friends who don’t have the budget to translate their old catalogue into Atmos,’ he says. ‘I have also been working with various independent artists to bring their discography up to Dolby specifications because it is so new and an extra cost for them.’
Bethancourt is a long-time KRK user and has worked with the brand for more than 15 years, and has been a part of the KRK/Gibson family since 2007. ‘They are like one big family,’ he says, highlighting the close-knit community he’s found within the brand. Looking ahead, he is aims to keep pushing boundaries, using his KRK monitors as he delves deeper into the world of Dolby Atmos.
More: www.krkmusic.com
