Bill Schnee: Engineering Steely Dan's Aja

so they could take the level because they couldn't do it, yeah, and only a few drummers were allowed and so on because you knew it wouldn't exactly hit them, it was just in the vest. Pros I knew I wouldn't hit it and in the instructional video you see them very clearly. I remember that, what I did and, you know, you'll see comments where Say those aren't real 251s, no one would do that and I remember waking up one day and I was like, you know you're playing with fire here, why do you know anyone could have a accident, so they took my pads off and everything, okay? the 251 or the C2 the c12 and what else and Norman uh you know I love the m49 which you know and it's so funny because not enough engineers love that mic and yet I can't tell you how many singers I turned on .

You know they have their own uh Neil Diamond Barbara stran huie Lewis everyone has their own m49 and I've always thought you know it's not as open as some engineers would like and I guess you know it has an incredible warmth and presence. and you know how, when you listen to your recorded voice, that's not how I sound because you don't have the resonance in your head that you hear when you talk and I think when they listen to their voice, that's what it sounds like. I like it, it sounds more like them and they can relate to it better, but I love that microphone, that's why you know the u67 and more the 269 um.

I don't know if you know the history of that microphone, but when Noyman arrived. They came out with their new large diaphragm microphone to replace in their minds the 47m one, they changed it for a new tube, they came up with a new amplifier and everything was fine when they showed it to the German station in their country who told them no. I need to do this for us we want you to use the same tube that is in the Series 50 the little mini tube the ac701 we want you to use that and we also want for the television we want a remote pattern so that if we want to change the pattern from cardioid to Omni at let it be uhSomeone can do it off camera Asos al 67 that you made around the microphone and then they made the 269 uh, which there was nowhere near, but that other amplifier to me sounds better than a u67, the u67 is really good the 269 is a little better those microphones those nyans first of all the km you know 5354 those microphones now you got rid of all those

bill

s you still have some of those M I still have some well, what about things like if?

I said an equalizer that you know you think is one of the best external equalizers created. I guess I'll go with the eqp1a in case George Massenberg sees this. The first multiband thing of his that he did in stereo was uh. you know, it was exceptional, yeah, but the ptech thought so, ptech, yeah, the tube and again because I mean, I'm a big believer in tubes with trans producers speakers, microphones, there's something about them, uh, and you know, they are who they are. As fast as without valves, it will never be as fast as you know.

Funny story about that regarding microphones. I was a short time into my foray into the business. Clive Davis gave me a chance and I had to do it. I went to work at CBS St, I had to join the union and I worked at CBS Studio, well the old guys there who were probably 20 years younger than me, they, u67, u87, they just came out and told me. The Noyman engineers came and presented it to the engineers there and said, "You know you love this microphone," and when they checked back with him after several months, the engineers said all the older guys said we like it better 67.

What? Were you speaking well? It just seems smoother and not as jumpy and they said no, no, no, this is a transistor and the rise time is much faster than the tube. You're hearing for the first time what's really happening in the studio and they said. Oh, and they continued to use the 67 because I'm sorry, it sounds better and it does, but yeah, you know, so yeah, rise time. You know the same thing with power amplifiers. You know, you know a tube power amp may not be as fast. the bottom line you know whatever, but you still know anyway I'm a big fan of and what about the compressor what's your favorite compressor guy?

That's a lot harder for me because you know well that the resource would still be if you were on an island and could only take one. I would probably still have to take la2a. It would be a choice between that and 1176, but if I were on a desert island I probably wouldn't be pushing. all four buttons so it distorts on the drums so yeah l2a I'll probably just go with the tried and true and who's the loudest singer you've ever recorded. I don't know her name, she was a girl who was 17 years old, uh. and it was Abraham Laborel, the bassist, yeah, it was a family friend that was trying to get into uh uh, I don't know, it could have been juliart, I don't know, but as an opera singer it's okay and I can't tell you what . was coming out of that girl's mouth interesting question which was the loudest?

Well, I'm just wondering, do you know how loud some of these singers are? Barbara Strand is a loud singer, no, not at all, and what Mike is is a big M like me. she said now she has her own and what Donald Fagan will sing. I don't know because I didn't do the voices, so I don't know what he liked, what do you think of SM SS for radio? No, that's a Excellent, you know, this lets you know and, to me, this is used a lot for rock singers. I use it all the time, yes absolutely and the best microphone for all uses, is there one?

You don't know, I wouldn't know. How to answer that there is sm57. I'd rather have this than be good because a 57 doesn't sound as good on a voice, but this does, Bill. It is a great pleasure to have you here to read Bill's book. President on the board. a wonderful book and it has very interesting stories and I really appreciate you spending the time. I love telling stories, in fact at one point in my life I had a previous wife and I went through a divorce and I had just gotten mixed up. As far as we belong the song of that song and Taylor Hackford was the director and uh I mixed the song for him and uh I thought, you know, maybe I'm going through the divorce and everything, maybe I should.

I always thought he could maybe direct CU movies. I love telling stories and I like all things mechanical and so I talked to him on the phone afterwards and I said, you know, I'd love to ghost you sometime, you know, in a movie, no matter how much you let me be there. and he said, well, let me think about that, I never heard from him again, so, followed by the music, well, Bill, thank you very much, I really appreciate it, it's been a pleasure and an honor for me to be here, thank you .