UK-based musician and producer Laurel Arnell-Cullen (aka Laurel) began building her musical career in 2013 by posting her songs on SoundCloud. Six years on, her recently released track ‘Life Worth Living’ has already clocked up more than 4m listens on Spotify.
Featured on her debut album Dogviolet, she wrote, mixed and produced the whole recording herself from the comfort of her London flat, using surprisingly minimal kit. Originally using an Audient iD22 audio interface, she recently upgraded to the larger iD44. ‘I’m more of a creator than a technical person,’ she confesses when asked about her gear choices.
She knows exactly how she wants her music to sound, however, without being particularly hung up on how she makes it happen: ‘I think you can get caught up in the technical stuff,’ she says, laughing at what more evangelical studio musicians might say of her way of using her technology. ‘I’m pretty sure no-one does that, but I think it sounds amazing – so I’m going to do it.’
Designed with similar ‘creatives’ in mind as well as the studio hardcore, the iD44 interface appears to suit Laurel perfectly. Audient’s most powerful audio interface to date, it has four console mic preamplifiers and class-leading converters that ensure she gets the professional sound she needs for producing an album, whilst being easy to use.
Having a simple studio set-up in her quirky home allows her to get straight to work when inspiration strikes. ‘I’m very quick to write songs,’ she says – and yet she takes her time when it comes to production.
Describing how she knows a track is finished, ‘It just sounds right,’ she says. ‘Sometimes a song will never sound right, and maybe it will never be finished. Then one day, you’ll listen to a song that you wrote three years ago, and suddenly you crack it.’
More: www.audient.com
