Spotlight on LibTheLyon: How Lib Found His Rhythm with EngineEars
For Lib, music has never been a side passion. Raised in Massachusetts by a musical family—his dad a drummer, his uncle a guitarist—Lib's foundation in music was laid early. He picked up drumming as a child and by 14 was writing poetry that quickly evolved into hip hop lyrics. A summer program at Berklee College of Music at age 15 would further ignite his ambition.
"That kind of set the pathway for how I’m going to live," he recalls. It was the moment he realized music could be more than just a creative outlet.
By 16, Lib was learning to produce, diving into beat-making with samples and loops. In high school, he blasted his beats through the hallways with a confidence that foreshadowed his future. When he couldn't find an engineer who could give his music the sound he envisioned, Lib took matters into his own hands and learned to engineer himself.
COVID lockdowns proved pivotal. With relief funds, Lib built a home studio from scratch and created his first project, Bermuda. It was a bold experiment that marked the beginning of his career as a self-sufficient artist-engineer-producer hybrid.
That DIY spirit led him to a job at a studio in Malden, Massachusetts, where he recorded clients, sold beats, and honed his engineering craft. It was around this time that he discovered EngineEars. He signed up in January 2021 but wouldn’t make it off the waitlist until October 2022. Determined, Lib had his clients comment on EngineEars’ posts, asking for him to be let in. It worked. "Next day, I got the email."
Once on the platform, he hit the ground running. Client bookings, word-of-mouth referrals, and even a dedicated IG page helped him build traction. Eventually, EngineEars started bringing him a new caliber of clients—people who valued quality, professionalism, and creativity.
His journey took a major turn when he visited LA for NAMM, met the EngineEars team in person, and felt the pull of a bigger opportunity. "Ali is here. EngineEars is here. I felt like someone here is for me."
One message from Weddington Studios sealed the deal. An engineer who found him on Instagram invited him to be part of the team. That outreach gave Lib the push he needed to relocate to LA full-time.
Today, Lib is based in LA, working out of Weddington and being mentored by engineers like Drew. "It’s a great community," he says. "They really push me to keep that fire going."
Being affiliated with Weddington through EngineEars has not only given him credibility but also shifted how people perceive him. "People talk to me differently now. They’re like, 'You’re official. You’re in LA. You’re on EngineEars.'" The booking process through the platform, he says, is seamless—a professional structure that holds both clients and engineers accountable.
But for Lib, it goes deeper than business. EngineEars gave him a tribe.
From group chats full of engineers sharing plugins and tips, to GoFundMe links being passed around for support, the community has been "heartwarming," he says. "We're all on the same mission. The care for the art turns into care for each other."
Networking opportunities have followed naturally. He’s met industry heroes like Saba, connected with other artists and creatives, and found himself in rooms that used to feel out of reach.
"It’s helping me find people that are as passionate as I am and as sensitive with music as I am."
As for the future? Lib isn’t interested in choosing between being an artist, engineer, or producer. He’s all three. Engineering has opened doors, but artistry is what keeps him up at night.
"Music is me. I am music."
He’s inspired by polymaths like Dr. Dre and believes in creating his own lane without being boxed in. For Lib, EngineEars isn’t just a platform. It’s the infrastructure that made his dreams tangible.
"What you guys are doing matches what I want to do. That’s not a plan. That’s the stars aligning."
