Stephanie Duarte
Assistant Editor
Friends and family gathered Wednesday in Founders Auditorium to celebrate the life of Robert D. Mathieson, former sound engineer and valued friend at the University of La Verne. Mr. Mathieson, 51, died on Oct. 7 in his home.
Mr. Mathieson began recording concerts at ULV 15 years ago when the music department made a position for him as the sound and recording engineer. He recorded everything from student recitals to celebrity concerts until last year when he began to work almost exclusively from his home-based studio in Walnut, Calif.
Mr. Mathieson was born on Feb. 5, 1953 in Pasadena, Calif. to Don and Mary Mathieson. He grew up in Claremont and attended Claremont High School where he met current guitar teacher Michael Ryan and former music professor Jon Rothe.
“It was like a marriage to a certain extent. We both loved music and honored each other greatly,” Rothe said. “He recorded my first song in 1968 and has recorded every performance and album that I’ve ever done since then. He’s protected me for 37 years.”
After graduating from Claremont High School, Mr. Mathieson began college at San Diego State University. His college education lasted only one term. Feeling that his professors could not teach him anything new about what he loved, he began working professionally as a sound engineer.
“He gave our department a sense of history through his recordings,” Reed Gratz, professor of music said. “He put sound to our art, and besides that, he was absolutely fantastic.”
Fantastic is a meager adjective to describe Mr. Mathieson’s skills. As a self-taught sound engineer, he designed several patents for an electronics firm who hired him despite his lack of a college degree.
“They made exceptions for Bob,” Rothe said. “He was that good.”
Mr. Mathieson’s creative qualities gave ULV many memorable concerts. Rothe said he will never forget how he helped him with his senior project back in 1980. He closed off Third Street in front of ULV and played with a 30-piece orchestra.
“Bob designed a quadraphonic sound system where he placed four huge speakers in four of the trees surrounding the street,” Rothe said. “The music swirled around the audience. It was ahead of its time and it was amazing.”
Mr. Mathieson never wanted to get involved in the corporate recording industry although his recordings were as good or better than bigger labels. He believed in controlling the product that he made and did not want anyone else to touch his work.
His recordings for friends and ULV led him to many other clients such as Bonita High School and La Verne Church of the Brethren.
He also recently recorded an album for Latin recording artist Ray De La Paz. The album was a tribute to Cesar Chavez and is titled “Voices from the Earth.”
“We all had a place to go to get away from our everyday lives,” De La Paz said. “He gave us a place to make music.”
No musician ever went in need within Mr. Mathieson’s tight circle of musicians and friends. From fixing a broken outlet to finding a bass player on short notice, Bob had the connections to make every project happen.
“We had a network going that was like a co-op,” said Steven Biondo, music department coordinator and 25-year friend of Mr. Mathieson. “Everyone knew everyone and Bob was the center of it all.”
Besides being a great sound engineer, Mr. Mathieson was a true friend to many.
“He was really kind to the people that were his friends,” Biondo said. “He has rescued me from the road countless times and even drove me to work when I didn’t have a car. Anything you asked of him he would do, or volunteer to do.”
Friends at Mr. Mathieson’s memorial service remembered him for his altruism, sense of humor and uncanny talent for creating amazing sound. He helped artists tap into some of their best creative juices.
“I did a lot of my preliminary recordings with Bob,” Ryan said. “He always had the best equipment and was so easy to work with because he was so reliable. You could always count on him. He will be greatly missed.”
Nathan Lahr, senior English and music major, remembers a time when Mr. Mathieson helped him with a term paper. The topic concerned ULV’s Founders Auditorium and the inadequate acoustics of the hall.
“I had no idea where to start,” Lahr said, “so I went to Bob, the sound guy, and Oh the wealth of knowledge he had about that little hall. Immediately, he dropped everything he was doing and started running around the hall, showing me all the hot spots and dead ing me all the hot spots and dead spots of Founders.”
Lahr remembers Mr. Mathieson as a man who was extremely generous with his time and resources. Electronics and sound were definitely his passions and he never thought twice about helping anyone who needed his assistance.
“Without him, I wouldn’t be doing what I’m doing now,” said Derek Wendt, 2004 ULV music graduate. “With sound engineering, you learn best by first hand experience. Bob had so much knowledge and he inspired me to learn what he knew.”
Everyone in the music department seemed to know Mr. Mathieson for his quirky personality and peculiar brilliance. He was also famous for always wearing earplugs to protect his ears. Perhaps even more characteristic of Mr. Mathieson was his huge head-mounted flashlight that allowed him to keep his hands free for work on his latest sound or electronic challenge.
Mr. Mathieson possessed a great talent for hearing the elements that made a great recording. Friends say his ears were like finely tuned instruments. This gift led him to be a great music critic- even in the studio. He would never hesitate to tell the artist if something sounded bad even before the piece was done recording.
“But he was always so right on,” Gratz said about his criticizing ability. “No one ever questioned Bob, because he was always right.”
Humility and loyalty were only two characteristics that captured the essence of Bob. His commitment to loved ones was clearly manifested in the circle of friends who will continue to remember him every time they hear one of his recordings. He had amazing patience and always took as much time as he needed to make everything perfect.
“He was the kindest person ever and worked himself to a frazzle to make his friends sound good,” Rothe said. “His legacy exists in thousands of recordings – the greatest tribute to him.”
Stephanie Duarte can be reached at duartes@ulv.edu.
Stephanie Duarte
