PROFILE
NICK LOBODYCZ
By Shanine Cook
In his past three years working as an engineer out of Toronto ’ s Iguana Studios , Nick Lobodycz has recorded everyone from major-label artists to pizza delivery guys . “ During a late-night hip-hop session once , we decided to order a pizza . Right in the middle of some vocal takes , the pizza arrived . We let the deliveryman in and he told us that he loved music and always wanted to be a singer , so we asked him if he wanted to sing in the booth ,” Lobodycz fondly recalls , cracking a smile .“ So there we were at two in the morning with a pizza delivery man in the booth just singing his heart out . He said he had always wanted to do that , and it was pretty cool to give someone a chance to experience their life ’ s dream in a professional studio .”
Born in Kitchener , ON and raised in nearby Stratford , Lobodycz grew up in an artistic household with both of his parents being art majors . Lobodycz spent his childhood singing and playing guitar and piano and eventually started recording his jams with his dad on tape recorders and boomboxes . That ultimately seeded his interest in the science of sound .
While enrolled in the Audio Engineering and Production Arts program at Trebas Institute in Toronto , Lobodycz had an opportunity to volunteer at the Pan American Games in 2015 when the Ontario capital hosted the event . “ I volunteered to be a music operator there and it was a great experience to be part of such a huge event ,” he shares . “ I even received a letter from the organizers thanking me for my performance . After that , I ended up picking up an internship at Iguana Studios .” Not a bad way to kick off a career .
Lobodycz is well on his way to making a mark on Canada ’ s music scene , having worked with artists such as District Avenue , Road Wolves , 7T8 , Deadhawk FM , Kirk Reed , Out of the Ruins , Late Night Sanity , and Grammynominated producer , artist , and Drake collaborator Daxz . He has also taken on projects from a myriad of other styles by artists from all over the world , including his recent work in hip-hop , where Lobodycz has quickly developed his recording and production skills and now creates custom beats for Iguana clients in their newly-renovated production studio .
When discussing some of the hurdles he ’ s faced on his career path thus far , he says that simply getting his name out there and building a reputation is one that continues to hit home .
“ You want people to think of you and go , ‘ Okay , that ’ s the guy I want to work with ’ – establishing yourself as a go-to professional ,” Lobodycz shares . “ Iguana has been very helpful in getting me established like that . I work very closely with Vic [ Branco , owner and founder of Iguana ] on all sorts of projects , and when I ’ m not doing the day-to-day work here at the studio , I teach multi-track recording labs for the next generation of engineers and producers at Trebas Institute .”
As such , every day is a new day for Lobodycz . One day might find him cutting drums for a rock band , and the next he ’ s helping a hip-hop artist develop a song . It ’ s the type a job that can be 24 / 7 . “ We ’ ll work all day on the rock and roll and when those guys pack up and leave , sometimes we have clients come in right after and we ’ re going all night .”
One of Lobodycz ’ s standout moments in his career thus far was working with a punk band called SFH ( Shit from Hell ). Warren Kinsella , the band ’ s frontman , is a well-known strategist and a prominent figure in the Canadian political scene . Lobodycz produced , engineered , and mixed the release , which ended up being pressed on vinyl . “ I felt very proud that I could actually say I ’ m officially a record producer , not just a track producer or someone that has something on Soundcloud or the internet ,” he shares . “ It feels so good to be able to hold an actual piece of vinyl that you got to work on .”
PHOTO : SARA LIBORIO
Collaborating with many different people on both sides of the studio glass , be it other engineers , rock stars , or political figures , is something Lobodycz particularly likes about his chosen career . He enjoys the connection and the ability to hear different stories from different people while building lasting relationships . “ I met a lot of people and I made a lot of friends in this industry ,” he says . “ Clients are still staying in contact because the music brings you together and you stay friends . It ’ s a great way of connecting and interacting with people .”
Beyond working with different artists from different backgrounds , he also likes to get his hands on new and vintage pieces of gear . It ’ s evident in just a few seconds of conversation that Lobodycz is pretty enthusiastic about the equipment he gets to use – particularly the centerpiece of Iguana ’ s main control room . “ I get to work on a historic 80-channel SSL , that ’ s been a part of music history . When it lived at the Power Station in New York City , artists like David Bowie , Madonna , Aerosmith , and many more did some of their best work on this very console ,” he enthuses .
When he ’ s not in the studio , you can still find him making music in his GTA residence while his nights are often spent downtown with friends , visiting local hangouts like Sneaky Dee ’ s and supporting his local scene .
It may be early into Lobodycz ’ s career , but his future certainly looks promising .
Shanine Cook is an Editorial Assistant with Professional Sound .
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