About Chris Bell

Chris Bell is a Grammy-nominated recording and mixing engineer with 34 years of records behind him.

He has engineered records for the Eagles, Erykah Badu, Kirk Franklin, Don Henley and Brian Blade & The Fellowship Band, alongside hundreds of independent releases. His engineering on Kirk Franklin’s The Nu Nation Project earned a Grammy nomination for Best Engineered Album, and two records he engineered went on to win Grammy Awards. He recorded Merle Haggard for Don Henley’s Grammy-nominated “The Cost of Living”.

He has held leadership roles in the Recording Academy’s Texas and Memphis chapters, including President of the Texas Chapter, and has spoken on immersive audio at NOLA MusiCon. Beyond records, he has recorded performances for The Tonight Show and Jimmy Kimmel Live, and a Netflix comedy special.

Blues, rock, Americana, jazz, soul and singer-songwriter records are home ground: real rooms, real performances, and mixes that keep the human character at the centre of the music.

He has been mixing in Dolby Atmos since before Apple Music announced Spatial Audio, including the first Selena record mixed in Dolby Atmos, and he builds his own mastering and quality-control software for immersive masters.

Mercenary Magnetics is his studio and engineering practice. Amsterdam is next. See the 34 years in pictures.

“There is still nothing better than great songs and great musicians in a room performing.”Chris Bell