Musician and producer Christopher Harold Wells recently added an EVO 4 audio interface to his home recording studio so he could resume work on his new band’s debut EP recorded at San Francisco’s Hyde Street Studios.
Literally stopped in his tracks when the pandemic forced everything to shut down, he explains: “I came back to North Carolina for a quick break and have been on lockdown since then. There were still a couple of instrument and vocal tracks that needed to be finished, and I am now in the process of tracking the last songs’ vocals using EVO 4.”
Working alongside fellow Hyde Street Studios producer Jaimeson Durr (Sammy Hagar, Joe Satriani, Train, Mickey Hart) on the record, Wells describes his band The Neverlutionaries as “psychedelic soul mixed with catchy alt rock textures” made up of “a revolving cast of talented musicians, including legendary Kidrock guitarist Kenny Olson.”
With the EP release date fast approaching, it was a real blow to have to stop everything. However, acquiring the EVO 4 audio interface meant he could be productive while staying put. His “pared-down” setup now comprises an iMac 21.5, EVO 4, Studio One software, Auralex decoupling speaker stands/foam and AKG 214 microphones. “EVO 4 is a game changer in my humble opinion,” he says. “It’s super cost-effective and the small footprint is a major advantage where space is concerned.
“The Smartgain feature is beyond cool,” he continues. “This allows me to get through the technical aspects within a few short moves and dive right into creating. I’ve used other interfaces in the past that were not user friendly and by the time you figure it out on the fly, the song idea has flown away.”
