Faces
By Michael Raine
MATT VAN HEMMEN
As the in-house recording specialist and “ all-round tech guru ” at Music City Canada in London , ON , Matt Van Hemmen is in his element , sharing the passion and knowledge of recording , music , and computer gear that he has spent his life amassing .
Van Hemmen is a rare breed , somehow splitting the difference between left and right sides of the brain . As he tells it , growing up in Guelph , ON , his guitar-playing , arts-loving mother heavily encouraged her son ’ s love of music , enrolling him in piano lessons at an early age . At the same time , “ I was very much a book-oriented kid , flying through as many books as possible as soon as I was able to read . Anything and everything fantasy and sci-fi ,” he says .
As a music-obsessed teenager , Van Hemmen transitioned to guitar lessons and , funnily , had two teachers named Dave — one in Guelph and another in Brantford , where his dad lived . He credits “ Brantford Dave ” for igniting his interest in recording . “[ He ] put a huge emphasis on recording and the importance of expanding your musicality outside of just the instrument itself . I ’ ve always been technology-obsessed , so that opened a whole new door for me to dive through . I remember my first piece of recording gear was a Boss Micro BR digital recorder .... the guitar tones were awful but I spent hours with headphones on , tracking myself along [ to ] backing tracks ,” he recalls .
Out of high school , Van Hemmen went to university for computer science , setting aside music and going the “ responsible route .” “ Just over a year in and I found myself completely miserable , and stepped back from it to re-evaluate what I wanted . I knew I wanted to go into music , but being incredibly introverted , I knew performing wasn ’ t it ,” he explains .
Instead , he moved to London , ON , in 2013 to enter the Music Industry Arts program at Fanshawe College . “ I know post-secondary for music / audio is an oft-debated topic – I still get people in the industry asking why I bothered – but for someone like me who really didn ’ t know what my options were , it was an invaluable opportunity to sample a number of different aspects of the industry and see what stuck .”
While there , he started a new job with a local audio / video / lighting dealer and rental company , The PA Shop , which has since expanded and rebranded as Music City Canada . “ I saw it as a really great way , outside of school , to familiarize myself with equipment , learn from the well-experienced staff , and get a better feel for the local scene ,” Van Hemmen says . “ While school taught me a ton about audio fundamentals and theories , I learned just as much about the gear itself through various rep training sessions and seminars through the shop . I tend to be a knowledge vacuum when I fixate on something , so I became pretty gear-obsessed and was spending most of my evenings learning as much as I could . I was working part-time through my entire time at college , and outside of my retail role , and was able to participate in various events that the rental department was involved with .”
These days , he says , “ Being in a dual customer service / purchasing role , the big challenge is really keeping up with the gear itself . The knowledge has to be there in order to provide the customer with a great experience , and for purchasing to know what to bring in and put the spotlight on , both in-store and online . With so much being in-the-box and computer-based these days , my computer science background has been a massive help ,” he explains . “ I ’ m on our site ’ s live chat feature every day taking questions in real-time , and you need to be ready to answer any and every one that rolls through , whether it ’ s someone just getting started out looking for advice or someone in need of technical help . I ’ m grateful to have such a great and knowledgeable team here for support in each department ; they ’ re like a second family .”
When the pandemic began in March 2020 , Van Hemmen and the Music City Canada team were expecting things to slow down dramatically . Instead , he recalls , the exact opposite happened and they were busier than ever . “ There was a new flood of people dipping
their toes into the audio world and needing both gear and advice to get going . It was honestly so great to see so many people become passionate about audio , and to be able to be a part of that experience by helping them start their journey .”
In terms of what he loves about working in music and audio retail , the first is “ being able to guide and assist people on their music and audio journeys , and help them get the tools they need to bring their dreams to life . I prefer being behind-the-scenes , supporting ‘ the dream ’ and bringing it to life , which is probably one of the reasons I enjoy mixing as much as I do ,” he says , noting customers will often send pictures of their home studio setup , or songs recorded with the gear he suggested . The other love , of course , is the gear itself . “ I ’ m still a gear nerd and tinkerer at heart , and go home after work and spend most nights parked in my home studio with guitar in-hand making changes to my rig or working on mixing projects .”
Outside of work and music , Van Hemmen proudly says , “ I ’ ll always be a nerd throughand-through ,” sometimes meeting up with friends to play Dungeons & Dragons , or more competitive games online alongside his girlfriend , Emma . Interestingly , he also did competitive archery into his twenties and still finds time to shoot for fun .
“ I ’ ve developed into a bit of a coffee and beer snob over the past few years , and love finding new things to try ,” he notes , lastly . “ I usually find myself keeping social at cafés or breweries , usually over some charcuterie — forever ‘ adult Lunchables ’ to me .”
Michael Raine is the Editor-in-Chief of Canadian Music Trade .
18 CANADIAN MUSIC TRADE