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| Al Schmitt | |
|---|---|
| Name | Al Schmitt |
| Birth date | July 17, 1930 |
| Death date | April 26, 2021 |
| Occupation | Recording engineer, producer |
| Years active | 1950s–2021 |
| Notable works | The Girl from Ipanema; Getz/Gilberto; Norah Jones' A Little More; Steely Dan albums; Paul Simon records |
Al Schmitt was an American recording engineer and producer whose career spanned more than six decades, working with leading figures across jazz, pop, rock, and classical music. He engineered and produced albums for artists linked to labels and studios such as Capitol Records, Columbia Records, Verve Records, and United Western Recorders, earning numerous industry awards and recognition from institutions like the Grammy Awards and the Audio Engineering Society.
Schmitt was born in Brooklyn, New York, and grew up in a milieu connected to broadcasters and studios in New York City. Early exposure to radio stations like NBC Radio Network and venues such as Carnegie Hall and recording hubs including RCA Victor influenced his path. He studied technical aspects informally under practicing engineers affiliated with companies such as Decca Records and through apprenticeships at facilities tied to producers associated with MGM Records and Capitol Studios.
Schmitt began his professional career in the 1950s at studios associated with executives and producers from RCA Victor and worked alongside engineers tied to projects by Frank Sinatra, Nat King Cole, and arrangers connected to Nelson Riddle. In the 1960s and 1970s his credits expanded to sessions involving artists on Verve Records, Blue Note Records, and Columbia Records. He collaborated with producers and artists affiliated with Tom Dowd, George Martin, Phil Spector, and others, contributing to recordings that involved musicians from ensembles linked to Count Basie, Duke Ellington, and contemporary acts on labels such as Warner Bros. Records and Elektra Records. His long tenure included work at United Western Recorders, Capitol Studios, and mobile sessions for live broadcasts from venues like The Hollywood Bowl and festivals including the Newport Jazz Festival.
Schmitt was known for microphone placement techniques involving microphones produced by companies like Neumann, Telefunken, Shure, and AKG. He favored analog consoles from manufacturers associated with studios like Neve and used tape machines by Ampex and mastering tools linked to engineers from RCA and EMI. His approach drew on methods advocated by contemporaries such as Les Paul, Rudy Van Gelder, and Geoff Emerick, while valuing acoustic treatment concepts used at spaces like Capitol Studios and engineering workflows influenced by the practices at Abbey Road Studios.
Schmitt won multiple Grammy Awards including categories connected to Record of the Year, Album of the Year, and Best Engineered Album, Non-Classical. He received honors from the Audio Engineering Society and lifetime achievement acknowledgments from organizations like the Recording Academy. Institutions that bestowed awards on him included the National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences and halls of fame associated with recording professionals such as the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and the Jazz Hall of Fame-affiliated entities.
Across his career Schmitt worked with a wide range of artists and producers: jazz figures like Stan Getz, Antonio Carlos Jobim, Ella Fitzgerald, and Dizzy Gillespie; pop and rock artists such as Steely Dan, Paul Simon, Neil Diamond, Bob Dylan, Linda Ronstadt, George Benson, and Don Henley; contemporary acts including Norah Jones, Kacey Musgraves, and performers connected to Willie Nelson and Rosanne Cash. Notable albums and sessions include projects associated with Getz/Gilberto, recordings tied to The RCA Sessions, and studio albums produced in collaboration with producers from Arif Mardin to Elliot Scheiner. He engineered sessions that involved arrangers and composers such as Quincy Jones, Henry Mancini, and Jimmy Webb.
Schmitt's personal circle connected him to figures in the Los Angeles and New York recording communities, neighborhoods around Hollywood, and creative networks tied to venues such as The Troubadour and studios including Sunset Sound. He maintained friendships with contemporaries like Al Kooper, Tommy LiPuma, and Steve Gadd-affiliated session players. Outside the studio he participated in panels and events hosted by organizations like the Audio Engineering Society and educational initiatives linked to institutions such as Berklee College of Music.
Schmitt's work influenced generations of recording engineers and producers in studios across cities like Los Angeles, New York City, London, and Rio de Janeiro. Engineers and producers citing his influence include figures associated with Jimmy Jam and Terry Lewis, Rick Rubin, Nigel Godrich, Ethan Johns, and contemporary staff at Capitol Studios. His methods are studied in curricula at schools such as Berklee College of Music, Full Sail University, and programs connected to the Institute of Audio Research. Schmitt's recordings remain part of collections at cultural institutions like the Library of Congress and archives tied to labels including Sony Music Entertainment and Universal Music Group.
Category:American audio engineers Category:Grammy Award winners