Name: Nick LaMendola
Position at Sweetwater: Sales Engineer
Start date: September 2011
Education: Bachelor’s degree from Duquesne University in Sound Recording
Where are you from originally? Buffalo, New York
What was your occupation before coming to Sweetwater? Classroom installation technician with Korg’s SoundTree division
Why did you first apply for a job at Sweetwater? It came highly recommended by one of my professors at Duquesne, and I wanted to stay in the music industry.
Foreign languages: I lived for six months in Austria in 2010 but returned with very weak German language skills.
Technical strengths: I spent half my time practicing jazz piano and half my time in the recording studio while in music school. That ratio has stayed in balance in the years since. I have recorded rock bands, hip-hop artists, voiceover talent, and symphony orchestras.
Favorite music-related website: npr.org/music
Instruments you play: Piano, Hammond organ, guitar, drums, and trumpet
Gear you own: Nord Stage 2, Moog Voyager, Focusrite Forte, Apple iMac, and QSC K12
Family info: My parents live in Buffalo, New York, and my younger sister is in college at Boston University.
Other stuff we should know about you (hobbies, talents, interests, etc.): Lately I’ve been spending a lot of time working on creative writing.
Personal motto: “Outside of a dog, a book is a man’s best friend. Inside of a dog, it’s too dark to read.” — Groucho Marx
Favorite magazine: Sound On Sound
Real-life hero: Kevin Spacey
Guilty pleasure of choice: Restaurant: Impossible
What did you dream about doing for a living when you were growing up? Paleontology. Digging up dinosaur bones for a living seemed a lot more viable as a six-year-old than it did as I grew up.
What in your background prepared you most to help your customers with their audio needs? In playing and recording as long as I have, I hope I’ve encountered most of the problems that my customers will run into. Plus, I’m always eager to learn about new gear.
What do you enjoy most about being part of the Sweetwater team? There is a camaraderie in this building that is contagious. Everyone here is committed to the growth of our service; everyone at Sweetwater is constantly striving to be better at what they do. On top of that, everyone is a musician, so it’s a great place to work.
What is the most important thing you’ve learned at Sweetwater? I’ve learned that in the spirit of service, there truly are no rules. I’ve seen colleagues from every department in the building go out of their way to solve problems for customers creatively.