Will Urban
Background:
When The Untouchables came to perform at University of Southern California’s Bovard Auditorium in 1986 and allowed an unassuming teenager to sit in with them on a couple numbers, it was just the beginning. After that taste, Will Urban was hooked and knew that he wanted more. Since then, Urban has toured as a member of The English Beat and performed with groups such as Squeeze, Billy Idol, The Specials and Hootie and The Blowfish. Some of his credits composing for film and television include commercials for Pepsi, a Sundance film titledHeimgang and television shows House Doctor, T.R.A.X. and Pee-Wee’s Playhouse.
In addition to his musical endeavors as an artist, Urban was Vice President of Industry Relations at MP3.com, where he opened the door for independent musicians to reach worldwide audiences through online distribution. During his tenure at MP3.com, he worked with The Eagles, TLC, Alanis Morissette, The Goo Goo Dolls and more. Will Urban is also a frequent speaker at music conferences such as CMJ, 2NMC, IAJE and Eat’m.
Urban continues to compose for film and television, performs live with different bands, assists artist with their development and marketing and speaks at various conferences.
Will Urban
Urban on M-Audio hardware: “The Delta 1010 has been instrumental in writing music for several television and movie cues. It keeps my creative juices and work flowing by consistently delivering and not taking me away from writing due to technical snafus. The 1010 lets me get to the business of creating music rather than having to worry about the technology—I no longer have to change gears from writing to troubleshooting. As with so many M-Audio products, flexibility is what sets this interface apart from others I have used previously. Being able to use all 10 inputs and outputs at the same time or the ability to interface with a big mixing board are a couple examples of the flexible nature of the 1010.
“With a propensity to keep gear for a while, I have had the opportunity replace some older pieces with new M-Audio gear. My Roland R-8 is now living with someone else who can give it a better home. My Trigger Finger, coupled with Native Instruments virtual drum software, provides me with everything the R-8 could do and much more. The Trigger Finger has to be the most versatile piece of M-Audio gear that I have worked with so far. Far from just a padded drum controller, the Trigger Finger gives me lots of flexibility. The unit is solid and with the preset mapping, it was easy to get my head around it.
“In my road rig, I replaced my Roland PC-200 MKII with the Oxygen8. On the road, I also use the Fast Track Pro—a great portable, compact and solid interface providing very clean sound quality. The dual microphone preamps and phantom power make it perfect for working on the road.”
Urban on M-Audio software: “Virtual instruments from GForce have assisted me in opening up a new stream of thought when I get blocked or expanding my ideas while in a creative flow.”
What he is proud of: “ I was thrilled to see one of the films I composed the music for go to Sundance, and a television show be picked up for worldwide syndication. From the performance angle, there is nothing like looking into an audience of several thousand fans to see them sing along with my songs. Being able to meet and perform with other artists that I have long admired has also brought me quite a lot of personal satisfaction.”
Why M-Audio? “M-Audio gear has drastically reduced my amount of downtime (and frustration) due to technology glitches and the need for troubleshooting. Ever since incorporating M-Audio gear into my musical arsenal, my frustration due to technological glitches has decreased and my writing has flowed more freely, allowing me to become more expressive than ever before. The products allow me to focus on the creative instead.
“Everyone at M-Audio that I have met, whether at NAMM or in their corporate offices, has been absolutely fantastic—professional, knowledgeable and totally dedicated to music. M-Audio has an intimate understanding of what artists need and want—I think this is due to so many people at M-Audio being musicians themselves. M-Audio gear has paved new roads and broadened opportunities for artists at all levels to participate in music.”
