John Polito (founder, chief engineer)
John Polito. graduated with honors from Stanford University specializing in digital audio signal processing and composition at CCRMA (Center for Computer Research in Music and Acoustics). In 1987 he became Product Manager for the subsequently highly successful NoNoise system, working closely with major record labels as an expert in the burgeoning archive reissue field. Mr. Polito founded Audio Mechanics in 1991 and has been working on restoration, editing, and mastering projects for music, film, television, and legal industries. He has worked in conjunction with the FBI on forensic cases and has been called upon on several occasions to serve as an expert witness. He is a frequent presenter at The Reel Thing, AMIA, and SMPTE.
Ellis Burman (audio engineer)
Ellis Burman graduated with honors from California State University Northridge with a degree in Electrical Engineering specializing in analog circuit design. This led to a job at Quad Eight Electronics as a designer of large format automated film and music mixing consoles. From there he moved to the production side, restoring films and TV shows with the Sonic Solutions NoNoise® system, recording and mixing TV spots, music, and independent films. He has worked at Audio Mechanics since October 2005.
Daryl Frame (audio engineer)
Daryl Frame has been working as an audio engineer since the late 1980’s. He has a degree in Music Engineering and Technology from Ball State University minoring in electronics, with emphasis in music composition and music performance. He has worked at Audio Mechanics since 2005. As well as restoring film audio he has also recorded and mixed everything from symphony orchestras to solo marimba, from 35 piece swing choirs to three man punk bands, as well as commercial voice-over, Foley and DVD commentaries.
Clay Dean (operations manager)
Born and raised in Memphis, Clay moved to the Boulder/Denver area in 2001 to study filmmaking and began a career in film preservation. Since then he has lived between Bangladesh, India, and Los Angeles. Prior to joining Audio Mechanics, Clay worked as a preservationist in a variety of settings including picture restoration/preservation projects at The CinemaLab and Triage Motion Picture Services. Clay’s own films have screened in venues worldwide.
Oki Miyano (preservationist)
Oki grew up in Japan and worked as a visual effects model maker for 5 years before moving to Los Angeles in 2000. He received his Masters from UCLA in Moving Image Archive Studies and has worked as a preservationist at Audio Mechanics since 2008. Oki also writes articles for Japanese film journals.
Mark Mangiagli (data engineer)
Mark attended Cal State University of Long Beach and received his bachelors in Film and Electronic Arts. After being inspired by a sound design course he attended The Musician’s Institute in Hollywood and earned his certification in Audio Engineering and Post Production. He has also participated in various production assistant work, including The American Music Awards and Gurney Productions. Mark began working at Audio Mechanics in 2011.
Ken Merrick (shipping manager)
Ken came to Audio Mechanics in January of 2013 and has taken over the supervision of all materials’ movement at our facilities. Having spent nearly 20 years at Crest Digital in Hollywood, Ken is the definitive professional entertainment media materials manager. His vast experience at overseeing documentation, storage organization, shipping and receiving is essential in the coordination and timely handling of elements for the variety of projects that move in and out of Audio Mechanics.
