Session Drummer, Studio Owner and Audio Engineer with 20 years of experience. Tons of live and session work across multiple genres. Berklee College of Music graduate. Look at all the REPEAT CLIENTS on SoundBetter!
I play about 100 gigs and dozens of recording sessions a year with a diverse list of artists. Everything from Pop-rock to Funk to Metal to Reggae to Jazz...you name it. My studio is geared toward capturing amazing drum sounds and I've developed both the playing and engineering skills to provide tight, expressive, expertly recorded drums to countless recordings.
Navigating the Soundbetter Reel:
0:00 - 0:24 - Hard Rock - My First Enemy by Age of Madness
0:24 - 0:48 - Hard Rock - Red Lines, White Lies by Age of Madness
0:48 - 1:36 - Prog Metal - The Departure by An Endless Sporadic
1:36 - 2:09 - Prog Rock - Apostle by Calaspera
2:09 - 2:53 - Metal - Lightworker by As Dark As You
2:53 - 3:24 - Prog Rock - Fools by Chunck
3:24 - 4:01 - Fusion - Know You Didn’t by Mr. Clifford
4:01 - 4:48 - Funk/Fusion - We Will Name him Joseph by Mr. Clifford
4:48 - 5:09 - Rock - Signs of Life by Men and Whales
5:09 - 5:33 - Rock - Take a Swing by Danny End the Dictators
5:33 - 6:00 - Rock - Electric Pink by Shannon Allen
6:00 - 6:24 - Rock - Elevated by Shannon Allen
6:24 - 6:53 - Reggae - Wrecking Ball by Highly Cyrus
6:53 - 7:22 - Reggae - Time After Time by Highly Cyrus
I'd love to hear about your project. Click the 'Contact' button above to get in touch.
25 Reviews - 8 Repeat Clients
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Great work!
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Second time working with Matt and will almost certainly do so again.
Great drumming--tight and tasteful, nails it without needing too much direction. And the recording quality is very high quality. Bonus, super easy to work with and responsive to ideas/direction.
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Worked with Matt on 2 songs and am already doing several more.
He nailed everything on the first take. Playing is tight, tasteful, and on point, and the recording quality of the kit is excellent.
Communication was super easy. He took approximate direction perfectly but also added his own style.
Will definitely work with again.
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Perfection!
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Great work as always! Delivered polished stems that are easy to mix.
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Matt, nailed it first time round, solid and dynamic.
Thanks Matt
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Once again, Matt delivers! He quickly understood the feel I was going for in my songs and nailed the parts in no time. A pleasure to work with!
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Great ear. Super easy to work with and added new life to my compositions.
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Perfection 100% Very good contact and professionalism. I am always happy to cooperate with Matt.
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Top quality drummer and more.
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another great drum track! smooth and nailed it first try
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great recordings
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It was great working with Matt; he did an incredible performance that was very tight, with good style and attention to detail where he placed accents, and in the esthetic that I had in mind under short time constraints.
I will definitely be working with Matt again. - check_circleVerified
Matt delivered some great solid drums for my project.
He understood the requests I made for revisions and the drums came back just as I had hoped for.
Thanks Matt I look forward to working with you again on my next project. - check_circleVerified
Matt did a fantastic job laying down a drum track for one of my songs. The rough drum track that I had previously recorded had a lot of specific hits that I wanted to remain and Matt was able to preserve those while adding a desperately needed human touch. I'm kind of amazed at how he was able to nail the parts in such a short period of time. Highly recommended!
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Exceptional drummer! Matt was patient and understood exactly what our track needed. The recording we got was pretty much everything you could ask for in terms of quality and skill; Big roomy kit with attention to detail!
Thanks for bringing this to life man. Would def recommend!
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Perfection and far more !! Great drummer great sound!!!
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aint't no better understanding. Pure cosmos level musician.
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Mystic song he played mystic way. no comments or words can describe his talent.
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comfort of perfection
Interview with Matt Graff
Q: What was your career path? How long have you been doing this?
A: I’ve been a drummer since I was 10, but I didn’t really take it very seriously until I got to Berklee. I majored in production and engineering there, but studied drums as well. Once I graduated, I got a job at the Apple Store, and after a few years there, I began consulting as a tech support guru while I slowly built my music career of playing and recording. It took about a decade for me to build up enough consistent music work where I could leave behind the computer consulting, and in that period I began renting a small, 1 room studio and started building clientele. About 2 years after going full time with music, my partner and I opened The Koop Studio, and here we are!
Q: What's your typical work process?
A: My typical process for drum tracks is to first listen to the song and determine what kind of sound I’m going for, then I choose the proper drums, mics, preamps and settings/positioning to best fit that sound. Once I’m all set up and soundchecked, then I’ll listen through the song and learn it, usually writing a cheat sheet chart to help me remember the details. Then I can hop behind the kit right away and knock out a “1st pass”. Once I’ve got something I’m happy with, I invite the client to a zoom call where they can review my take and give me feedback in real time. Then, if there are any revisions, I make the necessary changes, and that’s that!If
Q: Tell us about your studio setup.
A: My partner and I have built a 1200 sq foot, multiple room studio called The Koop that’s a full service media production facility. We have a grand piano, tons of drums and other vintage and modern instruments, and multiple rooms for isolation. We have a bunch of nice mics and boutique preamps/outboard gear. I use a technique where I crack the door to the drum booth a hair and put the room mics in the adjoining live room to get that distant room/drums in a warehouse type sound!
Q: What other musicians or music production professionals inspire you?
A: I’m a big fan of lots of drummers and producers. These days, I love the way Aaron Sterling’s command of groove, touch and tone help elevate all the productions he plays on.
Q: Describe the most common type of work you do for your clients.
A: My main gig is producing/engineering with artists that come to my studio, The Koop. That usually involves adding drums and percussion to their songs to provide a foundation for the productions.
I was the drummer, engineer in this production
- Live drum trackAverage price - $150 per song
- PercussionAverage price - $100 per song
- Mixing EngineerAverage price - $300 per song
- Mastering EngineerAverage price - $70 per song
- Recording StudioAverage price - $600 per day
1 revision within 24 hrs of 1st recording so notes can be addressed before the studio is reconfigured for another session.
- Gavin Harrison
- Travis Barker
- Aaron Sterling
- DW
- Ludwig
- Rogers
- Gretsch
- Taye kits
- Numerous Snare Drums
- Tons of cymbals. Mics: AKG 414s
- Coles
- AEA R88
- Pearlman TM-1
- Earthworks
- Many More...Preamps: Neve
- Vintech
- Universal Audio
- Phoenix Audio
- Black Lion
- AEA
Special bulk rates for multiple songs!
- We've moved - Check out the new location!Sep 21, 2021
Check Out our new location:
thekoopstudio.com
The Koop Studio has relocated to a brand new studio space. We've got a beautifully treated rooms that are an absolute dream to work in. We're in full swing recording, mixing and mastering a slew of new projects, and our remote recording business is as busy as ever.