Los Angeles, CA (July 18, 2022)—Global music industry marketplace ANALOGr, launched in 2021, is supervising the online auction of recording equipment from the estate of the late, legendary engineer and mixer Al Schmitt, who passed away in 2021.
The most prized items of Schmitt’s collection already sold was a pair of vintage Neumann U67 condenser mics with wooden cases, shock-mounts and power supplies. The first of the U67’s has a Klaus Heyne modification and was previously owned by Schmitt’s longtime friend and producer Tommy LiPuma. The second was a microphone originally from Blackbird Studios in Nashville. These two historic U67s were a mainstay on many of Schmitt’s records ranging from Bob Dylan and Diana Krall to Natalie Cole’s “Unforgettable.”
With 23 Grammy Awards and more than 150 Gold and Platinum albums, Schmitt was the most honored and celebrate engineer/producer in the history of recorded music. Close friend and fellow engineer/mixer Niko Bolas said, “Al was a master of the art of recording, a mentor and an inspiration to many, but while working with him alone, I realized that every day he just loved the work and was always exploring. I’m very pleased with the way Thomas Scriven and ANALOGr are handling this auction with care and responsibility. Al wanted his gear to be put to good use and continue to make memorable music.”
Thomas Scriven, co-founder and CEO of ANALOGr, explained, “I started as a musician myself and then collector of special items that I found unique, special, or just fun to own. I learned the hard way by dealing with all kinds of collectors and auction houses. Our company is an asset manager working closely and in partnership with our clients through a respect for their archival value.”
Schmitt’s friend and longtime collaborator Steve Genewick commented, “Al worked in the recording business during times of great changes and technology evolution. He started in the days of mono, sometimes working with only one microphone, where he became a master of capturing the power and subtleties of musical performance. There is no way that I could explain how much I learned from him.”
“Al Schmitt’s discography is jaw-dropping,” drummer Vinnie Colaiuta added. “His studio skills as a recording engineer and mixer were just mesmerizing, day after day, album after album, yet he was a man who was always very sensitive to the artists and their dreams, treating everyone with equal care and respect.”
Schmitt was a co-founder of The METAlliance (Music Engineering & Technology Alliance), comprised of globally recognized, award-winning audio engineers and producers who have been deeply involved in establishing techniques and technical standards that are the foundation of modern music recording. Schmitt’s work in the studio was captured in a documentary, The Art of Recording a Big Band: Al Schmitt; in his autobiography, Al Schmitt on the Record, The Magic Behind the Music; and in the METAlliance Academy books, including Al Schmitt On Vocal and Instrumental Recording Techniques.
