SOS Technical Editor Hugh Robjohns chats to the Managing Director of Cranborne Audio, Sean Karpowicz, about how and why he started this innovative British pro-audio manufacturer, the many business and technical challenges involved along the way, and his company's approach to product design and manufacture.
Show Notes
Chapters
Founders (left to right): Andrew Pat, Edward Holmes, Sean Karpowicz and Elliott Thomas00:00 - Introduction
00:25 - Hugh meets Sean remotely
00:51 - Where Cranborne Audio began, and the Founding Members
02:34 - Musicians at Work
03:46 - From Soundcraft to Cranborne Audio
06:03 - Funding the New Business
07:39 - First Preamplifier Product
09:06 - Finding the Mojo
11:03 - Expanded Rackmount EC2 Version
13:38 - The Appeal of 500-Series Racks
16:03 - Manufacturing Challenges and Decisions
21:00 - Protecting Intellectual Property
22:53 - What Comes Next — Products and Company?
25:03 - One Magic Wish?
25:45 - Ending
25:55 - Further Information
Cranborne Camden EC2 rack and 500-series
Sean Karpowicz - Biog
Sean Karpowicz is co-founder and Managing Director of Cranborne Audio — an innovative emerging British-based professional audio manufacturer. Sean has developed several award-winning audio products in his career working for several pro‑audio companies, the most notable being legendary British mixing console manufacturer Soundcraft where Sean met fellow Cranborne Audio founding members Edward Holmes, Elliott Thomas and Andrew Pat.
Sean, Ed, Elliott and Andy founded Cranborne Audio as an antidote to various trends they observed in the Professional Audio industry that they felt negatively affected product quality and innovation. Vowing to do things the "right way" and never allowing "good enough" to be good enough, Cranborne Audio released their first product in October 2018 — their Camden 500 preamp and saturation module — to critical acclaim. Cranborne Audio has since released a handful more products — all very innovative and unique with high-performance analogue and digital designs, whilst offering outstanding value and quality including their latest product — the Camden EC2.
Interviewer: Hugh Robjohns - Biog
Hugh Robjohns has been Sound On Sound's Technical Editor since 1997. Prior to that he worked in a variety of (mostly) sound-related roles in BBC Television, ending up as a Sound Operations Lecturer at the BBC's technical training centre.
He continues to provide audio consultancy and bespoke broadcast audio training services all over the world, lectures at professional and public conventions, and occasionally records and masters acoustic and classical music too!
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