by Eric Gardner, Touring Musician with Gnarls Barkley, Street Sweeper Social Club, and Charlotte Gainsbourg

Being productive on tour is a relatively new concept for me. When I’m on the road, I spend much less time with my instrument than when I’m home. Ironically, aside from soundchecks and 75 or so minutes a day performing, touring is a job which involves very little time actually playing music. After my last long tour, I decided enough was enough–it was time I find a way to satisfy my musical brain while on the road.

I recently embarked on a 6-week European tour with French singer/actress Charlotte Gainsbourg. My plan was to find a way to bring my home recording studio with me on the road. My challenge was finding a way to do this while still being light on my feet… Enter- Apogee’s ONE.

In a small backpack, I was able to carry a laptop, a small midi keyboard, a backup hard drive and the cell phone-sized Apogee ONE. Voila- the world’s most compact mobile recording studio! As soon as we’d check into a new hotel, I would wipe the in-room desk clear of it’s guest service books and put together my travel studio.

Combined with Logic, I could even plug a guitar or bass into the ONE and have infinite possibilities of virtual vintage amps and pedals. Also, the ONE’s internal mic means leaving behind the extra clutter and weight of a microphone, stand and cables- less to carry, less to pack and more importantly, less to forget. With little setup time, any hotel room could become an instant recording studio. Now, instead of wasting my mornings watching mindless TV, I can record, mix, edit, demo and simply create.