Drummer Alex ‘Rudi’ Rudinger has clocked up nearly 10 million views on his YouTube channel and is a joy to watch, radiating passion and an obvious talent for his craft.
“When I say: ‘drums and music make me happy,’ I really mean that in more than just the ‘instant gratification’ sense” – Alex Rudinger
Yet his confident demeanour belies an immense fear of failure. “Like many people, I’ve struggled with fairly severe depression and somewhat crippling anxiety, at varying points in my life. There was even a point when I genuinely thought I’d never be able to perform live,” he admits. “Somehow my passion for drums and music has always managed to outweigh those mental health issues just enough to force me out of my comfort zone, time and time again.”
The first video Rudi produced tracking with his new Audient iD44 & ASP880’s
Today Rudi does regular live session work, and has toured with bands like The Faceless, Revocation, Conquering Dystopia, Good Tiger and Threat Signal, slowly but surely conquering his fear. He attributes this to a dedication to his craft: “Drums have allowed me such a phenomenal platform for growth as a human being, much more than I think anyone really realises. So, in addition to just being something that I love to do, they’ve also truly made my overall quality of life better. When I say: ‘drums and music make me happy,’ I really mean that in more than just the ‘instant gratification’ sense.”
More recently he’s been peppering his video stream with articulate pieces on recording – including one about his new iD44 and two ASP880s from Audient – revealing a penchant for audio engineering as well.
Continuously striving to improve his technique, he still tracks himself 99% of the time. “Of course, having the computer within arm’s reach is important,” he says. “My iD44 and ASP880s are in a rack that I keep back behind my drum kit, along with a laptop stand.
“…since the iD44 is quite portable and compact, I’ve taken to just unplugging it and moving it to my desk. Just another thing I like about iD44”
“When I’m done tracking something, I move my laptop across the room to my desk where I keep my studio monitors. I used to have a cheaper interface that I kept there for playback (so I wouldn’t have to unscrew my interface from the rack behind my kit all the time), but since the iD44 is quite portable and compact, I’ve taken to just unplugging it and moving it to my desk. Just another thing I like about iD44.”
To find out the full gamut of his thoughts on iD44 and his ASP880s, have a watch of Rudi’s video:
Alex ‘Rudi’ Rudinger talks us through Audient iD44 & ASP880
Rudi practises and tracks his work in a low-ceilinged, concrete room hung entirely with carpets, which isn’t ideal. “The thing about recording drums is that even in a room that isn’t entirely desirable acoustically, if you have the right gear, tune everything well and perform well, then you’re going to get a relatively good result. The ‘performing well’ bit is especially important,” he adds.
“So, to anyone out there thinking they can’t record because they only have a small space, or because the room isn’t good enough, consider that my ‘studio’ is merely a basement. Someday I hope to have an amazing live room of my own, but in the meantime I do the best I can with what I have.”
“Someday I hope to have an amazing live room of my own, but in the meantime I do the best I can with what I have.”
Empathic to the last, he’s keen to champion positive thinking to inspire the next generation of musicians working their way up the ranks. “Stay strong, work hard and try not to get too discouraged if something doesn’t go your way. If you love what you do, take some solace in that, and know that if you work hard and stay focused, you’ll eventually get where you want to go.”
Wise words, indeed. Find out what Rudi’s up to by following him on your social media channel of choice: Official Facebook Fan Page, Personal Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, Official Website…and we look forward to seeing him fulfil his next ambition!
