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!!!

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

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.

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

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.

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 KZfaq tribute to him and Bill Schnee was very emotional talking about him.

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 .....incredible.

Cant wait for the Ringo and Mccartney Episodes! Then Page and Plant! You can Do it Beato!!!!!!

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.

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.

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

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.

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! 🎶🎹🎸

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!

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

This is absolutely fascinating. Bill has such a great storytelling skill and sharp memory. RICK! Don’t forget DENNY DIAS! He played on Aja and has an ability to articulate that would add to your opus on the greatest ‘pop’ album ever created!

Leo Sayer with drums by Steve Gadd. Wut?. Amazing episode. It was like a Jeopardy episode for microphones

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

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. 👍

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

Aja is obviously one of the true greatest albums of all time…but I want to note in particular that Black Cow is a perfect song to my ears and mind. The sounds, the mood, the lyrics…perfect.

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.

I am looking forward to see your interview with Jay Graydon.

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.

Superb home court interview Rick. If Maestro Schnee is so willing, it would be a real treat to see a part 2 interview recorded in his studio.

Love these interviews with producers & engineers...fascinating.

Bill's drum sounds on the Pablo Cruise albums he did are just wonderful.

Amazing! Got the album for christmas when i was 12, the year it came out. An all time favorite, especially as a drummer. Timeless.

This is absolutely fantastic! I love this so much. I am a recording engineer who like so many of us is a Steely Dan fanboy and a huge fan of Bill Schnee. Rick, you are doing a great service to honor the giants and innovators of our industry. Thank you sir.

"We're not too sure about Steve Gadd." LOL! Possibly the greatest drum recording performance in history. And this, folks, is why it is an art more than a science.

Mr. Beato, you've made my obsession with that song, Aja, acceptable! Like so many folks I never get tired of that masterpiece, and I am also obsessed with anyone involved in its creation. Thank you!

Rick these whole series of interviews have been absolutely wonderful. Bill is a absolutely legend.

These series of interviews are the Alan Lomax 21st century version. Thank you Rick for keeping this stuff alive.

Rick is such a great interviewer, Bill seemed a bit nervous at first but then relaxed as the interview went on.

As a musician I have massive respect for the technical genius of those involved in studio sound and live sound recording and performance. Even though I have zero real knowledge of the same, I enjoy listening to those who do! I thoroughly enjoyed listening to Rick and Bill discussing their shared art form which is a fascinating mystery. A mystery I’ve enjoyed since I discovered recorded music in the early 60s!! Thank you gentlemen from the bottom of my heart.

Everybody flips over Steely Dan “Aja” but I’m a bigger fan of Bill’s work on “Gaucho”. Underrated masterpiece.

Amazing to hear Bill Schnee! Thank you!! Such an amazing influence in modern music.

This interview is solid gold. Rick keeps adding to his legacy of excellent interviews and conversations with legends, ultimately elevating himself to that status through association and effort! Bravo!

What a great interview. Thank you for letting us mortals peek under the tent of this amazing art form.

Those Sheffield Labs Records albums mixed by Bill Schnee were amazing! I had a chance to hang out with Doug Sax at The Mastering Lab in the 80s and saw all of the custom gear used to record them.

This is such a great interview! I came up in the late 70's and early 80's at Universal Recording in Chicago. A huge room with Celotex on the walls and a vast mic collection. Same technique of start with the mic, use EQ only if you need to and even then scoop out before adding in. +/-6 was the most EQ we'd use back then. So different from today when engineers use EQ like a scalpel. Also I completely agree with the bus compressor on the early SSL's. I could never get it to sound good until the later 9000 series. This is why Bill's mixes (and Al Schmidt's) always had such depth. It was 3 dimensional sound, left right, front to back and low to high completely balanced.

The interview all engineers and producers have been waiting for! Thank you!

Great show! ❤ Please bring Brian Setzer on one day! Everyone seems to overlook him 🥲

I'm proud to say that I have an autographed copy of Bill's book sitting on my shelf. What a legend!

Great interview with Bill! One day Rick will be able to put together the best ever Steely Dan documentary series.

Thank you for spotlighting the behind the scenes guys like producers, engineers and arrangers. When I bought albums in the 60's and 70's I loved reading the notes to see who these guys were. So many people have no idea how important they were.

Maybe the only long interview on u tube that l thought was short

Rick, this is a great interview with Bill. Love all the behind the scenes stories that go along with these sessions. How it all transpired is exciting. Scott's comment on how the drums where setup and the chart tapped to the stands from one side to the other / PRICELESS !!! Thank you.

INTERVIEW WITH DONALD FAGEN ! We’ve GOT to have it. Most people who interview with him don’t let him shine and feel comfortable enough to really open up … Rick would most certainly bring out the best in him for us to enjoy and share !

Bill's book, "Chairman of the Board," is an excellent read & full of inside stories about how hit songs are made. He's one of the best.

I was starting 6th grade when Aja came out. I remember liking Steely Dan songs before that, but Aja was the first album of theirs I owned.

Really enjoyed the interview especially the story of Beatles coming together for Ringo’s album

The song and the album "Aja" has spoken to and warmed me since I heard it the first time as an early teenager in 1978- or 79.

"Egg cartons on the wall". I loved listening to this guy, I also read his book.

Tremendous interview!! The stories and information that Bill talked about was amazing! Thank you Rick for these in depth interviews with the legends!!

After listening to this, I threw out all my musical gear and moved to the jungle.

Outstanding video. I couldn’t stop watching. I feel I’m watching living history.

WOW!! Bill is a treasure! I found most interesting his descriptions of all the equipment. The mics, preamps, EQ 's....all of it! Just tremendous. If he hasn't already, Bill should either teach, or further document all this knowledge. Simply indispensable info.

I'll never forget digging through my dad's record collection. The album cover art on Royal Scam, to a nine year old was so curiously amazing & mysterious. All down hill from there😂❤

Rick, Super interview. I have some background on the Aja recording. Walter and I were high school classmates and bandmates ‘65-‘67. After high school he went to Bard and met Donald, I went to CCNY and then medical school. In the summer of ‘76 I did a clerkship in SF and flew down to LA several weekends to hang out with Walter at his house in Malibu. One weekend he played the cassette of the basic track for Aja they had just recorded. Said they did it in 3 takes. Needless to say I was blown away. He told me the drum chart for Gadd’s solos was “play your ass off!” I came back two weeks later. During that time they had created the lyrics and melody and Walter sang it for me while the cassette played the track. A memorable moment to say the least. Though I didn’t specifically ask, my impression was that Walter wrote them. Donald, please correct me if you see this. I’m also fairly certain that Walter played the lead guitar fills. I still get chills when playing bass with this amazing piece, the very best they did. ❤❤❤

This interview is GOLD, Bill is such an outstanding engineer, there's so much to learn in everything he says. Thank you so much Rick for such a great content!!

I’m almost 60 and it’s amazing to me that Rick is as obsessed with this album as I am…it was the very first CD I ever bought in 1984 and that Steve Hoffman mastered CD (the very first version released that year in longbox) is still regarded as the best-sounding audiophile version of the album.

Awesome album 😎✌️ Rick Rocks ❤

An incredible interview, a masterclass in Recording Engineer, Producing and Mastering! Rick this video should be a must-watch for any person that records! Thank You Thank you!

Thank you Rick for this interview. Bill Schnee is an amazing master Engineer. His drum history alone is gold. If you don't mind an interview recommend, it would be great if you could bring in the Lemon Twigs. They will be in Athens on May 14th. They are bringing back the 60s-70s sound in a fresh way and their new album sounds great. 😃

This is one of the best interview I've ever heard. Ever. Great documentation of the greatest time in music.

This was a great interview of a gentlemen who was there in what might have beenthe golden age of popular music recording. It has been a long time since I heard anyone reference Doug Sax and Sheffield Labs but as a recovering audiophile I have many of their records. Doug Sax died a while ago and with him the Direct to Disc recordings of Sheffield but I suspect they are still collector's items. Though I will say that with some exceptions (the Thelma Houston album being one of them) their sonic quality often eclipsed the musical quality. Of course the list of great artists and records that Doug mastered is quite impressive. Keep up the work Rick, you are creating source material for a whole generation of music historians.

Absolutely brilliant. Love that "Ringo" LP.

Wow, how great was this, I felt like I could have been right there in the studio in anyone of those sessions. His excitement is still with him as if it was yesterday. Good thing he didn't go into aerospace or become a lawyer. It was meant to be, another good one and take care !!

This is brilliant. So much in depth information into the ‘Aja’ album. I love the backstory as well. Great in-depth interview.

Can't keep up with new Rick's interviews. Too many brilliant people at the same time!

Thank you Mr. Schnee. Thank you Rick. Another gem. A privilege. Best wishes.

Rick, these interviews with the cast from Aja have been riveting. Thank you for sharing with us. I for sure went and listened to "You Make Me Feel Like Dancing" immediately after this video ended. You can definitely hear the similarity in sound. What a wild story.

I love the technical aspect of your interviews. Great stories from Bill. Great video.

Great interview, Rick. Watching it reminded me of Geoff Emerick's wonderful book (the sound engineer that recorded several Beatles albums). Lot's of technical detail about equipment and setup that any musician would enjoy.

Great stuff! much of the talk was relatable since I was kicking around Wally Heider's studio as an equipment flunky as a teenager ~1974.

Wow!!! I love how once he started to relax a bit, the incredible stories just rolled on out... Bill Schnee = Legend

Great interview. The technical stuff went over my head but the interaction between you two kept me watching. I'm going to put Aja on my listen-to list tomorrow.

Incredible nuts and bolts of the Music industry. Just love it.

These interviews mean so much to me. Music is the best. Thank you.

Wow! Blown away with his experience and stories! Great interview, Rick!

Another great interview! I really enjoy hearing about the "old days" in recording history.

Totally Awesome Interview Rick Bill Schnee One of my Favorite Audio Engineers Next to Bob Clearmountain👍👍

Rick when you talk about engineers and drums many people come to mind. I always wanted to pick the brain of David Hentschel and understand how they got the Nigel Olsson sound on “Goodbye Yellow Brick Road.” Between David and Gus Dudgeon - and of course Nigel - it was amazing. Another for me would be Alan Parson engineering for Nick Mason - Pink Floyd - Dark Side of the Moon. What a sonic trip. Please seek out David Hentschel and Alan Parsons. Hell Alan would be hours of KZfaq entertainment.

Bill is such a treasure! I love his stories. I've read his book all through of course.

Love the interview! You are the best to bring these brilliant people to us.

It‘s my birthday. Thank you for every minute of this.

I just had to sit and listen to this with ears wide open. Amazing episode. Thank Rick, nice one.

Great job regaltipA....it always great to hear those behind the scenes stories.

Rick are you CRAZY!!!!! That instrumental recording of Aja is INCREDIBLE!!!!! THANK YOUUUUUUUU

Great timing Rick, I just finished the book... Really a great read, thank you Bill and as always thank you Rick.

What a fine interview. Maybe it's my age, but hearing my high school friend's name makes me smile and I get all nostalgic. I went to school with Jeff Porcaro and his brothers. Fifty years ago this month, Jeff and Steely Dan were playing gigs around So. Cal. Jeff let us know where to go and we did. 2 nights of Jeff with SD, kind of surreal. I got to hang out with my favorite band! Another reason to smile when I hear Jeff's name.

I hardly know anything about his business, technical side of it, but it´s just so entertaining and relaxing to listen to.

Rick, you are delighting every good music lover with these interviews. How about interviewing Elliot Scheiner about Aja and Gaucho too? It would be nice to have even more technical insights into their approach to recording and mixing.

I love this Oral History of Aja project of yours, Rick. I've learned so much so far. One component of the story I'd really like to know is that this is the band's last album for ABC Records before it was bought and absorbed by MCA (Universal, later). I wonder what the primaries thought, after making such a landmark recording, to suddenly have a bunch of "new bosses."

Producers and sound engineers and mixers are so important to the whole process and can really make or break the songs.

It's absolutely 100% all about passion and that active volcano inside you that never extinguishes.

Huge fan of his work without actually knowing of him, absolutely brilliant engineer; we appreciate you doing these interviews Rick, these will become a time capsule of sorts, few interviews get into the meat and potatoes of modern music; recording, composition, etc., usually just "Tell us about your latest album and tour" promo fluff, keep 'em coming please, we're here for it.

The track, Aja, is my favorite piece SD every recorded. It's funny to hear him talk about memories and everybody remembering things differently. I could swear that on the video 'the making of Aja', Fagan and Becker said Aja came together faster than any other track on the record, yet Bill says otherwise. So there's an example of different memories of the event. Great interview, incredibly interesting. Good job, as usual Rick.

Thank you Rick for yet another fantastic interview. Bill Schnee is a gem, his stories about these classic sessions are so engaging and his knowledge invaluable. Bravo gentlemen!