Elliot, to me, is the consummate professional. He works on such a wide range of styles — look what he’s done with Steely Dan, Van Morrison, Natalie Cole, The Eagles and everyone — really. Elliot likes a good, natural sound; he’s an organic guy. With him, it’s not about tricks; it’s straight-ahead recording and capturing the performance as it goes down. At the same time, he’s obviously not just a traditional engineer who’s set in his ways. He keeps up with technology. I love the way he uses the computer when he mixes, which is different than most people, but it’s brilliant. He’s got an incredible sense of balance and everything is always in the right place. He was one of the first guys to get into surround, and he’s still one of the best at that.
He’s timeless. The best thing I can say about him, aside from the fact that he’s really funny, is if I was doing a date and I had one guy to pick, it would be Elliot.
— Al Schmitt, engineer/producer
