In today’s globalized music industry, recording engineers who combine technical expertise with cross-cultural fluency are indispensable for international collaborations. Xu Zhu, professionally known as BooBoo, is a distinguished sound artist based at Hollywood’s Blackwood Studios. With deep insight into both the American and Asian music markets, he has been instrumental in bridging cultural and linguistic divides, ensuring seamless creative partnerships.
In 2024, leading Korean label XGALX hosted its first writing camp in the United States, bringing together renowned songwriters and producers from Korea, Japan, and the U.S. The week-long program took place at Blackwood Studios, where Xu Zhu served as the lead recording engineer. He was responsible for managing all aspects of the recording process, which included accommodating various artistic working styles, adapting to different creative rhythms, and capturing a wide range of vocal textures. His efforts were instrumental in ensuring both the productivity and cohesion of the entire camp. His dual familiarity with Asian musical aesthetics and American studio practices allowed him to navigate cultural nuances with ease and to create an environment where diverse talents could thrive. As a result, dozens of original tracks were completed during the week-long session.
In this setting, Xu Zhu demonstrated that he was more than just a sound engineer; he served as a creative mediator. He quickly adapted to varying approaches, whether by facilitating spontaneous writing sessions for improvisational creators like Drew Ryan Scott or by providing a calm, focused space for composers who preferred to work with greater precision. In fast-paced, team-based brainstorming environments, he maintained a sharp awareness of each contributor’s ideas and was able to capture and consolidate those ideas into cohesive recordings.
Beyond the realm of pop music, Xu Zhu has also excelled in projects that require intense coordination and advanced technical execution. One notable example is the international mobile game Reverse: 1999, which was developed by Deep Blue Interactive and produced in partnership with Canada’s One Line Studio and Blackwood Studios in the U.S. Xu Zhu led the voiceover recording process for a large cast of characters and narrative segments. This project involved multiple voice actors with vastly different vocal ranges and emotional deliveries, which required him to manage a highly dynamic recording environment while maintaining consistency in quality and tone.
To address the complexity of the workflow, Xu Zhu created a custom recording template that streamlined the production process. This template has since been adopted by partner studios. In addition, he implemented a real-time remote recording and monitoring system that connected directors and actors in the U.S. with production teams in China. This system enabled high-fidelity audio transmission and allowed for synchronous communication across continents. His innovative solution now serves as a model for remote audio collaboration in cross-border creative projects.
In today’s global music ecosystem, Xu Zhu represents a new professional identity for the audio engineer. He is not merely a technician, but also a cultural conduit and a production strategist. He enables creators from different parts of the world to build something cohesive, dynamic, and artistically honest. In doing so, he is not only helping shape the sound of tomorrow’s music but is also reshaping the way that sound is made.
