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A Sound Engineer Hears "Aja" for the First Time

110K views · Sep 10, 2026 · Film & Animation

Al's Vinyl Collection

9.5K subscribers

Comments · 469

@alsvinylcollection · 11 days ago · pinned
A quick note on some recurring comments: I have a degree in Sound Engineering & Music Production. My education wasn’t a checklist of famous albums I had to hear. We learned theory, techniques and, most importantly, WHY they work; signal flow, acoustics, microphone technique, EQ, compression, parallel/New York compression, bussing, Mid/Side, Blumlein, Decca Tree, phase relationships, critical listening, advanced mixing and mastering, to name a few. An art student doesn’t need to have studied exactly how every famous painting was painted to understand colour, composition and technique. The same principle applies to audio. And yes, some people apparently think I’m lying when I say I haven’t heard a particular song. These aren’t the primary focus of my channel. My main content desire is vinyl and music documentary projects like my Nebraska documentary. Lying about a first-time listen would make absolutely no sense,  I’m deliberately doing these because I enjoy discovering music I’ve missed. You’re also watching a FIRST-TIME HEARING video. Expecting me to already know every “classic” rather spectacularly misses the point. “I haven’t heard this record” ≠ “I don’t know anything about sound engineering.” If you don’t enjoy watching someone discover music for the first time, that’s completely fine. But that’s quite literally what you’re watching, and what you’ve chosen to search for.
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@redbarchetta8782 · 2 weeks ago
Steve Gadd proves drum machines cannot even compete.
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@jamesrowe3606 · 2 weeks ago (edited)
Thanks for not stopping after each four bars to comment. It's rare for reactors to let the track breathe before opining. I like your style. On the track, someone once asked me if Steely Dan's music was, rock, prog, folk, jazz or blues. I said yes.
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@kenfine9703 · 2 weeks ago
Back in the day Aja was used by audio stores to demonstrate the quality of their equipment. It's a masterpiece of engineering. I urge you to listen to the whole album.
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@markburgess812 · 2 weeks ago
Aja was even more breathtaking when it was released, since there was nothing close to compare it to. It brings back memories from 1977.
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@viktormuerte · 2 weeks ago
I appreciate you not talking while the tune was playing.
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@DropAnchor1978 · 2 weeks ago (edited)
Thank you so much for letting the song play through without interruption. The analysis is wonderful but yu let us see your first visceral reaction and that is a joy.
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@lionheartroar3104 · 2 weeks ago
WE need to drop the loudness wars and go back to recording like this. Crisp, punchy and dynamic.
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@stevend984 · 7 days ago
Thank you for NOT interrupting the song. This music will last forever and will never happen again...RIP Walter.
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@am74343 · 2 weeks ago (edited)
"Aja" was THE PINNACLE of non-classical audio recording in the 1970s. All analog. Just a few years before digital tape recordings started becoming viable.  Everything they did while recording this album took the term "high-fidelity" to an extreme degree.  They used the absolute best of the best equipment and musicians to craft this legendary masterpiece.
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@JamesGowan · 2 weeks ago (edited)
Asia — my father just passed away (93) and as I was taking care of him since he was 90 (May 1) — we would listen exclusively to Steely Dan every day going through all their albums. So I would get to hear Aja at least 2-3 times a week. We watched a lot of TV but really grooved on Steely Dan as it was undoubtedly our favorite group. We marveled every time at their sound and it was a blessing to get to spend the last few years with him. I will miss him and every time I hear The Dan, I’ll always think of my great dad! ✝️ Subbed/Liked! Great VID! God bless you! Wow! Amazing video! Your channel is one of my new favorites! Entertaining and Informative… I appreciate the time you put in to this one! Have a great month and God bless!
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@propoetpr · 12 days ago
No matter how many times I hear this song, or album, I never get tired of it.
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