Maurizio "OttO" de togni
Consultant, Teacher, and Musician in Santa Monica, CA
Maurizio De Togni (OttO) has been a music maker and independent producer since 1990. His clients include Paramount Pictures, James Valentine & Jesse Carmichael (Maroon 5), Mike Posner, the John Lennon Educational Tour Bus, and several Grammy-winning artists, producers, and studios.
His background spans work as a musician, composer, arranger, programmer/Pro Tools operator, and audio technologist for Italian, American, and international artists in classical, pop, rock, and dance music — as well as major campaigns for Heineken©, Subaru©, and Campari©.
With nearly 90 certifications, Maurizio is known as “the most certified man on the planet.” He is an Apple Logic Pro Certified Master Pro & Trainer (since v7) and an Avid Certified Pro Tools 2023 Instructor (since v7).
He has taught over 15,000 students across 1,500+ classes for top institutions including Teatro alla Scala (Milan), Soho Editors (London), UCLA Extension, Musicians Institute (Hollywood), Stanford University, Shepherd University, the Grammy Museum of Los Angeles, and the Dynamic School of Audio Engineering (Chennai, India).
Through his Project ZOOM Studio, Maurizio delivers immersive “show & do” online sessions to colleges, studios, and private clients. He has taught 700 on-campus and 800 online classes, helping thousands master Pro Tools and Logic Pro, troubleshoot setups, and refine their creative workflows.
A long-time Macworld® contributor, he wrote nearly 100 articles and the book iLife-Pro©, and covered NAMM Show©, AES©, and WWDC© as a correspondent. Awards include UCLA’s Outstanding Instructor (2012) and Musicians Institute Instructor of the Year (2015–2018).
Since 2013, Maurizio has also been the Producer and Creative Director of the culinary brand (Bread Love & Dreams) and legacy of his late wife Ale Gambini, known worldwide as A Queen in the Kitchen. Together they created 40 video episodes, two cookbooks, and now a third posthumous book — 📘 A World of Tiramisù, produced with Matilde Vicenzi and Gatekeeper Press, celebrating Ale’s passion for authentic Italian food and culture.
Maurizio lives in Irvine, California, travels often with his daughter, and continues to merge music, education, and cultural preservation through creativity and love. He also cooks for her, a passion that grew into an obsession with cooking and baking, his newest form of expression and comfort!