Our Inside Out With Turner And Seth Podcast returns with its 25th full episode today, featuring veteran sound engineer and the current man at the front of house for Umphrey’s McGee, Chris Mitchell. Mitchell is widely considered one of the best in the industry, having worked with an impressive range of acts including Tracy Chapman, G. Love, Kitaro and the Grateful Dead’s Mickey Hart.
The episode starts with Mitchell explaining the band’s recent experiments with surround sound and about how he tries to translate the uniqueness of the musicians and their instruments by craftily minimizing his use of corrective equalization, saying, “What I’m trying to capture is accuracy.” Mitchell also compares and contrasts his approaches to those of Dan Healy of the Grateful Dead, and explains some of the ways technology advances have assisted sound men in recent years.
Rob and Seth also explore Mitchell’s move from being a teen into metal and BMX bikes to being in The Navy to valiantly stumbling into a supremely impressive career in sound. Mitchell started working live shows in Boone, NC and was quickly hired by Acoustic Syndicate. We hear how he was lured west by his friend and Mickey Hart sound man Jason Brodsky. We learn of Mitchell’s work with Mickey Hart, including how he received feedback, the challenge of mixing “two dolphins fucking” and Hart’s temper, saying, “He doesn’t like it when he perceives things that impede him and his art.”
While this is the last episode of Umphrey’s month (see here for the previous mini episode with Jefferson Waful), there is plenty in here for Umphreaks. The development of Mitchell’s relationship with previous front of house engineer Kevin Browning is explored, as Browning moved into management and Mitchell took over the engineering gig. They still constantly collaborate to constantly improve the UM experience. Mitchell talks about how he overcomes the challenges of mixing difficult rooms like Chicago’s Aragon Ballroom, and how he produces certain vocal nuances (the “Devil Voice” in “Resolution,” vocals on Tool covers). We are given unique insight into his days transitioning into his new Umphrey’s job and his resulting love of it – saying specifically of UM guitarist Jake Cinninger, “Jake has the best tone of any guitar player I have ever worked with” adding that he has the ability to, “make anybody’s tone.”
Listen to the new episode below!
The long-running Inside Out With Turner And Seth podcast brings you a fresh take on the music scene by combining behind-the-scenes and fan perspectives. Each episode features engaging interviews with your favorite artists and insightful commentary from genre veterans sprinkled with comedy. For more Inside Out With Turner And Seth episodes, head to their SoundCloud or their page on iTunes. You can also email the Podcast here (insideoutwtns@gmail.com), to submit feedback that may be read on future episodes!