Miami, FL (December 3, 2024)―Grammy and Latin Grammy-winning audio engineer, music producer and show programmer Rudy Bethancourt recently made the transition from stereo to surround at his new Dolby Atmos recording studio, Nine Lives Immersive.
To accommodate immersive projects, Bethancourt, who has collaborated with Ricky Martin, Shakira, Jennifer Lopez, Scott Stapp, Carlos Vives, Kany Garcia, Carlos Rivera, Ivy Queen, Ricardo Arjona, Lorde and Fall Out Boy, added to his existing complement of KRK monitors, nabbing three KRK V6 Series 4 powered studio monitors, 10 V4 Series 4 and one pair of V8 Series 4. In addition to his trusted monitors, 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 Bethancourt’s desk in an LCR arrangement. “The V-Series already sound good on their own; they are transparent, which is important for Atmos,” he explains. “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.”
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He shares: “One thing I love about the V8s specifically is the low-end extension you get without a subwoofer. 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—just wow. Also, when you bring the loudness level down while mixing, the monitors translate well in that low volume environment.”
In addition to his monitors, Bethancourt tunes in with his KNS 8400s headphones. “What I found with the KNS is that they have a more natural response,” he explains. “They are great for tracking vocals because they have this little curve in the mid-highs with nice high end and little low end. Overall, they have a very flat frequency response.”
He also reports, “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. 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.”
