Recording Engineer/Producer/Mixer Bill Schnee Has the Music In Him!

Had it not been for Paul McCartney’s drug bust, all four Beatles might have been together in the studio for the first time since the group broke up, recording engineer Bill Schnee recounts in this interview, referring to his time recording "Ringo" the Beatles drummer’s third solo album and first rocker following albums of standards ("Sentimental Journey") and C&W classics ("Beaucoups of Blues").
If you’re familiar with "Ringo" you know it’s a spectacularly large, generous sounding rock record. Most of Bill Schnee’s productions sound vital, immediate, glorious and “in your face” in the best sense of that expression.
Schnee doesn’t hedge his sonic bets.
There’s nothing ambiguous about the sound he’s delivered throughout his fifty plus year long career as an engineer, mixer and producer. His credits include more than 125 Gold and Platinum records and 50 top twenty singles.
According to his website (www.billschnee.com) Bill has worked on dozens of Grammy nominated and winning albums, and has been personally nominated eleven times for The Best Engineered Album category, winning twice for Steely Dan’s Aja and Gaucho. He also has won an Emmy Award for Best Sound Mixing for a Variety Special and a Dove Award (a Gospel Music Association accolade).
As the album’s he’s worked on horizontally scroll automatically across his website, you’ll surely find yourself repeatedly saying “Oh, he did that one? And that one?” You’ll see. He was also involved with his friend the late Doug Sax in the legendary Sheffield Labs direct-to-disc records that swept the 1970s hi-fi world, that produced albums like 1975’s Thelma Houston and Pressure Cooker’s I’ve Got the Music In Me (Lab-2) featuring Larry Knechtel, Larry Carlton, Dean Parks, Jim Gordon, Jim Keltner and so many other California studio greats.
He also engineered Sheffield Lab’s D2D Drum and Track Records, both of which were considered audiophile demo discs of unsurpassed sonic quality
A few days ago I conducted a Zoom call interview with Schnee in which we touched on all of these accomplishments. You’re sure to enjoy his talking about all of this and more in this freewheeling hour interview.
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[@robbiedetroitstigermanviny8883]

Mr. Schnee is everywhere on KZbin right now. Awesome Video!!!

[@cradio52]

Where else on KZbin is he?

[@bobt3374]

That was an excellent discussion between 2 amazing men. So very impressed.

[@shanestephenson8423]

Brilliant, brilliant, brilliant loved every second of this. Well done, Michael.🎧👌👍

[@raykuiper4979]

I do agree completely

[@mikezlotnicki6684]

Really enjoyed that Michael. Thank you !

[@DC-xx4kv]

Michael, one of your most interesting and riveting guests and interviews. The end where he talks about the Beatles members gave me an amazing response. Magical. Electricity in my body. ☮️👍

[@doodahdavesrecords4319]

Great interview thanks Michael and Bill

[@Roberts-Passion-for-Vinyl]

Great interview! It inspires me to play (again) some of the great albums he was involved with.

[@longislandhillbilly4780]

Great interview.

[@chrisarmbruster3650]

Great guest. Immortalized on the cover of the "Ringo" lp and thanked on the last song too. " Bill Schnee- Ever smiling." Very cool.

[@DemskePaul2017]

The first half of my life as a musician, it was all about the musicians. Now that I'm older I find myself chin-in-hands, and hungry for interviews like this, with producers, engineers, etc. Thank you both for this interview! Bill is a gem, as is Bernie (Goodman) - and I'm snatching up the Steely Dan SACD's (and othres) from Analogue Productions.

[@91pastor]

Absolutely loved the interview and Michael you did great... letting Bill talk most of the time and boy was he interesting. You made him feel comfortable. Too often interviewers interrupt and want to talk too much themselves. Best KZbin channel for me.

[@drewv1785]

Thank you both for not becoming lawyers! Great music history lesson!

[@BB..........]

Mr. Schnee is a legend. My first exposure to his work is the early Sheffield Lab recordings like Missing Linc Vol. III and Thelma Houston.

[@analoguecity3454]

Fantastic conversation Mr Fremer!😮😊 Enjoyed it very much!😊

[@VinylOutsider]

I am about half way through, and just want to go ahead and say thanks. Now back to watching...

[@marktubeie07]

Great video guys, thank you. Now there's an _RCA Living Stereo_ series I'd like to see reissued, HENRY MANCINI !! What amazing recordings. I know in my bones that will never happen...😞

[@trackingangle929]

Analogue Productions did “Pink Panther” and “Hatari” a few years back..

[@marktubeie07]

@@trackingangle929 Thank you.

[@ronpi1293]

Thanks Mikeee. That was great. I'm ordering his book now!

[@jlcougilljr]

awesome as always Mike!! Bill is certainly one of the masters. \m/ \m/

[@EddieRIffau]

Great video Michael. Mr Schnee is a legend. I will pull out a couple of LPs for a relisten.

[@michaelfavreau7617]

Great stuff guys. I just finished reading Bill`s wonderful book 2 days ago. I loved it . And just so you know Bill, I really enjoyed the last 2 chapters where things get much more tech. I wish books by folks in the music biz, would talk more on the tech side every now and again. It`s important to pass on some of that technical magic as well as the human spirit. Thank you for your wisdom and your work Mr. Schnee.

[@johndemmer3496]

Great hearing that what I hear is what you guys hear and I'm not just hearing things. And that measurements are not the full measure. Thanks to both of you. Someone - not me - needs to go over to ASR and tell them about this. :)

[@dobieprime]

There is another great interview that Rick Beato did with Bob Clearmountain that goes along with alot of this interview.

[@rixvspinner]

I've owned that Thelma Houston Direct To Disc on Sheffield Labs for decades- great album and so well recorded. I know James Newton Howard also recorded Elton John's Blue Moves which is an audiophile record. Bill Schnee is one of the best engineers, what a history. I have Bill's LIncoln Mayorga Vol III record, also a well recorded album

[@BB..........]

I love all of those albums you've mentioned, but those horns on Missing Linc Vol III give me goosebumps, especially America and That Certain Feeling/Oh Lord, I'm On My Way.

[@johnsampson1096]

Interesting interview, Michael. I was wondering if David Gold from Gold Star would be available for this type of session. I had seen Larry Levine and Stan Ross in one and it was profound. I'm sure David is well retired by now but just food for thought. Fond memories of the Wrecking Crew.

[@trackingangle929]

I interviewed Stan Ross some years ago and I think it’s up on Tracking Angle website. Covers the whole Goldstar saga.

[@lordwormpie]

This is just wonderful. Like and subscribe folks!

[@trackingangle929]

Thank you!

[@bertbecker7532]

3 Beatles played together in the 90s.

[@floydlaza8751]

I love sound from film also - it's a different realm of creation eg rank arena movies - thanx for the content - also a comp called silent movie.

[@doodahdavesrecords4319]

I have Leo Sayer and 50 ways on vinyl! Perry did all of Carly Simon’s work right Garfunkel too?

[@Tomagotcha]

Emil Berliner studios, Sydney Meyer & Rainer Maillard!

[@floydlaza8751]

The story of "sg peppers lonely heart club band" remastered in the early stages of digital 2000's is also very interesting by a Sydney based producer highly criticised by Paul McCartney

[@doodahdavesrecords4319]

Bill check out Sierra Farrell and Kasey Musgraves 2 of the best in Nashville!

[@Kezleu]

very interesting this gentleman s called snow in English.😊

[@creative-gk2rg]

I was somehow waiting to hear a comment such as at 40:00

[@doodahdavesrecords4319]

I have bop til u drop sounds ok to me Mike? I have vinyl

[@pizzaearthpancakesandother2549]

Once I thought In had the music in me but it turns out I had eaten too many beans, which are a musical fruit.

[@trackingangle929]

The more u eat the more u toot