Bobby Singh
By Andrew King
PROFILE
While Bobby Singh enjoyed many of the same formative experiences as his musicfocused fellow recording engineers – an early fondness for the art , a transformative experience in a hallowed studio , formal training from some of the best in the business – his career ultimately took him down a different path .
Singh is a sought-after recording engineer and editor based in Toronto and specializes in the fast-growing audiobook segment of the industry . He ’ s also a gifted and go-to photographer working under the banner of Front of House Photography , and his ongoing passion for music still permeates virtually all of his professional and personal endeavors .
Growing up in Scarborough , ON , Singh had an older sister that introduced him to the glory days of ‘ 80s pop via MuchMusic and other music-focused programs .“ Shortly after , I branched out and found my own musical path ,” Singh recalls for Professional Sound . “ Prince led the way – and he still does .”
In fact , the first studio in which Singh ever set foot was Studio A at Prince ’ s iconic Paisley Park in Chanhassen , MN . Undoubtedly , he says , that inspired his eventual decision to get into pro audio . “ I stood at the chair in front of the giant board in the control room and marveled at how much incredible music was created at that very spot ,” he recalls .
Out of school , Singh began his professional career doing sales and client management for a print and publishing company but soon began yearning for something more rewarding . “ Eventually , I settled on going back to school for audio engineering and learned about the Harris Institute right here in Toronto ,” he explains . “ I took a parttime course with the great Bob Roper , felt it was the right place for me , then enrolled in the full program .”
There , he learned under other decorated luminaries like Terry Brown , Doug McClement , Tom Heron , and Fergus Hambleton , to name a few . After graduating , the learning continued with an internship under Dean Marino at the former Chemical Sound , assisting on an LP by Tin Star Orphans that ended up being his first front-to-back professional session .
To earn some income while still learning the ropes of audio engineering , he took a job with Nelvana Enterprises , a division of Corus Entertainment , as a pre-production coordinator – a temp role that ended up lasting five years .
That ’ s also when he started seriously delving into concert photography , initially shooting friends ’ bands around the city before “ weaseling his way downstairs ” at Corus HQ to become the “ unofficial ” house photographer for 102.1 The Edge , shooting performances and making connections with acts like July Talk , Arkells , Sam Roberts Band , and others . That led to more and higher-profile gigs with Front of House and a packed schedule between days in the production studio and nights in busy clubs .
While Singh was still at Corus , a friend named Kevin Bonnici started a production company called Drift Under Balance that specialized in audiobooks and served smaller Canadian publishing houses . Singh started helping out with edits and , when Shaw took over Corus and began reducing staff , eventually went into audiobook engineering and editing full-time on his own .
Now , even amidst the COVID-19 pandemic , which has significantly reduced his photography work , Singh is fully immersed in audiobook production . A relatively recent highlight was recording Michaela Washburn ’ s reading of Tanya Talaga ’ s heralded-but-heartbreaking book Seven Fallen Feathers about seven young Indigenous students found dead in and around the city of Thunder Bay .
“ The content is so raw and the sessions were so incredibly tense and emotional , with tears shed on both sides of the glass ,” he recalls . “ If you haven ’ t read Tanya ’ s book – or even if you have – Michaela ’ s read is something I highly recommend .”
During such sessions , Singh is often in the dual role of audio engineer and voice director , meaning he ’ s reading along with every word to catch any misreads or incorrect intonation . “ I haven ’ t read this many books since university !” he enthuses , noting that lately , it ’ s been about two or three every week . “ And I love it ,” he tacks on . “ It ’ s really broadening my horizons and I ’ m happy to still be learning something new every day at this age .”
Singh currently resides in Toronto ’ s
Riverside neighbourhood with his girlfriend and their cat , Fonzie . He ’ s thankful sports have returned to the TV and is also enjoying the forced downtime of the pandemic by watching ( and re-watching ) old movies and music documentaries . And of course , “ music is on constantly ,” he adds – “ records spun in the house or Spotify in my headphones when I ’ m not recording or editing .”
As much as he ’ d like to still be doing photography , the opportunities for formal shoots are few and far between these days . “ I know a lot of bands have slashed their art budgets due to cancelled tours , but I ’ m always happy to collaborate and have fun while creating meaningful work ,” he says .
Fortunately , that ’ s still the case in the audiobook engineering world ; in fact , the pandemic has presented a bit of an opportunity for his industry . “ TV and film production being shut down brought a lot of big stars to the world of audiobooks and podcasts ,” he explains . “ It ’ s becoming a more viable market in Canada and I hope to see it continue to grow and see budgets increase for some of the small publishers .
“ While some bigger publishers are doing great work , the bulk of authentic Canadian literature comes from small houses – House of Anansi , ECW , Dundurn , Coach House … This is work that needs to be read and heard ! Much like indie labels in the music world , they just need support from the public to keep the work flowing , and I ’ m happy to be a part of that in some way .”
Andrew King is the Editor-in-Chief of Professional Sound .
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