Author: Eyal Levi

Carl Bown is a UK-based musician, producer, and mix engineer. He got his start working alongside Colin Richardson, contributing to seminal records for bands like Trivium and Machine Head. Since then, he’s built an impressive discography of his own, working with artists such as Bullet For My Valentine, Bring Me The Horizon, As I Lay Dying, and Carcass.

In This Episode

Carl Bown hangs out to share some killer stories and insights from his career. He kicks things off by recounting his experience working with Colin Richardson on Trivium’s In Waves, including the three-week search for the perfect kick drum sound. This leads to a bigger conversation about the “get it right at the source” philosophy and how having a finished sound in your head from day one is crucial. Carl also breaks down his transition from assistant to producer, the importance of work-life balance to stay creative and avoid burnout, and the story of how he built his awesome Treehouse studio using wood from old churches. He gets into the weeds on his mixing process, explaining Colin Richardson’s simple but profound philosophy about mix clarity and why he uses tons of automation to put dynamics back into a mix after compressing it for tone. This is a great chat about mindset, workflow, and the long game of a production career.

Products Mentioned

• SSL Consoles
• Aurora Audio Preamps
• Neve 1073 Preamps
• Avid Pro Tools
• Waves L1 Ultramaximizer

Timestamps

• [6:04] The three-week search for the perfect kick drum sound on Trivium’s “In Waves”
• [9:57] Colin Richardson’s philosophy of hearing a finished sound in his head before starting
• [12:23] How informal conversations with a band help build a sonic vision
• [15:18] Why Carl genuinely loves the process of editing drums
• [18:36] The value of working for experience, not money, early in your career
• [20:06] The producer’s job is to make a record for the artist, not for themselves
• [23:16] Making the decision to quit his band to focus 100% on production
• [27:52] The natural progression from assisting Colin to co-producing with him
• [33:13] The moment he realized he was a record producer, not a web designer
• [35:44] You have to be ready to seize an opportunity when luck comes your way
• [43:29] Buying two dilapidated churches on eBay to get the wood for his studio
• [45:55] Learning from poorly maintained analog gear in commercial studios
• [51:32] The anxiety and unpredictability of recalling analog mixes
• [54:55] Using routines like cooking to maintain work-life balance and avoid burnout
• [1:00:24] How taking a break gives you a valuable “second first listen” on a mix
• [1:02:10] Colin Richardson’s key to a great mix: “You have to be able to hear what you’re meant to hear when you’re meant to hear it.”
• [1:04:32] A cool mix trick: introduce an element at full power so your brain still perceives it when you turn it down later
• [1:08:58] Why he compresses vocals heavily for tone, then adds dynamics back manually with automation
• [1:11:26] Carl’s positive philosophy on doing test mixes
• [1:16:15] How to handle rejection when you don’t get a gig

David Wilson, aka Dwilly, is an artist, producer, songwriter, vocalist, and multi-instrumentalist who has worked with a diverse range of artists including Trevor Daniel, Travis Barker, Swego the child, Noah Cyrus, Mike Posner, and Bad Babi. He’s also a prolific digital creator, having produced multiple top 10 sample packs for Splice.

In This Episode

Producer and artist Dwilly drops in to talk about what it *really* takes to build a career in music. He argues that getting your foot in the door is the easy part—the real work starts once you’re in the room and have to deliver. Dwilly breaks down his process for starting writing sessions from a blank slate, the difference between bad chemistry and just a bad session, and why knowing your strengths (and weaknesses) is crucial for collaboration. He connects his classical piano background to the art of crafting timeless motifs, even in modern pop. For all the gearheads, he gets deep into the weeds on the emerging ‘hyper punk’ sound, sharing his go-to techniques for genre-blending, like using Autotune to create stair-stepped guitar slides and using a specific clipper plugin to achieve a uniquely distorted yet powerful sound. It’s a killer look into the creative process and the future of guitar-driven music.

Products Mentioned

• SIR Audio Tools StandardCLIP
• FL Studio (Fruity Loops)
• Ableton Live
• Antares Auto-Tune

Timestamps

• [00:02:15] Why getting in the door isn’t the hard part
• [00:05:20] How to get started if you have no industry connections
• [00:09:55] Once you’re in the room, nobody cares where you came from
• [00:12:53] Earning an artist’s trust when you’re a local producer
• [00:16:19] How to start a writing session from a blank slate
• [00:21:33] The difference between a bad session and bad chemistry
• [00:25:32] The “gun to your head” method for finding your musical strength
• [00:27:17] The link between classical motifs and modern pop hooks
• [00:33:32] Is it possible to be truly original in music?
• [00:37:10] The importance of letting someone else’s idea win in a session
• [00:44:38] Why teamwork is essential and very few artists can truly do it all
• [00:47:38] The truth about dropping out of Berklee
• [00:55:14] Why having a “Plan B” is a bad idea for your music career
• [01:02:20] How classical training can sometimes make you overcomplicate music
• [01:04:51] The evolution of genre-blending from Lil Peep to “hyper punk”
• [01:06:40] Using Autotune on guitars for a “stair-stepped” slide effect
• [01:06:55] The “secret sauce” clipper plugin Dwilly uses on everything
• [01:12:51] Is trap metal the new nu-metal?
• [01:15:23] How the *energy* of music repeats in cycles, even if the sound changes

Tony Lindgren is a veteran mastering engineer at Sweden’s renowned Fascination Street Studios. Over his career, he has applied the final polish to a massive range of music, from extreme metal giants like Kreator and Dimmu Borgir to prog favorites like Leprous, and even mainstream artists such as Billie Eilish.

In This Episode

Tony Lindgren hangs out to chat about the so-called “black art” of mastering. He gets into why metal is one of the most challenging genres to master, explaining how its dense, full-spectrum nature requires a specialized sensibility that someone from a pop or hip-hop background might miss. Tony shares his philosophy on why a dedicated mastering engineer is still essential, emphasizing the value of a fresh, trusted perspective and a purpose-built listening environment. He discusses the common pitfalls he sees, from mixes made exclusively on headphones that have weird stereo imaging, to producers getting caught up in “sexy” advanced techniques before nailing the basics like volume balance. Tony also offers some solid advice on how to prep your mixes for mastering, why loudness is truly achieved in the mix itself, and the importance of solid communication to make sure the final product is exactly what the artist envisioned. It’s a great look into the mindset and technical details from one of the best in the business.

Products Mentioned

• Yamaha HS Series Monitors
• Sonarworks SoundID Reference
• FabFilter Pro-L 2
• FabFilter Pro-Q 3

Timestamps

• [0:06:01] Taking a nap between albums to reset his brain and ears
• [0:09:50] Why mastering metal requires a different sensibility than mastering rap
• [0:12:04] Mastering metal is one of the best ways to learn the craft
• [0:16:48] The argument for why a dedicated mastering engineer is still important
• [0:20:17] How Tony used his old Yamaha speakers at home to train his ears
• [0:22:20] The danger of working in a monitoring environment that sounds “too good”
• [0:27:18] The tell-tale signs of a mix made entirely on headphones
• [0:29:13] What makes a mix ideal to receive for mastering
• [0:32:48] The power of basic volume automation over fancy compression
• [0:35:47] Why you should always check your mix through a limiter
• [0:42:35] The story of how Tony started working with Jens Bogren
• [0:48:16] His philosophy on treating every project with the same high standards
• [0:53:36] Dealing with bands who have “studio PTSD” from previous bad experiences
• [0:59:29] The psychology of interpreting what a client actually wants
• [1:02:29] How to start the conversation about sending a mix back for revisions
• [1:04:43] The most common issue with mixers mastering their own songs
• [1:06:03] The biggest non-audio skill he learned from working with Jens
• [1:13:06] How much he worries about inter-sample peaks

Jeris Johnson is an artist who exploded on TikTok, gaining millions of followers and collaborating with rock giants like Papa Roach and Bring Me The Horizon. His unique sound, which blends elements of metal, pop, and trap, has quickly found a massive audience. His producer, Alex Sacco, joins him on the podcast to break down their creative partnership and rapid rise in the modern music landscape.

In This Episode

Jeris and Sacco get into what it takes to forge a unique path in today’s music world. Jeris talks about his surprisingly heavy background—fronting a legitimate metal band at 14—and how those roots organically blend with modern production to create his signature “Jeris Core” sound. They discuss the journey of moving past making generic pop to embracing a more authentic, extreme style that ultimately led to his viral success. This episode is a deep dive into the mindset of a modern artist, covering everything from the value of learning pop rules just to break them, to why trying to copy another artist’s success is a dead end. They also get into the psychology of unwavering self-belief, the sacrifices required to make it, and why the music industry isn’t as saturated at the top as you might think. It’s a killer look at what happens when raw talent meets relentless execution.

Timestamps

• [3:13] Jeris’s surprisingly pro-sounding metal band at age 14
• [5:49] Blending metal into modern pop organically
• [7:44] How Jeris and Sacco met in LA
• [10:22] The artistic growing pains of finding your sound
• [13:29] The “light bulb” moment of embracing rock and metal roots
• [15:23] Learning pop songwriting rules in order to break them intelligently
• [16:57] Why authentic performances resonate more than trying to be “cool”
• [17:48] Knowing a track is going to go viral before it does
• [20:15] The worst thing an artist can be is boring
• [21:58] The difference between a musical product and musical art
• [22:40] Does every artist have to go through a “copying” phase?
• [29:29] How to develop your own unique sound (and why you shouldn’t “try”)
• [35:39] Why trying to recreate another artist’s life is a waste of time
• [37:45] What it’s like to get “famous on your phone” during COVID
• [41:43] The difference between a confident mindset and being delusional
• [44:33] The importance of having supportive parents and no “Plan B”
• [44:54] The sacrifices required to achieve your goals
• [50:23] Why the music production world isn’t as saturated as you think
• [55:51] Working with producer Colin Brittain

Producer and mixer Jens Bogren is the man behind Fascination Street Studios and the founder of Bogren Digital. For over 20 years, he’s been the go-to guy for some of metal’s biggest names, shaping iconic albums for bands like Opeth, Amon Amarth, Arch Enemy, Dimmu Borgir, and Katatonia. Known for his meticulous attention to detail and a powerful, modern sound, he’s a veteran of the scene who continues to push the envelope.

In This Episode

Jens Bogren is back on the podcast, and this time he’s got a brand new 6,000-square-foot studio to talk about. He gets into the real talk about when it actually makes sense to build a commercial facility versus sticking with a home setup, emphasizing that skills and experience will always trump fancy gear. Jens shares what he looks for when hiring help, revealing why musical understanding and the right personality are way more important than pure technical chops. He also recounts the awesome story of how he landed the gig for Opeth’s Ghost Reveries, which basically launched his international career. Plus, he discusses the launch of his new company, Bogren Digital, the myth of the “signature sound,” and offers some pro-level advice on navigating the tricky world of client feedback and revisions. This one is packed with wisdom for anyone serious about the craft.

Timestamps

• [00:02:52] Jens discusses moving into his new 6,000 sq ft studio
• [00:07:06] When is the right time to build a commercial studio?
• [00:10:36] The risk of your hobby becoming a boring profession
• [00:13:06] Why focusing on skills is more important (and intimidating) than buying gear
• [00:15:12] Eyal recalls Mike from Opeth praising Jens’s attention to detail in 2005
• [00:19:04] What Jens looks for in a production: It has to be moving, not just technically perfect
• [00:24:47] Musical understanding vs. technical skill: Which is more important when hiring?
• [00:29:54] The importance of having the right personality for studio work
• [00:31:25] The ideal assistant workflow: a mix prepped and ready for creative work
• [00:34:53] The two most common paths to a production career
• [00:42:46] How a recommendation from Dan Swanö led to mixing Katatonia’s “Viva Emptiness”
• [00:44:44] The story behind landing the Opeth “Ghost Reveries” gig
• [00:53:43] Launching Bogren Digital and how his partner made it possible
• [01:00:00] Does a producer have a “signature sound”?
• [01:09:08] The challenge of a client completely disagreeing with your mix vision
• [01:13:01] Getting frustrated with clients and feeling broken after a session
• [01:19:02] How to interpret and translate client feedback effectively
• [01:22:18] The golden rule: Never accept feedback from multiple band members