Sep 9, 2010 2:22 PM, By Sarah Benzuly

Gov't Mule

Photo: Danny Clinch

Touring for their latest, By a Thread, Gov’t Mule continues to offer “Mule Tracks” for download a few days after the show. Mix recently talked with FOH engineer Ed Hopson about the tour and the recordings.

How much gear are you carrying?
A Clair 48-track recorder running Nuendo, two 96kHz/48 bit-DVD recorders and two CD-Rs. And then there are the Mule Tracks, but that is a secret formula.

FOH engineer Ed Hopson

What is the most important part of your mix?
The mix is a great big image that is accomplished with mics everywhere. I try and replicate what the band hears onstage without losing control of the system or my mind. There is a lot of percussion, and that requires condensers above the drum set. At one point in the evening, I have to match handheld shakers with double kick drums. The bass is composed of two 4x12-inch cabinets with a 421 each. I use the delay time on the input until I get some meat out of it. We have an Avalon DI that I get the low lows from. The keys are two amps and a Leslie; two SM81s and 441 for the Leslie. On Warren’s amps, there are two KSM 32s and two SM56 Betas. I don’t have to really do anything to Warren’s rig but set the highpass filter.

Where can we find you when you’re not on the road?
At home in Atlanta watching TV—or advancing upcoming Mule shows.

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