Elliot Scheiner has been making records, in his words, "for longer than I care to remember." He got his start when he was quite young, under the direct guidance of the legendary Phil Ramone at A&R Recording. Within just a few months, he graduated from assistant to engineer.

Elliot Scheiner began his career working for Phil Ramone in 1967. Today he is considered a leading authority on surround sound mixing.

Since then, Scheiner has recorded many albums that have become gold standards in the industry. He's responsible for the pristine sound of Steely Dan and Donald Fagen, and his list of credits reads like a Who's Who in the music business, from Aerosmith to Grover Washington, Jr. More importantly, he's become the "go-to" guy for producing and mixing surround music. He's breathed 5.1 life into such great recordings as The Eagles' Hell Freezes Over and Sting's Brand New Day.

Elliot has put his stamp of approval on the Panasonic DVD-Audio system that now comes standard on the Acura TL, personally tuning the sound system in the vehicle. When I called, he was driving into Manhattan in his Acura TL, of course. First thing that I wanted to know is what music did he have loaded up in the car.

Elliot Scheiner: I have Steely Dan, Donald Fagen, R.E.M., Faith Hill, The Flaming Lips, and the demo DVD-Audio disc that came with the car.

Leslie Shapiro: What do you listen to at home when you're not working?

Scheiner: Well, I'm working most of the time, but if I'm not, I'll usually listen to some jazz, like Diana Krall.