Meet Pete Crimi | Audio Post Production Mixer and Sound Designer

We had the good fortune of connecting with Pete Crimi and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Pete, why did you pursue a creative career?
Growing up in a family of creative individuals, I was constantly surrounded by art and music.

My grandfather was an artist that painted elaborate abstract paintings on every surface he could find. My grandmother painted portraits of all her grand-children. All the way down the line of my family are musicians, artists, poets, and playwrights, and being immersed in that world cultivated an environment that was comfortable to explore creative paths.

My father is a musician, (jazz pianist, church organ player, guitarists, accordion, etc.) There was constant music being played in the house and we as kids were “strongly encouraged” to play an instrument up until high school. As the third child of four, I chose to play the trumpet and fell in love with it, and excelled. I played trumpet all the way through college, playing in large ensembles, as well as performing solo. Although I excelled at the instrument, I made a choice to use this talent as a way to pivot into a career in audio.
Alongside my music major, I have a degree in Sound Engineering, which propelled my career and shifted my creativity to mixing and sound design.

Accompanying my father’s love for music was the love of baseball, and again we were “strongly encouraged” to play baseball/softball at least up until high school, and from there we were free to choose on our own to continue or not. I excelled at both.

I say both these things because I believe strongly that both sports and art help me get to where I am today. I think being able to think creatively and outside the rules of the game, allowed me to see the game in a different light and perhaps find a tactical edge.

I also believe that the physical aspect and demand learned in preparing for a team sport, carried over to my musical and audio journey.

Understanding how to practice, how to train, how to deal with nerves, how to be in an ensemble, how to work together, and how to be successful, can be said for both the baseball diamond as well as an isolated practice room. I believe without one, I fail at the other, and do not pursue the career I’ve chosen.

Alright, so let’s move onto what keeps you busy professionally?
As a college student, my audio journey began recording and mixing bands from around the area of my university. I love music, and there were times when mixing music was a ton of fun. But as time went on an I got more and more experience in tracking/mixing/mastering music, I quickly realized that this wasnt the career for me. Between the late nights, the musicians’ egos, and the lack of excitement towards the music I was being a part of, I realized that this might not be the career path for me.

I took an internship in 2010 for an Audio Post company in NYC that mixed commercials. At the time, I had no idea this was an option, let alone an actual job. I was thrust into a world that was creative, flushed with money, and had (more or less) set hours in the work day. The creative people in this industry still cared about what they did, but it wasn’t “their baby” that they would die for. They understood that there was a chain of command and that changes could come at any instant. I loved this kind of work. I’d be in an environment that I could flex my creative muscles, all while mastering a craft that was needed in a massive industry. I was officially hooked, and my goal since then was to be an Audio Post Mixer.

I can point a lot of my success to that internship. Pre-2020, my advice to anyone would be to intern for free at a place you want to be at.

And some quick advice for any intern at an audio studio:
WRITE STUFF DOWN – I have no problem giving someone advice or showing them the ropes. My problem comes when that stuff doesn’t get retained and I find myself repeating things or catching people not knowing a process. I think there’s something about being in this field where people (young kids) think they can just watch something enough and just do it. This isn’t YouTube, and if you need help remembering something, there should be a notebook filled with your notes.

It is worth noting that we are in very different times now where studios aren’t exactly hiring interns/assistants since a lot of the world is going remote. What I would say to anyone that is pursuing this as a career is that people like us love to talk about our journey and how we do things. If there’s someone that wants to ask me a question or reach out for advice, I absolutely will take that call and help. I also think I can say that about most of my peers in this industry. If we get a well thought out question or request to meet remotely, I believe there are a lot of people in this industry that will take that call.

Anyway, after my internship, that turned into being an Assistant Mixer. Being an assistant at Sound Lounge was a long lesson in patience and mastering one’s domain. I learned that in order to be sure that I’d be a successful mixer, I’d first have to be an absolute expert in everything else besides mixing. Inter-personal skills when dealing with clients, reliability when delivering final elements for sessions, expertise in everything that has to do with audio.

The last stop in my journey was getting the opportunity to sit in that chair and be a mixer. I had to learn how to deal with clients, and keep them wanting to come back to me/us. That meant, provide the best possible mix or sound design they could ever get, as well as be in complete control in session that now can possibly have remote voiceover, remote clients, clients at the studio and maybe even voiceover at the studio.
Becoming a master in that domain means that sessions are as smooth as ever, allowing the creative process ability to breath.

During my career at Sound Lounge I’ve had to pleasure of working on some amazing work.
I’m proud to say that I was the Mixer and Sound Designer for a Super Bowl commercial.
(Hellmann’s Super Bowl 2022 Mayo Tackles Food Waste)
Also my talents have crossed from the advertising world, into an HBO TV show. I’ve mixed Season 2, and currently mixing Season 3 of How To with John Wilson.

The thrill of seeing my name on an HBO credit will never go away, and I think being excited about your work is important to help grow your career.

This is a great job. and I am always striving to become better in my craft. You can never stop learning and striving to be better, faster, or more creative.

If you had a friend visiting you, what are some of the local spots you’d want to take them around to?
First stop would be Sound Lounge and I would show them our incredible studio.

We’d go across the street to S&P Lunch (formerly Eisenbergs) and get a delicious pastrami sandwich.
For drinks that night we’d go to a bar I’ve been going to for 13 years, Plug Uglies on 3rd ave. We’d destroy everyone there in shuffleboard and call it a night.

Other places that we’d have to go during the week:

Manhattan:
• Veselka (Ukranian beers, borscht and pirogies)
• Joes Shanghai for some Soup Dumplings
• 169 Bar
• Sheep Meadow in Central Park
Queens:
• LIC Beer project
• Baroness
• Dutch Kills (speakeasy)
Brooklyn:
• Mekelburgs (for sandwiches and beers)
• Zombie Hut
• Court Street Grocers

A lot of eating and drinking, I know.

Who else deserves some credit and recognition?
There are people that I want to thank for my success. Not only in my career, but as a person.

Dave Kerzner – Dave was the head of the Sound Engineering Arts program at William Paterson University. He was an early mentor in my career and he believed in my abilities to get to where I am today.
He’s an incredible human being, and I’m sure I can speak for all the students that have passed through his program and say that Dave is a great friend, mentor, and teacher. I do not know where I would be in this world if it wasn’t for Dave and his endless connections to the audio world that he’s fostered over multiple decades.

Doc – My college trumpet teacher, Dr. J. Craig Davis. Doc was special. Doc was a friend. Doc was someone that would stop the world to help me in any situation. I could spend hours in a lesson with him and not even blow a note. He talked about life and my life in the future and his wisdom help guide me through tough decisions regarding my career, even if he disagreed with the result. I was heartbroken when I found out Doc died on March 31st, 2020, especially since I wasn’t able to say goodbye. I’ll miss you Doc, there will be no one ever like you.

Website: petecrimi.com

Instagram: crimstagram1

Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/pete-crimi-85703b23/