hybrid workflow that combines live performance and professional production— and at the heart of it is Universal Audio.
Jonathan’ s setup includes both an Apollo X8 and an Apollo Twin X, linked together to give him full control over monitoring and tracking.“ The X8 lives in my sidecar rack and the Twin sits on my desk,” he says.“ I use them together so I can have my main interface on the rack and monitor control right at my fingertips. It’ s super convenient.”
This flexibility is crucial for someone who spends so much time traveling.“ I work a lot on planes,” Jonathan says.“ There was a time I’ d bring my Twin with me on flights just so I could use UAD plugins. Now with UA Spark, I can run sessions on my laptop without needing extra hardware. That’ s been a huge win.”
Jonathan’ s journey into Universal Audio started with UAD plugins, especially the 1176 compressor, which remains a go-to. But it wasn’ t until he tried the Unison preamp models that he realized just how powerful UA’ s technology really was.“ We did a shootout between hardware versions of the 1073 and the UA Unison plugin,” he recalls.“ Honestly, we preferred the UA plugin in some cases. That kind of accuracy blew us away.”
He also relies on UA’ s Sonarworks integration, built into the Apollo X8 Gen 2, to compensate for room acoustics in his home studio.“ Most people don’ t have professionally treated spaces, but with Sonarworks inside the UA Console, my room sounds way better. It’ s a total game-changer.”
Even on the road, Jonathan keeps his production rig tight and efficient.“ I’ ve got a small Pelican case with foam cut for my Apollo Twin. I load up a 1073 or API 512 Unison preamp, and I’ m ready to record stereo guitars anywhere. It’ s powerful and compact.”
In the studio, he monitors through Focal Shape 65’ s and a modest Polk subwoofer.“ The conversion on the Apollo just sounds amazing through those. Everything is clear, musical, and accurate,” he says.
While he still plays through real amps— like his‘ 96 Vox AC30 Top Boost and a few Bensons and Fenders— Jonathan acknowledges that UA bridges the gap between analog tone and digital control.“ Even though I’ m still in the amp world, I rely on UA for everything else: preamps, plugins, room correction, monitoring. It’ s all there.”
For Jonathan, Universal Audio is more than just gear— it’ s a toolset that enables excellence at every level.“ If you’ re serious about music today, you have to learn how to produce, record, and create high-quality tracks on your own,” he says.“ Universal Audio makes that possible, whether you’ re in a bedroom studio or backstage on tour. It’ s just part of how we get it done.”
One of the most versatile additions to Universal Audio’ s lineup for house of worship environments is the Sphere modeling microphone series, which lets worship teams emulate over 30 legendary mics— including large-diaphragm tube condensers, dynamic broadcast mics, and vintage ribbon designs— all from a single
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