Young Nudy x Verne Emmanuel: The Bond Behind the Board

Every great artist has someone they trust behind the glass. For Young Nudy, Patchwerk Radio’s Artist of the Week, that person is Patchwerk staff engineer Verne Emmanuel. The two met at Patchwerk years ago, and Verne has been Nudy’s #1 engineer ever since, recording and mixing his music wherever the work happens, with Patchwerk as home base.

From St. Thomas to Patchwerk

Alverne “Verne” Emmanuel is a Grammy-nominated recording engineer from St. Thomas in the U.S. Virgin Islands. After graduating from Full Sail, he tried New York, came up empty and went back home. A cousin told him about Patchwerk.

He interviewed for the internship over Zoom. The studio asked how soon he could get to Atlanta; two weeks later he was on a flight. He has been at Patchwerk ever since, now as a staff engineer.

Patchwerk is also where he met Nudy. Verne has worked with plenty of artists at the studio, but with Nudy it clicked from the start.

Why it clicked

Verne puts it down to work ethic. Nudy moves fast and puts in long days, 12 hours at a stretch, and Verne matches him. When two people share the same values and the same pace, he says, the work gets done productively and fast.

Years in, that trust shows up in every session:

• Verne keeps up with Nudy’s instincts. Nudy records by feel and never writes anything down. If a beat doesn’t grab him in about 10 seconds, they’re on to the next one, and Verne is ready when it lands.
• They build the song together. They capture records in the moment, then come back side by side to find the hook and shape the structure.
• Few words needed. Nudy rarely has to explain what he wants in a mix. “If it’s a thumbs up, then we good.” A thumbs down means a quick revision, usually settled on the second pass.
• Vibe over rules. With an artist who trusts him, Verne skips reference tracks and follows the feel they created in the room.

The circle around them runs just as tight. Nudy’s producers, including longtime collaborator Coupe, work like an in-house family and trust Verne with their stems. Verne and Coupe push each other, and during mixing they have traded sessions at each other’s homes to get every record right.

Watch the interview

Verne sat down with headphone maker beyerdynamic in 2025 to talk about his path from St. Thomas to Patchwerk and what working with Nudy looks like day to day. The full interview runs about 10 minutes.

Listen

The partnership is all over Nudy’s new album, Just Doin Me, with several songs werked on at Patchwerk and Verne behind the board. The lead single “Who Dat Is” is spinning on Patchwerk Radio all week. Tap in live at patchwerkradio.com.

Got a record of your own? Send your song. Get played. Submit to Patchwerk Radio →

Source: “Recording the Young Nudy EP Paradise,” beyerdynamic US, YouTube, Nov. 1, 2025. Album, single and studio details: Patchwerk Radio.