Interviews

Aside from the gold and platinum records decorating every wall of his Gateway Mastering Studios facility, Bob Ludwig has quite a trophy case. He has mastered countless Gold and Platinum singles and albums plus 15 RIAA Diamond Award records.

Ludwig is most proud of his Audio Engineering Society Gold Medal, presented in 2015. He is also an AES Fellow.

He won 13 of the original TEC Awards, which was presented to a mastering engineer representing a year's best mastering work, and 11 of the newer TEC Awards, which include the mastering engineer alongside the winning artists and albums.

In 1991, Bob was the first person to be honored with the NAMM Foundation TEC Awards' Les Paul Award for "consistently outstanding achievements in the professional audio industry." Other Les Paul Award recipients include Herbie Hancock, Peter Gabriel, Alan Parsons, Brian Wilson, Stevie Wonder, Paul McCartney, Steely Dan, legendary mixing enginer Bob Clearmountain, and Blue Note Records head Don Was. The most recent winner was "Wrecking Crew" bassist Carol Kaye.

The Grammy Awards have included mastering engineers only since 2002. Ludwig estimates he would have won 10 Grammys in now-eligible categories prior to that. Since 2002, he has won 13 Grammys and two Latin Grammys:

Latin Grammy, 2004 Album of the Year: Alejandro Sanz, No Es Lo Mismo

Grammy, 2005 Best (Surround) Immersive album: Dire Straits, Brothers In Arms – 20th Anniversary Edition

Grammy, 2011 Best Surround Sound Album: Derek and the Dominoes, Layla and Other Assorted Love Songs, Super Deluxe Edition

Grammy, 2012 Album of the Year: Mumford and Sons, Babel

Latin Grammy, 2013 Album of the Year: Draco Rosa, Vida

Grammy, 2013 Album of the Year, Daft Punk, Random Access Memories

Grammy, 2013 Best Engineered Album, Non-Classical: Daft Punk, Random Access Memories

Grammy, 2013 Record of the Year: Daft Punk, "Get Lucky"

Grammy, 2013 Best Historical Album: Rolling Stones, Charlie Is My Darling – Ireland 1965

Grammy, 2014 Album of the Year: Beck, Morning Phase

Grammy, 2014 Best Engineered Album, Non-Classical: Beck, Morning Phase

Grammy, 2014 Best Surround Sound Album: Beyonce, Beyonce)

Grammy, 2015 Best Engineered Album, Non-Classical: Alabama Shakes, Sound and Color)

Grammy, 2019 Best Engineered Album, Classical: Kronos Quartet, Terry Riley: Sun Rings

Grammy, 2022 Best Historical Album: Wilco, Yankee Hotel Foxtrot, 2022 Remaster