Meet Your New Favorite Mixing Engineer!
Who is Pete Rutcho, and why should I care?
Pete's a mixing and mastering engineer based in rural Massachusetts, where he does all of his work in the small mixing facility he built on the side of his house. A lot of inboard, mixed with near-freakish ear OCD and a sprinkle of outboard is what makes this little facility operate!
The Story So Far
Pete got his start at very young age playing the piano after parents insisting. Though they insisted, he didn't put up much of a fight. In high school it was on to guitar, and spiral continues downward from there. A plethora of bands, musical projects, and recording on an old Tascam 4-track fed his growing interest in sound and the ins and outs involved.
From there it was on to Sound Engineering school at UMass Lowell, where four years of his life were wasted on many irrelevant (albeit required) topics ranging from Physics to Calc II. It was not until senior year that he actually began to cut his teeth on two-inch tape.
Fast-forward to 2001, to an internship in Rhode Island at TRIAD Recording Complex where the real work was done. All the bases were covered from getting coffee for everyone, cleaning and maintaining tape machines, straight on up to mixing and mastering his own projects and clients.
After about a year he decided to cut the cord and embark on his own starting with recording local gigs and getting to know the bands. These were the years that gave him the knowledge, skills, patience, and understanding of every facet of mixing and mastering.
As the years went by and the network grew, so did the range and client profile. Now he does work for the likes of Sony, Epitaph and Century Media, just to name a few.
FAQ For Pete
Do you produce as well as mix / master?
100%! I will advise and recommend as requested! At your behest I'll write a synth part to fill out a chorus, make song-arrangement suggestions, even rip a guitar solo! But one thing I'm very careful about is knowing my place. If I'm asked to simply mix, or master, then that is what I will do. If I am asked to share an opinion, write a synth part, or make arrangement suggestions then I will most certainly do so and have a blast doing it!
What genre of music do you work with specifically?
None. All. From neo-classical to acid rock, from the most satanic death metal to the most angelic Christian folk music. I've done rock, pop, dance, metal, punk and hardcore from all over the world. Bring it on!
Do you work with independent artists as well or just labels?
Absolutely. Sound is an obsession for me so any time I can get my grubby mitts on a bunch of it and combine it all into a beautiful package, I'm excited to work on it! Record label or not.
Speaking of which, what are your rates?
Rates are usually going to be different per project, but safe to say there's my label rate, and my independent rate, though they may vary within each. Please drop me a line via the CONTACT section of this site and your message will be answered almost immediately! Additionally, check out this section