Denver based musician with 20+ years of touring/session drumming, producing and writing. What is most important to me when recording is listening to the artist and making sure I play the best feel for the song. My best genres are singer/songwriter, Americana, dry 70's style, rock and indie rock.
Hello and welcome! I have been playing drums professionally for 20+ years and I currently live in the Boulder/Denver area. I am available for studio (live or online sessions) and live gigs.
I have recorded and played with Gregory Alan Isakov, Sun Way Street, Reed Foehl, Hello Kavita, Kid Reverie, The Paper Stars and many others. I have opened for national acts such as The Lumineers, Grace Potter and the Nocturnals, Nathaniel Rateliff and The Flobots.
I record my drum tracks at my own in home studio and the room is acoustically treated and features high end preamps and mics. My best genres are singer/songwriter, Americana, dry 70's style, rock and indie rock. For more sound samples head to RecordDrums.com.
Feel free to reach out with any questions- I'd love to work on your project!
Contact me through the green button above and let's get to work.
Credits
74 Reviews - 10 Repeat Clients
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Leor is a one take wonder. Incredibly fast turn around with a perfect performance. I'll be asking for his services again for sure!
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Leor is a boss!! Great player (of just about everything), great writer and all around great guy!
Excellent track and tune, perfect tech delivery, brilliant communication... the ideal Soundbetter client!
Thanks, Leor, for inviting me to the party. Always a gas to "play" with you!
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Leor was awesome to work with! Delivered two great takes in almost no time at all, with lots of attention to detail. He was communicative and had no problem with revisions. Would highly recommend.
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2nd time working with Leor, he's just great and lightning fast with his turnaround. Thank you and see you on the next one!
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Leor was great to work with! He delivered a perfectly tailored drum track and helped to keep my project on schedule with fast turn around. Highly recommend!
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Leor plays with such taste, it’s clear he’s a listener first and is there to serve the song. Super professional, great feel, I can’t wait to have him on all my songs.
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Super glad I reached out. Leor made my track better with some very fitting ideas, and was nice enough to share his knowledge on a few other things. Cheers and I hope to work together again
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Leor brought some much needed energy to my track. Quick and on point couldn't have asked for more!
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Leor did great once again. Always a pleasure to work with.
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Leor is great. He has rad ideas. He makes cool sounds when he hits the drums. He records those cool sounds well. My songs sound better with his drum recordings. I like working with him. I will keep coming back when I need drums. Thanks! 😁
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Leor is a pleasure to work with, a great communicator, creative, an excellent musician, excellent engineer, and true professional. Quality of work is top notch and the tracks sound great. This is the second time I worked with him and have nothing but good things to say. Excellent job once again!
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Leor is a talented drummer that was receptive to feedback and got the job done quick! I would highly recommend Leor.
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Leor did an incredible job playing on my track and he did it all very quickly, can't recommend him enough! Hope to work with him again in the future.
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Another great project with Leor!
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Leor was great! Totally professional and very helpful.
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Wow, So glad I worked with Leor! This guy knows how to play in the pocket but better than that he knows how to create a symphony with his drums! Super versatile and easy to work with. Sound quality is also top notch with a lot of good options to choose from. Just drop the drums in and you'll want to keep a stripped down arrangement so his playing really shines. I'll be working with Leor again, thats for sure
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Loved working with Leor
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Excellent job all around with more than enough options to work with. Leor overdelivered and I'm more than happy with the results. Excellent recordings with great tone, feel and creativity. True professional and great communicator. Will not hesitate to work with again.
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Second time working with Leor, and I love how much he can find the right feel that supports a song. Looking forward to building arrangements off of the excellent drum tracks he's recorded.
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Terrific drummer with a great ear for matching his approach and drum tone to the song. Worked fast and delivered a great performance. Definitely recommend Leor!
Interview with Leor Manelis
Q: What are you working on at the moment?
A: My band Sun Way Street. I’m a multi instrumentalist and in this band I play drums/bass/guitar/piano. We release new music every 6/8 weeks so I focus a lot on this project. I’m also recording with various local Colorado artists and doing remote sessions.
Q: Which artist would you like to work with and why?
A: Leif Vollebekk. I love his song writing and style.
Q: Can you share one music production tip?
A: Sometimes it’s best to record a take or two and then walk away for an hour and come back. Something magical happens in your brain when come back and you have a fresh perspective.
Q: What type of music do you usually work on?
A: Singer songwriter and indie rock/rock.
Q: Tell us about your studio setup.
A: I use a 13 mic setup with a hybrid Glyn Johns method when I record. I tend to work in Logic mostly and have 2 recording spaces to record in. Small and dead or a larger room with wood floors. I use high quality audio interfaces and top quality mics.
Q: Analog or digital and why?
A: Can't choose and shouldn't have too. It really depends on the band/song. With Hello Kavita, we wanted a vintage warmer sound so we recorded analog (2" tape) and then converted it to digital for mixing. Both can sound great if everyone knows what they are doing.
Q: What's your 'promise' to your clients?
A: I promise you will be happy with the final product or it's free.
Q: What do you like most about your job?
A: I am addicted to the creative process and love working with new artists. Coming up with ideas that
Q: What questions do you ask prospective clients?
A: What is your timeline? Are you going for a certain sound or style? Have you ever worked with a remote musician before and if yes, were you happy with the result?
Q: How would you describe your style?
A: First I listen. I listen for dynamics, pauses, emotional moments and ask myself if how can drums add value to each part. As I mentioned above, I like to be the back beat and look to practice restraint. I want to create something that will add to the song and not take over the song.
Q: What's your strongest skill?
A: Listening & dynamics. I think listening to the artist is the most important part of the creative process. When you listen, you can hear all the nuances of the song and figure out what fits best for the song.
Q: What's your typical work process?
A: I tend to work fast and am highly communicative during the process. Send me the Logic session or the wav file, tell me the BPM and I can get started. If you have any ideas around the beat or sound, just let me know. I am drummer and father of 2 little girls so I am used to being told what to do. I take direction well and want you to be happy. I like to send you 2-3 versions using different snares and cymbals and you can choose what you like.
Q: Describe the most common type of work you do for your clients.
A: The most common work is live drum tracking either for recording sessions or live gigs.
Q: What other musicians or music production professionals inspire you?
A: I am a firm believer in less is more and I really try to practice restraint in my playing. I love to have 1-2 tasty fills in a track if it calls for it and not take over the song. It's not about me, it's about you and your song. I love the drumming of Aaron Sterling,Ted Poor and Darren King. Bands like Andy Shauf, Gregory Alan Isakov and Leif Vollebekk are some of my favorite singer songwriters. Of course these the obvious bands like Radiohead, The Beatles, RATM, and Nirvana that were all huge influences for me.
I was the drums/guitar/bass/piano in this production
- Live drum trackAverage price - $200 per song
- PercussionAverage price - $100 per song
- Electric GuitarAverage price - $125 per song
- Acoustic GuitarAverage price - $125 per song
- Aaron Sterling
- Ringo Starr
- Dave Grohl
- Ludwig Drums
- Zildjian and Istanbul cymbals
- Snares (various types & sizes)
- High end mics and pre-amps
- Royer
- Earthworks
- sE Electronics
- Miktek
- Solomon
- Dr. Alien
- D112
- Empirical Labs
- Big Fat Snare Drum