He's Mixed SNL for 40 Years

Summary

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Twenty Thousand Hertz: "He's Mixed SNL for 40 Years"

Host: Dallas Taylor
Date: October 8, 2025

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Overview

This episode of Twenty Thousand Hertz takes listeners on an unprecedented journey behind the scenes of Saturday Night Live (SNL) at 30 Rockefeller Plaza, focusing on the incredible work of Bob "Bobby" Palladino, SNL's legendary production mixer (A1), who is retiring after 40 seasons. Host Dallas Taylor interviews Bobby and members of SNL’s audio team, exploring the unique challenges, memorable moments, and technical artistry behind the live sound of one of television's longest-running and most iconic shows, culminating in Bobby’s emotional final episode and the transition to new A1 mixer Fred Hedemark.

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Key Discussion Points and Insights

1. Bobby Palladino’s Path to SNL (03:51–08:42)

• Bobby started as a musician and studio engineer, facing uncertainty after being laid off.
• Through networking and persistence, he landed a temporary “vacation relief” (VR) job at NBC during a year with intense programming: the World Series, conventions, and the bicentennial.
  • Quote: "So I flooded the New York area with resumes... and I was one of the people who was hired as a VR, and they said this was only gonna be for three months and then you're outta here." – Bob Palladino (05:10)
• Instead of being laid off after three months, Bobby stayed, moving through various roles, including The Tomorrow Show and Nightly News.
• The return of SNL creator Lorne Michaels in 1985 sparked technical upgrades, including the introduction of full-time stereo sound and dedicated music mixing.
  • Bobby’s expertise with music acts made him a natural fit for the new role.

2. Mixing SNL: The Art and the Chaos (08:42–18:43)

• Bobby describes SNL’s live sound as a blend of old and new technology: analog boards to digital, stereo to 5.1 surround, and increasing use of wireless mics.

• His lifeblood is the paper script, tracking boom vs. RF mic assignments, and last-minute script changes—still all done by hand for tactile efficiency.

  • Quote: “My script is my lifeblood. I really depend on it. I tried several years ago to try to use a computer... and it didn’t work.” – Bob Palladino (09:37)
  • Quote: “It's always been kind of chaotic only because there are constant script rewrites... That changes the whole sound design, basically.” (10:05)

• Week at SNL:

  • Monday: Pitch meeting.
  • Tuesday: Writers work.
  • Wednesday: Department heads table read, Bobby takes notes.
  • Thursday: Scribe sheet of audio needs distributed.
  • Friday: Sketch blocking, rehearsals.
  • Saturday: Dress rehearsal and live show, with Bobby orchestrating a flurry of last-minute changes.

• Bobby likens the process to “hours of relative calm punctuated by moments of sheer terror.” (11:13)

• Managing Communication:

  • Bobby directs boom ops actively via footswitch radio, as “they’re not following the script book.”
  • Audience mics are controlled via a gas pedal: “It's just too much to turn pages and mix and then worry about riding the applause.” (17:47)

• Memorable Music Moments:

  • Paul McCartney's 1992 set, where "it was electrifying. It was really quite something hearing him do those songs." (13:49)

3. Traditions, Tools, and Personality (18:57–20:41)

• Bobby stamps scripts and documents with a Bugs Bunny mascot—his signature touch.
• On retirement: “Bittersweet... Some things I will not miss... like all those last-minute changes... I figured 40 seasons was enough.” (19:57)
• His philosophy: “When you know in your heart that it's time to leave, move on, that's when you move on.” (20:31)

4. SNL’s 50th Season Finale – The Last Mix (26:12–36:08)

• On show day, Bobby wears a shirt reading, “You say goodbye and I say hello, hello, hello, retirement.” On the back: “SNL audio production mixer established 1985,” Looney Tunes rings, and “Live from New York, I’m retired.”
• Mixing room is buzzing with hugs and tributes. Bobby is cool, focused, and ready.

Fred Hedemark’s Succession Journey (27:23–33:40)

• Fred’s background: Joined NBC/MSNBC in 2009, always aspired to work on SNL or late-night shows.
• Serendipity and networking led him to late-night with Seth Meyers and eventually back to NYC for this opportunity.
  • “I thought I was walking away from this building and never gonna see it again.” (29:51)
• Training was hands-on, mixing shows next to Bobby, learning “to make it sound like Bobby mixes.” (30:59)
• Fred reflects: “I'm still pinching myself. ...Life is weird and fun and strange and you just have to enjoy the ride and take chances. ... Sometimes it happens.” (32:06)

The Final Show

• Dallas describes the mixing as “the pinnacle of live studio television... so much spontaneity that it requires an incredible amount of skill and focus.” (34:19)
• The cast and crew congratulate Bobby post-show with sincere gratitude and affection.
  • Quote: “I am blessed. Thank you. Good Lord, you are my man. People are wonderful. Now, let's go to a party.” – Bob Palladino (35:44)
• Fred pledges: “I'm just very grateful for the opportunity to try and take the torch from Bobby and continue to carry it and just try and do as great as Bobby has done for the last 40 years. And I hope I make him proud.” (36:52)

5. A Triumphant Send-off (36:52–37:25)

• Bobby and his team win an Emmy for SNL’s 50th anniversary special.
  • Quote: “Every sound engineer, the A2s boom operators working on this show dedicated themselves to perfection. We are deeply honored to be recognized for our contribution to one of the longest running, most respected comedy institutions of all time, Saturday Night Live. Thank you.” – Bob Palladino (36:59)

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Memorable Quotes & Moments

• On the chaos and energy:
  “I think adrenaline plays a part because the activity is such a high level... You really don't have time to be complacent about it.” – Bob Palladino (10:57)

• On SNL’s perpetual changes:
  “There were changes right up until air.” (10:25)

• On how mixing is more than just mechanics:
  “You're not just mixing the show, you're also directing a team, you're directing your booms, you're reading a script, you're using your foot for an audience mix. ...It was nice to put it all together and prove to myself and also to others that I could do the job.” – Fred Hedemark (30:59–31:51)

• On legacy:
  “I met Bobby 15 years ago and he is the nicest gentleman in the world... I have the utmost respect for him and I just really want to do good by him going forward.” – Fred Hedemark (36:11)

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Noteworthy Segment Timestamps

• 03:51: Bobby explains his entry to audio and early career
• 07:10: SNL's return—stereo upgrades and new technical standards
• 09:37: The importance of paper scripts
• 11:13: “Hours of relative calm punctuated by moments of sheer terror”
• 13:02–13:49: Paul McCartney’s memorable SNL performance
• 17:47: Audience mic “gas pedal” explained
• 19:57–20:41: Bobby reflects on retirement
• 26:12: Finale day—Bobby’s retirement shirt
• 27:23–33:40: Fred’s journey to the A1 seat
• 34:19: On the art and pressure of SNL’s live mix
• 36:59: Emmy acceptance remarks

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Tone and Style

The episode is warm, reverent, and teeming with behind-the-scenes anecdotes rarely heard outside the industry. Dallas Taylor’s narrative is accessible and inquisitive, mirroring the energy and camaraderie of the SNL audio team. Both Bobby and Fred speak with humility and gratitude, reflecting the deep respect and legacy built in Studio 8H.

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Summary

This episode is both a technical masterclass and a heartfelt tribute. It unveils the untold story of SNL’s live audio production, the invisible heroics of Bobby Palladino, and the thoughtful transition to a new era under Fred Hedemark. Listeners leave with a newfound appreciation for the artistry and pressure behind “Live from New York, it’s Saturday Night!”—and for the dedicated people whose mix makes it all possible.

Transcript

[Dallas Taylor]

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[Bob Palladino]

Yep.

[Dallas Taylor]

Amazing. We got settled in. I really love the lighting in here. Can I scoot you up right here?

[Bob Palladino]

Sure. You want me to turn it up?

[Dallas Taylor]

Ooh, that would be really nice too. And I launched into my questions. What was your path that kind of led you to here?

[Bob Palladino]

Well, I'm a musician, and back in the 70s, I was writing some production music for a production library out on Long Island.

[Dallas Taylor]

Production music is the music that can be licensed out for commercials, TV shows, movies, and more, just like the music you're hearing behind my voice right now.

[Bob Palladino]

And eventually the guy who's a wonderful guy, beautiful guy, hired me as an engineer. So I learned a great deal from him.

[Dallas Taylor]

Broadly speaking, engineering is the technical side of recording and mixing music. But as much as Bobby loved it, the gig didn't last.

[Bob Palladino]

I guess you could say I was laid off for a little bit. And I had just gotten married and I was kind of freaking out. So I flooded the New York area with resumes. And one of the people that I approached was a client of ours at the studio. He happened to be a director here at wnbc. And he said, look, I can't get you a job, but I know who to talk to. You can write him a letter and mention my name and so forth. And that was very fortunate because in that year, NBC still had baseball, so they had the World Series. That's it. The Cincinnati Reds win the World Series in four straight. It was a sweep. It was a convention year, so they had a lot of conventions.

[Fred Hedemark]

And to see that, our bicentennial celebration.

[Dallas Taylor]

And our bicentennial convention with all of these events to broadcast, NBC needed lots of vacation relief or VR workers.

[Bob Palladino]

So I was one of the people who was hired as a VR and they said this was only gonna be for three months and then you're outta here. So I said, okay, fine, whatever. You may have to Travel, okay, fine. You may have to work overnights and crazy hours, weekends. Fine, okay.

[Dallas Taylor]

But those three months came and went. And while many of the other VR's got laid off, Bobby never did.

[Bob Palladino]

So that led me to NBC. I worked on a variety of shows that was being produced in the building at the time. And then I got assigned to the Tomorrow Show.

[Dallas Taylor]

The Tomorrow show was a late night talk that came on after Johnny Carson.

[Bob Palladino]

And I was the audio tape playback person. So it was just editing bumpers and music, that kind of thing. And I played them back on air for the production mixer and she ended up leaving and I became the production mixer for the Tomorrow show, which was a really good experience.

[Dallas Taylor]

Like snl, the Tomorrow show had guest bands that could completely change the audio setup.

[Bob Palladino]

So every day that we had music, everything had to be struck and then set again for the following day, depending on what the music requirements were. We did Santana, the Allman Brothers, George Benson, the Tubes. Once again, the music of Santana. This song is called Searchin'. Welcome Back, Santana. Here they are.

[Dallas Taylor]

Searching.

[Bob Palladino]

And then tomorrow's show went off the air. I mixed nightly news for like three years and then along came Saturday Night live.

[Dallas Taylor]

SNL was 10 years old at that point and was in a transitional period. Creator Lorne Michaels actually left SNL for five years in the early 80s due to burnout. During that time, NBC producer Dick Ebersol took the reins of the show. But ratings gradually declined and in 1985, Dick ended up leaving. At that point, NBC convinced Lorne to come back and help revitalize the show. With the show in danger of cancellation, Lorne Michaels, creator of Saturday Night Live, is returning after a five year absence.

[Bob Palladino]

On Saturday, he presented the new cast.

[Fred Hedemark]

Randy Quaid, a cast member, Michael Hall, a cast member, Robert Downey, a cast member, Joan Cusack, cast member, Jon Lovitz, a cast member.

[Bob Palladino]

And when he came back, he brought with him a technical consultant. And between the two of them they decided that the show should be in full time stereo, which it wasn't at the time, and that there should be a separate room just for music mixing, which hadn't been done before anywhere really. So it created two new job positions. One was to record the show on 24 track multi track tape, big 2 inch machine. And the other one was mixing the music. And they came and interviewed me for it because I had a lot of music mixing experience on the Tomorrow show with Tom Snyder. And they made me an offer to join up with the crew. So that's when I joined up those first shows. Were tricky because I was so new and we had a new director, new cast. I mean, it was the whole experience.

[Dallas Taylor]

Fortunately, Bobby had a great mentor.

[Bob Palladino]

I had someone with me at the time, Joel Spector, who is a wonderful mixer, and he has a whole history unto himself. He was one of the people who worked on the very first show, Live.

[Dallas Taylor]

From New York, it's Saturday night.

[Bob Palladino]

So he knew the show and he knew a lot of the people, and he kind of guided me through navigating the first early shows. So that was my first job. That was in 1985. In 1986, they decided to make a change for production mixers. So I moved out of the music room and moved into the production mix.

[Dallas Taylor]

And that's where he's been ever since.

[Bob Palladino]

One year just turned into two, and then it turned into five, and then it turned into 10. Before I knew it, it was, you know, 30 years and then another 10. So I think it just kind of evolved through the years.

[Dallas Taylor]

Since Bobby started in 1985, the sound of SNL has gone through lots of changes. The mixing boards have gone from analog to digital. Wireless lavalier mics, also called radio frequency or RF mics, have become much more prevalent, although boom mics are still crucial. The show has gone from recording in stereo to 5.1 surround sound, and there's now even a described audio feed for visually impaired viewers. A panel exposes Jack wearing a khaki shirt and fedora.

[Bob Palladino]

Hi, I'm Gene. I can't think of a pun for my name. I'm just Gene.

[Dallas Taylor]

But in some places, the old school methods are still going strong, like having real paper scripts to write on.

[Bob Palladino]

My script is my lifeblood. I really depend on it. I tried several years ago to try to use a computer instead of using a tactile script. And I really gave it a chance. I really tried, and it didn't work. I went back to paper, like, the next day.

[Dallas Taylor]

Bobby uses his script to keep track of the crucial details, like which sketches will use boom mics versus RF mics, where various, various cast members will be on stage and any lines that have been cut or added. And all of this is constantly in flux.

[Bob Palladino]

It's always been kind of chaotic only because there are constant script rewrites. Yesterday, for example, I looked at the studio map and certain sketches appeared in certain places. And then when they went to mount the sketch, they said, no, it's not gonna be over here. It's gonna be over there. So that changes the whole sound design, basically.

[Dallas Taylor]

And these changes continue all the way until Showtime.

[Bob Palladino]

There's a production meeting that happens on Saturday night, and each writer will go through what changes there are in the script. And usually they're cuts. So what I rehearsed in my book and I'm looking at it and I'm seeing this speech is cut. This one is not in the show anymore. They've added this person. So that's what makes the show the most challenging. There were changes right up until air.

[Dallas Taylor]

If one detail gets missed, it could completely derail a taping. But that unpredictability fuels the energy of the studio and keeps the crew focused through these long, chaotic work days.

[Bob Palladino]

I think adrenaline plays a part because the activity is such a high level that it's just go, go, go. And you really don't have time to be complacent about it. You know, it's got to be adrenaline, because when I'm home, I don't stay up till one o' clock in the morning.

[Dallas Taylor]

When people ask Bobby what it's like to work on snl, he likes to.

[Bob Palladino]

Say it's hours of relative calm punctuated by moments of sheer terror.

[Dallas Taylor]

The start of each week on SNL is relatively calm. Then it gradually builds to a huge crescendo. On Saturday night. Rinse and repeat.

[Bob Palladino]

The show starts. On Monday, they have a pitch meeting and they decide what sketches are gonna be written. And on Tuesday, they write them. And Wednesday is when I come on board. So that's when my work week starts. And they do a table read up on 17, this massive conference room. They read through some 40 sketches, and someone from lighting is up there, design is up there, costumes are up there. It's all the department heads. And I'll make my little notes on what I think might be a boom, might be an rf, might be. I have to read this again because it's too complicated, that kind of thing. I make all my notes. Wednesday night they have another meeting, which I don't go to, and that's when they decide what's going to be in the show, or at least in the dress rehearsal anyway. So Thursday morning they have a tentative rundown, and I will make a scribe sheet.

[Dallas Taylor]

The scribe sheet is where Bobby writes out what he thinks all of the audio requirements are gonna be that week.

[Bob Palladino]

So I make copies of it. They'll take that out to the floor. The boom guys will look at it and see what sketches they're in. The A2s will look at it and see what sketches they're in.

[Dallas Taylor]

The A2s are the audio experts that are in the Studio. They're in charge of things like microphone management and relaying info from inside the studio back to Bobby in the mixing room.

[Bob Palladino]

And we'll confer along the way because there's always a lot of last minute changes.

[Dallas Taylor]

While this is all going on, the music department is setting up the guest band.

[Bob Palladino]

They're doing their line checks. They really have a lot on their plate because sometimes there are big acts that have a lot of inputs and so forth, you can imagine. And then they balance the guest band and we have camera rehearsals for the music. On Thursday afternoon.

[Dallas Taylor]

During the music rehearsal, the band runs through their set along with the music, camera and lighting teams. And oftentimes other crew members will pop in and see a rare intimate set from one of their favorite artists. Like when Paul McCartney came on in 1992.

[Bob Palladino]

The story I heard was that Lorne wanted a third song because he had done two songs from his current LP or CD, rather. So Lorne wanted a third song and he wanted it to be a Beatles song. And he and his band went out there and they played hey Jude, Let It Be, and Lady Madonna, I believe. And the sound must have wafted through the vents because you couldn't move in that studio. I mean, everybody was in there.

[Dallas Taylor]

Bobby's mix partner knew that Bobby was a huge Beatles fan, so he insisted that Bobby let him manage the board so Bobby could run out and join the crowd.

[Bob Palladino]

So I took off and I went into the room and it was really crowded, but it was just. It was electrifying. It was really quite something hearing him do those songs.

[Dallas Taylor]

Let it be, let it be, let it be, let it be. After the music rehearsal, they'll shoot the promos for that week's episode. These usually feature some kind of meta sketch involving the host, like this soap opera parody with Jon Hamm. This week on Saturday Night Live. Doctor, is Sarah all right? With special guest John Hamm. I'm sorry, Chloe. There's no easy way to say this, but she bombed.

[Bob Palladino]

Clear a path, clear a path.

[Dallas Taylor]

We have to get her to the after party, stat.

[Fred Hedemark]

I thought my farting grandpa would kill.

[Dallas Taylor]

From there, they'll be blocking and rehearsing sketches with camera and sound, with Bobby noting any audio changes along the way. This continues through Friday, which is pretty malleable, depending on the week. And before you know it, Saturday has arrived. Bobby's day starts at 9am by then.

[Bob Palladino]

We'Ll have a dress rundown.

[Dallas Taylor]

This is the official running order of sketches for the dress rehearsal.

[Bob Palladino]

And again, I'll do a scribe that has all the audio requirements written next to the sketches.

[Dallas Taylor]

At 9:30, the A2s arrive and Bobby gives them the latest info. Then it's time for mic checks.

[Bob Palladino]

Check every mic that we're going to use for the show. We do our line level checks. I check videotape, I'll check audio tape playback, sound effects. We'll do all our level checks.

[Dallas Taylor]

This includes checking the audio for any pre recorded segments which used to be very rare, but now appear two or three times in almost every episode. I'm 90% sure Matt is Kylo Ren.

[Bob Palladino]

And then he just randomly selected Papyrus. And Meanwhile, at about 10:30, the house band starts to play and the music room will balance them. And then we're usually on camera at I want to say 12:30. And then it's sketch rehearsals all day.

[Dallas Taylor]

Everything builds up to the dress rehearsal, which is basically its own full show. It has a full studio audience who are different from the people who will be seeing the live taping. It's all filmed, and when the sketches go up on YouTube, they sometimes upload the rehearsal version instead of the live one. And there's always a few sketches in the rehearsal that don't make the show.

[Bob Palladino]

The dress rehearsal is longer, it's almost two hours. And when we have that production meeting at 10:30, Lorne will have a rundown that usually reflects something that's been cut that's not gonna make it to the show.

[Dallas Taylor]

Cause the show's only 90 minutes after the production meeting. It's time for final checks and everyone gets in place to go live at 11:30. Live from New York, it's Saturday night.

[Fred Hedemark]

Saturday night.

[Dallas Taylor]

While Bobby mixes the show, he's doing much more than just sliding faders, for example, he's also in constant communication with the boom mic operators, letting them know where they should be headed on stage. Boom mics are the ones that stretch out over the set and dip down over the actors heads just out of frame.

[Bob Palladino]

The boom operators I probably talk to the most because I'm following a script book and they're not. And they get familiar with what the sketch is, more or less. But I'll give them cues to this one's coming in from upstage or now we've got to split it to get to this person. That kind of thing that almost sounds.

[Dallas Taylor]

Like you're kind of directing yourself.

[Bob Palladino]

Yeah, for the booms at least.

[Dallas Taylor]

Anyway, to open up a radio channel to the boom ops, Bobby uses a foot switch down beneath the mixing board. And for his other foot, I have a secret weapon.

[Bob Palladino]

And that's this gas pedal on the floor.

[Dallas Taylor]

Awesome. It's a pedal that controls the volume of the audience mics, which means one less thing to do with his hands.

[Bob Palladino]

Because it's just too much to turn pages and mix and then worry about writing the applause. You have to write applause. You can't just leave it in one place.

[Dallas Taylor]

As, you know, like a gas pedal in a car, when you take your foot off, it returns to the top position. So when a character makes a joke, he'll press down with his foot to allow the laughter to come up. Football, sir? Yes. It's a sport where you throw a ball with your hands. So in the football, there is no kicking. There's a little kicking. Then as dialogue resumes, he'll ease up on the pedal so the audience fades back down. You kick the ball to get points. How many points, sir?

[Bob Palladino]

Sometimes one and sometimes three.

[Dallas Taylor]

So you just feel this at this point. Is it almost unconscious riding that foot?

[Bob Palladino]

Yes. I missed other shows that have an audience in which the A1 does not use a pedal. And there are times when I feel my foot trying to reach for an imaginary pedal that isn't there because I'm just so used to it now.

[Dallas Taylor]

At one point during our interview, Bobby was showing me the printed rundown sheets from previous weeks, and I noticed that many of them were stamped with the image of Bugs Bunny. Bobby also had a Bugs Bunny coffee mug, and there was a cutout of Bugs Bunny on the door to the mixing room. What's the Bugs? I've seen it pop up a few times.

[Bob Palladino]

Yeah, that's my mascot in life. Bugs Bunny.

[Dallas Taylor]

Is it?

[Fred Hedemark]

Why?

[Bob Palladino]

I don't know. Ever since I. I was always kind of drawn to the character. So I get these gifts people give me.

[Dallas Taylor]

Yeah.

[Bob Palladino]

He shows up from time to time.

[Dallas Taylor]

Bobby uses his Bugs Bunny stamp like an official signature. So when the audio team gets a script with Bugs on it, they know it's Bobby approved. And for the rest of my visit, whenever I'd spot another Bugs, it was a beautiful reminder of the personality that had been in this room and this studio for so many years. This is a big moment. The show's 50th finale. This is 40 years for you. What are you feeling this week?

[Bob Palladino]

Bittersweet. There's some people that I've been with for so long. I'm gonna really miss them a lot. I'm gonna have to come back and visit from time to time because they're good people. Some things I will not miss, like I'll go out and have a meal on Saturday and right before I'm going to leave, I'll get a sheaf of script changes that I'll have to go through and integrate into the book and change that. And then I'll go and eat something. I'll come back to be another one to go through. So all those last minute changes that I won't miss. And like I said, it's bittersweet. I figured 40 seasons was enough. I feel, and I've said this to my crew, I said, when you know in your heart that it's time to leave, move on, that's when you move on. And I, I know it's time to move.

[Dallas Taylor]

But before he could move on, Bobby still had one last show to mix. And it was a big one. Two days later, I'd be sitting right next to Bobby as he mixed the finale of season 50. I'd also sit down with the man who's replacing him to learn what led to this incredible moment in his career. That's all coming up after the break. One of the tools I've personally seen make a huge difference for business owners is Quo, formerly known as OpenPhone. It's the same great business phone system you've heard me talk about before, just with a new name. And here's why it matters. If you're running a business, every missed call is money left on the table. But with Quo, you can stay connected with your customers 24. 7quo is the number one business phone system that streamlines your customer communications. It allows you and your team to share one number and collaborate on calls and texts like a shared inbox. And you can forget voicemail because their built in AI agent can be set up in minutes to handle calls after hours. It can answer questions and capture leads any time of day or night. Get started for free and get 20% off your first six [e-mail] 20k. That's quo.com 20k and if you have existing numbers with another service, Quo will port them over at no extra charge. No missed calls, no missed customers. Congratulations to Josh Napier for getting last episode's Mystery Sound right. That's the sound of a handheld percussion instrument called the Flexatone. It involves a small metal sheet with two wooden knobs on either side. To play it, you shake your hand back and forth so the knobs strike the metal sheet. Meanwhile, you press down with your thumb on the sheet to raise the pitch. Here's a flexitone in the theme song of Grand Theft San Andreas. And here's this episode's mystery Sound. If you know that sound Submit your guess at the web address mystery 20k. Anyone who guesses it right will be entered to win a super soft 20,000Hz T shirt. As a small business owner, I have to wear a lot of hats, and while I'm focused on leading and growing Defacto sound, I don't have time to get in the weeds doing payroll tracking, PTO and managing benefits. That's why I'm so thankful to have Gusto. With Gusto is an online payroll and benefits software that's built for small businesses. It's all in one remote, friendly, and incredibly easy to use so you can pay, hire onboard, and support your team from anywhere. With Gusto, there are no hidden fees and no surprises. You get unlimited payroll runs for one monthly price. You also get automatic payroll tax filing, simple direct deposits, and robust tracking for employee benefits. It's a huge time saver and it gives me the peace of mind knowing that my employees are taken care of. Try gusto [e-mail] 20k and get three months free when you run your first payroll. That's three months of free [e-mail] 20K once again, gusto.com 20k when you need to hire, you usually don't need that new person in a month or two. You need them yesterday. And that's where Indeed comes in. The world's number one job site. With Indeed's sponsored jobs option, you won't have to worry about your job post being seen by the right person. Instead, your post will jump to the top of the page for relevant candidates. The Result is roughly 45% more applications than non sponsored jobs, according to Indeed's data. Indeed is so fast that in the minute it takes you to Hear this ad, 23 hires will be made around the world on their platform. There's no need to wait any longer. Speed up your hiring right now with Indeed, 20,000 Hz listeners will get a $75 job credit. To get your jobs more visibility@ Indeed.com Hertz just go to Indeed.com Hertz right now and support our show by saying you heard about Indeed on this podcast. Indeed.comHertz terms and conditions apply. Hiring Indeed is all you need. It's May 2025 and I'm in New York City to witness the season finale of Saturday Night Live's 50th season from behind the scenes. I've spent the last few days interviewing all kinds of people from the show's vast audio crew, and now it's Saturday, the day of the show. That morning I go back through the doors of 30 Rock and head into the crowded mixing room of Studio 8H. There I check in with the A1 production mixer, Bob Palladino, for the last show of his 40 year career. So how are you feeling today?

[Bob Palladino]

Good.

[Dallas Taylor]

Yeah?

[Fred Hedemark]

Yeah.

[Dallas Taylor]

You ready to do this?

[Bob Palladino]

I think so.

[Dallas Taylor]

All right. I see a lot of people coming through, giving hugs, all of that stuff.

[Bob Palladino]

Yeah, yeah.

[Dallas Taylor]

So you have, what, 16 more hours.

[Bob Palladino]

Or something and you're done and then that's it.

[Dallas Taylor]

All right. Bobby's wearing a custom T shirt that says, you say goodbye and I say hello, hello, hello, retirement. Which of course is a reference to a classic Beatles song written by one of his favorite artists, Paul McCartney.

[Fred Hedemark]

You say goodbye and I say hello. Hello.

[Dallas Taylor]

And can I see the back of your shirt?

[Bob Palladino]

Sure.

[Dallas Taylor]

On the back it says, SNL audio production mixer established 1985. Below that are the classic colorful rings of the Looney Tunes, along with the words, that's all folks. And at the bottom, live from New York, I'm retired. Who made that shirt?

[Bob Palladino]

My daughter had it made for me.

[Dallas Taylor]

Amazing. At this point, the mixing room is buzzing with activity and I know Bobby has a lot to do, so I head out to chat with some other members of the audio crew. Then later that afternoon, I snagged some time to sit down with the new production mixer who will be taking over in season 51. Okay, so what's your name and title?

[Fred Hedemark]

My name is Fred Hadamark and I am the A1 Broadcast Sound Mixer for Saturday Night Live.

[Dallas Taylor]

And it turns out he's actually a friend of mine. So I heard that the last guy had that for 40 years. What are you going to aim for?

[Fred Hedemark]

Oh, my gosh. Let's get through season one first.

[Dallas Taylor]

Fred first started at 30 Rock back in 2009, he was hired as an A1 for MSNBC, which is the news branch of NBC. Early on, he bounced around a lot.

[Fred Hedemark]

And have gone through basically the entire schedule of what MSNBC has done. I've done the dayside, done breaking news, done, you know, the large events, done elections.

[Dallas Taylor]

But what he really wanted to do was work on one of the late night shows or snl.

[Fred Hedemark]

My manager for my time at MSNBC also had a dual role as the tech manager for Saturday Night Live.

[Dallas Taylor]

The tech manager oversees all of the technical departments like audio, video camera and lighting.

[Fred Hedemark]

And every time we'd have a yearly review, I'd talk to him about my aspirations about working in entertainment in this building and that I felt like I had a pretty decent skill set to accomplish that.

[Dallas Taylor]

Eventually his manager introduced him to one of the producers at SNL who was heavily involved with the audio team.

[Fred Hedemark]

We had a really nice chat, and at the end of it, kind of had this feeling that he was looking at me to become the A1 for the new Late Night with Seth Meyers show. And that was about a year before the show launched. And so eventually got the gig because of that conversation.

[Dallas Taylor]

Welcome back, everybody. Welcome. Welcome back.

[Fred Hedemark]

I am absolutely thrilled to have this person as our very first guest here on Late Night.

[Dallas Taylor]

You know, her work on Saturday Night Live and the NBC sitcom Parks and Recreation. I know her as one of my best friends.

[Fred Hedemark]

Please welcome the lovely and wonderful Amy Poehler. I spent the first eight years on Late Night with Seth Meyers, and then that was at the point where we decided that it was time to take a step away from it and focus more on the family and get back down to where our roots are, down in North Carolina and South Carolina.

[Dallas Taylor]

This was right around the time that I first interviewed Fred for 20,000 hertz. It was for an episode about mixing Seth Meyers, and we recorded it just as he was leaving New York to change careers.

[Fred Hedemark]

The last time we spoke, you know, on the podcast that we did for Late Night, that was kind of like my swan song in my little love letter to Late Night. I thought I was walking away from this building and never gonna see it again.

[Dallas Taylor]

Tell me about that pull that started to pull you back to the city.

[Fred Hedemark]

Yeah, I moved into an occupation in a position that wasn't audio centric, and it was difficult to find that kind of joy that I had when I was here at 30 Rock. And so out of the blue, I got a text one day from the tech manager of SNL saying, hey, you know, we're starting to plan for when Bobby retires, and we'd like to put your name in the hat if you're interested. And I was just like, this is amazing and crazy. I just never thought in a million years that that would even become an opportunity. And when I told my wife, she couldn't believe it either. We kind of talked it out and really started to discuss to see if this career change would benefit the family. And we figured it out, we made a plan, and now here we are.

[Dallas Taylor]

But along with Fred, there were a couple other people who were selected to audition for the role. And the first step for them was to get to know the producers and the crew.

[Fred Hedemark]

Luckily, I already had that established because of my experience back in the building before.

[Dallas Taylor]

Next came the hands on testing the.

[Fred Hedemark]

Only way you can really show if you can do the show is by sitting there and doing the show. So after a few weeks of observing Bobby, it was my time to get in the chair with Bobby next to me and start mixing the show. Started off mixing not an entire show, but segments of it. And kind of built up from there to where I got to the point where mixed a few shows by myself with Bobby next to me and got a lot of incredible constructive notes about how to make it sound like Bobby mixes, which was great. But it was a really fun and interesting time to try and put all of my skillset together to mix this thing. Because you're not just mixing the show, you're also directing a team, you're directing your booms, you're reading a script, you're using your foot for an audience mix. There's a lot of things that were relatively new to me, but it was nice to put it all together and prove to myself and also to others.

[Bob Palladino]

That I could do the job.

[Dallas Taylor]

Ultimately, Fred was chosen for the role and it's another huge milestone in his career. But despite everything that's led him here, he still can't quite believe it's real.

[Fred Hedemark]

I'm still pinching myself. It definitely still is surreal. You know, when I walked away from 30 Rock, I thought, well, first of all, I was walking away from my dream job because I loved it so much. It was very difficult to do, but never thought I'd have the opportunity to come back again and certainly not as sitting in the chair as a one for snl. I couldn't be happier being back here working with all the wonderful people in this building. I definitely feel the gravity of it too. It's a big, big position to be in. I feel a great amount of gratitude for the opportunities that I've had and all the navigation that everybody has played in my life because little Fred has not done this by himself by any stretch of the imagination. I've had a lot of help along the way and also being grateful for the opportunity to mix all three shows in this building in the crown of late night entertainment. You know, Late night with Seth Meyers backing up Fred and mixing a handful of episodes on the Tonight show starring Jimmy Fallon and now Saturday Night Live. I don't think you could have ever told my 14 year old self that this is what you'd be doing later on in life. Life is weird and fun and strange and you just have to enjoy the ride and take chances when you can be confident in your skills and just shoot for the stars. And sometimes it happens.

[Dallas Taylor]

A few hours later. It was nearly showtime, so I went back into the mixing room and settled in to watch Bobby mix the last show of his career with Fred by his side.

[Fred Hedemark]

Stand by in 10 seconds, everybody. 9, 8, 7, 6.

[Dallas Taylor]

Stand by. 11, 5, 4, 3. And.

[Bob Palladino]

It'S Saturday Night Live with.

[Fred Hedemark]

Michael J.

[Dallas Taylor]

For me, watching an episode of Saturday Night Live being mixed right in front of me was unreal. When it comes to audio, I consider SNL to be the pinnacle of live studio television. There are so many moving parts and so much spontaneity that it requires an incredible amount of skill and focus. Bobby's name might not be widely known, but it's hard to overstate the impact he's had on this show. Just think of the casts he's seen come and Phil Hartman, Mike Myers, Adam Sandler, Will Ferrell, Jimmy Fallon, Amy Poehler, Bill Hader, Kate McKinnon, thousands of unique and hilarious sketches. And for almost every single one, it's been Bobby behind that mixing board, making the show and the performers sound great. And now I'm so proud that it's my friend Fred taking over this crucial role because I know he's going to do a fantastic job. I was thinking about all of this as the house band played the credits music and Bobby made his last few adjustments on the faders. Then as soon as the show ended, people started to congratulate Bobby, giving him hugs and wishing him farewell. Congrats on Steven50. Yeah, Bob.

[Fred Hedemark]

Thank you all.

[Bob Palladino]

Great season, everyone.

[Fred Hedemark]

I appreciate it.

[Bob Palladino]

Congratulations to those that are retiring. Enjoy the rest of your time. Thanks, fellas. Made it special.

[Fred Hedemark]

I'm blessed.

[Bob Palladino]

I am blessed. Thank you. Good Lord, you are my man. People are wonderful. Now, let's go to a party.

[Fred Hedemark]

Congrats, man.

[Dallas Taylor]

Congrats, Bobby. Congrats.

[Bob Palladino]

Congrats, Bob. Thank you for everything.

[Dallas Taylor]

Pleasure to be here.

[Fred Hedemark]

Likewise. I met Bobby 15 years ago and he is the nicest gentleman in the world. He's incredibly open, shares anything that you want him to share in terms of audio, loves what he does. You can definitely tell that from the way he works, mixes, communicates with people in the building. And I have the utmost respect for him and I just really want to do good by him going forward. I'm just very grateful for the opportunity to try and take the torch from Bobby and continue to carry it and just try and do as great as Bobby has done for the last 40 years. And I hope I make him proud.

[Dallas Taylor]

A few months after my trip to 30 Rock, Bobby and his team won an Emmy for mixing SNL's 50th anniversary special.

[Bob Palladino]

Every sound engineer, the A2s boom operators working on this show dedicated themselves to perfection. We are deeply honored to be recognized for our contribution to one of the longest running, most respected comedy institutions of all time, Saturday Night Live. Thank you.

[Dallas Taylor]

Now to get the full experience of my trip to Saturday Night Live, you really need to see see it over on my YouTube channel. You can watch Bobby give me a full rundown of his mixing board and join me inside the audio control room as Bobby and Fred mix the season finale. I also shot a video with one of SNL's boom mic operators and I even got to try it for myself. I'll also be rolling out more videos from inside SNL in the coming weeks. To see them for yourself, just search for Dallas Taylor MP3 on YouTube or tap the link in the show Notes. You can also find clips on Instagram and TikTok under that same name. Dallas Taylor MP3 20,000Hz is produced out of my sound agency, Defacto Sound. To hear more, follow Defacto Sound on instagram or visit defactosound.com this episode was written and produced by Casey Emerling with.

[Fred Hedemark]

Help from Grace East.

[Dallas Taylor]

It was sound designed and mixed by Brandon Pratt and Joel Boyter. Thanks to Bob Palladino, Fred Hedemark and everyone from SNL who allowed me in to make this episode possible. Thanks for listening. Before we go, I want to tell you about one of my favorite music podcasts called Broken Record. Each week, Justin Richmond and Leah Rose talk with musicians from all kinds of genres and generations. People like Smokey Robinson, Jack White, St. Vincent, Damon Albarn, and many more. These artists open up about their creative lives and the stories behind their most meaningful songs. It's always so much deeper and more interesting than the generic interviews you normally hear with musical icons. Subscribe to Broken Record right here in your podcast player. A quick reminder to support 20,000Hz by using our unique sponsor codes. Visit GlowTherapy 20K to find a therapist that takes your insurance. Get 20% off six months of business phone [e-mail] 20K for three months of free payroll. Visit gusto.com 20K and start hiring with a $75 sponsored job credit@ Indeed.com Hertz finally, head over to my YouTube channel to see my incredible audio journeys, including my recent trip behind the scenes at Saturday Night Live.