BIO
A little bit about me
Work-life key-points
-
I started playing at 12, keyboard first, then guitar soon after that.
-
I studied classical and electric guitar with Roberto Guarnieri, Stefano Pecorelli and Giorgio Cocilovo.
-
In 1994 I decided I needed a top level training and enrolled at Musicians Institute in Hollywood where I graduated with Honors in guitar (G.I.T.) in March 1995.
-
Before that, I had already played in many cover bands and recorded professionally with Paolo Jannacci and jammed almost weekly with his father Enzo.
-
After returning from the US, I started playing in various musicals, Grease, Seven Brides for Seven Brothers and Chorus Line.
-
At the same time I was already teaching guitar and music and doing quite a bit of session work for minor acts and for a lot ad campaigns.
-
I also started arranging and producing in those same years.
-
In 1995, selected by Andrea Scuto (who then became to be one of my best friends), I started writing for guitar magazine Axe. From 2000 to 2005 I then became columnist for Strumenti Musicali, writing mainly about music software and audio recording hardware.
-
In 1999 I worked for almost a year as Assistant Engineer at TwoAndFour, soon to be renamed Quiet, Please!, for Ferdinando Arnò.
-
I also carried seminars on technology starting 2000, including helping organizing a few music tech-based meetings around Italy in those years.
-
In 2003, out of a personal need for quality drum samples, I started Chocolate Audio. For Chocolate Audio, I produced several drum sample libraries and did custom production and licensing for companies like Native Instruments, Steinberg, Presonus, Ableton, Cakewalk, Scarbee, Arobas Music and many others.
-
In 2002 I started a collaboration with Apple, lasted until 2012, carrying seminars about Logic Pro and audio technology in stores, trade shows, schools. I those same years I also lent my services to Apogee and AVID.
-
Between 2005 and 2009 I consulted for Overloud, then an audio technology and plugin startup and helped forge the first versions of Breverb and TH1 (then TH2 and currently TH3), including leading the preset design team and starting out international distribution and licensing to third parties.
-
in 2008 I started teaching as a contract Professor at University Statale di Milano.
-
In 2015 I started the Chocolate Audio online store to let anyone buy my sampled instruments direct from me.
-
In 2015 and in 2017 I stayed in Los Angeles for a few months producing and engineering at iconic studios like 17 Hertz (formerly One On One), Henson Studios (formerly A&M Studios), Serenity West and Grandmaster Recorders (right before it shut down).
Credits
As either a musician, programmer, arranger, producer or engineer (and sometimes playing more than one role at the same time), I worked on, with, at or for:
-
Ads for Barilla, Liu-Jo, Intimissimi, Calzedonia, San Benedetto, Alfa Romeo, Müller Yoghurt, Volvo, BMW, Olio Cuore, Levissima, Rocchetta, Danone, Pringles, Luxottica, Ferrero, Thun, Mercedes, Peugeot, Seven (zaini), Amaro Unicum, Coca Cola, Persol, Granarolo, Banco Ambrosiano Veneto and many others
-
Soundtracks for "Pane dal cielo" (Giovanni Bedeschi), "Come diventare grandi nonostante in genitori" and "Come un padre" (Luca Lucini), "Johan Padan a la Descoverta de le Americhe" animated movie, Bat Pat animated serie (52 episodes), la Storia di Italia (documentary) and others
-
Music for Mario Lavezzi, Giorgia, Sergio Dalma, Simone Bertolotti, Ferdinando Arnò, Silvia Cecchetti, Dazel, Boosta, Piero Cassano, Clara Moroni, Post Scriptum, Alma Latina, Mohicans, Renato Caruso, Andrea Cardillo, Daniele Carmosino, Fabrizio Campanelli, Delta and AVEX Japan, Fabrizio Baldoni, Alessandro Boriani, Susanna Parigi, Dazel, Mino Reitano, Ornella Vanoni, Vittorio Visconti, Fausto Leali, Cristina D'Avena, Giorgio Vanni, Bratt Sinclaire, Laurent Newfield, Marcella Bella, Gianni Bella, Heller, Alex Bioli, Loredana Berté, The Mapo Ciank, Federico Poggipollini, Simona Bencini, Marina Rei, Andy Fumagalli, Leo and the Blue Line, Steve Ferrone, Pino Palladino, David Garfield, Elio Rivagli and many others
-
Articles for Strumenti Musicali, Axe
-
Produced, Recorded, Sound Designed, Licensed Samples to Steinberg, Presonus, Native Instruments, Cakewalk, Izotope, Fxpansion, Arobas, Ableton, Scarbee, Overloud, ILIO and many others
-
Teaching at University Statale di Milano, EMIT Feltrinelli, Scuola di Alto Perfezionamento Musicale di Saluzzo, Fonderie Sonore, Sonus Factory, ITSOS Albe Steiner, Six Sound and many others
-
Training, Trade Show presence, consultancy for Apple, AVID, Apogee, Roland, Ibanez, Overloud, Sonivox, Scarbee, Redmatica, Trade Partners, Wise
-
Engineered and Produced at Henson Studios (L.A.), 17 Hertz (L.A.), Serenity West (L.A.), Grandmaster Recorders (L.A.), Tom Tom Studio D (Budapest), CNSO Studios (Prague), Sotto Il Mare (Verona, Magister Area (Treviso), Il Teatro Delle Voci (Treviso), La Sauna (Varese), Candle Studio (Milano), Alari Recording (Milano), Massive Arts (Milano), Morning Studio (Milano), Novenove Studio (Milano), MOB Studios (Roma), BiOs Studio (Solaro), Clockworks Studio (Cernusco Lombardone), Riverplant Music Studios (Monza), ZeroDieci (Genova), Fonologie Monzesi (Monza), Greenmovie (Milano), Soundworks Production (Milano), LoVa Music (Lesmo), Delta (Monza), Zeta Factory (Carpi), The Vessel (Caserta), Sonoria Recording (Prato), Marzi Recording Studio (Riccione), Riverside Studio (Torino), Imagina Production Studio (Torino), Angelo Studio (Garlasco), Fiery Water Factory (Alessandria), Sound Sistemi (Santhia), Hyde Park (Milano) and many others