In Profile: Lou Mannarino

Expanding Horizons
That’s no mean feat when it comes to mixing the ensemble he’s most proud of when it comes to his work as a sound designer and engineer, the New York Philharmonic, his favorite orchestra.

“Getting the call to mix the Philharmonic seven years ago was like getting a call to pitch at Yankee Stadium during the playoffs,” he says. “I almost dropped the phone. Chair for chair, they’re the best musicians in the world.

“You put them together in front of a conductor to drive that band so they sound a specific way, and only sound that way, because so many members together can create that sound acoustically. It has very little to do with audio. To me, that kind of artistry is just amazing. It just doesn’t get much better.”

Given how much Mannarino’s accomplished and how busy his life has been – helping to raise his three children (all of whom have followed in his footsteps in music in different ways), continuing to gig as a bassist and guitar player, and running multiple companies, one would think he wouldn’t be all that inclined to take on new disciplines. Yet he continues to expand his creative horizons with an eye to better his understanding of his work in music and production.

For example, when L&M got more heavily involved in lighting, he took up photography, finding that some photographers weren’t effectively capturing the full impact of aspects such as new LED color.

“I was trying to learn more about the balancing of light through photography,” he explains. “It was another opportunity to negotiate an art form, a different point of view.” As he’s come to understand the artistry behind photography, it’s also enabled him focus on other disciplines more acutely. In fact, the lens, the focus on composition and color, and it’s relation to lighting and video, has impacted his audio designs.

Photography is another endeavor Mannarino has embraced.

Among the shots he showcases on his website (www.loumannarino.com) are photos from his travels for work and pleasure. It’s definitely a hobby, he says, adding that he refuses to sell his work for profit. “When people buy my art, it’s for charity,” he says, citing his annual ‘Gallery for Charity’ event. “I take the shots and they write a check for the original piece directly to a charity.”

Variety of expression and creativity is important to overall artistry, something he readily supports others doing as well. “I encourage my staff to do similar things; to take on other jobs and come back with a new fever for what we love to do.”

Exploring alternative avenues, he notes, leads to understanding what you do that much better, “And to have more respect for it; humility and respect are two really important words in the formula for my success,” he concludes. “If you approach something with enough humility, you’ll have a respect for it and will be able to truly internalize and ultimately share it with others.”

Based in Toronto, Kevin Young is a freelance music and tech writer, professional musician and composer.