Josh Cunningham

What piece of equipment do you have to show us today?

A Universal Audio Apollo twin recording preamp/interface.

How did you come across this particular item?

Looking for a reasonably priced, high quality, super portable, user friendly, feature packed two channel interface. I guess I saw it online, read the hype, read the reviews, and ordered one.

What is that you like so much about it?

I can take it anywhere. I never leave home without it, literally. Anytime I want to develop an idea, it’s quick and easy to set up in a matter of minutes and be recording. The hardware is really rugged and easy to use, but it also has a bundle of awesome UAD plugins that sound great. It’s just a basic selection but you can spend some more cash and add extra plugins if you want.

How do you use it, and how has it shaped the way that you write music?

I have set it up in many hotel rooms and worked on stuff. It’s not just a ‘travel size’ gimmick, it’s a serious piece of gear capable of album quality recording, especially if you want something raw, natural and vibey. My wife and I were staying at an Air B’n’B place a little while back and we recorded a bunch of her tunes that will eventually be on an album. For getting ideas down it’s cool because you can multitrack and add parts to help develop a song, so it’s probably having an effect on my songwriting in that respect.

Any other interesting points/stories about it?

One of the plugins is a virtual simulation of Oceanway studios. You can use it for the natural reverbs of the studio or even use the microphone collection there at Oceanway and position them anywhere you want. Interesting stories? Well when my wife and I worked on the Air B’n’B ‘sessions’, we were in a self contained little pad underneath the house of a family with three young daughters. Apparently the girls slept on a beanbag in the living room right above us because they were putting their ears to the floor to listen to our music and especially my wife’s voice – which is pretty special.

The Waifs’ new album Beautiful You is out now via Jarrah Records.