Interview With GRAMMY-Winning Producer, Engineer & Mixer Elliot Scheiner

Meet Elliot Scheiner – the TEC Hall of Fame inductee and multi-GRAMMY-winning producer, engineer & mixer whose magic can be found on seminal records such as Van Morrison‘s 'Moondance', Fleetwood Mac's 'The Dance' and many more.

Here, Elliot shares the stories behind some of his most notable credits as well as his thoughts on vinyl records today.

In 1970 Van Morrison released 'Moondance', which has Elliot credited as Engineer, Mixer and Remastering Engineer.

"It was great working with Van and the band. At the time I didn't know the album was going to be as big as it was. I was proud to have worked on this album. This was my first really big album. My personal favorite track was "Into The Mystic"."

Elliot was also credited as Producer, Mixer, Recording Engineer and Studio Personnel on 'Hell Freezes Over' by the Eagles, which was released in 1994.

"This album was going to be the first album since breaking up. That was 17 years earlier. Going to rehearsals and hearing the band sing their old songs accapella was one of the most incredible thing ever. I would have to say my favorite song on the album was "Hotel California"."

Elliot continued to spread his golden touch on rock classics like 'The Dance' by Fleetwood Mac, which came out in 1995. He is credited as a Producer, Engineer and Mix Engineer for that record.

"'The Dance' was another album recorded specifically for an MTV special. It was the first time that the band was getting together again in quite some time time. Working with Mick, Christine, Stevie, Lindsey and John was one of the more incredible experiences. I loved all of them and with deep sadness I'm missing Christine....My favorite track on the album has to be "Tusk". Great being able to record the USC marching band with Fleetwood on the actual stage that was use for all the episodes of "I Love Lucy"."

Everyone who works with Dave Grohl refers to him as "the nicest guy in music", and Elliot also sings his praises. He mixed 'In Your Honor' by Foo Fighters in 2005.

"I loved working with the Foo Fighters. Dave was one of the truly nice guys in the business. I did the Acoustic version of the record in both stereo and 5.1 and would have to say one of my favorites on the album was "Virginia Moon"."

Elliot cemented his status as a legend in the trade across many decades, including on 'The Nightfly' by Donald Fagen, which was released in 1982, 

"When I started working on 'Nightfly' with Donald, it was soon after Steely Dan had finished "Gaucho". At that point I had been friends with Donald and Gary Katz for about 12 years. This album was about to be the first studio album recorded on digital tape. My favorite track on this album was "The Goodbye Look"."

We asked Elliot if there are any albums he worked on that he is really proud of. It's understandable that he is considered one of the best in the biz with these incredible accolades;

"Steely Dan's 'Aja' and 'Gaucho'. Toto's 'Tambu', and New York Voices' 'Sing, Sing, Sing'. 5.1 mixes of 'A Night at the Opera', 'Toto IV', 'Toy Matinee' and Eric Clapton's '461 Ocean Boulevard'."

He also then revealed to us his favourite records in which he was not credited on – the albums that hold a special place in his heart.

"Some of my all time favorite albums are 'In The Nick of Time', 'Hourglass', everything by Earth, Wind and Fire, Brothers In Arms, Take 5, Kinda Blue and probably a thousand more."

As we wrapped up this interview, Elliot shared the reason behind his love for the vinyl format. Like many of us it comes down to quality and nostalgia.

"When I started in the business Vinyl was the only format to listen on. I had been listening to vinyl recordings since I was a kid. That was the only way to listen and for my money, [it] still is. I'm still making music that comes out on vinyl as well as other digital formats."

(Photo: Jason Kempin/Getty Images)