MEET MIKE
THE MAN BEHIND THE SOUND
Mike Marciano is a two-time Grammy Award–winning recording and mixing and mastering engineer whose work spans hardcore and metal to contemporary jazz and Latin jazz. Over a career that began in 1980 at the family-run Systems Two Recording Studio in Brooklyn, New York, he has amassed credits on well over 1,300 albums and numerous gold and platinum releases, as well as prestigious Junos and GMA honors..
Mike started at Systems Two recording, mixing, and mastering sessions exclusively for the studio, quickly becoming a go-to engineer for New York’s heavy metal and hardcore scene. His early discography includes work with influential bands such as Type O Negative, Carnivore, Agnostic Front, and Life of Agony, many of whose releases went on to achieve gold or platinum status and cult followings. Several of these recordings, particularly with Type O Negative, were later featured on major film soundtracks, including “Bride of Chucky,” “Freddy vs. Jason,” “I Know What You Did Last Summer,” and Howard Stern’s “Private Parts.”
From the early 1990s onward, Mike increasingly focused on jazz and improvised music, working with some of the most acclaimed artists in the field. His engineering and mastering appear on projects by Wynton Marsalis, Brad Mehldau, Robert Glasper, Clark Terry, Elvin Jones, Steve Coleman, and many others, helping define the sound of multiple generations of modern jazz recordings. His work with saxophonist Don Braden was also heard widely as the theme music for the television series “Cosby.”
Mike's discography has been repeatedly recognized by major industry awards. He received his first Grammy Award in 2011 for engineering Terri Lyne Carrington’s “The Mosaic Project” (Best Jazz Vocal Album) and a second in 2013 for “Money Jungle: Provocative in Blue,” also by Carrington (Best Jazz Instrumental Album). His engineering on Henry Threadgill’s “In for a Penny, In for a Pound,” which won the Pulitzer Prize for Music in 2016, further cemented his reputation for capturing complex, forward-looking jazz. Across the 2010s and early 2020s, projects he recorded, mixed, or mastered—including albums by the Rodriguez Brothers, Brian Lynch, Miguel Zenón, Doug Beavers, Elio Villafranca, David Sánchez, Yuying Hsu, and Dafnis Prieto—received multiple Grammy nominations and wins, as well as honors such as the Juno and Golden Melody Awards.
In addition to Grammy recognition, Mike's work contributed to several multi platinum and gold RIAA-certified commercial successes, including the “Mortal Kombat” soundtrack, the “Howard Stern – Private Parts” soundtrack, and key Type O Negative albums like “Bloody Kisses” , “October Rust,” "Life is Killing Me", as well as “Nativity in Black: A Tribute to Black Sabbath.” These credits underscore his unusual range, moving fluidly between underground metal, mainstream soundtracks, and high-art jazz without sacrificing sonic identity.
After Systems Two’s original Brooklyn facility closed in 2018, Mike continued his career under the Systems Two name, establishing new recording and mastering operations while maintaining the studio’s reputation for meticulous sound and musician-centered production values. Today he remains an in-demand engineer, mixer, and mastering specialist, contributing to some of the most acclaimed jazz and Latin jazz recordings while carrying forward the Systems Two legacy as one of the most trusted ears in contemporary recording.
