Tony Maserati Explained

Tony Maserati should not be confused with Tony Massarotti.

Tony Maserati
Background:non_performing_personnel
Occupation:Mixing engineer
Years Active:1987–present
Website:http://tonymaserati.com

Tony Maserati is an American record producer and audio engineer specializing in mixing. He was involved in the development of the New York R&B and hip-hop scene in the 1990s, working with Mary J. Blige, Notorious B.I.G., Puff Daddy, and Queen Latifah.[1] Since then he has worked on Grammy nominated projects with The Black Eyed Peas, Beyoncé (who he won Best R&B Album with on her 2003 Dangerously in Love), Jason Mraz, Robin Thicke, and Usher. Maserati won a Latin Grammy in 2006 for his work on Sérgio Mendes’s Timeless. He has been nominated for a total of 10 Grammys, with four for Best Engineered Album, Non-Classical.[2]

Early life

Maserati began college at Northeastern University before transferring to Boston’s Berklee College of Music in the early 1980s.[3] He originally majored in Composition, but switched to the Music Production and Engineering major when it was first offered in 1983.[4] While at Berklee, he learned to mix by doing the sound for the Marsells. He graduated with an MA in 1986.[5]

Career

New York hip hop and R&B

Maserati went to work in New York City at Sigma Sound Studios where he assisted Glenn Rosenstein. Rosenstein introduced him to Full Force, who helped Maserati learn to arrange and mix.[6] While at Sigma Sound he worked with Whitney Houston and James Brown,[7] and was able to mix his first song, Samantha Fox's "Naughty Girls (Need Love Too)". He credits much of the musical sound he developed on his work at Berklee and the influence of Full Force.

In 1989, Maserati went independent, specializing in mixing, setting him apart at the time since most musical engineers focused on production.[8] During his time at Sigma Sound, Maserati had befriended studio managers around the city, and he contacted them requesting work on R&B and Hip-Hop. While most mixers worked on rock, Maserati claims he focused on R&B and Hip-Hop because it “was the only place where innovation was happening.”

Maserati was introduced to Puff Daddy in the early 1990s through the producer Devante Swing. Puff Daddy brought Maserati into Bad Boy Records and, Maserati claims, Puff Daddy "locked me down" for the following six years. As a result, Maserati worked with every major New York R&B and hip-hop artist of the 1990s, including mixing albums for Busta Rhymes, Mary J. Blige, The Notorious B.I.G., Faith Evans, and Queen Latifah. Maserati regards these years as very collaborative, and he allowed the various artists to work with his analogue equipment to help develop their desired sound. According to Mix magazine, Maserati provided the definitive sound of New York hip-hop in the form of heavy bass lines while also providing high fidelity sounds on the other end of the scale.[9] According to Sound on Sound, the result was a "huge low end and a smooth, velvety high,"[7] and which Mix labelled an "outhouse on the bottom, penthouse on the top".

The success of the New York R&B and hip-hop sound propelled Maserati into a widely known and well-established mixer. He received his first four Grammy nominations in 2003, with two nominations for being a part of "Crazy in Love" by Beyoncé featuring Jay-Z and "Where is the Love" by the Black Eyed Peas featuring Justin Timberlake, both of which were up for Record of the Year. He was also nominated for his own work in the Best Engineered Album, Non-Classical for the Black Eyed Peas' Elephunk. He won Best R&B Album that year on Beyoncé's Dangerously in Love. The following year he was nominated again for Album of the Year on Usher's Confessions.[2]

Throughout this period, Maserati worked mostly with analogue consoles rather than digital tools. This required enormous amounts of space and specialized equipment. To fit it all in, Maserati built his own studio, Una Volta, in a barn in upstate New York.[10] In 2008, he began working with his long-time collaborator Jason Mraz on the album We Sing. We Dance. We Steal Things, for which Maserati was nominated for a Grammy in Best Engineered Album, Non-Classical.[11]

Los Angeles

While his upstate barn provided the needed space for his equipment, Maserati disliked being so far from the city and the intimate collaborations of the studios. Around the same time, the music scene was decamping from New York to the West Coast. In 2010, Maserati moved to Los Angeles where he was able to get large amounts of space while still being within the city. However, he left most of his bulky analogue equipment in New York, which pushed him to adopt more of the digital equipment for mixing and automation.

In 2011, Maserati and songwriter Stefan Skarbek co-founded Mirrorball Entertainment, LLC in North Hollywood. Maserati worked with studio designer and acoustician Martin Pilchner to create modular studios in which each room could be redesigned to meet the specific needs of the production team renting the space.[12] Maserati and Skarbek offered their production services in the space, allowing whole albums to be produced, published, and recorded on site. The integrated approach had Maserati directly mixing major tracks and overseeing the remaining tracks mixed by his assistants and mentees. Maserati is a client with Pulse Recording.[13]

Grammy Awards

Winner

2003 Best Contemporary R&B Album: Beyoncé Dangerously in Love

Nominee

2003 Record of the Year: The Black Eyed Peas “Where is the Love

2003 Record of the Year: Beyoncé “Crazy in Love

2003 Best Engineered Album, Non-Classical: The Black Eyed Peas, Elephunk

2004 Album of the Year: Usher Confessions

2008 Best Engineered Album, Non-Classical: Jason Mraz We Sing. We Dance. We Steal Things

2012 Best Engineered Album, Non-Classical: Jason Mraz Love is a Four Letter Word

2013 Record of the Year: Robin Thicke “Blurred Lines

2014 Album of the Year: Beyoncé Beyoncé

2016 Album of the Year: Beyoncé Lemonade

2017 Best Engineered Album, Non-Classical: K. Flay Every Where is Some Where[2]

Selected discography

ArtistSong TitleAlbumRole
2021
CasperAlles war schön und nichts tat wehMixing
Falling In ReverseI'm Not a Vampire (Revamped)Mixing
2020
Mike PosnerMixing
2018
TWICEWhat is Love?What is Love?Mixing
BØRNSBlue MadonnaMixing
2017
TWICESignalSignalMixing
2 ChainzBailan feat. PharrellPretty Girls like Trap MusicMixing
BØRNSSweet DreamsMixing
BØRNSFaded LoveMixing
Calum ScottDancing on my Own (Tiesto Remix)Mixing
Chase AtlanticChase AtlanticMixing
EchosmithDear World
PerfectMixing
FergieDouble DutchessMixing
Jaira BurnsUglyMixing
James BluntThe AfterloveMixing
K. FlayEverywhere is SomewhereMixing
Leon ElseWhat I won’t DoMixing
Maggie RogersDog Years
MansionzWicked feat. G-EazyMansionzMixing
Nick JonasHomeFerdinand SoundtrackMixing
Nick JonasFind YouMixing
Selena GomezOnly You13 Reasons Why SoundtrackMixing
SiaTo be Human Wonder Woman SoundtrackMixing
Sofia Reyes feat. Prince RoyceSólo Yo
TinasheFlameMixing
WeezerFeels like SummerMixing
2016
Andra DayAmenMixing
CerroneRed LipsMixing
Clairy BrownPoolMixing
Demi LovatoBody SayMixing
FergieM.I.L.F.$Mixing
Fitz & the TantrumsFitz & the TantrumsMixing
GallantOlogyMixing
Gwen StefaniThis Is What the Truth Feels LikeMixing
Keith UrbanRipcordMixing
LawsonPerspectiveMixing
Mike PosnerAt Night, AloneMixing
Nick JonasLast Year was ComplicatedMixing
ParachuteWide AwakeMixing
Santigold99 CentsMixing
Sawyer FredericksA Good StormMixing
Shawn MendesIlluminateMixing
2015
Andra DayCheers to the FallMixing
Conrad SewellAll I KnowMixing
Fleur EastLove, Sax & FlashbacksMixing
Katherine McPheeHysteriaMixing
Nico & Vinz CornerstoneMixing
Robert DeLongIn the CardsMixing
Sabrina CarpenterEyes Wide OpenMixing
Selena GomezRevivalMixing
Selena GomezGood for You feat. A$AP RockyRevival
Shawn MendesHandwrittenMixing
2014
Aretha FranklinSings the Greats Diva ClassicsMixing
CimorelliRenegadeMixing
Cris CabWhere I BelongMixing
Jason MrazYes!Mixing
Jesse McCartneyIn TechnicolorMixing
Jessie JSweet TalkerMixing
Lea MicheleLouderMixing
Madeleine PeyrouxKeep me in Your Heart for a While: The Best of Madeleine PeyrouxMixing
Nick JonasNick JonasMixing
Nico & VinzBlack Star ElephantMixing
SantanaCorazonMixing
2013
Ariana GrandeYours TrulyMixing
Avril LavigneAvril LavigneMixing
Backstreet BoysIn a World Like ThisMixing
BeyonceBeyonceMixing
CherCloser to the TruthMixing
DaughtryBaptizedMixing
Eliza DoolittleIn your HandsMixing
James BluntMoon LandingMixing
Keith Urban FuseMixing
Lady GagaARTPOPMixing
Little MixSaluteMixing
Natalia KillsTroubleMixing
Robin ThickeBlurred LinesMixing
The WantedWord of MouthMixing
2012
Alicia KeysGirl on FireMixing
Jason MrazLove is a Four Letter WordMixing
2011
Andy GrammerAndy GrammerMixing
Girls’ GenerationThe BoysMixing
Jason DeruloFuture HistoryMixing
Javier ColonCome through for YouMixing
Madeleine PeyrouxStanding on the RooftopMixing
Robbie Robertson How to Become ClairvoyantMixing
Robin ThickeLove after WarMixing
2009
Alicia Keys The Element of FreedomMixing
Chris BrownGraffitiMixing
Colbie CaillatBreakthroughMixing
Pixie LottTurn it UpMixing
Whitney HoustonI Look to YouMixing
2008
Britney SpearsCircusMixing
Craig DavidOfficially YoursMixing
Jason MrazWe Sing. We Dance. We Steal Things.Mixing
Jordan SparksNo AirMixing
KerliLove is DeadMixing
The Pussycat DollsDoll DominationMixing
2007
David BowieOutside/HeathenAdditional Production, Mixing, Production Remix, Programmer
Kelly RowlandMs. KellyMixing
Macy GrayBigMixing
Talib KweliEardrumMixing
Will.i.amSongs about GirlsMixing
2006
FergieBig Girls Don't CryThe DutchessMixing
Paris HiltonParisMixing
Paris HiltonStars are BlindSingleMixing
Sergio MendesTimelessMixing
2005
Mary J. BligeThe BreakthroughMixing
Ol’ Dirty BastardThe Definitive Ol’ Dirty Bastard StoryMixing
Rob ThomasSomething to BeMixing
The Black Eyed PeasMonkey BusinessMixing
The Pussycat DollsPCDMixing
2004
Bruce HornsbyHalcyon DaysMixing
John LegendGet LiftedMixing
Kylie MinogueBody LanguageMixing
UsherConfessionsMixing
2003
BeyoncéDangerously in LoveMixing
Jessica Simpson In This SkinMixing
Jessica SimpsonSweetest SinMixing
Jonny LangLong Time ComingMixing
Kelly ClarksonThankfulMixing
Mary J. BligeLove & LifeMixing
R. Kelly Chocolate FactoryMixing
The Black Eyed PeasElephunkMixing
2002
Baha MenMove it Like ThisMixing
Christina AguileraStrippedMixing
Kelly RowlandSimply DeepMixing
Marc AnthonyMendedMixing
MarioMarioMixing
Queen LatifahShe’s a Queen: A Collection of Greatest HitsEngineer
Sean PaulDutty RockMixing
2001
Alicia KeysSongs in A MinorMixing
Angie StoneMahogany SoulMixing
Brian McKnightSuperheroMixing
Christina MilianChristina MilianMixing
Jennifer LopezJ.LoMixing
Jessica SimpsonIrresistibleMixing
Mary J. BligeNo More DramaMixing
2000
Lil’ KimNotorious K.I.M.Engineer
MyaFear of FlyingMixing
R. KellyTP-2.comMixing
Ricky MartinSound LoadedMixing
Ruff RydersRyde or Die, Vol. 2Mixing
1999
Angie StoneBlack Diamond
Jennifer LopezOn the 6Mixing
Jessica SimpsonSweet KissesMixing
K-Ci & JoJoIt’s RealMixing
Puff Daddy ForeverEngineer
Vitamin CVitamin CMixing
1998
Faith EvansKeep the FaithMixing
R. KellyR.Mixing
1997
Busta RhymesWhen Disaster StrikesEngineer, Mixing
Mariah CareyButterflyMixing
MaseHarlem WorldMixing
Notorious B.I.G.Life After DeathMixing
Puff Daddy & the FamilyNo Way OutMixing
1995
Faith EvansFaith EvansEngineer, Mixing
1994
Mary J. BligeMy LifeEngineer, Mixing
1993
David Bowie Black Tie White NoiseProducer, Mixing
Queen LatifahBlack ReignEngineer
1992
Mary J. BligeWhat’s the 411?Engineer, Mixing, Remixing
1990
C+C Music FactoryGonna Make You SweatEngineer
1989
Patti LaBelleBe YourselfEngineer, Mixing
1988
James BrownI’m RealEngineer, Editing, Mixing
1987
Whitney HoustonWhitneyAssistant Engineer

External links

Notes and References

  1. News: Interview: Mixer - Tony Maserati. 2014-06-26. Speakhertz - Talk Audio. 2018-03-02. en-US.
  2. News: Tony Maserati. 2017-11-28. GRAMMY.com. 2018-03-02. en.
  3. Web site: Berklee Alum Behind Robin Thicke's Grammy Nominated 'Blurred Lines'. Shea. Andrea. January 24, 2014. www.wbur.org. en. 2018-03-04.
  4. Web site: News Berklee College of Music. Hochschild. Rob. February 20, 2004. www.berklee.edu. en. https://web.archive.org/web/20101206011824/http://www.berklee.edu/news/2004/02/tmaserati.html. 2010-12-06. dead. 2018-03-04.
  5. Web site: Tony Maserati: Inside Track. Tingen. Paul. October 2013.
  6. Web site: Red Bull Music Academy Daily. January 5, 2015. daily.redbullmusicacademy.com. 2018-03-04.
  7. Web site: Secrets Of The Mix Engineers: Tony Maserati. Tingen. Paul. March 2007. Sound on Sound. 2014-08-09.
  8. News: Tony Maserati - Mix with the Masters. 2014-03-06. Mix with the Masters. 2018-03-07. fr-FR.
  9. Web site: Tony Maserati. Drowdy. Maureen. January 12, 2001. Mixonline.com. 2014-08-09.
  10. News: Tony Maserati. Jackson. Blair. October 10, 2009. Mixonline. 2018-03-09. en-us.
  11. Web site: Tony Maserati on Mixing with Jason Mraz. June 1, 2008.
  12. News: Tony Maserati & Bedrock.LA Teaming up to Build Modern Day Brill Building. Brown. Janice. Sonicscoop . May 2, 2013.
  13. Web site: Tony Maserati. Staff. Pulse Music Group. en-US. 2018-03-12.