Robert Nation is a Canadian

audio engineer An audio engineer (also known as a sound engineer or recording engineer) helps to produce a recording or a live performance, balancing and adjusting sound sources using equalization, dynamics processing and audio effects, mixing, reproduc ...

and producer as well as co-owner of

EMAC Recording Studios EMAC Recording Studios is a music and commercial recording facility in downtown London Ontario Canada, established in 1979 by Robert Nation and Joe Vaughan. It offers services for Radio production and TV and Film. Building EMAC Studios is lo ...

in London, Ontario.

Early life

Robert was born and raised on the West Island of Montreal where he attended Dorval High School. Robert's father, Ernie Nation, was the Head of Finance for

RCA Records RCA Records is an American record label owned by Sony Music Entertainment, a subsidiary of Sony Group Corporation. It is one of Sony Music's four flagship labels, alongside Columbia Records (its former longtime rival), Arista Records and Epic R ...

. In 1972, Ernie was transferred to

Toronto Toronto ( , locally pronounced or ) is the List of the largest municipalities in Canada by population, most populous city in Canada. It is the capital city of the Provinces and territories of Canada, Canadian province of Ontario. With a p ...

Ontario Ontario is the southernmost Provinces and territories of Canada, province of Canada. Located in Central Canada, Ontario is the Population of Canada by province and territory, country's most populous province. As of the 2021 Canadian census, it ...

, when RCA's record division was relocated. While in his teens, Robert started mixing live sound for local bands in Toronto and landed himself a gig at the offices of

. After taking a couple of small recording courses, Robert wanted to further his education in recording engineering and music production and moved to London, Ontario where he completed a 3-year diploma in the Music Industry Arts program at Fanshawe College. This is where he met his colleague, and eventual co-owner of

, Joe Vaughan.

Career

In his last year of college, Robert made the decision to open a

recording studio A recording studio is a specialized facility for Sound recording and reproduction, recording and Audio mixing, mixing of instrumental or vocal musical performances, spoken words, and other sounds. They range in size from a small in-home proje ...

London, Ontario London is a city in southwestern Ontario, Canada, along the Quebec City–Windsor Corridor. The city had a population of 422,324 according to the 2021 Canadian census. London is at the confluence of the Thames River (Ontario), Thames River and N ...

where the new music scene was vibrant and blossoming. Electronic Media Arts Corporation was first located in downtown London at 343 Richmond Street on the 3rd Floor of a large building, which also housed CKSL Radio. During the first 10 years of operation, Robert refined his record engineering and production talents, and helped

become a destination for local and out of town bands. At the same time, EMAC also began producing commercials for radio and sound for television which allowed Robert to gain experience as a broadcast commercial producer. In the wake of these improvements, EMAC Studios expanded to a new location in 1990. They purchased a

Salvation Army The Salvation Army (TSA) is a Protestantism, Protestant Christian church and an international charitable organisation headquartered in London, England. It is aligned with the Wesleyan-Holiness movement. The organisation reports a worldwide m ...

Church at 432 Rectory Street and converted the building into a state of the art recording facility. In 1995, Robert expanded his repertoire to include production sound, audio post-production, and location audio recording for television and film. He has traveled to many parts of the world including: Southeast Asia, France, and throughout the Caribbean to record audio onsite for ''Taste of life: A Gourmet Food Travel Show'' (

Food Network Food Network is an American basic cable channel owned by Television Food Network, G.P., a unit of Warner Bros. Discovery, who manages and operates it as a division of the Warner Bros. Discovery U.S. Networks Group. The channel airs both televi ...

) and ''High Point: Casinos of the World'' starring

Kenny Rogers Kenneth Ray Rogers (born Kenneth Donald Rogers) (August 21, 1938 – March 20, 2020) was an American singer and songwriter. He was inducted into the Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum, Country Music Hall of Fame in 2013. Rogers was particul ...

. Robert also worked as part of the Canadian Crew for

Michael Moore Michael Francis Moore is an American film director, producer, screenwriter, and author. Moore's work frequently addresses various Social issue, social, political, and economic topics. He first became publicly known for his award-winning debut ...

’s Academy Award nominated movie ''

Sicko ''Sicko'' is a 2007 American political documentary film by filmmaker Michael Moore. Investigating health care in the United States, the film focuses on the country's health insurance and the pharmaceutical industry. Moore compares the for-prof ...

''. In 2008, Robert worked as an audio post-production engineer recording dialogue for

Christopher Plummer Arthur Christopher Orme Plummer (December 13, 1929 – February 5, 2021) was a Canadian actor. His career spanned seven decades, gaining him recognition for his performances in film, stage and television. His accolades included an Academy Aw ...

’s character in

Pixar Pixar (), doing business as Pixar Animation Studios, is an American animation studio based in Emeryville, California, known for its critically and commercially successful computer-animated feature films. Pixar is a subsidiary of Walt Disney ...

's Academy Award winning movie '' Up''. Most recently, Robert mixed stereo and surround tracks for

Cirque du Soleil Cirque du Soleil (, ; ) is a Canadian entertainment company and the largest contemporary circus producer in the world. Located in the inner-city area of Saint-Michel, Montreal, Saint-Michel, Montreal, it was founded in Baie-Saint-Paul on 16 Jun ...

's production of Corteo. Robert is now an audio engineering professor at Fanshawe College in the Music Industry Arts program and continues to operate EMAC Studios. He is also the chair for the Producer of the Year selection committee for Canada’s

Juno Awards The Juno Awards (stylized as JUNOS), or simply known as the Junos, are awards presented by the Canadian Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences to recognize outstanding achievements in Canada's music industry. The Grammy Awards are the United S ...

and a member of the

Audio Engineering Society The Audio Engineering Society (AES) is a professional body for engineers, scientists, other individuals with an interest or involvement in the professional audio industry. The membership largely comprises engineers developing devices or product ...

Selected works

Kittie Kittie is a Canadian heavy metal music, heavy metal band from London, Ontario. The band was formed in 1996 by guitarist Fallon Bowman and drummer Mercedes Lander, with guitarist and vocalist Morgan Lander and bassist Tanya Candler joining the ...

– '' Spit'' & ''

Oracle An oracle is a person or thing considered to provide insight, wise counsel or prophetic predictions, most notably including precognition of the future, inspired by deities. If done through occultic means, it is a form of divination. Descript ...

'' * Nicole Scott – ''Self Titled'' * Glenn Bennett – ''I Like My Music With A Beat'' * BURNusBOTH – ''Stray Bullets'' * The Corndogs – ''Love is All'' * '63 Monroe – ''Stinkin' Out The Joint'' * Luddites – ''86-91'' * John James – ''Still The Beat Goes On'' * Mettle - ''Mettle'' * James Clark Institute - ''The Colour of Happy'' * The Bookends - ''A Celtic Celebration'' * Sheep Look Up - ''Sheep Look Up'' *

- '' Corteo''

TV & Film

's Up *

’s

* Anne of Green Gables: A New Beginning * High Point: Casinos of the World * Taste of Life: A Gourmet Food Travel Show

References

External links