I'm a Session Drummer and Audio Engineer 20 years of experience. I graduated from Berklee College of Music with a degree in Music Production and Engineering and have since been playing and recording drums, as well as engineering/producing records out of my studio, The Koop, just outside NYC.
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
Contact me through the green button above and let's get to work.
19 Reviews - 5 Repeat Clients
Endorse Matt Graff
check_circleVerifiedOnce 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!
- check_circleVerified
Great ear. Super easy to work with and added new life to my compositions.
check_circleVerifiedPerfection 100% Very good contact and professionalism. I am always happy to cooperate with Matt.
- check_circleVerified
Top quality drummer and more.
check_circleVerifiedanother great drum track! smooth and nailed it first try
check_circleVerifiedgreat recordings
- check_circleVerified
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_circleVerifiedMatt 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!
check_circleVerifiedExceptional 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!
check_circleVerifiedPerfection and far more !! Great drummer great sound!!!
- check_circleVerified
aint't no better understanding. Pure cosmos level musician.
- check_circleVerified
Mystic song he played mystic way. no comments or words can describe his talent.
- check_circleVerified
comfort of perfection
- check_circleVerified
Absolute perfection and song understanding!!
- check_circleVerified
soulful perfection, unlimited destination!
- check_circleVerified
class pro performance, 100% satisfaction,
- check_circleVerified
Matt perfectly understand what you need and does it sky high level
check_circleVerifiedPure talent! Understood exactly what I wanted and also contributed his own artistic vision. Made my track sound tighter and more complete.
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
Live sessions over ZOOM preferred, no revisions needed!
If not over zoom, 1 revision within 24 hrs of 1st recording so they 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 SOULTONE cymbals. Mics: AKG 414s
- Coles
- 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.
