RIP Al Schmitt: Unparalleled Engineer and Producer—1930-2021

SonicScoop was saddened to learn of the passing of audio engineering and producer great Al Schmitt. A 20-time GRAMMY Award winner whose career spanned six decades, Schmitt passed away April 26 at the age of 91.

Al Schmitt (center) flanked by two more studio greats, Ed Cherney (left) and Bruce Swedien (right). (photo courtesy of Al Schmitt)

To us at SonicScoop, Schmitt’s easy demeanor and ready accessibility made him as memorable as his discography, which included such musical icons as Ray Charles, Frank Sinatra, Bob Dylan, Brian Wilson, Steely Dan, Madonna, Sam Cooke, Barbra Streisand, Paul McCartney, and many many more.

Schmitt took home more GRAMMYs than any other producer or engineer. He had more than 150 Gold records to his credit, and lived an astoundingly rich life inside the studio and out. See Washington Post writer Hillel Atalie’s article to get a feel for the incredible scope of Schmitt’s work.

In a 2020 interview with SonicScoop, Schmitt gave a glimpse of what he valued from his fellow audio engineers when he paid tribute to his late colleague, Bruce Swedien.

“Bruce had no boundaries,” Schmitt said. “He was not only an amazing engineer with great ears, but an amazing personality. He was warm, and he had no secrets. You wanted to know how he did something? Just call him on the phone and he’ll tell you exactly how he did it. I think that’s true of all the really great engineers: Ed Cherney, Tom Dowd—these guys knew how good they were. They weren’t afraid of somebody stealing their stuff.”

Likewise, Al Schmitt gave his all to audio. His elite studio output will be very hard to match.

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