Jonathan Wills - jwillsdrums

Drum kit/Percussion recording

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4 Reviews
Jonathan Wills - jwillsdrums on SoundBetter

Hi! I'm a professional drum kit player based in Hampshire (UK) with over 17 years experience. From my home studio, I'm able to provide cost effective high quality drum kit/percussion tracks for your music.

Being able to record at home with a permanent setup means that I can provide very cost effective recording services - there is no setup time or studio hire fee!

How does it work:

1) Get in touch!

Send me your guide track as well as any MIDI drum parts/drum tracks that you already have.

2) Recording

I will head into the studio and record the drum kit/percussion parts to your specification.

​3) Listen

Once I’ve recorded your drum kit/percussion tracks, I’ll send you an Mp3 mix of your track with my drums mixed in. At this point we can discuss any changes/amendments and I will provide up to 2 revisions at no extra cost.

4) Download

When you’re happy, you’ll receive a download link to download the high quality files. Once downloaded, you’ll be able to drag and drop them straight into your DAW and mix to your heart's content!

I'm very much looking forward to working on your project!

I'd love to hear about your project. Click the 'Contact' button above to get in touch.

4 Reviews

Endorse Jonathan Wills - jwillsdrums
  1. Review by Jordan Brown
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    by Jordan Brown

    Jon is a fantastic drummer with a great sound and clean technique.
    The stems he sent me for one of my songs were immaculate and needed very little tweaking or compression.
    He has an impeccable time, plays to the song and is very open to feedback.
    What's not to love?

  2. Review by Phil Edwards
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    by Phil Edwards

    I'm very pleased with the parts that Jon came up with: they are in keeping with the style of the music, in time (a very important consideration - I didn't need to "warp" them at all), natural and with creative touches that transform merely satisfactory tracks into ones that I'd be happy to release. Perhaps the best recommendation is the fact that I wish that I had given him four tunes to work on instead of three! I will be back.

  3. Review by Dai C
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    by Dai C

    Jon’s a super capable drummer, huge variety of fills and grooves, and easy to collaborate with, as well as reliable turnaround times etc. We’ve used him on pop tracks. (Koali)

  4. Review by Richard
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    by Richard

    Couldn't be happier with the drums Jon played on my band's album! He added creativity and flair when it was needed, followed a tight brief when it was needed, and generally played great-sounding drums that complimented the song.

    Also a super-nice and very easy person to work with, which always helps!

Interview with Jonathan Wills - jwillsdrums

  1. Q: Tell us about a project you worked on you are especially proud of and why. What was your role?

  2. A: A double prog album for a band called Viriditas. It took about a year to record - throughout the process, my home studio had numerous upgrades. For me, the album tracks a gradual improvement in my drum sound so it's a special one for me.

  3. Q: What are you working on at the moment?

  4. A: A few individual tracks for various artists as well as some of my own material

  5. Q: Analog or digital and why?

  6. A: Both! Analog for sound, digital for ease.

  7. Q: What's your 'promise' to your clients?

  8. A: To record to the best of my ability. I want to make sure everything I'm sending out is my best effort.

  9. Q: What do you like most about your job?

  10. A: The variety and the fact that I learn so much myself from each project

  11. Q: What questions do customers most commonly ask you? What's your answer?

  12. A: Usually questions about the gear being used. Answer: It's a Ludwig snare...

  13. Q: What's the biggest misconception about what you do?

  14. A: That it's easy!? It takes years of training, serious financial investment and lots of time to get good quality recordings. It's all worth it though!

  15. Q: What questions do you ask prospective clients?

  16. A: What is the song about? Who are your influences? What can I improve on?

  17. Q: What advice do you have for a customer looking to hire a provider like you?

  18. A: Find someone who is humble and looking to add to your song without ego.

  19. Q: If you were on a desert island and could take just 5 pieces of gear, what would they be?

  20. A: Soreen malt loaf, practice pad, drum sticks, metronome, gaming laptop

  21. Q: What was your career path? How long have you been doing this?

  22. A: There is photo evidence of me playing the drums aged 4 - it's been a life long pursuit!

  23. Q: How would you describe your style?

  24. A: Groovy and minimalist. I've never been one for chops and showing off, although can turn it on when it's needed. In my experience, it's rarely needed!

  25. Q: Which artist would you like to work with and why?

  26. A: Tower of Power! It doesn't get more funky than that!

  27. Q: Can you share one music production tip?

  28. A: Enjoy it!

  29. Q: What type of music do you usually work on?

  30. A: Mostly prog rock, pop and electronic tracks - but I'm always looking to branch out!

  31. Q: What's your strongest skill?

  32. A: Based on years of playing experience, I would say it's musical intuition - the ability to know what will/won't work with a particular song/style/genre

  33. Q: What do you bring to a song?

  34. A: Hopefully I can bring what the song needs - no more, no less.

  35. Q: What's your typical work process?

  36. A: 1) Listen to the client - it sounds obvious, but I want to make sure that what I record is the sound they want, not how I think it should sound. 2) Record - Attention to detail is important, i.e. correct mic placements, clean sound, clean edits. 3) Send over a polished recording!

  37. Q: Tell us about your studio setup.

  38. A: I have a home studio with a permanent recording set up which has been worth every penny!

  39. Q: What other musicians or music production professionals inspire you?

  40. A: Anyone who is making music with soul!

  41. Q: Describe the most common type of work you do for your clients.

  42. A: Online drum kit/percussion track recording.

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Terms Of Service

2 revisions are included free of charge. Typical turn around time is 4-5 days depending on how many projects I have on the go. Message me before booking to get a more accurate time frame

GenresSounds Like
  • Red Hot Chili Peppers
  • Radiohead
  • The Police
Gear Highlights
  • Pearl drums
  • Pearl snares
  • Ludwig snares
  • Zildjian cymbals
  • Sabian cymbals
  • AA Meinl cymbals
  • AA Meinl Cajon
  • SE Microphones
  • AKG Microphones
  • Focusrite audio interfaces
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