Elliot Scheiner on Inside MusiCast

[dr. simple]

There's a wonderful podcast you should all check out called Inside MusiCast. The hosts, Rick Such and Eddy Cabello, have been doing this out of Indianapolis for fourteen years. They've done hundreds of fantastic interviews with people in the music business.

I highly recommend you checking out the podcast, but particularly a recent episode from March, 2020, with Elliot Scheiner: Elliot Scheiner on Inside MusiCast. I initially thought they would focus on his production credits, but almost straight out of the gate they get into his surround sound experience.

Enjoy!

 

[sjcorne]

Great interview! I had to laugh at 9:13 when he mentioned that Panasonic/Acura made him sign a disclaimer about a track he mixed in 5.1, because they were afraid a vocal line in the rear channels would distract drivers(!!). I wonder what song it was? My guess would be “Crush With Eyeliner” on R.E.M.’s Monster.

 

[humprof]

He's got a touch of "You kids get off of my lawn" about him these days, but I love how he disses the idea of getting "immersive" sound from soundbars and towers--and has reservations about surround technology beyond 5.1 generally. And of course I'm sympathetic to his position on isolated-center vocals...

Biggest surprise: his favorite Steely Dan album is Royal Scam. But hearing him reminisce about mixing Gaucho for 5.1--about how he knew every note of every part of that album from having worked on the stereo mix, so he also knew about where and how to disperse things so as to make it "new" in surround--made me appreciate all over again how sly and subtle some of his mixes can be. I was just having a ritual listen to "Hey Nineteen" for Steely Dan Day, and it's brilliant how until those whispered background vocals come in on the first chorus, it's effectively a big stereo mix--and even after that point, there's nothing much else going on in the rears till some keyboards emerge at the bridge, and then bits of percussion after that. Really smart and restrained.

 

[J. PUPSTER]

He's got a touch of "You kids get off of my lawn" about him these days, but I love how he disses the idea of getting "immersive" sound from soundbars and towers--and has reservations about surround technology beyond 5.1 generally.

He doesn't see where that immersive setups will be embraced by listeners, needing even more than 5.1, up to 11+ speakers (would all that be a big dis at Atmos?) Also, his comments about enjoying stereo mixing more now, as it's actually harder to squeeze all the music into "just" a stereo sound field (I guess more challenging.)

Might want to watch out also for this kid Matthew Scheiner, since he probably learned a ton from his dad watching him mix classic award winning albums.

 

[4-earredwonder]

He doesn't see where that immersive setups will be embraced by listeners, needing even more than 5.1, up to 11+ speakers (would all that be a big dis at Atmos?) Also, his comments about enjoying stereo mixing more now, as it's actually harder to squeeze all the music into "just" a stereo sound field (I guess more challenging.)

Might want to watch out also for this kid Matthew Scheiner, since he probably learned a ton from his dad watching him mix classic award winning albums.

Precisely, JP: The NEW Sir George/Giles combo, with one of the greatest surround masters of them all, Elliot Scheiner, honing son Matthew's skills on the proper way to remix a classic or even current album in 'tastefully discrete surround.'

I still to this day attribute the supreme Beatles' LOVE album 5.1 remixes more to Sir George than Giles, as nothing since in Giles' surround playbook comes close to Master George, who even in his later years, intimately knew the Beatles' catalogue backwards and forwards .....with his eyes closed...although, in all fairness, with each succeeding surround remix, Giles is beginning to see the light!

 

[humprof]

I think this was mentioned somewhere--maybe by me--when it first appeared last month, but I can't find it now. Anyway: Immersive Audio Album has an interview with Scheiner where he again expresses skepticism about Atmos for music, though for other reasons than those mentioned at the top of this thread. Namely: 1) it's all about Dolby trying to corner a market and impose an industry standard; and 2) Dolby and Universal are using a bunch of engineers who have no background in mixing for surround, so they don't really know what they're doing. (Of course they're also using some great engineers like Massenburg and Clearmountain who do know what they're doing, but Scheiner's objection partly explains what a mixed bag, mix-wise, the Atmos-on-Tidal offerings from Universal have been so far.)

I also thought this bit was interesting: the project he's talking about (which he did "about six months ago") has to be Alain Mallet's Mutt Slang II, and the feedback he got from Mallet has to be about us:

I did [a 5.1 project] about six months ago. And I said, “You know, we can do the 5.1 here. And instead of releasing it, you can make it in FLAC. Do it in stereo, do it in 5.1, do it in FLAC – just make a thumb drive, and have everything.” So, we ended up doing that.

The funny thing is, he said to me, “I started selling this stuff, and the people that are buying it just want to hear what you’ve done.” That was great for me. I didn’t think that had a name out there that would indicate that they would buy surround just to hear this.

https://immersiveaudioalbum.com/202...nd-atmos/?mc_cid=f2f489502b&mc_eid=5e0ce96fec

 

[4-earredwonder]

I think this was mentioned somewhere--maybe by me--when it first appeared last month, but I can't find it now. Anyway: Immersive Audio Album has an interview with Scheiner where he again expresses skepticism about Atmos for music, though for other reasons than those mentioned at the top of this thread. Namely: 1) it's all about Dolby trying to corner a market and impose an industry standard; and 2) Dolby and Universal are using a bunch of engineers who have no background in mixing for surround, so they don't really know what they're doing. (Of course they're also using some great engineers like Massenburg and Clearmountain who do know what they're doing, but Scheiner's objection partly explains what a mixed bag, mix-wise, the Atmos-on-Tidal offerings from Universal have been so far.)

I also thought this bit was interesting: the project he's talking about (which he did "about six months ago") has to be Alain Mallet's Mutt Slang II, and the feedback he got from Mallet has to be about us:


https://immersiveaudioalbum.com/202...nd-atmos/?mc_cid=f2f489502b&mc_eid=5e0ce96fec

REALLY wish Elliot would visit QQ Forum....but I'm afraid with ALL the bad publicity he's lately been receiving for his 'once' stellar back catalogue of Surround releases with time delay issues, etc., he might be reticent!