It saddens us to report that legendary NYC mastering engineer George Marino passed away today, according to a statement from Sterling Sound:

“Today Sterling Sound and the music industry as a whole has suffered a tremendous loss. Senior Mastering Engineer George Marino lost his battle with cancer this morning. Words cannot express the sorrow we feel. George was family to us all and we will miss him dearly.”

George Marino at Sterling in 2009

Marino had a tremendous career, as illustrated by a long and legendary discography that includes such classic albums as Stevie Wonder’s Innervisions, AC/DC’s Highway to Hell, John Lennon & Yoko Ono’s Double Fantasy, Bon Jovi’s Slippery When Wet, Guns N’ Roses “Appetite for Destruction”, Metallica’s “Black Album”, Coldplay’s A Rush of Blood to the Head, and his latest of three career Grammy wins – Arcade Fire’s 2011 “Album of the Year”, The Suburbs.

He has been a mainstay of the NYC recording community going back to the early 70s at the Record Plant, and then to Sterling Sound in 1973. Marino had been with Sterling ever since, for nearly 40 years – helping to build the company into one of the world’s premier mastering facilities.

For one of SonicScoop’s very first features back in 2009, we had the pleasure of meeting Marino and touring the at-the-time newly modified ATR tape machine that had enabled all-analog vinyl mastering at Sterling. We were taken not only by Marino’s passion for crafting superb sounding records and his enthusiasm for vinyl and the format’s revival, but also by his friendly, humble and patient demeanor. His explanation made a highly technical process come to life.

He was one of the best…and he will be missed.

Memorial Services are as follows:

Wake is Wednesday (6/6)
2-4 PM and 7-9 PM
Coxe and Graziano Funeral Home
767 East Boston Post Road
Mamaroneck, NY 10543
Tel:  914-698-5968

Mass will be held Thursday, 6/7
10 AM at Resurrection Church
910 Boston Post Road
Rye, NY 10580

Burial at Kensico Cemetary
273 Lakeview Avenue
Valhalla, NY 10595
Tel: 914-949-0347