HI Everyone, Al Schmitt is without a doubt one of the greatest Engineers who had ever lived! Leapwing are renown for making forward thinking, modern plug ins and this combination is very exciting! Here we get to talk to Al, Emiliano and Robin about this great new plug in!
I think this is the only time I have ever seen Al Schmitt not dressed up for an interview. You could possibly save a few bucks and buy Al's book---and get the life stories for free! :)
Yes, Henry! Al without a dress shirt is unusual for me too! He’s a wonderful guy and I love that he’s creating something for people don’t have access to millions of dollars worth of gear and yes, I love his book too!
@@Producelikeapro Chapter 10 of Al's book is perhaps the most insightful into his longevity. I know you've dedicated a whole episode to that topic. Cheers!
@@philburns5656 I believe that those sounds can be covered by the plug in with other settings! Check out my video where I used the plug in during mixing. Check out the video here:- ruclips.net/video/kuBUuyWsqX8/видео.html
Al Schmitt is 90 years old and looks great, but please Warren try to get an hour of Al's time just talking about techniques because at 90 we might not have this treasured engineer much longer!
Thank you Warren, Al, Emilio and Robin. As an experienced older musician mixing seriously for the first time this past year, I feel somewhat in the same boat as the 13 - 14 year old beginning engineers you cited as part of your target audience. A plugin that hits all the important aspects of sound in the most tasteful of ways and with a minimum of fuss has the potential to be an absolute winner. It can help the user begin to understand & master basic concepts on the way to adding more specific tools when ready to do so. Al's work speaks for itself, and it'll be a treat to have some of his "secret sauce" to put on!
Thanks Warren, a great chat with one of this industry's greats! I think the folks at Leapwing have created something really special here, and it reminded me of the feeling I got when I first heard a Bricasti unit live...that "woah!" factor. Definitely will be checking this out!
Aaaaawesome thanks for this incredible Episode, absolutely enjoyed it!!! What a wonderful, versatile plugin, definitely helpful in every engineers toolbox!
hey! Thank you for this review, I felt that I was the “young guy” you guys were mentioning in this video who doesn’t have access to thousands (or millions) of dollars of gear. I’ve probably got about 2/3k down on my home studio and I can only add so much more due to space and financial reasons, but I feel that this is an incredible step up from traditional compression/mixing tools that sit in my DAW. I’m primary in the indie rock/pop genre, but this tool looks like it encompasses everything. Can’t wait to get my hands on it :)
@@Producelikeapro What an amazing man, love his story especially the pre multi track and auto tune days. It was lovely to hear that he worked on Henry Mancini's stuff, my mum used to listen to his Readers Digest box set, which I now own. Beautiful ❤️
It did look like an interesting plugin. I think that these new plugin ideas will help give the new generation of mixers a new sound and help keep new music fresh. But in an interesting way, good marketing and the placebo effect. The new mixer, picks this product, because of the name and the promise. They then get clients because of that promise. The clients perform better because of the name and history! In the end, that’s what it’s all about anyway, getting that great performance! And so the cycle continues…
@@Producelikeapro He'd also be a perfect fit for the music I perform/record in so many ways. I've based alot of how I record in my home studio on how he has said he approaches things. Thanks for the great content Warren.
Haha I understand your comment! Al of course does all of those things incredibly well! However as he explained he create this with Leapwing so he could give people the access to how he wants things to sound. So they created a plug in that could improve individual sources.
@@Producelikeapro Al is an amazing talent and this plugin looks amazing, as well. I was just joking a bit there, I know Al uses EQ and compression, but judiciously and only when absolutely necessary to make things sound full, natural, and great.
P.S I’ve worked with him, he mixed an Aerosmith song I recorded with the band and Orchestra, so I have a pretty strong experience of what he does while mixing
@@Producelikeapro That's awesome. I'm pretty sure I sat in on a session he did at the Hit Factory with the NYU jazz band when I was at SAE for audio engineering in 2000 / 2001, but I was so in awe of the whole experience of NYC and my first time in a "big" studio, I'll have to check my notes to remember.
Hi, i'm picking up great advice from you. I wish i was better at mixing, like many guitar players, we think we know "sound". How can we use "quadrophonic sound".......i love Pink Floyd for that, closest i ever heard such effect was a "Carver Holograph"........how to plce instruments in the mix rather than panning or reverbs.......Thank you
I would yes! Can they say that legally without crediting and paying Capitol? Well that's another question! My guess is they are as close as they can humanly be without necessarily being them!
Amazing you got to speak to Al himself. But I'm skeptical about these do it all plugins, especially ones that claim to represent what Als brain would do, Didn't know he was a robot with specific presets in his head ahaha. But I'll give it a go. ;) Always wondered how Al schmitt would sound mixing heavy techno and black metal :P jokes oc. With that being said thanks for all the content you're providing man :D
Looks like a very cool plug-in! I'm wondering what you do with instruments that don't have a profile (guitar, electric piano, organ, etc.). So, on a jazz guitar, would you just use the "Vocal" profile and tweek the parameters?
@@Producelikeapro So, I emailed back and forth with Robin at Leapwing. Although he didn't say whether or not they would be adding more profiles in the future, he did agree that I should just "tweak" the vocal profile for jazz guitar. I'm going to download the demo and give it a try.
Sounds amazing but desperately needs an FX send mode so you can mix the reverb/delay separately. Why I passed on buying it, which is sad because it sounds lovely otherwise
The idea that I had was that either you or an amazing engineer that you know of. Records themselves opening a mix and how and what to address first. I feel like a lot of people finish tracking and the next day don't know what to start leveling out first or where to start.
Drums, Bass, Vocals, Piano, Strings and Brass? The Brass is making you leap to that conclusion? I would take the brass to mean any kind of lead instrument, try it on synth lines etc.
First thought - WTF, what are you going to put into a plugin that could possibly replace the ears (unique ears) of Al Schmidt, who is known for his none-use of studio gear when tracking. He practically grew up in the studio, and then I realised, well of course Al uses technology in both tracking and mixing, so perhaps I should give it a listen; my second thought. Then I saw Mr Schmidt in the video, and I felt like a naughty school boy, who’d spoken out of place in class. Then, as you pointed out, it is not about having the gear, more about understanding what is going on when you use it. And that is what comes with experience. To add to that, if you deconstruct the process of making recorded music into memorable sonic and emotional statements of art, ‘mastering’ the technology is all about balance, between sources, between frequencies, and time-based fx. The interplay of these elements, when run through the filters of whichever cultural norms, and may or may not be ‘accepted’ by people en masse, for whatever reasons they fit those norms. This is why, I tend to agree with you, that it is not necessary to simply flood people with opinions about what gear they ‘should have’, or ‘what sound they should aim for’, because in time, the idea of what sounds ‘good’, changes anyway. Contemporary pop music has made a big departure from the traditional studio techniques, replaced by beats and samples, often eschewing all the traditional elements of musicians and performance, in favour of perfect and singers perfectly autotuned. Different styles and approaches become the new norm. Like you, I like having pieces of gear and great (and sometimes, not so great) musicians performing, and the process of recording. But, I have to concede that the idea of what the ‘crowd’ now think of as having merit in a song/music production has changed, and ears change with it. I think that is an inevitable part of the art of things. Not that it’s gone away altogether, or that in won’t make a resurgence at another time, but it has changed, and nothing is as unpredictable as changes in music taste - just look at the last 100 years. To return to this plugin: Because it’s Leapwing, no doubt it will be good, if a little more expensive, but I can’t see it will make a massive impact, because anyone that knows anything about audio engineering already, knows these techniques exist already. They also know that having a one-size-fits-all plugin is not the solution to producing great art. I can’t knock Al, he’s a minor deity in these circles, and I can’t knock Leapwing for plugging there plugin, people have to make a living, and I would definitely like to try it - perhaps you’ll give one away next week, you usually do - but in a ‘hats off’ to Al, who can live without so many things that modern engineers can't live without, I would like to say, I don’t think I will miss it, if it’s not there. Just an opinion - who am I, anyway?
The only classic, vintage piece of gear in my studio is me 😂😂everything else is very modern. I can't justify spending 3 or 4 thousand bucks on a single compressor or mic pre when I struggle to hear the difference between that and the software version :/ I have been using Isotope Neutron on everything for years, it's a similar concept.
@@jayjain3821 soo designing a plug in with Al Schmitt is a marketing gimmick? You don't have to buy it or even try it out for free. Such a strange overreaction to a free video discussing a plug in. Best of luck to you in your future musical endeavours!
Al Schmitt the guy who absolutely hates plugins and notoriously doesn’t believe in mixing in the box, made a plugin. How ironic!! Gotta make that money I guess.
Al is a wonderful guy, amazing talent who was 23 Grammys and is 91 years old. As he clearly explained he wanted to create a plug in for people who don’t have access to the Mullins of dollars of gear he uses every day. At the point he’s at in life he doesn’t need the money grab you are implying, he’s genuinely trying to help people.
By using such plugins you are just fooling yourself that you know something already and can get more or less decent results easy, but in reality you are just delaying your true progress and actually making things harder for you in the long term perspective, not easier.
HI Everyone, Al Schmitt is without a doubt one of the greatest Engineers who had ever lived! Leapwing are renown for making forward thinking, modern plug ins and this combination is very exciting! Here we get to talk to Al, Emiliano and Robin about this great new plug in!
I think this is the only time I have ever seen Al Schmitt not dressed up for an interview.
You could possibly save a few bucks and buy Al's book---and get the life stories for free! :)
Yes, Henry! Al without a dress shirt is unusual for me too! He’s a wonderful guy and I love that he’s creating something for people don’t have access to millions of dollars worth of gear and yes, I love his book too!
@@Producelikeapro Chapter 10 of Al's book is perhaps the most insightful into his longevity. I know you've dedicated a whole episode to that topic. Cheers!
@@philburns5656 I believe that those sounds can be covered by the plug in with other settings! Check out my video where I used the plug in during mixing. Check out the video here:- ruclips.net/video/kuBUuyWsqX8/видео.html
What is a way to know which songs Al worked on & in what capacity?
Al is almost 91 and he’s still mixing music for top artists. That’s amazing!
Yes! Al is a wonderful guy and a huge talent!
RIP Maestro!
Al Schmitt is the reason I ALWAYS dress up when I'm in the studio :)
Me too! I always wear a buttoned down shirt!
Al Schmitt is 90 years old and looks great, but please Warren try to get an hour of Al's time just talking about techniques because at 90 we might not have this treasured engineer much longer!
R.i.p. rupert neve 😭
I know, absolutely terrible news!
Thank you Warren, Al, Emilio and Robin. As an experienced older musician mixing seriously for the first time this past year, I feel somewhat in the same boat as the 13 - 14 year old beginning engineers you cited as part of your target audience. A plugin that hits all the important aspects of sound in the most tasteful of ways and with a minimum of fuss has the potential to be an absolute winner. It can help the user begin to understand & master basic concepts on the way to adding more specific tools when ready to do so. Al's work speaks for itself, and it'll be a treat to have some of his "secret sauce" to put on!
Thanks Warren, a great chat with one of this industry's greats! I think the folks at Leapwing have created something really special here, and it reminded me of the feeling I got when I first heard a Bricasti unit live...that "woah!" factor. Definitely will be checking this out!
RIP Al Schmitt 😭
This plugin is a must for beginners and intermediates SO GOOD!!
Thanks ever so much!!
Aaaaawesome thanks for this incredible Episode, absolutely enjoyed it!!! What a wonderful, versatile plugin, definitely helpful in every engineers toolbox!
Agreed! Thanks ever so much Ady!!
Thanks Warren, that's amazing. Glad to see Al's name on such a cool plugin!
Thanks ever so much David!
Does the plugin super justice! So many possibilities!
Thanks ever so much!!
@@Producelikeapro My pleasure!
@@RC32Smiths01 I appreciate your consistent positive attitude! Very refreshing!
@@Producelikeapro Why thank you! All it takes to spread the happiness is a positive mind!
hey! Thank you for this review, I felt that I was the “young guy” you guys were mentioning in this video who doesn’t have access to thousands (or millions) of dollars of gear. I’ve probably got about 2/3k down on my home studio and I can only add so much more due to space and financial reasons, but I feel that this is an incredible step up from traditional compression/mixing tools that sit in my DAW. I’m primary in the indie rock/pop genre, but this tool looks like it encompasses everything. Can’t wait to get my hands on it :)
Very nice! Congratulations to Leapwing!
Thanks ever so much Andy! You Rock!!
I was waiting for your review since I hear about the plugin 🎶🎶🎶
Yes! Coming soon!
I've found the interview you did with Al, so going to make a brew and sit down and watch it 😊
Thanks ever so much my friend!!
@@Producelikeapro What an amazing man, love his story especially the pre multi track and auto tune days. It was lovely to hear that he worked on Henry Mancini's stuff, my mum used to listen to his Readers Digest box set, which I now own. Beautiful ❤️
That’s amazing! Yes, I remember the Readers Digest boxed sets and books! Truly fantastic!!
@@Producelikeapro 🙏🏾
Great video, great channel, well done!
Thanks ever so much!
Definitely on my “must check out” list!
I just searched for it hoping to find your review. Hope you'll review it.
Marvellous Glenn!
@@lahcenebelbachir7929 yes, me too!
"My personal hell?" LOL! Great video and nice result on the vocals by the plugin.
Thanks ever so much!
Thanks for the wonderful review
Thanks ever so much Abel!
Very interesting! 🕵️♀️ 😅 Thank you Al Schmitt, & crew, and Warren❣️
Thanks ever so much Audrey!
Al Schmidt's favorite plugin: his mic locker.
The reverb in this unit sounds real nice.
It did look like an interesting plugin. I think that these new plugin ideas will help give the new generation of mixers a new sound and help keep new music fresh. But in an interesting way, good marketing and the placebo effect. The new mixer, picks this product, because of the name and the promise. They then get clients because of that promise. The clients perform better because of the name and history! In the end, that’s what it’s all about anyway, getting that great performance! And so the cycle continues…
Be cool if you could solo and bypass the multiband eq and comp in the mix profile.
Oh my goodness. This is amazing!
Thanks ever so much Jason!
Thank you Warren!
Thanks ever so much!
wise idea you told in your intro!
Man I want to make an album with Al behind the console!
Me too!! I’ve worked with him and he’s amazing
@@Producelikeapro He'd also be a perfect fit for the music I perform/record in so many ways. I've based alot of how I record in my home studio on how he has said he approaches things. Thanks for the great content Warren.
@@EandVEntertainment you're very welcome!!
"....my personal hell...."
Heyyy !!! ur the best
Thanks ever so much
Does the plugin choose the perfect microphone, placement, and mic pre for you while locking out all eq and compression settings so you can't use them?
Haha I understand your comment! Al of course does all of those things incredibly well! However as he explained he create this with Leapwing so he could give people the access to how he wants things to sound. So they created a plug in that could improve individual sources.
@@Producelikeapro Al is an amazing talent and this plugin looks amazing, as well. I was just joking a bit there, I know Al uses EQ and compression, but judiciously and only when absolutely necessary to make things sound full, natural, and great.
Yes, they’ve definitely used this to emulate his Fairchild and LA2 which he famously uses on vocals.
P.S I’ve worked with him, he mixed an Aerosmith song I recorded with the band and Orchestra, so I have a pretty strong experience of what he does while mixing
@@Producelikeapro That's awesome. I'm pretty sure I sat in on a session he did at the Hit Factory with the NYU jazz band when I was at SAE for audio engineering in 2000 / 2001, but I was so in awe of the whole experience of NYC and my first time in a "big" studio, I'll have to check my notes to remember.
Hi, i'm picking up great advice from you. I wish i was better at mixing, like many guitar players, we think we know "sound". How can we use "quadrophonic sound".......i love Pink Floyd for that, closest i ever heard such effect was a "Carver Holograph"........how to plce instruments in the mix rather than panning or reverbs.......Thank you
are any of the reverb settings a model of Al's favourite capitol chamber?
I would yes! Can they say that legally without crediting and paying Capitol? Well that's another question! My guess is they are as close as they can humanly be without necessarily being them!
@@Producelikeapro cool cheers Warren.
You’re very welcome
Amazing you got to speak to Al himself. But I'm skeptical about these do it all plugins, especially ones that claim to represent what Als brain would do, Didn't know he was a robot with specific presets in his head ahaha. But I'll give it a go. ;) Always wondered how Al schmitt would sound mixing heavy techno and black metal :P jokes oc.
With that being said thanks for all the content you're providing man :D
Looks like a very cool plug-in! I'm wondering what you do with instruments that don't have a profile (guitar, electric piano, organ, etc.). So, on a jazz guitar, would you just use the "Vocal" profile and tweek the parameters?
Hi Skip, yes, my guess is they will add those later!
@Frank Lee exactly!
@@Producelikeapro So, I emailed back and forth with Robin at Leapwing. Although he didn't say whether or not they would be adding more profiles in the future, he did agree that I should just "tweak" the vocal profile for jazz guitar. I'm going to download the demo and give it a try.
@@skipb119 ok great! Thanks ever so much for letting us know!
I miss some more profiles like eg guitar and no delays or reverbs with ducking function?
Sounds amazing but desperately needs an FX send mode so you can mix the reverb/delay separately. Why I passed on buying it, which is sad because it sounds lovely otherwise
I have an idea for a video I'd like to pitch the idea to you.
Let me know here! I’ll check back later today!
The idea that I had was that either you or an amazing engineer that you know of. Records themselves opening a mix and how and what to address first. I feel like a lot of people finish tracking and the next day don't know what to start leveling out first or where to start.
A first listen from scratch so to speak
What! No giveaway!
Coming on Tuesday
I am schmitten...;-)
Haha thanks Jens!
A fun idea indeed, I'm stuck to the screen as of now
Brother! I LOVE your channel! Can I please make you a new theme song though? You're so much better than that track! ;)
I'm confused! this seems to be based around big band sounds, how does this help young people?
Drums, Bass, Vocals, Piano, Strings and Brass? The Brass is making you leap to that conclusion? I would take the brass to mean any kind of lead instrument, try it on synth lines etc.
Please stop RUclips advertising in the middle of the topic
First thought - WTF, what are you going to put into a plugin that could possibly replace the ears (unique ears) of Al Schmidt, who is known for his none-use of studio gear when tracking. He practically grew up in the studio, and then I realised, well of course Al uses technology in both tracking and mixing, so perhaps I should give it a listen; my second thought.
Then I saw Mr Schmidt in the video, and I felt like a naughty school boy, who’d spoken out of place in class. Then, as you pointed out, it is not about having the gear, more about understanding what is going on when you use it. And that is what comes with experience. To add to that, if you deconstruct the process of making recorded music into memorable sonic and emotional statements of art, ‘mastering’ the technology is all about balance, between sources, between frequencies, and time-based fx. The interplay of these elements, when run through the filters of whichever cultural norms, and may or may not be ‘accepted’ by people en masse, for whatever reasons they fit those norms. This is why, I tend to agree with you, that it is not necessary to simply flood people with opinions about what gear they ‘should have’, or ‘what sound they should aim for’, because in time, the idea of what sounds ‘good’, changes anyway. Contemporary pop music has made a big departure from the traditional studio techniques, replaced by beats and samples, often eschewing all the traditional elements of musicians and performance, in favour of perfect and singers perfectly autotuned. Different styles and approaches become the new norm.
Like you, I like having pieces of gear and great (and sometimes, not so great) musicians performing, and the process of recording. But, I have to concede that the idea of what the ‘crowd’ now think of as having merit in a song/music production has changed, and ears change with it. I think that is an inevitable part of the art of things. Not that it’s gone away altogether, or that in won’t make a resurgence at another time, but it has changed, and nothing is as unpredictable as changes in music taste - just look at the last 100 years.
To return to this plugin: Because it’s Leapwing, no doubt it will be good, if a little more expensive, but I can’t see it will make a massive impact, because anyone that knows anything about audio engineering already, knows these techniques exist already. They also know that having a one-size-fits-all plugin is not the solution to producing great art. I can’t knock Al, he’s a minor deity in these circles, and I can’t knock Leapwing for plugging there plugin, people have to make a living, and I would definitely like to try it - perhaps you’ll give one away next week, you usually do - but in a ‘hats off’ to Al, who can live without so many things that modern engineers can't live without, I would like to say, I don’t think I will miss it, if it’s not there. Just an opinion - who am I, anyway?
The only classic, vintage piece of gear in my studio is me 😂😂everything else is very modern. I can't justify spending 3 or 4 thousand bucks on a single compressor or mic pre when I struggle to hear the difference between that and the software version :/ I have been using Isotope Neutron on everything for years, it's a similar concept.
Good thing you're not falling for that marketing gimmick.
Jay Jain if we bought everything the pros tell us we need or should have, we would be forever broke...and I doubt our music would be any better...
@@officialWWM I have also heard that Al Schmitt used very minimum eq and compression. The only equipment he uses is right mic pair.
@@officialWWM where did I tell you had to buy this Darren? Haha
@@jayjain3821 soo designing a plug in with Al Schmitt is a marketing gimmick? You don't have to buy it or even try it out for free. Such a strange overreaction to a free video discussing a plug in. Best of luck to you in your future musical endeavours!
It’s a pity it’s a Waves plugin
It is made by Leapwing
Tnx for the correction.
@@cadranaline you're very welcome!
Al Schmitt the guy who absolutely hates plugins and notoriously doesn’t believe in mixing in the box, made a plugin. How ironic!! Gotta make that money I guess.
Al is a wonderful guy, amazing talent who was 23 Grammys and is 91 years old. As he clearly explained he wanted to create a plug in for people who don’t have access to the Mullins of dollars of gear he uses every day. At the point he’s at in life he doesn’t need the money grab you are implying, he’s genuinely trying to help people.
By using such plugins you are just fooling yourself that you know something already and can get more or less decent results easy, but in reality you are just delaying your true progress and actually making things harder for you in the long term perspective, not easier.