Bob Ludwig, Legendary Mastering Engineer, Retires

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Bob Ludwig (Photo: Peter Luehr, via Gateway Mastering Studios)

If the name Bob Ludwig doesn’t immediately resonate, take a look at the liner notes in your album collection: You likely own more records that he’s worked on than those of any artist or session musician. Ludwig, the prominent behind-the-scenes mastering engineer associated with a Who’s Who of classic rock artists, has retired after a career that spans six decades and includes 13 Grammy Awards.

Ludwig opened his own record-mastering facility in Portland, Maine, Gateway Mastering, in 1992, where he served as president and chief mastering engineer. In 1998, he was joined by mastering engineer Adam Ayan, who on June 30, 2023, revealed that Gateway was closing.

In a Facebook post, Ayan wrote, “Well, today is the day. For those that do not know, Gateway Mastering Studios closes at the end of the day today. I have been at Gateway for 25 years now, and have been privileged to have my own mastering room there, as well as to have been a part of Gateway’s tremendous legacy.

“It’s bittersweet, but I am very excited to be moving forward with my own mastering business and to continue mastering records for all of the great artists I have been privileged to work with all of these years, and to grow new relationships with new artists moving forward.”

Ludwig himself shared the news on July 2, writing in part, “I won’t be taking on new mastering work as of June 30. It will be a few months to make sure we are completing this 30-year journey at Gateway Mastering the best way we know how. Our company goal has always been to support musicians, music producers, engineers, and our own talented staff.

“Music has always been my love. I’ll miss you and the whole music community with whom I’ve worked. I wake up every day enjoying what I do, which has been such a blessing. It’s been an extraordinary experience to work with you all these years.”

Ludwig has long been considered one of the most sought-after technicians in popular music history, having engineered, mastered and/or remastered such iconic albums as Bruce Springsteen’s Born in the U.S.A. and The Rising, Dire Straits’ Brothers in Arms, Rush’s Moving Pictures, Journey’s Escape, ZZ Top’s Eliminator, Def Leppard’s Pyromania, Elton John’s Madman Across the Water, David Bowie’s Let’s Dance, Steely Dan’s Gaucho, Yes’ 90125, and the Rolling Stones’ early catalog, among literally thousands of projects spanning all genres of music. “Every day is like a very complex puzzle to figure out,” he says.

The RL initials often appear in the dead wax of vinyl releases

Platinum and Gold record awards from grateful labels and recording artists line the walls of his studio. Ludwig’s signature “RL” initials, or a variation—largely unseen by most—appear in the dead wax of the vinyl editions of numerous titles that he’s mastered.

The news of his retirement was initially revealed, perhaps inadvertently, by singer-songwriter Jonatha Brooke. In a June 8, 2023, Facebook post, she wrote, “Besides his exquisitely tuned ears, Bob is also one of the loveliest human beings I’ve ever encountered. So, every time I had a new record, If at all humanly possible, I made the pilgrimage to Portland, ME., so I could be there for mastering day. I loved listening to the fine-tuning. Watching the scribble graphic on his screen, such an apt visual representation of what we were hearing.”

In a 2022 interview with Linear Tube Audio, Ludwig was asked to describe his role in the album-making process. “Music is recorded, then mixed down,” he said, “then mastered to do the final creative tweaks, final editing and create the final sound of the recording. I hear the mix and imagine in my head how I would want it to sound like and then know what knobs to use to make it sound as I imagined. Then we create the masters used for vinyl production, CDs, streaming, downloads and Apple digital masters.”

From his official bio on the Gateway Mastering Studios website: As an 8-year-old child in South Salem, New York, Ludwig was so fascinated with his first tape recorder he used to make recordings of whatever was on the radio. Ludwig is a classical musician by training, having obtained his bachelor’s and master’s degrees from the Eastman School of Music of the University of Rochester (in NY) where he was also involved in the sound department and played principal trumpet with the Utica Symphony Orchestra. Inspired by legendary producer Phil Ramone when he came to the school to teach a summer recording workshop, he ended up working as his assistant for the course. Phil asked him if he would like to work at A&R Recording in New York City. Together, they did sessions on projects with The Band, Peter, Paul & Mary, Neil Diamond, Burt Bacharach, and more. Ludwig says veteran engineer Jay Messina taught him how to master a record.

After a few years at A&R, Ludwig received an offer from Sterling Sound, becoming their first employee, where he eventually rose to become a vice president. After seven years at Sterling, he moved to Masterdisk, where he was vice president and chief engineer. Ludwig started Gateway Mastering in 1992.

When an interviewer once asked Ludwig what the sign of a mature mastering engineer was, when a client who’s paying a good rate asks, “What’d you do with it?” The best answer, he said, was “Well, not anything,” implying that his best work was simply staying out of the way. “It’s like the Pope saying, ‘Go in peace. You’ve done well’.”

Ludwig’s mastering credits are extensive, and also include albums for such classic rock acts as Led Zeppelin, Jimi Hendrix, Genesis, Megadeth, Metallica, Mark Knopfler, Queen, U2, Guns N’ Roses, the Police, Bonnie Raitt, Eagles, Eric Clapton, Paul McCartney, the Bee Gees, Supertramp, and Tom Petty & the Heartbreakers. His voluminous list of credits have been compiled by AllMusic.com here.