Carl Bown has enjoyed more than 10 years of decorated notoriety in the music industry. An expansive portfolio of mix and production work combined with a star-studded collection of associated acts has made him a hugely sought after producer both in Rock and Metal genres.
Bown started out producing demos for bands while studying Computer Science at University. After several bands required additional mixing work having landed small (and later big) record management deals, Bown was drafted back in as a producer to continue building the unique sound of each respective group.
This momentum propelled Bown to a nomination for "Breakthrough Producer of the Year” at the MPG’s 2010 awards, specifically for his work on the ambitious and widely acclaimed album Be Human from the band Fightstar.
Opportunities continued to open for Bown and following his partnership with Colin Richardson beginning in 2011, the likes of Trivium, Machine Head, As I Lay Dying, Carcass, Gunship, Wovenwar and Bullet For My Valentine were also added to his list of production credits.
Recent Accolades
Among his recent releases, three tracks (including work from While She Sleeps) bagged the Number 1 spot in iTunes Rock Chart. His most recent work with Bullet For My Vallentine also landed Bown a Heavy Music Award for Best Production. He has tracked the drums for several Bring Me The Horizon singles including Die4U, Teardrops and Obey and also mixed a full album for Mexican-American artist Kat Von D.
Joining the Phonitor Family
SCV were lucky enough to catch up with Carl Bown this year to deliver a new tool to his arsenal of music production tools: the SPL Phonitor se headphone amp complete with the 768xs digital to analogue conversion upgrade.
Released in early 2021, SPL’s newer ‘se' variant of their popular Phonitor headphone amp model is powered by VOLTAiR rail technology for pristine resolution even at high headroom.
The SPL Phonitor SE is an incredibly welcome addition to my setup. The transparent and effortless delivery achieved by the amplifier when combined with the supplied DAC768xs is remarkable.
Taking us through the Phonitor se’s role in his headphone mixing workflow, Bown praised the Phonitor Matrix’s crossfade feature for its ability to emulate the angled configuration of studio monitors:
After a while working with the crossfeed matrix, not only am I finding better translation between headphones and speaker; I am of the firm belief that I no longer want to work on headphones without it. It simply makes great headphones even better.
WHAT A RAD BOX!
Follow Carl Bown’s latest activity on Instagram and on the official Treehouse Studio feed.
