Chief Engineer
João Carvalho
João began his mastering career in the mid-1990’s while producing records for many of Canada’s groundbreaking artists of the time. In the 90's, it became apparent there was a need for a fresh take on mastering records. With the help of a Red Focusrite equalizer and a cheap tube compressor at his then Umbrella Sound Studios, João set out to introduce “indie style” mastering to Canada. Fast forward to 2003: with a bravado-filled vision fuelled by many loyal friends and some very talented and technically minded colleagues, João Carvalho Mastering opened its doors.
By 2013, João had mastered 2000+ recordings: Rose Cousins (Natural Conclusion: 2017 Grammy nominated "Best Engineered Album"), Rush, The Tragically Hip, KD Lang, Max Webster, The Sheepdogs, Carly Rae Jepsen, FUN, Passenger, The Smashing Pumpkins, Ron Sexsmith, Sean Hook, Alt J, Sloan, Death From Above, Lights, BADBADNOTGOOD, River Tiber, Walk Off the Earth, Hayden, Tanya Tagaq, Buffy St. Marie, Mobb Deep, Olivia Newton John, Blue Rodeo, Alexis on Fire, Protest the Hero, The Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra, Grand Analog, Stan Rogers, Charlotte Day Wilson, Chris Hadfield and Dead Tired to name a few.
In 2011, to further his passion for the ultimate in audio production, João partnered with three colleagues and opened the doors to Revolution Recording. This ambitious 3 studio complex now provides the ultimate recording experience for artists making music.
Today, João focuses on continuing to perfect the art of mastering audio, striving to ensure total sonic satisfaction to both himself and to others who choose to listen without compromise.
João lives in Toronto with his family and has a somewhat (un)healthy passion for cars and fine audio equipment.
Engineer & Studio Manager
Bryan Lowe
Bryan has been a member of the JCM team for over 15 years. His passion for helping artists sound their very best is what he loves most about mastering.As Studio Manager, Bryan plays an integral role, overseeing all sessions from start to finish and managing the day to day operations of the studio. For Bryan, providing world class sounding masters is just the beginning.
Attention to detail, great communication and providing an unsurpassed client experience are top priorities for every session that comes through JCM’s doors.Over the years Bryan has worked alongside Joao Carvalho, assisting on thousands of mastering sessions including: Rush, Carly Rae Jepsen, Smashing Pumpkins, Deathcab For Cutie, F.U.N., The Tragically Hip, Glass Tiger and Sloan. With this hands-on experience he wasable to learn from one of the country’s top mastering engineers and developed a solid foundation in mastering.
Since then Bryan has continued to define his own unique style and approach to mastering and has become a talented mastering engineer in his own right. Bryan has mastered hundreds of recordings to date. These include several Juno, Polaris Prize and CCMA(Canadian Country Music Awards) nominated releases and has had winning and nominated albums at the Indigenous Music Awards.When Bryan isn’t at the studio you might find him spending time with his family, running or biking the streets of Toronto or barbecuing something tasty in his backyard.Some notable works include : Anzola, Kamikaze Nurse, Violentene, Tanika Charles, July Talk, Sloan, Tanya Tagaq, J Ember, John Muirhead, Sons of Daughters, Hunter Brothers, Jessica Mitchell & Tim Hicks, Shawn Desman, Maddison Krebs, Angela Anulik, Favours, Brahny, Danny Michel, Retrofile, Unbloom, Clementine, Grizzly Coast, Baby Boy Blue, The Commotions, PLTO, The Bandicoots, Renee Landry, Morning Bell, Niina Rosa, and Mirrelia.
Senior Engineer
Chuck Carvalho
Chuck is one of the music industry's secret weapons. When he's not dabbling with his passion for race cars, he enjoys helping indie artists shine.
He has a client list well into the thousands at this point (The Tragically Hip, Sarah Slean, Toronto Symphony Orchestra, Shout Out Out Out Out to name a few) and years of experience on the techinical side of things aswell.
He has worked for Airfield Audio, building out their Liminator compressors and was also part of the Revolution Recording Custom Shop, wiring up studios for the likes of Deadmau5 and the National Music Center in Calgary, AB.
He's currently prototyping a wild set of mastering speakers to boot. I guess you could say that "sonics" are his jam. Needless to say - you should feel confident that you're in good hands.
Senior Engineer
Tim Branton
Tim R. Branton grew up next door to Gordon Lightfoot's drummer. His first drum kit, borrowed from his kind neighbour, soon replaced Tim's first instrument, a green plastic pail. Tim's early studies in electrical engineering evolved into a more creative degree in Radio and Television Arts from Ryerson University, specializing in advanced audio production.
After graduating, Tim managed Ryerson's School of Radio and Television Arts Audio Library, assisting radio and audio production classes by day, and cutting his teeth in Toronto's booming independent music scene of the early 90's by night. From 1995 to 2003, Tim was the co-owner of Inside Music's Greenpail Studios: a premiere production house and recording facility; with interests expanding into all aspects of the music industry; including development, promotion, marketing and management of up-and-coming acts.
In early 2003, Tim moved his freelance Mastering Engineering services from a small room at Greenpail Studios, over to Canada's first and only world-class Mastering facility, Joao Carvalho Mastering. Tim's technical expertise and "golden ears" have made him the go-to guy for independent mastering in Canada; serving clients from the Yukon to Newfoundland and overseas. Over the years, Tim's discography has expanded to include literally hundreds of recordings from all music genres and styles. Since 2006, Tim has been moonlighting as the Project Manager for Snap Hoek Productions; applying his technical know-how and organizational skills to events such as The Juno Awards, The Much Music Video Awards, Cavalia, Cirque Du Soleil, Luminato, Nuit Blanche, The Rolling Stones, Boots & Hearts, among many others.
In his spare time, Tim can be found indulging his new-found passion for grape growing, wine making and collecting.
Senior Engineer
Brett Zilahi
Brett began his career as a recording engineer at in 1989, working with the likes of Rush, Triumph, Donny Osmond, Sass Jordan and Jeff Healy. He also worked on music for 'Cirque Du Soleil', HBO's "Kids In The Hall," CBC's "The Tommy Hunter Show," and recorded Martin Short's narrations for the movie "Captain Ron".
In 1995, Brett began working on the Canadian mastering scene. Now, after 20 years, his discography includes the award-winning work of Tom Cochrane, Nickelback, Sarah Harmer, David Usher, Rita MacNeil, The Rankins, Sean Paul, Len, Alexisonfire, and City & Colour. Brett was also given the prestigious task of re-mastering such legends as James Brown, Marvin Gaye, The Mamas and the Papas, Squeeze, Funk Brothers and John Mayall & the Bluesbreakers for Universal Music's 20th Century Masters and Gold collections.
In addition to his work on the North American scene, Brett has been sought out by artists from around the globe.
Some of his most recent work includes: Ten Dead Poets(producing), Adrian X --guitarist for Nelly Furtado, Drake, Serena Ryder--, The Cliks, Down With Webster (mastering), and City & Colour Live in Australia (mixing/mastering). Brett is also a talented multi-instrumentalist, with decades of live experience, having performed on projects ranging from rock to house to funk.
His innate knowledge of music, coupled with his understanding of physics and sonic technology (analog and digital), allow him to bring his clients’ projects to their fullest potential.
Engineer
Mike Marra
Mike first joined João Carvalho Mastering (JCM) in 2012, apprenticing as a freelance mastering engineer, but quickly became part of the full-time mastering crew at JCM.
Music and sound have always been a lifelong passion of Mike’s. Although his route into the world of audio engineering began rather unusually—first earning an Industrial Engineering degree from Ryerson University—Mike always remained active in the music community.
Mike ultimately pursued his dream which lead him to mastering. His love for mastering is infectious and his clients’ reactions to his masters is priceless. Mike treats every artist and their work with the utmost respect and attention to detail, and values exceptional communication with the production team. Although known for big bold low-end on Hip Hop and EDM records, Mike is also confident working on a wide variety of musical genres. Whatever record comes Mike's way, it is mastered with taste, an intuitive and sympathetic ear, and the utmost care in order to achieve the artist’s sonic vision.
Mike currently lives in Mississauga with his family, but don’t be surprised to see him in Toronto, browsing record shops on his day off.
Engineer & Mixer
Chris Kung
Chris joined João Carvalho Mastering in early 2019 as an intern and worked hardto quickly become an assistant/mastering engineer. Chris knew he had a passion for music ever since he was a kid. In highschool, hestarted recording his own music at home in Adobe Audition and Logic. While attending the University of Waterloo for Statistics he also began mixing for other artists in Logic and Pro Tools. This early exposure to music sparked an interest in audio engineering whereby Chris decided to attend Metalworks Institute of Sound & Music Production. He graduated with full Honours in 2018 and earned the Academic Achievement award for having the highest GPA in his class.
Chris has made João Carvalho Mastering his second home as he recently moved into his very own production room there. He enjoys working in his space, mixing and mastering for various artists or producing his own music.
Chris has assisted Joao on hundreds of sessions, including artists like SLOAN, Death Cab for Cutie, Evan Konrad, Strangers On A Plane, Lo Lo, Soran, The Dead South, etc. When Chris isn’t at the studio he can be found downhill skiing, playing board games or video games with his best friends. Chris also considers himself a bit of an expert on all things Ramen & Sushi. Some noteable works include: Holly Curran, Moon And Aries, LukieY, Dynasty Rui, JianTing Tan, Jisu, EmZee, Chris Kung
