Bill Schnee: Engineering Steely Dan's Aja

In this episode, legendary audio engineer Bill Schnee shares his extensive experience in the music industry, including his work with Steely Dan (Aja) and Ringo Starr (Ringo, Goodnight Vienna). He delves into the technical aspects of recording and mixing, offering valuable tips for both aspiring and established audio engineers. Schnee also reflects on the evolution of music production, highlighting how technology has shaped the sound of music over the decades.

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[scottmoyer]

FYI....I was the one who delivered and tuned the drums for the Aja recording session . I was the head of the Drum Department at SIR in 1976 and 1977 and prepared the Red Sparkle Ludwig Drum Set ordered for the Steely Dan recording session featuring Steve Gadd. Both Steve and I set the drums up after I arrived at The Producer's Workshop that afternoon at the Crossroads of the World on the Sunset Blvd entrance. Steve used a beloved & brand new 21" Zildjian Rock Ride that he had just acquired and he was excited about it's sound and feel. He also used 2 of his cracked [17 & 18"] Zildjian crash cymbals on the right and left sides of his set which were already set up before I arrived with the Ludwig Red Sparkle (Maple) kit and trap case. You can hear their "off color" sound with every crash he played.

The long & extensive score of Aja was stretched all the way across the front of the set taped from Steve's right crash cymbal stand all the way over to his left crash cymbal stand so he could see it, as he told me then, in it's entirety without having to turn pages. He used his own Ludwig chrome snare drum and 14" High Hats. The tom toms were 12 inch and 13 inch toms with a 16 inch floor tom. 

Prior to making the delivery, I had tuned the drums in a deep and rich tuning interval of a perfect 4th from low to high [Here Comes the Bride is the melodic sound of an interval of a perfect 4th ]. All of the drums had clear heads with black dots in the centers as did the 22" Bass Drum. With the set came a basic Ludwig " Speed King" Bass drum pedal [ $15.00 ] which was attached to the bass drum when I left that afternoon. As I was leaving, Beatle Producer, George Martin, was coming in the front door. This is something that no one has ever mentioned in any interview but that only I know about because I was there as a witness that afternoon. It's good to hear that Steve also recorded those Leo Sayer songs with Richard Perry producing. The drums sounded killer on all of those "HIT" songs!!!

[michaelpeuplie]

Even if its over Zoom, Rick needs to interview Fagen. Famously prickly, im sure he could bring the best out of him.

[regaltipA]

A few years ago I was in a shopping centre in Sydney and noticed Leo Sayer standing next to me. He used to live in Glebe. Being a drummer and knowing that he used Porcaro a lot I introduced myself and then had a chance to ask him why does the snare sound change in the final verse of You Make Me Feel Like Dancing - this was his reply. " Wow you are the only person that has ever asked me that". He then went to disclose that the track was Gadd and Porcaro. Hence the slight change in snare sound, touch and attack. Porcaro's take comes in at the final verse. I used to practice along to the track and with good headphones its noticeable. Confirmed by Leo himself.

[cwize]

Man. Gotta say, on top of Rick’s interview style and the topics he covers, I would say that ALL the people he has interviewed have been the most humble, open, pleasant, interestED and interestING folks ever. These are just pure gold.

[WheresMyFlyingCar]

"Rick Beato 3": an Aja-only channel!

[soundbyte]

It’s worth mentioning that the legendary Al Schmitt was the third engineer on Aja. He apprenticed under Tom Dowd at his uncles studio in the 40s. He has collected 20 Grammys since, and is the only engineer that has a star on the walk of fame. Sadly, he passed in 2021. He mixed Peg and Deacon Blues.
I remember watching a YouTube tribute to him and Bill Schnee was very emotional talking about him.

[kennethmoore]

I "borrowed" this album from my older sister when I was a teenager. I would put it on my turntable in the dark and lay on my bed and just soak in every single note. It is, for me, one of the greatest albums ever released by any artist or group, EVER.
Edit: I was a total metal head at the time.

[DrProgNerd]

This interview could have been 10 hours long and I'd have been glued to it. Thank you.
His Steely Dan work is absolutely incredible. The space, precision, depth

[WinItReigns]

Cant wait for the Ringo and Mccartney Episodes!

Then Page and Plant!

You can Do it

[ernestconnell]

Another video, where I thought I would only listen for a few minutes about the technical side of the music business, but then listened to the whole thing. Good stuff. 👍

[dalehymes]

Absolutely fascinating interview. Funny story about the album Aja. I used to work in Paul Reed Smith's shop and played in his band when he started, and would drive him home from gigs (I crashed in the shop for a while to greet customers early). Every time he would get in my old car, he would demand I put in the Aja cassette tape. Decent upgraded stereo and speakers for back then and couldn't believe how great the arrangement, mix, sound, and presentation was. He liked to control the music while I drove and of course I let him have fun. I loved it then and love it now. Great memory. So cool to hear the guy AT the board when the magic happened.

[davidhartley]

Bill is a fantastic storyteller, so great to see him here!

[g_and_kikos_homestudio]

As someone who Engineers and Records I really appreciate when you have legends of music production on like Bill Schnee

[voodoochildaz]

I call myself a music nerd. Music is my primary passion. I was raised drowning in it as a third generation musician. I have a wide range of tastes, play a few instruments (but only guitar well), and geek out on every detail from theory to audio engineering.

A 98 minute interview with a badass engineer chewing the fat on one great album.

THIS is why Rick has the best damned music channel on the planet. At least for me.

The man is the KING of music nerds.

[loslobos]

95% of this interview was way over my head. You could tell that Rick was just loving getting into the weeds of recording and sound engineering. It was still great to listen to.

[JoeContiMusic]

AJA !!!!
Still audio file reference for testing systems after all these years.
Plus it’s killer music!

[gregb]

This was a terrific interview of Bill Schnee. It reminded me so much of my 10 years I spent working with Allen Sides at Ocean Way (95-05). I worked with most of the Session guys Bill talks about and they were certainly the pinnacle of professional musicianship. The studios including all the gear and the rooms, producers, engineers, assistants, rental, cartage and staff were also on equal par of excellence as the session musicians. Every component of making a record back in those days was at its height of excellence. Thank you, Rick, for highlighting this excellent work in recorded music.

[MrMusic-ndto]

I have Bill Schnee's book... EXCELLENT! He's humble, talented, and has been involved in some of the greatest music in history! Great interview Rick! 🎶🎹🎸

[stevenrussi]

first time I heard this (Aja) I knew the recording industry had peaked here with Fagan and Becker--as Rick says here, the clarity, the punch, the separation, it was gorgeous right off the vinyl LP. Nothing has ever sounded the same!

[daborean]

Rick, your interviews are amazing. They are an invaluable documentation of the essence of some of the greatest music recorded. Thank you