Professional drummer with multiple gold records, has collaborated with renowned artists like Lou Gramm and The Goo Goo Dolls. Live multi-track drum recordings with the option to record in Spatial Audio/Atmos. High end acoustic drum tracks using industry standard recording gear, boutique drum sets and legendary snares.
Mike Lasaponara is a professional drummer from Rochester, New York. His main focus is (but not limited to) rock/hard rock drumming. Progressive musical ideas and a left of center approach are what inspires him...this is an arena in which he loves to create. Over the past 20 years, he has worked, played and toured with acts including The Goo Goo Dolls, Lou Gramm, Cute Is What We Aim For, and Roses Are Red. He has over 25 years of experience with both live and session work, writing, arranging, and teaching privately.
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Credits
AllMusic verified credits for Michael Lasaponara12 Reviews
Endorse Mikey Lasaponara
check_circleVerifiedMike is as great as a drummer can possibly be! Friendly and extremely fast response times. We started off with a video call and it was easy to see that he takes the job seriously and is listening closely to ideas and feedback. Did an excellent job and worked fast. I can definitely recommend him! :) 5/5
check_circleVerifiedWorking with Mike was amazing! He was very communicative -- we discussed gear and recording techniques, drumming styles, and my desires for the project. He suggested reference tracks and was receptive to my suggestions, including listening to other work that I had done to preserve continuity. I could not be happier with the final result! He played in a nuanced, expressive, and responsive style where he really brought out the spirit of the song and added a lot to it. Highly highly recommend!!
Mike is a great drummer whom you have to ask to play on your songs. He can understand what you want. And also, he has plenty of experiences and ideas as a professional drummer. He can perform many different genres. I and my band, "Pinky Doodle Poodle" highly recommend Mike Lasaponara to you!!
Mike is an amazing guy to work with, & when it comes to needing someone to lay down drums on a new track-- Mike's one of the few I'd use. :)
I recently recorded 5 drum tracks at Yokai Studios. Mike provided top shelf performances, coupled with amazing recording quality. He is versatile, precise and easy to work with. I highly recommend, and will certainly be recording there again!
Amazing work ethic and attention to detail and all around great guy. Had the pleasure of working on a few tracks with him and I can't wait to do it again!
I've recorded several albums as a professional studio musician and song writer, and I have never met a better studio drummer than Mikey! He had so many great ideas outside of the drum parts and really brought passion and sophistication to the tracks we worked on. Highly recommended as a musician and overall great dude!
Yokai studios delivers what any musician is really needing on their project. Professionalism, amazing technique and concerted effort. I felt the drum parts were carefully and thoughtfully designed to fit my music with no ego whatsoever. The dollar value is worth every penny but outweighed by the joy and fun I had working with Yokai studios on my project.
Yokai Studios is an incredible session drummer. Contributed exactly what the tracks needed and saved me money by being laying down perfect take after perfect take. Cannot recommend his drumming enough.
Mike is one of the top drummers in the industry. His studio and performances come together to give you high quality drum tracks for any project. If you're thinking about hiring him for drums, stop thinking and do it. You will get an expensive sound without any compromise and you will get exactly what you are looking for every time. I highly recommend!
I hired drummer Mike Lasaponara for my most recent single for my music project. Mike provided a fair price, professional service, and most importantly to me, he provided a sincere passion for music. I appreciated that Mike listened to my goals and desires for the song's sound, and then performed and recorded his drum tracks to meet my individual needs. In other words, Mike did not just do what he wanted or what he thought was best. He actually tailored his performance to the genre and style I desired. I really appreciated this because I received a product that I really love.
Mike is the best drummer you can hire for any recording session. Not only an amazing player in technique, timing and feel, but just as importantly, he has a music producer’s mind and will always find the perfect drum part to any song or style. On top of all that, he comes to every session completely prepared, and is extremely quick and thorough during the recording. A total pro in every way.
Interview with Mikey Lasaponara
Q: Tell us about a project you worked on you are especially proud of and why. What was your role?
A: I am/was very proud to play drums on a several unreleased songs by Lou Gramm of Foreigner. A lot of it was tracked in the late 80s, so getting to play drums along with some of the best musicians from that era was wild! Those songs are slated for release within the next few months.
Q: What are you working on at the moment?
A: I'm currently working on some drum tracks for a producer in Las Vegas. These tracks are usually for singer/songwriters. I am also tracking drums for some clients in Atmos/Spatial Audio.
Q: What questions do customers most commonly ask you? What's your answer?
A: How long will it take to record a song. Usually 2 hours per track, after mapping out and hashing out ideas.
Q: If you were on a desert island and could take just 5 pieces of gear, what would they be?
A: Tama Bell Brass Snare, Craviotto Snare, API 3124 preamp, BAE preamp, Sabian Artisan Ride cymbal.
Q: Tell us about your studio setup.
A: Yokai Studios is solely dedicated to recording drum tracks using industry standard preamps and conversion. Every recording involves 12-14 tracks including overheads, close mics, and the room soud. My go to kit for most recordings is my Heuer birch kit, made my master drum builder Chris Heuer. However there are also 3 other kits to choose from, all made of different woods. There are also 11 snares to choose from, including the very rare and highly sought after original Tama Bell Brass snare from 1979.
Q: Is there anyone on SoundBetter you know and would recommend to your clients?
A: Sam Polizzi
Q: Analog or digital and why?
A: BOTH! Analog sounds better to me, digital is great as long as it is used as a tool, not a crutch. Im not a huge fan of copy and paste drums. I almost always do 2-3 full takes of tunes unless I am directed otherwise.
Q: What's your 'promise' to your clients?
A: My promise is that I will work just as hard on your music as I would anyones. You could be an undiscovered talent, or Billy Joel. I treat it all with the same level of importance because thats how I would want to be treated.
Q: What do you like most about your job?
A: LOVE meeting new artists trying to make their way and help them achieve their goals!
Q: What's the biggest misconception about what you do?
A: That it's easy. Feel and groove are just as hard as complex ideas. Theres a reason why drummers like Steve Gadd and Steve Jordan are who they are.
Q: What questions do you ask prospective clients?
A: What they hear in their mind, who their favorite artists are, favorite records, influences, favorite pizza toppings.
Q: What advice do you have for a customer looking to hire a provider like you?
A: Talk extensively with providers before hiring them....explain your vision, what you want to hear, give examples. Part of what makes me a good provider is knowing what I'm NOT suited for....and I have no problems saying that. If you something like authentic jazz, I will undoubtedly refer you to a different person.
Q: What was your career path? How long have you been doing this?
A: My father is a music teacher, and I was exposed to drums when I was very little. I got serious about it in high school. So let's say 12 years old to now.....so about 26 years. I graduated college with a degree in sound recording and went on to tour and get signed with indie rock bands. I toured for several years after that as a hired gun as well as a drum tech. Over the past 8 years, I have been working with more high profile artists and doing much more session work, which is my favorite thing to do.
Q: How would you describe your style?
A: I like to think my style is fluid....as in I try to adapt to whatever vibe the song has and make it sound like its supposed to be there.
Q: Which artist would you like to work with and why?
A: I'd love to work with Panic! At The Disco. I think Brendon Urie is a massive talent and would love to work on song ideas and arrangements with him.
Q: Can you share one music production tip?
A: Don't be afraid to try and idea! You'd be surprised how many of those things stick on the records!
Q: What type of music do you usually work on?
A: I usually work on singer/songwriter music as well as rock/hard rock/pop material. There is a lot of play between those worlds, so I do a lot of in between stuff as well.
Q: What's your strongest skill?
A: I would say my strongest skill is going into every session open minded. If I play something and the artist doesnt like it....no problem. Theres no room for ego in a session, so I'm always ready to adapt new ideas on the fly and to try everything an artist wants to hear.
Q: What do you bring to a song?
A: I definitely like to bring a team attitude to creating a song. I like to bring good energy and feel to what I am helping to create....I want it to be very authentic.
Q: What's your typical work process?
A: Every song is unique so every song gets the same process. I ask what the song is about, what its intention is. Then I ask if the artist has a particular sound in mind and to give examples. I then physically write out the map of the song, and run through them before tracking. It is not uncommon for me to track 5-10 songs in one day.
Q: What other musicians or music production professionals inspire you?
A: Any artist or musician that constantly works on their craft and getting better. I'm always inspired by artists who have the need to something to say with their music, whether it is personal or profound.
Q: Describe the most common type of work you do for your clients.
A: The most common work I do for clients involves drum tracks and arrangements. From a customer service perspective, I want to bring the sound an artist hears to life, the exact way they want to hear it.
I was the DRUMMER in this production
- Live drum trackAverage price - $170 per song
- Dolby Atmos & Immersive AudioAverage price - $200 per song
I provide 2-3 takes of raw multitrack drum recordings. Video chat included. Mixed version of drum tracks available upon request for an additonal $100/track. Typical turnaround time is 1-2 weeks.
- Matt Cameron
- Josh Freese
- API/BAE/Millennia Pres
- DPA Mics
- Coles 4038s
- Lynx Aurora (n) Conversion
- 1980 Tama Bell Brass Snare
- Gretsch and Heuer Drums
10% off when you do 3 tracks or more.
