Brothers in Atmos

How producer/keyboardist Guy Fletcher convinced Mark Knopfler to mix classic Dire Straits material and his new solo album One Deep River in Atmos.

- MIKE METTLER

If anybody has Mark Knopfler's ear, it's Guy Fletcher. He's the legendary British singer/songwriter/guitarist's longtime go-to production partner, and he's also the man (or guy) responsible for the stellar Atmos mix on the Blu-ray version of Knopfler's latest solo album, One Deep River (EMI). During a recent Zoom interview across the Pond, Fletcher (seen here amidst a literal wall of keyboards) and I discussed how he convinced Knopfler he had no choice but to release One Deep River in Atmos, which Dire Straits tracks are his favorite Atmos mixes to date, and what Knopfler solo material he'd like to tackle in Atmos next. (A longer version of this interview appears in my monthly Immersive Audio File column on soundandvision.​com.)

Mike Mettler: According to what Mark told me directly, you are the man who sold him on the idea of mixing One Deep River in Atmos, because he was initially very skeptical about the idea. How did you change his mind?