Los Angeles, CA (January 9, 2026)—For nearly a decade, engineer Rory Behr has helped Top Dawg Entertainment’s artist roster produce projects in studios, hotel rooms, basements and tour buses, sometimes at a moment’s notice.
From late-night emergency sessions to building a 24-hour studio facility in Los Angeles’ Studio City, Behr has often turned to Focusrite gear. The Scarlett 18i20 and ISA preamp range have served as the backbone of his mobile and in-studio setup, capturing everything from early Isaiah Rashad demos to charting singles and immersive Dolby Atmos deliverables.
Born and raised in Los Angeles, Behr joined Top Dawg Entertainment’s in 2015 after studying at Burbank’s Icon Collective. Today, he oversees TDE’s 24-hour studio complex and serves as one of the label’s primary recording and mix engineers, and is also studio manager and a DJ.
Throughout his career, Behr’s 18i20 has been the backbone of his portable recording rig, capturing early versions of Isaiah Rashad’s “Sun’s Tirade” and “The House Is Burning,” and countless demos created while traveling. “We cut some of Isaiah’s biggest records on that thing—in apartments, on tour, even in his mom’s basement in Chattanooga. It never failed,” he says.
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“The 18i20 also powered full Ableton live playback for Isaiah Rashad’s European tour, running stems directly to front of house without redundancy, and without a single failure. You plug it in, and it just works. That little 18i20 recorded some of Isaiah’s biggest records. It’s an amazing piece of gear.”
After losing everything in the Los Angeles wildfires, Behr relocated to the East Coast to rebuild, reset and create a healthier balance between intense studio schedules and personal well-being. Working between TDE’s Studio City facility and the VT Music Lab outside of Burlington, VT, he now also uses Focusrite’s ISA Two and ISA 828 preamps.
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“The ISA Two has been a recent little tool I’ve really been loving,” Behr says. “It’s warm and buttery, and super versatile. I’ve used it for stereo overheads, 414s, even U 87s on piano, and it just delivers. Recording an acoustic guitar through a ribbon mic to the ISA Two, the color was natural and beautiful. It really shines on anything where you want that warmth and detail.”