We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Marcus Grimaldi a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.

Hi Marcus, thanks for joining us today. How has Covid changed your business model?

I wouldn’t say Covid changed my business model, rather it allowed my business to THRIVE. Not only was I getting more work as a mixing and mastering engineer for Next Level Recording, my best friend Evan Collazo and I started a company during Covid called MHS Studios.

We are a production company with a focus and specialization on film and audio recording. We cinematically film and record musical artists performing live, stripped down versions of their music!

So in the midst of the world going crazy, we built a company from the ground up. In 1 year we went from 214 subscribers to 55,000+, a #1 song in 5 countries and working with some of the best talent in the world!

Great, appreciate you sharing that with us. Before we ask you to share more of your insights, can you take a moment to introduce yourself and how you got to where you are today to our readers

Hello readers – I’m Marcus Grimaldi! I’m a Record Mixer and Mastering Engineer based out of Atlanta, Georgia! I own a recording studio called Next Level Recording and also co-founded MHS Studios with my best friend and business partner, Evan Collazo!

What does it mean to be a Record Mixer? Well, to make it super simple… Record labels or artists send me already recorded material and it’s my job to ‘mix’ those elements together and make it sound AWESOME so you can enjoy it on the radio or whatever you listen to music on! It’s my passion and there’s nothing quite like exceeding someone’s expectations when you deliver a final mix to them!

Mastering is a little bit different! Well, what is mastering? In essence, mastering is quite like photoshop for music. A record label, producer or artist will send me the final mix of a song or a record they have made, and I make sure it will sound great on all playback systems – cars, ear buds, computers, phones, etc. Each strategic ‘move’ that I make effects the entire song – much like a photo editor edits a photo. Maybe the photo needs the blacks to be darker, or the whites whiter. Much the same, I make decisions regarding the sonics of a song – making it louder, removing harsh frequencies, making the low end sit a little better in the mix, or making things sound less ‘dull’ and brightening them up! Basically, the final quality assurance on a song before it’s shipped out to the real world!

What sets me apart from others? My attention to detail. If you’re an artist, I challenge you to let me take a listen to a song you think is ‘finished’ and I’ll give you all the details on what needs to change before it’s actually finished!

What am I most proud of? I’m super proud that I work with such awesome people. Not only at Next Level Recording and the artists I work with, but everybody who helps out at MHS Studios with myself and Evan. They always put their best foot forward and I couldn’t be more proud of them for helping build MHS Studios to what it is today.

We’d love to hear about you met your business partner.

This is a great one! Evan and I met at Guitar Center of Alpharetta! I was playing some guitar and melting faces when Evan came up to me and asked if I knew who Jesus was! “Yeah! I’m a Christian!”

We talked for a bit and exchanged numbers, but it wasn’t until 3-4 years later before we actually hung out! If we never met at that Guitar Center, MHS Studios wouldn’t exist today!

What’s been the best source of new clients for you?

In all honesty, word of mouth has been the best source of new clients for me! There’s nothing more ‘trustworthy’ when one of your peers recommends someone to you in this business – especially when writing music can be pretty vulnerable! You never know what’s going to happen with a song or your relationship with an artist, so you always have to be on your ‘A’-game. Treat people with respect and deliver incredible final products and you’ll be on your way – plus you’ll get a ton of repeat business as well!

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.nextlevelrecording.com/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/nextlevelrecording/
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/c/MHSStudios
• Other: Instagram #2: MHS Studios – https://www.instagram.com/mhsstudios_/