Bruce Botnick (born 1945) is an American audio engineer and record producer. He is best known for co-producing L.A. Woman, the sixth studio album by the Doors, after producer Paul A. Rothchild quit during production of the album. Botnick is also known for producing for Eddie Money and his platinum albums Eddie Money and Life for the Talking, as well as Steve Perry's platinum album Street Talk.[1] Botnick also engineered for the Beach Boys and their eleventh studio album Pet Sounds, as well as producing and engineering for acts such as Love, Buffalo Springfield, Dave Mason, the Supremes, Marvin Gaye, the Rolling Stones, as well as film composer Jerry Goldsmith.[1]
Botnick engineered Love's first two albums, and co-produced their third album, Forever Changes, with the band's singer-songwriter, Arthur Lee.[2] He also is listed as the one of two recording engineers on the 1965 Curtis Amy LP The Sounds of Broadway - The Sounds of Hollywood - said to have been released in 1965,[3] although it also has been said to have been released earlier. The LP back cover liner notes, written by Curtis Amy, formally thank Bruce Botnick for his work on the recordings.
Botnick audio engineered the Doors' studio recordings starting with their first album in 1966.
In November 1970 he took over production of The Doors' L.A. Woman album, their last with lead singer Jim Morrison, after the band's long-serving producer Paul A. Rothchild fell out with the band over the album's direction.[4] According to Robby Krieger it was Botnick's idea to record the album at the Doors rehearsal space where they were more comfortable and used to the sound, rather than at a more costly recording studio.[5]
Botnick tiene crédito como ingeniero asistente en el álbum Let It Bleed de los Rolling Stones . Más tarde produjo los dos primeros álbumes de Eddie Money , Eddie Money en 1977 y Life for the Taking en 1978. Botnick también produjo dos álbumes para el grupo de rock de Paul Collins, The Beat , incluidos The Beat de 1979 y The Kids Are The Same de 1982 . También coprodujo el álbum de 1982 de Kenny Loggins , High Adventure .
Botnick tenía una asociación de larga data con el compositor de cine Jerry Goldsmith como su mezclador de música. Botnick conoció a Goldsmith por primera vez en Star Trek: The Motion Picture de 1979 y trabajaron juntos en la mayoría de los proyectos cinematográficos de Goldsmith (más de 100) desde la década de 1980 hasta la muerte de Goldsmith en 2004.
También diseñó al menos dos de los álbumes de Elektra de Lonnie Mack de finales de la década de 1960, y se le acredita como mezclador de regrabación de la película Gremlins.