Elliot Scheiner is one of the most acclaimed producers and engineers to sit behind a mixing board. Sometimes, though, you have to get out of the studio and go for a drive. Or just sit in a car in the parking lot listening to your mixes. At least, that’s how it went when he worked with the Foo Fighters.
Holding an honorary Doctor of Music degree from the Berklee College of Music, Scheiner has been critical in the evolution of how music is received. He has been nominated for an Emmy, mixed for IMAX film, and collaborated with Panasonic to create the ELS Surround premium audio system for Acura
Among his wildly impressive discography, Scheiner has worked with the Foo Fighters on their 2005 album, In Your Honor. That multi-platinum album featured one of the band’s all-time biggest hits, “Best of You“.
In addition to the Foo Fighters, Elliot Scheiner’s discography includes working with artists such as Eric Clapton, Sting, Queen, and many more
Ahead of a February 2026 Studio Confidential event at the Sheen Center in New York City, we asked Scheiner about working with Foo Fighters. Specifically, we asked him about the Foo Fighters sending him their mixes and what that experience was like. Scheiner then shared what is maybe one of the best recording studio stories you’ll ever hear.
“When I had finished the first 5.1 mix for In Your Honor, I sent them a 5.1 DTS CD. I soon learned that they didn’t have a 5.1 monitoring system to actually hear it on,” he explained. “For the past couple of years, I had been working with Acura designing a 5.1 system for their TLX. The car system was pretty good, so I called Acura to see if they could loan the band a TLX so they could hear the mixes.
“The people at Acura were so happy to hear that the Foo Fighters wanted to hear their new album’s mixes in a TLX that somebody immediately drove a car to their studio,” Scheiner continued. “The entire band got in the car to hear the mixes and approved it right then.”
If you drive an Acura, there’s a good chance you have Scheiner to thank for the quality of your sound system
Offering some added personal insight, Scheiner shared how validated he felt professionally to get positive feedback on his idea. “As an engineer, it meant a lot to me that they approved the mix. It meant a lot more to me that they were approving the sound within the car,” he said. “That was the first car that I worked on, and it was the first system ever done in a car. That was a new venture for me.”
“I was hoping they’d like the sound of the mix,” he continued. “In the early times of 5.1 surround sound, I was always uncertain how they’d feel about going from stereo to 5.1. They seemed to enjoy everything about the mix and the placement of all the instruments.”
“I have to say that I was pretty lucky,” Scheiner then added. “All the artists I sent mixes to seemed to love it. I don’t know whether it was because of the mix or just hearing their music in a 5.1 format.”
Finally, we asked Scheiner if he had a favorite or most memorable experience working with the Foo Fighters. “One of my most memorable events with Dave and the band took place at the Sundance Film Festival,” Scheiner’s story began. “They had just finished making the Sound City movie, and it was appearing in the festival. Acura was sponsoring the film festival and had a site there showing off their cars.”
Scheiner joins other music industry professionals such as Jimmy Douglass and Sylvia Massy in the ‘Studio Confidential’ series
“At some point, Dave needed to do a press conference for the news channels. They decided to do it in the Acura display booth,” he continued. “Dave realized that he needed someone to host the news event and ask questions.”
“Dave came up to me earlier in the day and asked me if I would do it,” Scheiner recalled. “Never having done anything that I asked him if he was sure that he wanted me to do it. He said with absolute certainty, “’You’re the guy.’”
The Sheen Center’s Studio Confidential series is underway now and runs through March 1. In addition to Scheiner, the series will feature conversations with music industry legends Chuck Ainlay, Niko Bolas, Jimmy Douglass, Frank Filipetti, George Massenburg, and Sylvia Massy. Click here to learn more and find tickets.
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