In this engaging video, drummer Nick Cesarz dives into the obsessive recording perfectionism of Steely Dan during their 1980 album Gaucho. Despite crediting top session drummers like Steve Gadd, Jeff Porcaro, Rick Marotta, and Bernard Purdie, three tracks featured drums played by "Wendel"—a custom $150,000 sampling computer built by engineer Roger Nichols in hexadecimal code. It used sampled sounds from the real drummers' kits but delivered machine-perfect timing. The piece explores why Fagen and Becker pursued this (endless takes, dissatisfaction with human grooves), how Wendel worked, which specific songs used it versus live playing, its evolution into Wendel II for Donald Fagen’s The Nightfly, and its role as an early precursor to modern DAW drum programming. A fascinating look at studio innovation and the blend of human feel with robotic precision in classic rock production.
